Love Me Buns

 
Fresh from our sunny Sunday family bike ride along Marriotts Way, Evie was straight in with the question "Can we make cakes? You did promise…." The multitude of "can we's" seems quite feasible first thing in the morning but as the day progresses… all I want to do is read just a tiny bit of the paper.

Keeping my word (for once) we made chocolate cupcakes which we scoffed after large portions of roast beef. The buns weren't bad considering they contained liberal smattering's of both egg shell and spittle.  

  

Matilda arranging 'Love Me Buns' on our Valentine mini-bird-table, left on our door step by a secret admirer….

Typepad or Tumblr?

I can't decide whether to ditch Typepad – I find it intensely frustrating, sometimes it loads, often it doesn't.
I've been erratically using the ever so simple Tumblr platform and I really like it's simplicity plus it's free.

http://lifefork.tumblr.com

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!

Alphonso Mangoes

I recently bumped into a friend in one of the Asian food stores on Magdalen street. She was stuffing two boxes of Alphonso mangoes into the back of her son's buggy. With each box containing approx 12 fruit I wish I had asked her what she was going to do with them. I also bought a box of the delicious fragrant, deep orange coloured juicy mangoes and have eaten them just as they then sucking the stone ending up with a orange mustache no one told me about. Thanks kids.

Alphonso's are so different from the all year round mangoes, like the ones that never ripen which I buy in bulk from Lidls when they are 35p. They are great for mango chutney but truly disappointing eaten on their own when compared to an Alphonso.

The last time I bought a box (a grate) of mangoes was when I lived on Hamilton Island, Great Barrier Reef – the fruit is grown nearby on the mainland. They were so tasty, so perfectly ripe that I couldn't manage to eat all the fruit and that's the only trouble with buying in bulk, you have to eat a lot of fruit or make something out of them. There I had no cooking facilities but Skye Gyngell has included a few recipes in her recent column for The Independent.

The Alphoso season is short, perhaps only available for the next week if that. I'm going to try and buy another box today and make a sorbet or ice-cream using the clever Play and Freeze which I was given last summer although Skye's jam recipes sounds just up my street.

Back Blogging

My six month blog diet is now over. I'm celebrating by eating warm mince pies and dropping dollops of suet goo on the key board. The blog diet seemed quite strict, usually I do have weak moments with diets, but I really stuck to this regime.

The blog diet allowed to sleep at night (late night postings for me, had the same effect as eating slabs of plain chocolate or drinking espresso before bed). Blog abstention also meant I wasn't obsessing about what to cook and photo all the time. With the blog diet, we eat less cake, I talk to Stu in the evenings and I watch dreadful but alluring TV like Survivors.

Why I have decided to start writing now is because I'm avoiding doing all the other things I have on my to-do list in preparation for Christmas. Today is to be card making and writing day … That's my cue to get on with it.

Smoked Eel and Beetroot

Beetroot is one of the few surviving plants on our allotment that hasn’t been munched by greedy, gluttonous slugs and snails. I think that our plot, being positioned next to the rolls of old rotten carpet and waste ground is asking for trouble. When I walk up the path and, towards the old timers in our allotment group, I notice they have beautifully formed, perfectly pristine lettuces growing in the neatest rows with no trace of  gorging snails. But it’s OK, I’m not bitter or envious, despite once thinking our plot was being sabotaged by people sprinkling weed seeds all over our once ,very neat raised beds. I guess it’s just a slightly irritating learning curve of what to grow and what not to bother trying to grow.

So it’s a good job we like beetroot as much as we do, as this is going to be our bulk crop this summer along with the fennel, which so far, is also doing mighty fine.
Beetroot raw, grated with carrots and mixed with lemon juice and a peppery olive oil is my favourite way to eat it. I also love it roasted with rosemary and garlic then cooled, sliced and eaten with horseradish and a strong cheddar in a sandwich. Or, like I first mentioned, grating it raw and mixing it with creme fraiche, dill and Dijon mustard and topped with deliciously meaty, smoked eel. If you’re put off my eating eel because of the way it looks alive, don’t be. When smoked, it is really tasty with a firm texture and deep oily flavour – excellent with beetroot.

starter all over again

I’m just loving Future Radio.
The music they play is excellent and I rarely have the urge to tune off
unlike most BBC stations. Some of the DJ’s are rather comical (I’m not
sure if they are meant to be) but they share some interesting info and
twitter on in rather a endearing manner. I also love the People’s Playlist,
where folk like me, select 12 of their favourite tunes to be aired on
Future Radio at the weekends. One day I might get organised enough to
do that, but for today, I’m happy that I have just won a mystery CD for
texting in the correct answer to a shuffled up song. Yey!

Something I’m not so happy about is that I’ve finally managed to
kill my sourdough starter. I tried to revive it by feeding it chunks of
a peeled apple (I was desperate) but it refused to bubble and regain
life. In some ways I’m quite pleased I’m not having to make loaves
every week but on the other hand, I loved the process and the addiction
I had with trying to create the perfect sourdough. I also loved the
fact you can prepare a really quick meal with stale toasted sourdough,
lightly rubbed with garlic, olive oil and topped with roasted tomatoes.
I think I have just 3 remaining loaves left in the freezer before I know I will be very
tempted to start another batch of starter.

back to the blog

Yee-Haaa! I’ve managed to finally do something with our holiday snaps. I missed writing and posting photos while we were away especially as there seemed so much I could blog about. But since being home, with the Internet at my finger tips, I have been a little reluctant. This has been partly due to my post-holiday rule of bed by 10pm which is now longer. It lasted just two weeks, about as long as my slight sun tan.

Our two weeks in Cornwall and Devon, a day and night in both Somerset and Monmouthshire were just magical. I can’t wait to go back. More photo’s here.

a fishy request…

Pictured above, Chris and Prince(ss) Jude and Evie

Lovely Chrissie, you asked for something fishy,

You want something to spread,

On toast or pitta or a wheat-free fritta

For a boat trip on the med (ergghhh- broads)

Dearest Chrissie, as requested, the mackerel pate you like so much.

Mackerel Pate

• 1 large packet of smoked mackerel fillets
• 500g tub of reduced fat cream cheese (like Philadelphia)
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped or 1 bunch of spring onions
• bunch of chives chopped – optional
• handful chopped parsley
• 1 heaped dessert-spoon mayonnaise
• 1 heaped teaspoon horseradish sauce
• juice of 1 lemon
• freshly ground black pepper

1. De-skin and de-bone fish fillets and break into a large bowl
2. Add all the other ingredients and mix with fork
3. Delicious with freshly grated raw beetroot, lemon juice and salt and pepper .

snail gazing

Evie’s latest obsession is capturing snails. This obsession has meant we have numerous snails of all shapes and sizes  living a gluttonous life on our green scraps in a container outside. At one point the box came inside and the biggest and fattest became a permanent fixture on Evie’s hand.

I am convinced this very snail keeps wondering back towards the house. Is it asking to be purged? I did sprinkle some oats into the box and have contemplated adding a handful of fresh thyme and rosemary, securing a net over the top and purging them for a feast with garlic and toast -  not for the snails but for us. Do they taste great? I have seen the purging process on a recent food programme and I’m getting more curious the more often I see Mr fatty approach the door…