Where is my Christmas Spirit?

Not easy to make a Christmas Cake on crutches but then I figure that it is a wee bit early, I would rather take it to the limit of the allowed panic time before starting the annual fraught search for recipes and ingredients! Now off crutches and gamely leaping across the kitchen again, we decided to make the cake last night. We found nearly all the ingredients and swapped a few here and there, no dried sour cherries, so natural glacé will do! but alas, at the vital moment: Where is my Christmas Spirit? Nor brandy or Cognac, not even Calvados or Whiskey. Dismay all round; but then Aha! lurking at the back of the cupboard is the very last dribble of  Romanian Peach something... So, we chucked that in and we will see! In fact that should go nicely with the chocolate.....Chocolate you say, in Christmas Cake, Yuck! Actually the cake not only looks perfect but it tastes far less sweet and cloying due to the organic cocoa powder and 70%dark chocolate. Even better it was the easiest fruit cake that I have ever made! So a big thank you to Lara Savill who has a brilliant blog on baking for this recipe idea which I have now adapted.
IDEAL FOR BIRTHDAYS,CHRISTMAS,SHOOTING LUNCHES, RACING PICNICS, LUNCH BOXES, A HEARTY TEA AROUND A ROARING LOG FIRE AFTER A LONG WALK.

 Chocolate Fruitcake (gluten-free/dairy-free or traditional wheat/spelt flour)
200g Pure Sunflower spread or butter of course
200g dark brown soft sugar
100g 70%dark continental (DF) chocolate, broken into pieces
80ml good brandy, Cognac or Calvados
A good dash or two of pure vanilla extract
250g raisins
250g sultanas
100g  each dried cranberries, natural colour glacé cherries and mixed        peel   
200g Doves Farm gluten free self raising flour mix or a spelt flour or wheat flour
100g ground almonds
3 tablespoons organic cocoa powder
1 teaspoon mixed spice
3 large free-range eggs, beaten with a fork in a jug
Preheat the oven to 150C/fan130C/gas2
Use a deep rubber cake mould for ease about 20-21cm round or prepare a cake tin in the normal way.

Put the fat,sugar,chocolate,brandy, vanilla and all the dried fruits in a large pan and heat gently, stirring occasionally until all melted. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Mix the flour, almonds, cocoa and spice together in  big bowl. Stir the eggs into the melted chocolate mixture and then scrape it with a spatula into the flour mixture. Fold ingredients until mixed and then scrape into the mould or tin. Bake for 1 1/2 hrs.(An inserted skewer should come out clean when cooked).
The next day stab it all over the top with a skewer and drown it in the chosen alcohol.Wrap in greaseproof paper and store in an airtight container until needed or time to ice it. Remember to feed it with some Christmas Spirit again a few weeks before Christmas.
A few weeks ago I met Janet Woodward of Wellfoods at the Hereford Coeliac Society fayre. The Wellfoods stand looked tempting with piles of breads, rolls, pizzas and our own brand of gluten-free flour. I hobbled around on my crutches, chatting to the other stall holders and tasting their products. There were 4 stunning products: Muddy Boots: Caramelized Onion and Mozzarella Aberdeen Angus Beef Burgers which melted in the mouth and were truly scrumptious in the Antoinette Savill(Wellfoods) burger bun, I shall be ordering some of those today. They are also available in Waitrose.
Cake Angels: Julia's cup cakes, brownies and other goodies where delicious beyond belief and she has an amazing website which is located on my website. You can order Christmas cupcakes with astonishing decorations as a gift box but the brownies are heaven... So which to  choose?
Christine's Christmas Puddings:Gorgeous tiny puds for gluten-free guests or family in about 3 flavours.They are made in Dorset with a variety of different flavours. See my website www.antoinettesavill.com
Farabella: This has to be the best Italian gluten-free pasta around. Shapes and sizes never before seen in UK, they cook perfectly and tastes great. Again check my website.
I have dusted off last year's mincemeat and am now on a quest to find some interesting recipes other than mince pies for the festive season. I shall report back. Next blog will have delicious mini BACON and CHEESE STRAWS for festive drinks and show-off MINCEMEAT AND CINNAMON PALMIERS also ideal for parties.



                                          

Out of the provinces and into Provence!

Lucky me, just as school is full-on I decide to leave the provinces and disappear to Provence. From 13degrees to 26C, two hours from Birmingham. The aquamarine swimming pool twinkled in the sunlight as the last swish of the Mistral flew by, I lay there soaking-up the rays, finally getting to the last chapter of the Hare with Amber Eyes. I must move.
The heavenly market at Lorgues was surprisingly similar to Beaulieu market, Nice market and Ventimiglia market but was washed in dappled light from the plane trees and full of smiling faces unlike any of the above. We purchased 2 small smoked hams, 4 salamis for 20 EURO. A kilo of lavender honey which glistened like a pot of liquid gold and 2 heavenly goats cheeses. Back home for lunch: a salad of goats cheeses drizzled with honey and balsamic vinegar and wafer thin slices of ham, fresh figs and of course a bottle of rose. We had stopped on the way home at the local château and purchased a case of the lightest and most delicious rose I have ever tasted. Gone are the days of dark pink, slightly sweet rose d'Anjou! Our wine was fresh and easy but still had enough body to enjoy. We had a triumphant lunch party the next day that started at midday and ended at midnight and I made a lavish Lemon Risotto to go with roast Sea Bass. This recipe is easy but takes a bit of time so make sure you have something else to divert you in the kitchen otherwise you may  loose the will...
Lemon Risotto ( about 4 lemons)
Take a large non-stick frying pan and melt some butter and olive oil together and then chuck in a small, finely chopped onion and cook gently until softened but not browned. Add very thinly pared lemon  rind, cut into very thin strips. I suggest 2 un-waxed lemons for 6 people. A good pinch of fresh thyme leaves and about 4 cloves of garlic, crushed. Cook for a few minutes more. Add a handful of arborio rice per person and cook together for a minute or two. Pour in some white wine, vegetable or chicken stock to cover and simmer slowly, stirring frequently. When the rice in about halfway through cooking, squeeze the juice of two to four lemons into the pan, season with sea salt,  freshly ground black pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. Add more stock whenever you need to, until the risotto is creamy. At the last moment stir in a big knob of unsalted butter and finely grate some lemon zest (1 lemon should do) into the risotto. Serve immediately with any roast fish, fowl or pork. Lemons vary hugely so if they are small and dry then you will need heaps of them but if large and juicy just a few should do.

Rumour has it that a certain château is looking for someone to run it for a season....TEMPTING!

I am sure I turned into a Chorizo sausage

I never for a moment thought that I could actually feel like a chorizo sausage but after 14 glorious days of a little slice or two before lunch with a glass of chilled dry sherry and then well, a few more  of both to be honest. Hitting the chorizo as soon as we were back from the beach with a glass of red wine, demolishing large quantities of both so that I could hold out until 9.30pm when we went out to dinner in the harbour. Of course there were scallops and chorizo and also beans and chorizo and last but not least potatoes and chorizo!  By day 9, I was flagging a bit and by day 14 I never wanted to see a sausage ever again! But it was addictive, I don't dare think what goes into it but now I am addicted to baby cherry tomatoes from my garden which I can only imagine is a huge improvement calorie-wise.
Gallicia was a triumph of unexpectedness! Lush green forests and gardens, fields full of .... ah well - houses.... but all very rural and pretty. Endless mountains or were they big hills and zig-zag bends that had The Pink Lovely (now aged 8!) in paroxysms of motion sickness the entire time. The very first day we found out why it was so green and lush, it rained.... and it rained.... and it rained... a lot! but when it was sunny then wow was it hot and we rushed down to the magnificent beach and absolutely freezing Atlantic ocean. The Pink Lovely who is undoubtedly made of sterner things than me, was to be seen body surfing without a wet suit for hours on end. A total Mystery where that comes from!
As we were staying in a fishing village we indulged every day  in fresh squid, octopus, mussels, fish and some weird looking seafood in 6inch shells like a big nail file. Sometimes cooked with rice but mainly fried with wedges of local lemons. Fantastic. As for the wines, well, I had no idea! My kind host liberally picked the finest of his wines and they were all delicious. Ribera del Duero amongst many others were so good that we never needed to have a  Rioja. This just goes to show that it is best to be adventurous when ordering wines from a wine dealer or supermarket and try wines from different areas instead of playing safe!On my return I order 3 cases of different Spanish wines and NO Rioja!

The Pink Lovely calculated on our return that she had eaten 28 ice creams in 2 weeks, this rather horrifying statistic was mainly due to the fact that we were not tempted by the puddings and cakes. Having said that, we found the most spectacular St. James Cake in Santiago de Compostella. It is a concoction of ground almonds, butter and sugar, baked and dusted with icing sugar which has the symbolic knife in the middle of the cake. Our kind friends made the cake for The Pink Lovely's birthday lunch and it was rather delicious and looked perfect as you can see from the picture.

Driving me Cuckoo!

You will be glad to know that Shropshire cuckoos are alive and well in Mortimer forest. One resonant cuckoo abounding through the forest is charming. Half a dozen is driving me cuckoo on every walk this week! Of course it could be the time of year when the males are desperate for a bit of action and calling out for a willing Mrs.; bragging their assets with cheerful repetition and nonchalance! But the charm did ware off after the first half an hour! The dogs didn't raise an ear between them, they were far too busy chasing squirrels!
Back at home now and I can give you the two ice cream recipes. Both easy and ideal for plan ahead dinner or lunch party. Serve with florentines or tiny macaroons.
It is very easy to make ice cream but the only possible danger is over heating the custard so that it curdles, if this happens, do not panic! Immediately, put the custard into a liquidizer or failing that a food processor and beat it into emulsifying once again. As long as you have not actually made scrambled eggs this always works!!!!!!!!!!!

Elderflower Ice Cream (to make in the next 2 weeks before the season is over)
300ml home made elderflower cordial or make up about half cordial recipe and leave out the citric acid, you will easily drink the remaining cordial in a few weeks but I do suggest keeping it cool in the fridge
300ml full fat organic milk
300ml organic double cream
6 free range large egg yolks
100g unrefined caster sugar

Make a custard by heating the milk in a small pan over medium heat until simmering point is reached. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks until pale and fluffy with the sugar in a food processor or by hand. Pour the hot milk gradually into the eggs, beating all the time.Transfer the mixture to a thick based sauce pan over very low heat and stir with a wooden spoon pretty often in order to avoid the custard curdling. The custard needs to be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. When it is, pour it into a plastic container and leave to cool. Stir in the elderflower cordial and chill in the freezer until it is thickening up. Beat thoroughly before folding in the whipped cream and leave in the freezer until nearly frozen. Beat thoroughly again, I put it in my food processor. Seal and freeze until needed.

Chocolate and Chilli ice cream
350ml organic full fat milk
1 heaped tablespoon high quality cocoa powder
6 large free range egg yolks
125g unrefined caster sugar
a sprinkling of dried chilli flakes
120g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
300ml double cream

Heat the milk with the cocoa in a thick based saucepan over medium heat until it has all melted. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks and sugar together either in a food processor or by hand in a bowl. Beat in the hot chocolate milk and a sprinkling of chilli flakes. Then put the custard into the pan over very low heat and stir from time to time until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the wooden spoon. Add the chocolate pieces and stir until melted. Pour the hot custard through a sieve into a plastic container and discards the chilli. Leave to cool and then freeze until becoming thick. Fold in the whipped cream and freeze for an hour. Beat the ice cream thoroughly to get rid of any ice crystals. I use my food processor. Freeze and beat again a few hours later and then it will be really creamy. Seal and freeze until needed.

Much ado about Nothiing

The spring had arrived in full heated glory and for a moment there I was convinced that the time had come to entertain again. Cocktails in the garden by the stream, gazing lovingly at my fine and blossoming weeds and undergrowth. Lists were  made of  friends around the country who might be lucky enough to enjoy the bucolic moment, emails were sent, menus devised, seating plans puzzled over, wines and prosecco purchased in large quantities when................whooooosh, Bang, Crash and darkness!............The biggest storm here for 13 years and the farm power box is hit by lightening. No phones, no broadband for 10 days. We will gloss over the "no electricity for 48 hours", that is just not news worthy in these parts.
Then comes the rain, albeit very welcome, but it doesn't stop and then the sun goes behind dark and doom-laden clouds for 2 weeks. If I had been hit by lightening this might have been more useful as it would have undoubtedly given me a bit of a buzz and in fact may well have energized me for the next 40 years but, no, just my entire communication system! My mobile being a sensitive object only works half way up the hill and as you can imagine this was not entirely tempting in cold, damp, wet and windy days and impossible in the evening. So my glorious soirées were much ado about nothing and evaporated in a puff of smoke!
However, fate is a divine thing and having had a month of rain, summer is here, my garden is indeed looking rather cute. Not a weed in sight, the bank of the stream now has large clumps of blooming yellow flag iris and all the roses are having to be secured once again due to the enormous and heavy blooms. Enthusiasm is swift but brief and therefore a new list of dinner dates speed through the ether to my friends from near and far.
Now the fun starts, practising some new dishes for these culinary feasts over the next 6 weeks. Looking around I spy lofty branches swaying in the wind and huge elderflower blossoms heavy with rain but still smelling wonderful. So I searched for an elderflower ice cream recipe and have made it for dinner no.1.. I used the 6 egg whites to make a huge pavlova in which to put the ice cream and then will decorate it with fresh berries and mint leaves. I came across a recipe for Chocolate and Chilli Ice Cream and as all these ingredients were technically free ( woman's logic as I had them in the pantry and anything paid for with the previous month's housekeeping is free!); I proceeded to make pudding for dinner no.2...
The Pink Lovely aged 7 3/4 was hauled into taste them both to give her seal of approval but much to my surprise spat out the elderflower ice cream and gobbled up the chocolate and chilli which was a little confusing as she loves elderflower spritzer and hates chilli! I adored them both and so I shall give you the recipes ASAP.
The Pink Lovely by now totally suspicious at the number of dinner parties being planned became alert and interrogated me in a truly professional way. What do they teach them at school? Under duress, I finally admitted to FOUR. Are you MAD Darling? is her retort, you barely have time to bake cakes for the school summer fete the next day, have you forgotten my birthday party for 7 girls sleep-over the day after the next one? You cannot have forgotten that we are going to London that weekend ..no.3 and last but not least no. 4, you are already going to a party that weekend MUM. Do I need a diary, NO. My daughter is my diary, what an extraordinary brain she has.. I wonder why it has such marvellous recall for social activities and absolutely no recall on homework!
So, not entirely thought through, I would admit this is one of my most frequent moments of scattiness but why not juggle life a bit and create so much fun and amusement for your friends...............
How can life get any more exciting, it can and it does. Whizzing around Ludlow, I am accosted by a dear friend who tells me that a baby grand upright piano is lurking in the back of the auction house at that very moment. I have been searching (not very hard it would have to be said) for such a desirable object for going on 2 years. Off I speed forthwith and see this huge but first class piano that is actually in tune and in good condition. I fill in the forms, I find some friends already there and so sit down next to them. Butterflies abound, panic is near, actually total panic is here! bidding is not my thing at all. My neighbour kindly thumps me when the number comes up and my moment of triumph is near. Some joke is made as to how popular these antiquated monsters are, (missed that one!) and the first bid goes in at the highest price I had scribbled on my list. O.M.G. panic or what, so up goes the hand and Yes I did get it at the highest price because... no one else bid...........OOOOOOOOOOps. Oh well, that is the first and only time I will ever bid in an auction. The auctioneer was trying not to laugh unlike my friends who were spluttering into their brochures. Feeling rather aghast at the speed of everything my neighbour consoled me with the fact that she had actually bid against herself in her first auction until the kind auctioneer had informed her that he really was going to let her have the chest of drawers!
Four days later three burly men delivered the piano on the night that The Pink Lovely boards at school and I decorated it with balloons and left it for her return. The headmistress entered into the spirit of things and arranged for a surprise piano lesson that day much to the Pink Lovely's confusion.  "Your birthday present has arrived, it is in the office". The Pink Lovely bursts into the room and stands there absolutely dumbfounded. She cannot believe her eyes!  Mild panic as I translate this into disappointment that it wasn't actually an Ipod but then I see the smile spread across her face as she takes it in. I have recently invested in ear plugs but it is coming on nicely!

Simmel Cake and Fish Pie but not together!

I have not made a simnel cake for about 20 years, so it was very exciting to be baking one this morning. It had a slightly unfamiliar look about it and I couldn't think what was wrong. 13 balls for the apostles and the naughty J.
In the end I had to google the recipe and see what I had forgotten. No wonder it looked strange... I hadn't grilled it! As you see from the photo, it came up a treat and was utterly delicious. We had afternoon tea in the garden, which I had been wrestling with all afternoon (the garden-not the tea!) and it looked rather good.. all be it temporally!
Having spent 1 1/2 hrs making a fish pie, it dawned on my why I had not made one since last August! Never mind, everyone loved it and even The Pink Lovely ate it which was a miracle..... Which reminds me that I must endeavour to get to church on Easter Sunday, in the village this year. 09.30am is a trifle early for me as this prevents a lingering breakfast but a serious attempt will be made. When I was telephoned last week to ask if we would like to attend, I answered in my sweetest voice, that if their service was going to be a thoroughly depressing and chilly affair, then frankly No!...As I can guarantee to have both  in my catholic church. The lady was not sure if I was joking or not.........but after some consideration, laughed and assured me that it would be a light-hearted and warm service.............................................
Today, I have planted my peas, sweet peas and beetroot. My veggie garden looks like an Indian Reserve with all the can wigwams! Sadly, I have managed to massacre my French beans which have died an early death in their little egg boxes, actually I not sure they were ever alive having been given to my by The Pink Lovely who had them in her school home work bag for some weeks before explaining what they were! I seemed to have deprived all the lettuces of life too.... Oh.. Well.. Hope over adversity or is it "hope over triumph"? Not sure................

It's the Silly season for Chocolate!

How many more Easter eggs do I need to buy? The Easter Bunny has to have a large bagful of eggs to hide when he arrives at Fox Barn on Easter Sunday! The entire length of the Lunch table has to have brilliant chocolate and fresh flower decorations. I have little bird nests with birds and eggs in them (from the garden centre in Sydney Street, London in about 2000!)...We were given a spectacular arrangement of wiggly pear branches which we have arranged in a huge vase and made lots of Easter chick, egg and flower decorations to hang on the wobbly branches, with guess what, hidden chocolate eggs in! Every drawer I open I seem to have hidden another packet of mini eggs or cute bunnies! My two extremely dead bay trees on either side of the front door, have now been pruned into need stick-balls, devoid of all the frazzled, brown bay leaves. They look rather cool and minimalist, so I am going to hang Easter eggs all over them for my guests on Sunday...rather fun!
As usual we will be thoroughly over-egged, so on 7th day of Easter week, ready for the Royal Wedding Day, we will be having my annual "Easter chocolate sauce" with vanilla ice cream. Simply gather up all the unwanted remnants of chocolate eggs, include if you have any, some small eggs that are too sweet, caramel or fudge style chocolates, pralines or even bits of those astonishing, excessively large bars of chocolate. Break the chocolate into small pieces and chuck them all into a  bowl ready for action. Judge how much chocolate you have, then in a suitable sized saucepan, over the lowest possible heat melt a few knobs of unsalted butter, a good sprinkling of dark brown soft sugar, vanilla extract and a good sprinkling of Brandy and black, fresh, warm coffee. Always, be cautious with liquids and chocolate, you can add more when you can see that the sauce is too thick. When the mixture starts to simmer, remove from the heat and gently stir in the chocolate. Best to use a spatula. Stir occasionally as it melts and return the pan to the heat to help it along if you are making a large quantity. When all the chocolate has melted then give it a brief simmer and bubble on the low heat, stirring in a good dash of double cream to get it to a thick pouring but smooth and glossy consistency and then serve warm with the ice cream. As I have no idea what sort of chocolate you will be using, I cannot predict what sort of sauce you will have but generally it will be either quite fudgy or soft and silky!
Now I must go and make our Easter chocolate cake and Nigel Slater's chocolate cookies although I am not sure that they will last to Easter, rather a blessing really considering how much chocolate is located around the house! Then I shall attempt an olive oil and chocolate mousse which sounds rather interesting for a birthday dinner at the weekend.
Lastly, our fresh eggs all get painted with patterns in fun colours for breakfast on Good Friday,  so I must walk up the Goggin and see if my friends have a spare half dozen for us. That is it for our Easter celebrations, unless of course you count the roasting of spring lamb with our garden herbs and wild garlic from the woods and the baking of hot cross buns dusted in cinnamon sugar!

Fox on the wall and Victorian shortbread

Sitting at the kitchen window on the 3rd floor of a London flat yesterday I observed with astonishment the capers of a dog and a fox in the garden below.Feeling slightly dazed which of course had nothing to do with the bottle of wine the night before......I thought I must be hallucinating. But no,the dog was running up and down the garden,barking madly all the time in the excitement of heading off this urban fox from his patch. The fox,obviously totally oblivious to the concept of a chase decided after about 10 minutes that this was rather tiresome and gracefully leapt up onto the top of the very high garden wall and proceeded to run daintily along it for 5 minutes until he got bored of bating the dog and leapt into the adjacent garden and disappeared. The dog looked rather disappointed and retreated for breakfast and so did I.
Back in Herefordshire today and it is the much longed for Red Nose Day. Not by me I hasten to add but by the Pink Lovely aged 7, who had, I am told, carefully laid out all her clothes, red nose and £1.00 coin for school today at least 3 days ago! She had been on count-down ever since! Apparently, the excitement of not wearing school uniform was almost more than she can bear! Sweet!  When we arrived at school this morning you will not be surprised to hear that nearly the entire year 3 was in......yes..... PINK.  Rather a shock to the system at that time of the morning.
Sunday morning,a day of rest............Well not exactly! Having watched the Royal Upstairs Downstairs last night on iplayer the Pink Lovely had decided that we should make the exact shortbread that was made in this Scone Palace episode for Queen Victoria's visit. She dutifully copied down nearly all the recipe while watching a repeat and this morning on entering the kitchen I was haled by the entire set of ingredients and utensils all carefully laid out ready for immediate action! This is not easy before breakfast but when you have to translate ounces into grams and guess the amount of butter to use,it is quite nerve racking! My 1936 copy of Mrs Beeton was ceremoniously brought down off the shelf and the recipe located for Scottish shortbread to give me a clue as to how much butter to use. Rather surprisingly, we have a huge tray of gorgeous shortbread but unfortunately I cannot remember how much butter I lobbed in! So it can never be repeated! A Royal Treat indeed!........................

Drop Scones or Scotch Pancakes & National Pie Week

Drop Scones are by far the easiest of pancake to make so we often have them for breakfast or tea with butter and honey or maple syrup. They are rather good with poached fruit with liqueur and crème fraiche as a pudding too. I use very alcoholic black cherries or brandied pears.
RECIPE
115g self raising flour or Doves Farm gluten free self raising flour mix
30ml caster sugar
1 large egg, beaten
150ml milk (goats or cow, fresh soya or Arla lactofree)

Lightly grease a frying pan. In a bowl mix the flour and sugar, make a well in the centre and stir in the egg with enough milk to make the bater the consistency of thick cream. Fold the mixture as quickly and lightly as possible. Heat the pan over medium high heat and drop a spoonful of the mixture into the pan. They should be small and neat, no bigger than the size of a slice of lemon!  Cook until bubbles rise to the surface (couple of minutes) and then flip over and cook until golden. Serve immediately or keep warm in a pile on a warm plate,under a clean cotton cloth until they are all made. The devour them with great pleasure!

National Pie week this week and my all time favourite pie is home-made steak and kidney pie with plenty of rather good sherry and mustard in it. A wiff of puff pastry that is as light as air! Well definitely not my puff pastry then...............I have tried out half a dozen frozen and chilled puff pastries from various supermarkets and I have to say that without doubt that even on this occasion you definitely get what you pay for. So,double the price, All Butter Puff Pastry really is gorgeous, it literally melts in the mouth. The Pink Lovely, aged 7, supreme judge of puff pastry awarded it 5* and had seconds. Quite an achievement as she hates pastry.

The filling I was taught, one hung-over teenage morning by Madame Russell, our Diploma Cookery Course Teacher in a minuscule kitchen in Pimlico in the 1970s. Madame Russell was, let it be said, the second most terrifying women that I have ever met in my entire life. This could be due to the fact that she knew my French Grandmother, who was, indeed, the most terrifying lady that I have ever met.  Madame Russell's husband had been captured in Germany in the second world war and my Grandmother and her team had rescued him and then looked after him in her special hospital wing of her house in Surrey for a year until he was well enough to leave. Stern words about being as amazing as my Grandmother was not really the most encouraging thing for a 17 year old and I spent the entire 3 months in dire trepidation of being ask to make anything in front of the class!  Amazing, that I survived it and went on the cook all around the world and write 14 cookbooks!
For your filling, cook plenty of sliced onions in a half-half mixture of butter and olive oil and then when they are soft add plenty of crushed garlic, seasoning, grated nutmeg, a couple of cloves, Dijon mustard, very nice sherry, mixed herbs and toss it all around in the pan for a few minutes. Toss your steak and kidney, in any balance of mix that you prefer in flour and then chuck it into a very hot frying pan with some hot oil and seal it and toss it until evenly browned. Add the your onion mixture to the steak mixture in a casserole dish, stir in a bit of tomato puree and stock and cook in a medium oven until tender. Transfer the steak and kidney mixture to your pie dish and cover with the puff pastry. Brush with beaten egg and decorate if you enjoy it. Bake for about 35 minutes until the pastry is golden and puffy.

Not an excuse to be late for School & Blueberry Pancakes

Saturday morning, not quite sure why I promised to make Fresh Blueberry American Pancakes before school this morning. The Pink Lovely, aged 7 1/2, briefly looked pristine in her school uniform but then turned her hand to beating the mixture. Some of it stayed in the bowl, most of it went down her, but being A Domestic Goddess is never easy and best she learns this early on.  We made enormously thick pancakes which puffed up joyfully but then would not cook in the middle. Darn, I thought, this is tricky.. too little heat and they don't cook and too high and they burn. Never mind, we will eat them in the car, not my best idea as they are drizzled with maple syrup and the blueberries are oozing very hot and sticky, purple juice. Revert to kitchen table. Clock now says 08.20. Ooops! due in at 08.15am
Can one actually sneak into a full class room, with teacher in full flow, without being noticed? Not really. As I am bestowing my most winning and apologetic smile, I notice to my horror that I had forgotten to wipe The Pink Lovely's angelic little face. Now, I love the colour purple, don't get me wrong, but possibly not all round my daughter's mouth. Hands much the same colour. My brief moment of Domestic Goddess-dom evaporates and I retreat to ponder if I really am cut out to do Saturday School.
This is a SUPER EASY RECIPE, ideal for breakfast or afternoon tea.
Fresh Blueberry American Pancakes
Serve with Maple Syrup or Golden Syrup
Makes 12
150g plain flour or gluten-free Doves Farm plain flour mix
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1teaspoon baking powder
Large pinch fine sea salt
250ml buttermilk or 110ml St. Helen's Farm goats yoghurt with 110ml goats milk
1 large free range egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
200g fresh blueberries
sunflower oil for greasing

Put the first 5 ingredients in a mixing bowl and add half the buttermilk, the egg and the vanilla. Whisk everything together, add the remaining buttermilk and whisk until smooth. Add the blueberries and fold in. Lightly oil a frying pan and drop 2 tablespoons of the mixture per pancake. Cook each one until dark golden underneath and bubbling on top. Flip over and cook on the other side. Serve immediately.

I have to cook lunch and we are, as you know, busy saving the oceans at the moment! So, we are having Whitebait for the first time in 20 years.  Pubs in Shropshire and Herefordshire in 1970s, I recall, usually had a choice of 4 starters. These never seemed to vary which was part of the charm. Rather less exhausting than wading through a page of Pacific fusion or retro French or confused Italian starters that are so often listed nowadays on every pub menu.  Prawn cocktail (in various forms), Avocado vinaigrette on a sad piece of Iceberg lettuce, Melon and Parma ham and last but not least, Fried Whitebait with a wedge of lemon. So, reassuring, no big decisions.  I think we have too much choice nowadays not just in menus but in every shop and store. Things we didn't even know we wanted.
Whitebait was an old English term for tiny fish. They are transparent fishes that migrate into our rivers during spring and summer. They drift out to sea and feed on algae and other fish eggs.  The pinkish-white flesh is low in fat and has a fine texture with a mild and sweet flavour and edible skin. This is fast food at its best.  Choose fish that are pristine and smell fresh. Fish should not have bellies torn open. This is due to enzymes within breaking down the flesh-yuk!

Here is my recipe for Kathy who requested one yesterday
Chilli Fried Whitebait with Aioli
Serves 2 main course of 4 starter
Make Aioli first: either cheat or make the real thing! Cheat: Mix Helmans Mayonnaise with one egg yolk, plenty of crushed garlic(4-7cloves), a pinch of freshly chopped oregano leaves and season to taste. For the real thing: make mayonnaise and beat in the garlic and herbs. Transfer to a serving bowl.
In a polythene bag combine 1/2 cup flour with salt and pepper and a good sprinkling of chilli powder. Add the fish and shake the bag around so that the fish are evenly coated. Deep fry in oil until golden and crispy (about 5 minutes) and drain on some absorbent kitchen paper towels. Serve immediately with wedges of lemon, the Aioli and a big bowl of mixed salad.

The Pink Lovely's pink bicycle has been collected from the repair shop on a rather circuitous return trip from school this morning. To celebrate, we are going to Croft Castle to bike the length of the fish pools along the valley, up into the fields and down to the castle tea rooms where rewards will justly be given. Scones and tea have been requested! The word "we" is the royal "we" of course.... due to the fact that I have never successfully ridden a bicycle. Actually, never ridden a bicycle would be more accurate. I have of course ridden an elephant in Sri Lanka, a camel in Morocco, my childhood ponies and even a donkey in Greece but I have never managed to stay on a bicycle. So, when we go for a bike ride, I walk the dogs and inevitably end up pushing the bike up the near vertical path through Mortimer Forest to the gate at the top. This in itself is worthy of scones and tea and I have absolutely no guilty conscience what so ever!