Getting on
Danny and I are lucky. My birthdays is only a fortnight after his. As I am three years older, I enjoy the short period when the gap is only two years. We agree the amount we are going to spend on each other’s present and there is also a silly surprise from the dogs. If they are feeling generous they send a card, strange whirling writing and no stamp. It’s a good time of year for us. We both love the autumn and it’s great to rack up another year. I am always amazed that I have lasted this long. I always thought that I...
read moreGem squash
“We’re going to have a gem squash for supper tonight.” I produced the dinky vegetable for Danny to see. “How do you cook it?” “Prick the skin in a few places and simmer for 20 minutes. Cut it in half and serve with lashings of butter and ground black pepper.” “So it’s tasteless then?” I knew that I would have a bit of a fight on my hands to get him to taste the squash. So I thought up a delicious supper menu that would allow the squash to be slipped surreptitiously under the blanket,...
read moreWin a luxury box of chocs and a bottle of Champagne for someone special
We love chocolate. D a little more than me. His tastes run the gamut of anything chocolaty, from a chocolate button to the sort of chocolate is presented to potentates. Leave him in the proximity of chocs and you will return to an empty box, as I have discovered to my cost. However, when faced with seriously good chocolate the guzzling airbrakes are applied. Especially if I am writing a review. Just mention Hotel Chocolat and his eyes close and he smiles. When Hotel Chocolat asked us to review their range of chocolate bars I was thrilled....
read moreCompanion vegetable
Danny and I both enjoy the weekly visit to our butcher. D considers them to be great “craic”. He shopped happily at Fred Fitzpatrick’s each week when I was down in Saffron Walden for months. When I was able to drop by again on Friday, Fred was able to do a passable Cork accent. I was impressed. Admittedly I had been away for some time. I spotted a large marrow lounging amongst the vegetables when I breezed in last Friday. It had a label stuck on its side which I examined as John sliced the sirloin steaks. It read “Free...
read moreWet walnuts
Years ago I used to visit Partridges, a wonderful delicatessen on Sloane Square. From now, throughout October and sometimes into November, they sold wet walnuts. I discovered this delicacy there. Wet walnuts are fresh walnuts that have not been dried for keeping. They are crunchy with a milky, mild walnut taste and excellent with a soft cheese, in a salad or a sauce. They are also packed with omega 3, if you need an excuse for rushing out to taste them. You neededn’t point your car in the direction of Partridges if you live in the...
read moreMagimix and colchicums – very special birthday presents
My mother remarried when I was eight. I encouraged the union. My prospective stepfather had a car, a Riley 127, and liked Cadbury’s créme eggs. Just before our first Christmas together the vacuum cleaner blew up. Back then, this was a luxury item. “Don’t worry,” said Arthur as he tucked in his napkin, “I’ll buy you a nice new one for Christmas.” The chirpy remark was met with a sharp retort, so swift it was hard to believe it hadn’t been rehearsed. “A hoover is a household expense....
read moreThe Great Sloe Gin Challenge – Three variations of our sloe gin recipe
No one seems to agree on the right time to pick sloes for sloe gin. “Pick after the first frosts,” advise the traditionalists. “Pick them in September, before the bushes are stripped bare,” chortle the enthusiastic. “Pick them now and give them a chilly blast in the freezer, to give the effect of the first frost,” suggest the practical. There are other questions too. If the sloes are left to mature until the first frosts, do they have a better flavour? Does the quality of gin affect the liqueur? Should one...
read moreTomatoes for breakfast
I harvest our tomatoes in the evening, when I water them. They are collected in the fold of my jumper and transferred to a bowl on the kitchen worktop to be admired and eaten. The harvest is just three or four a day at the moment and most mornings the bowl is bare. “Where are the tomatoes?” “I ate them for breakfast. You told me I could eat some.” Danny quite often gets up at four to start work. But tomatoes for breakfast Yuk! If I want to eat our tomatoes I have to hide them in a dark spot in the fridge or my secret...
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