Saturday 2 July 2011

Meet the four Eliz/sabeths...............

 Liz Lovick
Elizabeth Zimmerman

Elizabeth David and Elisabeth Luard

Totally gorgeous little bundles, just collected this afternoon, thrilled to bits with them. Only 13 weeks old, so in separate run and house for now, but will be joining rest of flock in about 3 weeks time I hope.
Chickens - gotta love 'em x

Friday 1 July 2011

Some things.............

Just have to be knitted.................

More than once, too. Is that not just the most beautiful thing? 'Erin' by Louisa Harding from Knitting in the Details...................

A Cook's Year in a Welsh Farmhouse

The latest book from Elisabeth  Luard; I'm a great fan of hers, she's up there with Elizabeth David for me, as a cookery writer.
With the price of books these days, my  trick is to request a book I fancy from the library - try before you buy sort of thing. Requests are free here in Dorset, and often they will  buy new books in if requested - I was lucky they did so for this one - the first date stamp in the front is my own. I can sit in the kitchen and request them online, and they arrive almost to my door on the mobile library van a few days later.
It's a beautiful book, taking the Cook's Year month by month. Good, honest plain and informative writing, no ott flowery language and nonsense, truly seasonal recipes where you could taste the season in the cooking - very important for me.
Beautifully illustrated with photographs and her own watercolours, the recipes are straighforward and uncomplicated, some traditional, some new to me, but easy to follow.
I'm looking forward to trying her Welsh cakes recipe and her cranberry vinegar cordial, her baked beans with parsley, garlic and lemon, her new potatoes with almond and saffron...............
Highly recommended (as in yes, I'll probably buy it.............. lol)


Thursday 30 June 2011

Is it me?

A woman came into the shop yesterday and asked if we had any bread sauce- either a jar, or the packets of mix. Fair enough, not something I'd use, but each to their own. Well, we don't stock it, but I said to her we had the bread, the milk, onion to make it. 'Oh no, I've got all those at home!' she exclaimed.................

Please tell me it's not just me............... lol

Tuesday 28 June 2011

Nuts in............

June...........!  Checking the hazels this afternoon, just for a looksee; promising looking crop coming along. Hopefully we'll get to them before the squirrels, but we've been OK for the past two or three years.
Nothing quite like harvesting your own nuts for winter use, not much beats that.