Car Bomb
During the summer, I was making extensive repairs to the rendering on the outside of the cottage. I bought 25 kilo bags of sand and cement so that I could guarantee to get the right mix, as all my books came up with different ratios. The problem was where to store a half-used bag in between rendering splurges. I needed a dry space, ideally at waist height, very near to the area where I was working. I quickly found the perfect spot – the boot of Danny’s gleaming company car. For weeks I happily mixed and sploshed. Danny, whose study...
read moreEssential autumn preparations for your chickens (part one)
When I went into our chicken run this morning I spotted that we had intruders. There were three neat front doors behind the chicken house. These doors are about 1 ?” wide and mean one thing. Rats. This is an invasion that cannot be ignored. Rats clearly enjoy a great social life and breed very rapidly. They are intelligent and if they find a good supply of chicken feed and fresh water they will not leave willingly. There was an old guy in our village who would point a shotgun into a hole and fire. I use poison. A lot. Starting when I see...
read moreNo-Cook Apple, Date and Onion Chutney Recipe
Our old friend, Kate Auty, makes this excellent chutney every year. It does not have to be cooked at all. In fact all you do is mince, mix and leave to mature. If you can leave the chutney longer than three months it will continue to improve. We let a jar mature for a year, it is treasured and strictly for family consumption. It’s great for children to make, under supervision. By the time it has matured for three months the daily bleat of, “Is it ready yet?” has died down completely and they have forgotten that it is lurking...
read moreMy favourite Min Pin. Dr Quito D.Phil (Buda).
Dr Quito is my favourite dog. He is the steadiest, kindest dog that I’ve ever lived with. He was the first pup that we chose together. And as Danny says, “Our best boy.” When he arrived as a tiny eight week old pup Danny insisted that he slept beside our bed. He’d let Quito drift off to sleep on our pillows before lifting him gently in his palm and tucking him up in the half avocado box that was his basket at the time. At 10 months old he had a terrible accident on the Newmarket Gallops. He was coursed by a lurcher. The...
read moreMoving to the country (part one)
Gazing out of the back door this morning into the garden and the pouring rain, I remembered the first autumn that I spent in this part of the world. Twenty three years ago I threw up my fast paced life in London, sold my flat and moved to the country. My small house had been converted from some loose boxes and overlooked a working livery stable. I thought that the outlook would be perfect as there would always be something going on. But tiny figures trotting past my window soon lost their charm when summer came and the smell of muck wafted...
read moreThe best crispy baked potatoes that I’ve ever tasted
These poatoes in their jackets are superb. This simple recipe must be the fastest, easiest and tastiest base for any busy midweek meal. Pop them in the oven and forget about them for an hour. I’ve cooked baked potatoes for years and they’re definitely comfort food for me. It took me ages to twig that the secret of great baked potatoes is in the skin. The timing in this recipe is as important as the spicy rub. To eat them at their crispiest they mustn’t hang about in the oven past their cooking time as this softens their...
read moreShopping with Hitler
Rushing around Waitrose this afternoon with only twenty minutes to do the big shop, I spotted that the barbecue section is now dedicated to Christmas. Today, I didn’t have time to potter there. Each year I’m attracted by the pretty pots of apricots in brandy until I see exactly how much brandy they contain. I’m a bit sniffy about the “gift” selections, such as the miniature bottle of whisky sitting cosily beside a decent sized tumbler or the two Chinese bowls with chop sticks, nuzzling a bottle of soy sauce for...
read moreGrowing shallots
I love this time of year, everything winding down from the rush of the summer. A sunny day seems so much more precious now that the days are shorter. I was down in our kitchen garden this morning planning to lift two rows of shallots. I knew that I should have lifted them in August but assumed that they would be happy to be left in for a few more weeks. It was difficult to spot them at first as the nasturtiums have romped across half the vegetable patch. When I did find them they were disappointingly small and had started to sprout. What a...
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