Gardening Which? compost trials
I was fascinated to read and see the results of Gardening Which? compost trials in this month’s magazine. The results are extraordinary and in many ways disappointing. The peat free compost just doesn’t cut the mustard – at best achieving 54% compared to the best buy 88% for seed sowing. Young plants did even worse 46% compared to 92%. Up until now I’ve tended not to buy the cheaper compost and was under the misapprehension that more expensive compost was better and would give my seedlings a better chance. Last year I noted that...
read moreSalt Pig
“What on earth is this?” Danny was unwrapping his Christmas stocking. “It looks like some sort of portable urinal for invalids.” “No. You’re holding it sideways. It should stand upright with the hole on one side.” He waved it about for a bit looking perplexed. Finally I put an end to his misery. “It’s a Salt Pig. It’s supposed to keep the salt dry. It’s called a salt pig because it has a protruding ‘snout’ of sorts.” This autumn our kitchen was so damp that an ordinary cardboard pack of salt was unusable within...
read moreDelicious crispy potatoes transformed from cold left over spuds
We are going through a craze of eating Rooster potatoes at the moment. These are red skinned and extremely floury. The trick with Roosters is to wash them but not to peel them. The skin stops the spuds breaking up in the saucepan and can be easily peeled off before serving if you have time on your hands. Even the skin of a Rooster potato is tasty so there’s no prinky peeling here at the cottage. Last weekend I discovered that D had a lot of cold, boiled leftover Rooster potatoes. The perfect excuse for making these fried potatoes. They are...
read moreThe cheese that led me astray
I never thought that I would be seduced by a cheese. But I’ve had to come upstairs as sitting in the kitchen is driving me nuts. Our friends Jocelyn and Miles have just come back from France and dropped off a large slab of Brie de Meaux at the cottage. Brie de Meaux doesn’t travel very well and has to be eaten quickly before the flavour neutralises. I’ve searched for Brie de Meaux in England but when I’ve found one it’s not a patch on the fresh stuff, chauffeured lovingly straight from France in a private car. In the knowledge...
read moreEat your greens
“If you eat your greens your hair will curl,” my mother would say. “But I’ve already got curly hair.” As a child I longed for straight long blonde hair, like my friend Twink. I also didn’t like greens. If I’d had my way it would have been toast or Wall’s Chocolate Carnival ice cream for every meal. Until I started growing my own veg I didn’t really enjoy eating them. Salad, broccoli, frozen peas and the occasional carrot were vegetables at the more appealing end of the ‘horrid veg” spectrum. One of the few...
read moreHappy New Year
To me, New Year is a fresh start that is more official than a birthday. D tends to look back whilst my focus is usually forward. I reckon that I’m very lucky to have an optimistic outlook although sometimes my expectations are unrealistic – causing frustration and woe. D’s a realist and I’m a dreamer. He practices expectation management – I’d not even heard of the term until I met D. I don’t make New Years resolutions. I generally have ongoing plans in place throughout the year. These are made to stop me drifting about in a...
read moreThe embroidery stash
Just before Christmas Shereen emailed me and asked if I would be interested in giving a home to her embroidery stash. Of course the answer was Yes Please. There’s nothing like examining someone else’s stash let alone being given one. I was thrilled. I used to do quite a bit of embroidery as a child. In fact I made this embroidery thread roll at some stage back then for myself (photo below). It even has a little lint book inside to store the needles and a row of soft compartments to store threads. The material is Swiss and from an old...
read moreA good Christmas and an inspirational cookery book
We had a very good, enjoyable and peaceful Christmas. Seraphina hosted two lunches, one on Christmas Day and the second one was yesterday. My poor mum was ill over Christmas so we celebrated Boxing Day a day late so that she could join in the fun. My sister is a very good cook and extremely independent. It was bliss to leave all the cooking in her expert hands. Danny and I are not really turkey fans but Seraphina’s Bronze feathered free range turkey was delicious. Moist and full of flavour. A real eye opener – turkey can be succulent...
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