How to easily stop a mixer tap from leaking
Mixer taps generally, eventually, share the same problem. They leak from the base of the mixer spout. This has happened to us twice. The first time we foolishly replaced the tap – cost of tap + plumber’s time. The second time I didn’t want to cross the palm of the plumber with cash so I investigated if I could solve the problem myself. I felt a real fool when I discovered that often the leak is caused by worn O rings. The latter are small flexible rubber rings – available from most DIY stores and inexpensive. We rushed down to...
read moreSimple baked eggs recipe. Halogen oven recipes.
When I lived at home with my mum, we always ate lunch – main course and pud. Supper was an ad hoc affair – we could have whatever we liked that from the bounty of the fridge and larder as long as we prepared it ourselves. Quite canny of my mum as she could put her feet up and enjoy the evening without having to cook a proper meal. One of my favourite supper snacks were baked eggs. Delicious and dead easy to make. If I dallied up in my room they were quick to prepare. We’d eat our supper on trays balanced on old coffin stools (don’t...
read moreHow to easily reproof outdoor clothes
I have a gorgeous red jacket that I bought from TKMaxx a few years ago. Back in the 20th century this would have been called an anorak. I loved my first anorak – blue quilted with a white fur trim around the hood. But by the time I was in my teens I wouldn’t be seen dead or even dragged about half alive in one. “It’s just a jacket,” my mum soothed. For me denim jackets were the thing. I didn’t care if I got wet – surely the denim would weather nicely if I got caught in a shower? Chills? Only weedy people and me on a Wednesday...
read moreEasy Morello Gin recipe. Fruit liqueurs.
Fresh Morello cherries are quite hard to find in the UK unless you grow them yourself. We have two Morello cherry trees that I bought for 99p each from Netto a few years ago. One was supposed to be an ordinary cherry tree but clearly there had been a mix up of labels at the warehouse and we ended up with two Morellos. I was disappointed initially until I twigged that Morello cherries are the stars of cherry society. Their deep sour flavour is their saving grace – loads of opportunities in a wide range of dishes – from sweet to...
read moreThe Withersfield Village Fête. Old England at its best.
“You know the stand where people break crockery. How does that work? Are there prizes?” I had watched fascinated as people threw wooden balls at shelves of crockery. Listening to the encouraging roars when someone managed to break something or at best create an avalanche that slid satisfactorily down the shelves, smashing the odd piece on its way. “Ah!” Declared C conspiratorially, “no prizes. It’s done for the pure hell of it. In fact there’s lots of crockery in the Flea Market next door. You could buy it and smash it at home....
read moreI make a brief appearance on ITV’s Love Your Garden tonight
Do you remember that Danny and I were beavering away in April and May tarting up the cottage and garden? It had needed sorting out for quite some time. I am naturally untidy, prone to leaving things lying around. Danny is King of Weeding the Gravel and I’m Queen of everything else in the garden so I couldn’t blame him for the mess. This major shake up was prompted by the imminent arrival of Valentine Warner and a TV crew. They would film a snippet in my garden for the food slot in tonight’s Love Your Garden on ITV. We had about three...
read moreSlow cooked summery lamb shanks recipe. Simmered with apricots and tomatoes
Years ago lamb shanks were a very cheap cut of meat. Now, with the return to forgotten cuts, they have become increasingly popular and the price for a couple of shanks has become quite high. So when I found a couple of these tasty lovelies half price on the Tesco CFC I squirreled them into my basket with a trill. Lamb shanks, like oxtail, always used to flag a warming winter dish to me. Judging by the amount of shanks that appear regularly on the CFC at this time of year most people would agree. But why not try and create a summery dish? The...
read moreFiona’s elderflower vodka/liqueur recipe
I was looking through Rose and David Mabey’s book Jams, Pickles and Chutneys (Penguin handbooks) last week to see if the had any recipes for elderflowers. They did have one – elderflower vinegar. “If you can make vinegar then you must be able to make elderflower vodka,” I mused. A brief sojourn on the internet threw up two recipes Hank Shaw’s Elderflower Liqueur and Elderflower Vodka from Eating From The Ground Up. As our liqueur cellar is running very dry I vowed to have a go. The Chicken Lady was up for the challenge too. “We...
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