Alphonso’s Chicken Bonne Femme recipe – cooked in a Thermos
Well how did the cockerels taste? Massimo is in the freezer as I chose Alphonso to star in our first eat your own chickens post. I decided a slow cook method was probably best so I christened The Giant Thermos that I bought from the church fete this year. I also tried to use as many ingredients from our kitchen garden. We had fresh garlic – for the first time a decent sized bulb. Carrots – many strange and evocative shapes here as we don’t really have the perfect soil for them. Potatoes, just a tiny bit of slug/xxx damage – just...
read moreDog poo wormery
We have two compost heaps and a large traditional kitchen waste composter but still need more compost than we can make. So I started looking at the possibility of investing in a worm composter. The worm casts that are made create a great compost and the wormery also collects a liquid feed that can be diluted and fed to plants and shrubs. Organic fertilisers can be very expensive. Although we are now making comfrey and nettle tea, sometimes plants need that extra boost. Then I discovered that there are wormerys that convert dog poo into...
read moreHardy orange trees: Calamondin
We are trying to become less dependant on imports to the UK. One key ingredient that we lack at the cottage are easily grown citrus fruits. We have a greenhouse which is chock-a-block in the winter so an ordinary citrus tree would have to live in the cottage for the winter months. We reckoned that our tiny windows and poor light would make a citrus tree suffer and go straggly. Ages ago I bought what can only be described as an expensive lemon twig on Ebay. It was given the affection that only a proper bountiful tree deserves. Kept in the...
read moreSpoils from the annual village fête
Yesterday was the Cheveley village fête. Held in aid of St Mary’s church and celebrating the 750th anniversary of the church. To link in with this the organisers had given the fête a medieval theme and many of the organisers and stallholders wore medieval costumes. Danny was serving at the bar and claimed that his everyday clothes were so old that they were almost medieval. Usually I serve on the bar too but this year I visited as a guest – which was great fun. Watching the Molly dancers and the falconry display and catching up with...
read moreBest recipes for leftovers: roast potato, broccoli and stilton frittata recipe
“Are you really up for making a frittata. It’s such a palaver, peeling and boiling all those potatoes.” “I’m not doing potatoes.” Danny was horrified. “But we have to have potatoes. That’s the best bit.” “I’m using the left over roast potatoes from Sunday.” “Oh. I didn’t know there were leftovers.” Ever since Veronica left a comment saying that a frittata is a great way of using up leftovers I’ve been determined to do just that. The problem is that we don’t have many leftovers as they are usually guzzled by...
read moreCheap gardening tools can be an expensive mistake
Our ground is stony but gradually we are removing the stones. In some areas it’s compacted, were dealing with this by adding loads of organic matter. We are digging 3000 litres of good manure and topsoil mix into two thirds of our borders. The other third will get the treat next year. We are taking turns in barrowing Denise’s Delight from the giant bags on the front drive, through the tightly packed barn and into the garden. Dull but satisfying work as I know the plants will welcome this deluxe spar treatment. All was going well. We had...
read moreWelcome home Black Tuscany Kale – all is forgiven
For years I was not very keen on eating vegetables. Danny adores them but I was generally unimpressed. Until I started growing our own. Home grown organic vegetables have far more flavour than shop bought ones as they are ultra fresh. Vegetables that I’ve avoided for years – such as cabbage and Brussels sprouts – have become firm favourites as they taste completely different straight from the garden. And we are saving money too. I had a longing for ultra fresh vegetables last night so I pulled on my snow boots and grabbed a large...
read moreGoing to the sales
I went to the sales this afternoon. To buy night clothes. These have become day clothes for me over the past six months. I needed pyjamas and a bed jacket – or as they are now known, a cardigown. I’d been haunting TK Maxx waiting for the prices to drop beneath the red sale sticker stage and today found a gorgeous Janet Reger teddy bear coloured bed jacket and a pair of Lady Selina pyjamas for just £7.00 each. Happiness. “Wow.” Said the lady at the cash desk. “These are great buys. If you are patient you can get some real bargains...
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