White sprouting broccoli 2
The taste of really fresh purple sprouting broccoli from the garden is only beaten by the flavour of sweet white sprouting broccoli. John Coe gives us broccoli plants each year in July. They need to be covered with nets or the birds will strip the young leaves clean within a few days. They also need to be protected from the cabbage white caterpillar. Apart from those two key rules they are easy to grow as long as you know that they will not produce their delicate spears until April of the following year. A lot of my clients have planted...
read moreRanunculus
This afternoon I fell in love. I was in Waitrose with my mother. Standing beside the flower stand. I don’t buy flowers for the cottage anymore but my mum often buys me flowers when we go shopping. “Why, these are beautiful.” She picked up some soft yet elegant flowers that we’d never seen before. We examined the label – Ranunculus. Such a clumsy name for an exquisite flower. Apparently it comes from the Latin and means little frog. As both the amphibian and plant enjoy a little damp. I’ve spent the evening getting acquainted with...
read morePassata and rice water can remove the metallic tang of leeks in a dish
I’ve discovered that using non slow cooker recipes in the slow cooker enhances the flavours. This is generally great except in the case of onions and leeks. The quantities of these ingredients need to be halved. I’ve tried reducing them by a third and then had to battle with making the dish palatable. Earlier this week I tried making our conventionally cooked oxtail recipe in the slow cooker. I halved the oxtail and made up the weight with shin of beef. I cut down the onion and leeks by a third. I was planning a thick soup rather than a...
read moreSave trees and money and scatter some joy with Jaquie Lawson e-cards
I received my first Jaquie Lawson Christmas card seven years ago. It was one of her Chudleigh (black Labrador) cards. I was thrilled. Great animation and top marks on the feel good factor. Then I forgot all about them. A couple of years ago an old friend started sending us Jaquie Lawson cards at Christmas and Easter. Margaret and her husband Tony had been our neighbours and had moved far away to Cumbria. Each card was a delightful reminder of an old and lasting friendship. There’s something very magical about these cards. This Christmas we...
read morePeanuts or peenuts?
Working freelance in Soho (London) in the 90s was fun. The economy was buoyant and there was the buzz of cash, talent and hope. People worked hard and played hard too. Playing hard was the best part. The bars were packed at lunchtimes and early evening. This is where a lot of freelance people made contacts that might bring them new work. Generally I was too busy to need to do this, but if the telephone didn’t chirrup then simply drifting down Wardour Street often bought work. You’d bump into someone on the pavement, have a drink in a bar...
read moreA disaster that introduced us to a new ingredient
Quite a few people think that we create a new recipe with ease. They imagine us stirring, whisking and happily tasting. Each dish a simple triumph. The reality is different. We have a lot of fun playing with ingredients but often enthusiasm and daring has us sliding down that slope where the rubbish bin rather than the plate is the preferred option. This almost happened a few days ago. Danny picked up a couple of packs of reduced price braising beef. We had loads of vegetables waiting in the wings. An eclectic group, ranging from courgette to...
read moreDyson repair service review: Thumbs up
A couple of weeks ago our trusty old Dyson cut out. It felt very hot so we let it rest for a couple of hours while I searched the Internet for a replacement vacuum cleaner. I’m lucky as I visit new houses every week and have road tested hundreds. I’ve been impressed by the Seebo. So selected a vacuum cum carpet cleaner that seemed to be just the ticket. The only problem was the price really cut into the pot of gold that we are saving for our oil tank refill. When Danny tried the Dyson again it purred into life and continued for a...
read moreStrange eggs
Sometimes I find an egg with a small deformity on the shell but last month I found these two weirdly shaped eggs. What was going on? The larger one is Carol’s (aged three) and the one with the twist was laid by Barbie (aged four). I rushed back to the cottage and fired up the computer. DEFRA has a good, informative article relating to eggs here. Irregularities in egg shells can indicate a host of horrifying diseases. However as Carol and Barbie look well and healthy the cause is clearly age. If you don’t replace your hens every two...
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