Living a contented creative life.

Christmas has gone all too quickly and here we are beginning a new year. These are difficult times so more than ever we need to appreciate home comforts, good food and share our love in whatever way we can. It’s a good time to feel renewed and hopeful for the future. I hope you all had a happy Christmas despite the difficulties this year.

I made my festive flan on Christmas Day. Here I am, in action, snapped by my husband.

It tasted as good as ever, with delicious roast potatoes and my cranberry sauce, despite having a blocked sink while I was making it! Soon sorted by my very capable better half.

Well, it wasn’t a white Christmas but snow soon followed. It was melting very rapidly so I had to be quick with my camera. Still plenty of interesting features to find and photograph.

One thing I love to do at this time of year is to start planning the garden and to order fresh seeds. I didn’t do well with squashes or sprouts in 2020 so I’m determined to succeed this year. We love a type of squash called Buttercup. It’s a big green skinned one with very tasty orange flesh.

Supermarkets only seem to sell Butternut squash, most of the time, but gardeners have a wide variety to choose from. I would like to try more but this one is a firm favourite.

If you’ve never grown them, give it a try. Start the seeds in early May indoors and plant out after any risk of frost at the beginning of June. They need a sunny spot and trail over the ground or can be supported on a trellis. You will be thrilled with the results. The winter squashes will keep for about 3 months without refrigeration.

Homegrown vegs have so much flavour. Shop vegetables have been grown from seeds conditioned to resist pests and diseases. While this is no bad thing, unfortunately the taste and tenderness is bred out of them. Nothing tastes as good as garden produce and the pleasure of gardening and eating your own vegetables or fruit is fantastic. Not to mention the health benefits.

As I always say with cooking and other things I do, they shouldn’t be over complicated. I think some gardening books and programmes are off-putting because they insist on techniques which are unnecessary, difficult and sometimes expensive. Some years ago I discovered Garden Organic and became a member. They have much advice for sensible, practical approaches to gardening. I’m also a fan of Charles Dowding with his no-dig methods. He has run a market garden successfully for over 30 years using these ideas. Well worth visiting his website.

Our fruit cage has collapsed with the snow. My husband, Allan, built it about 15 years ago and although it has had a few repairs it’s stood up very well for all this time. It has protected blueberries, strawberries and raspberries from the birds. Now we really do need to replace it. I suggested a ready-made kit to save Allan a lot of work but I think he will still prefer to build it from scratch using wood and netting like he did before. He’s a very resourceful man. Like me he enjoys being creative and finding innovative ways to do things.

In January when parsnips are abundant either from the garden or when the shops sell them off cheaply after Christmas I often make parsnip wine. I learnt the craft from a little book, “Wine Making the Natural Way” by Ian Ball but now I use my own recipe. It produces a wonderful winter wine which is warming and delicious. I have some ready to bottle and will do that while I can’t do any outdoor work.

The method is probably too detailed to be offered here but if anyone would like it please let me know. What I will say though is that it is completely unnecessary to add chemicals or other bits and bobs to home-made wine to make it clear. It ends up perfectly clear if you do it carefully. I have been doing this for at least 30 years and the wine is pure golden beauty. As you will see by my photo.

I had some smoked salmon, some vegetables and some creme fraiche to use up so I made a nice tasty one-pan meal. Saves fuel and it’s light on dish washing but also delicious to eat.

I chopped a leek and gently cooked it in a drop of olive oil in my deep frying pan, added a small amount of water and half a vegetable stock cube (essential to the flavour of the sauce). I added carrots, potato chunks and some frozen green beans, brought it to the boil then turned down the heat and simmered it for 20 minutes with the lid on until the vegs were tender.

When it was ready I took it off the heat and stirred in a good spoonful of creme fraiche and the smoked salmon cut into pieces. Stirred it to mix and to warm the salmon. Easy to spoil smoked salmon if it’s over-heated.

Easy and very satisfying. A really nice meal.

I was itching to start painting again. I don’t usually leave it for long but Christmas has taken my attention and I’ve been happily knitting and baking. My approach to painting is the same as everything else. I don’t make a mystery of it.

I just paint what I like in my own way. It seems to work. It’s not sophisticated. I have nothing to tell the world. I have no distinctive style and I cover a range of subjects. I find beauty in ordinary things and I try to paint what I see. That all keeps me happy although I’m constantly striving for perfection (whatever that may be!).

I started drawing some paintbrushes yesterday so that I can paint them when I’m satisfied with the drawing. First I took a photo of the brushes. I always work from my own photographs. That’s part of the creative process for my paintings. Now I’m working on the pencil drawing to get the shapes.

I’m working on watercolour paper in a block of sheets glued at the edges. These blocks are a bit more expensive but allow me to paint without the tedious business of wetting the paper and fixing it to a drawing board. It gives me more spontaneity when I have the urge to paint. No faffing about.

I shall paint this with gouache, which is a bolder kind of watercolour. I like the definition it gives. I’m not much for wishy-washy paintings. Just my taste, of course. Many people love that washed and loose effect. I like colour and defined shapes. This requires quick and accurate brush strokes to achieve the effect I want. Very satisfying when I get it right.

Sometimes I use acrylics or water-mixable oils on canvas boards. For these I paint straight onto the canvas without drawing first. It’s easier to change the shapes if they need correction when using acrylics or oils.

I hope you all find lots of creative things to do in the coming months. Don’t be downhearted that we all need to stay at home. Make sure your home is a haven and a busy productive environment and you won’t mind not going out half so much.

Best wishes to everyone for 2021. With you again in a few days.

Just a couple of days and it will be Christmas. I hope everyone is feeling prepared now and looking forward to it. Things are very difficult for everyone this year so it’s probably more important then ever to appreciate the small details that contribute to the bigger picture.

My own preparations are going quite well but I have had an easy time this year because I haven’t had our usual family celebration to cater for. This will be true for so many of us. Just a few jobs to do before the big day.

I start celebrating early to stir up that Christmas spirit. The mince pies and sherry are already on the go.

The wood has been gathered in for the log fire. It will be lovely and dry and give a good blaze. We have lots of twigs and dry flower stems to form a base beneath the logs so once the paper is lit it will flare up and burn quickly.

On Christmas Eve during the day I have some last minute jobs to do.

I will be cooking a tiny ham. Don’t need a big one for just the two of us this year. I usually roast it but because it’s small I intend to cook it in my thermal cooker. I shall simmer it for about 15 minutes on the hob then pop the pan into the thermal container and let it cook slowly for an hour or two. I might put a glaze on and let it set for a few minutes in a hot oven. It all depends on energy levels by that time.

I have some little sponge cakes in the freezer. I shall thaw some and ice them so they are a bit more special and tasty.

I make my mince pies with plain shortcrust pastry so a nice dusting of icing sugar peps them up and gives a sweet kick.

Then one final task is to go down the garden to gather my vegs for the festive flan I make on Christmas Day. Leeks, Carrots, Parsnips and Parsley. Usually Sprouts as well but as I said in a previous post I haven’t succeeded in growing them this year. So disappointed but that’s gardening for you! You win some, you lose some, every year.

I wash and trim these and keep them in the fridge so my Christmas morning is a pleasant time in the kitchen, listening to my music and sipping sherry, with the minimum of work.

I must remember to thaw my cranberry sauce. Essential for us. Christmas dinner wouldn’t be the same without it. Richly glowing and full of fruity flavour.

My Christmas jumpers are ready. One daft one for Christmas Eve and a more tasteful one for Christmas Day.

Looking forward to plenty of chocolate and wine.

The good thing about all this frantic work towards Christmas is that it concentrates our minds so that we’re not dreading the winter months. We’re far too busy. Plus it takes our minds off ourselves, as we search for pleasing gifts for loved ones.

When it’s all over I love that sense of renewal. A fresh start, a new year, good intentions. And new life around us in the garden and countryside as the Snowdrops, Hellebores and early Daffodils begin to show. My camera will be busy.

I hope you all have enjoyed the preparations for Christmas and you have a peaceful and happy time. I sincerely hope that the restrictions we are all experiencing will not be a burden and some happiness will come your way.

Here is my Christmas card to you all. I painted it many years ago. It is terribly sentimental and unrealistic but it’s a family favourite of ours and I hope you will like it too. Have a lovely Christmas and I’ll be back in the new year.

Love and best wishes for 2021. xxx

We’ve had a few nice days this week so I’ve managed to do a bit of work outside. The polytunnels had become very humid with the damp air and mild temperature. The slugs were having the time of their lives, so I thought, “Right! Must get out there and tackle them!”

I removed all the yellowing leaves from the Spring Cabbages and the ones which the slugs had feasted on. Luckily the damage wasn’t too severe. The inner leaves are still perfect and will form beautiful solid heads once they start growing again from about February.

Sadly, I’ve had a complete failure with sprouts this year. The plants are tiny and the sprouts are like pin-heads! I usually use them in my festive flan on Christmas Day so I’m very disappointed. Had to buy some frozen button sprouts. They’re quite nice but don’t match up to homegrown in flavour and sweetness.

Got some nice winter vegetables though. Leeks, parsnips, carrots, turnips and salad leaves. I shall use the carrots and leeks along with my homegrown parsley in my flan.

There are some pretty things in the garden, even now. The two Hebes, pink and purple, are full of flowers.

The Hellebores are beginning to flower. I have a large cream one which is spectacular every year. Cyclamens are lovely and so hardy.

I have a lovely pink-flowered clematis called “Freda”. My sister gave it to me as a gift because it bore my name. Right now it is a bare tangle of stems but the other day I was thrilled to discover a beautiful nest behind it. Perhaps a Robin’s nest. Made of grass, it was perfectly round and bowl shaped. The photo doesn’t do it justice. It was difficult to find a good angle.

While it was sunny the other day I made a Christmas wreath to hang on the garage door. It may not look very professional but all the bits of greenery came from the garden and I enjoyed the creative process. I couldn’t find any holly berries this year so I used some Skimmia instead. Just as bright and cheerful.

Of course I had to write a little poem!

Christmas Wreath

The beauty of the holly sprigs
Arranged in a pleasing way,
Their berries glowing brightly
Make a seasonal display.

Elegantly the ivy trails
And splays its lovely shapes.
Its leaves so dark and shiny
As around the wreath it drapes.

Spikey rosemary takes its place,
Adding fragrance to the show
And finally some scarlet ribbon
Tied in a pleasing bow.

The wreath with all its greenery
Is more than decoration.
It represents the circle of life
And signifies creation.

No recipes today but if you need a quick and easy pud and you have baked some little sponge cakes, try this. A cake with a good spoonful of some quality jam ( best homemade) and a dollop of greek yoghurt. Delicious and oh so simple.

Presents wrapped, tree up, cards delivered and cards arriving in the post. Something going on every day. Good to be busy doing enjoyable things.

So much to tell you at this time of the year! I hope you have enjoyed my ramblings. Enjoy the season. With you again before Christmas.

The tree has been decked with its finery and the cards have begun to arrive in the post. Our tree may not be the most sophisticated but it’s loaded with many happy memories. The big baubles are 50 years old and so are some of the the little bits and pieces which I made with the children when they were tiny. Other ornaments have been made or bought by our son and daughter over the years. So it has a special meaning for us and with each year the items become more precious.

A few years ago, because our son worked over Christmas, we began to have our family get-together the weekend before Christmas Day. We had all the usual Christmas food, treats and activities and we exchanged our gifts. We liked it so much that it became a family tradition and we still like to do it, although this year it won’t be possible.

During our festive weekend we ate lots of meat in a traditional way so when I thought about our own Christmas meal, for myself and my husband, I decided a vegetarian alternative would be enjoyable. At first I thought a flan with stilton cheese might be good but it was too rich and heavy on the digestive system. Eventually I made a recipe containing cashew nuts and seasonal vegs.

The flan is delicious so we have it every Christmas Day and I serve it with roast potatoes, roast parsnips and cranberry sauce.

It is full of Christmas flavours with button sprouts and Cox apple. I love making it on Christmas morning with a glass of sherry to sip and listening to my cd of The Messiah. My Christmas Day would be incomplete without it. I use homegrown vegetables for the best flavour and the pleasure of gathering them from the garden on Christmas Eve to prepare them ahead of time. If you’re vegetarian, or like me you just like to have an alternative at times, this is a perfect meal. Trust me, it is so tasty, you might find like us, you will begin a new tradition.

Festive Flan serves 4

Pastry to line a 23cm/9" flan dish
1 cup Plain Flour
1 third cup of Sunflower Oil
1 quarter cup of cold water

1 large or 2 small Leeks
2 medium Carrots
Baby Sprouts
1 large Cox Apple
small bunch Parsley
1 Kallo veg Stock Cube
75g ground Cashew nuts
Salt and Pepper
1 level tablespoon Cornflour
400ml water
Olive Oil

Make pastry by putting flour, oil and water into the food processor and whizzing. Grease the flan dish. Switch off machine, gather the pastry and press into the flan dish, making sure there are no gaps. Prick pastry all over with a sharp fork and put the dish into the fridge for 20 minutes.
Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan oven.
Bake the pastry case for 10 minutes, then put aside while you precook the vegetables.
If you are serving roast potatoes with it, boil the potatoes for 8 minutes. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the oven in the roasting tin while the potatoes cook. You may need a little more if you are doing lots of roasties. Then tip the boiled  potatoes into a sieve and shake well to rough up and dry them. Carefully add them to the heated oil and spoon the oil over the potatoes covering all surfaces. Pop them in the oven to roast.
Chop parsley and grind the cashews. Slice carrots and leeks.
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and cook the leeks gently for a few minutes. Don't let them brown. Add the carrots and stir. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes.
Add 400ml water and the stock cube. Bring to boil, turn heat down and simmer for about 6 minutes.
Meanwhile peel the apple. Add apple chunks and sprouts to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the ground cashews. This will thicken the stock but if it seems too thin thicken with a little cornflour mixed with a drop of cold water then stirred into the pan. Stir well.
Put all this into the pastry case and bake for 20 minutes.
Serve with roast potatoes, parsnips and cranberry sauce.

It helps to prepare the vegetables the day before, so the process is straightforward and saves less time on Christmas Day or any day of your choice over the festive period. I hope you will try it and enjoy it as much as we do.

After the flan we prefer a light dessert. We love Christmas pudding but save it for another meal. Our favourite is strawberries with Greek yoghurt or vanilla ice-cream. I always have strawberries in the freezer from the summer harvest. I cook them gently with a little sugar, allow them to cool and chill them in the fridge. Served in a pretty glass bowl they look and taste wonderful. Leaves room for lots of chocolate and wine.

Of course, we all have our Christmas favourites and you might not like ours. The important thing is not to overwork and become stressed so a few simple things like quick desserts can be a good thing.

After these busy days and the winter weather I’m so grateful for the log fire.

I wrote a poem to sum up how I feel about it.

Home by the Fire

Chasing away the blues
Lying on the sofa,
Having a lovely snooze
And being just a loafer.

The fire is singing along
Its logs burning brightly
With a gentle soothing song
That falls on me so lightly.

The sights and sounds of home
Driftly softly in my senses.
No desire to stray or roam,
No need for false pretences.

Familiar noises in my ear.
It's where I want to be.
I know that I belong here,
Where I can just be me.

They say that “home is where the heart is”. Well, that’s certainly true for me.

I hope you’re enjoying the preparations. Comments are very welcome. Be with you again in a few days.

The Christmas cactus is beginning to flower. A timely reminder to get on with things. So much to do at this time of year yet food still has to be prepared for everyday. Life goes on despite the season.

I bought some peaches last week. They said “ripen in the fruitbowl”. It would have to be a magic fruitbowl to ripen these peaches. Even after a few days they were very hard and very sour! I sliced them and simmered them in a saucepan until they were tender. About 20 minutes. Then added sugar. Result – absolutely delicious.

Of course you can buy tinned peaches but they taste completely different to these. It’s hard to believe that something so unpalatable can be transformed into something so tasty and pleasing. If you find you have bought some disappointing fruit then I recommend you try stewing them. Not just an improvement but an actual treat.

Thinking ahead again for Christmas I baked our favourite little sponge cakes to stash away in the freezer. One or two tested, of course! I find these easy to make and so handy to have in. Once thawed they can be iced in different ways – buttercream, icing on top with added decorations or lovely just with some good jam.

Very easy to make. Just put 4 large Eggs, 200g Caster Sugar, 200g Self-raising Flour, 2 heaped teaspoons of Baking Powder and 200g Sunflower Oil in a bowl and beat well. Put into bun tins. I use little paper cake cases to line the tins. Bake at 180C/160C fan oven for 16 – 18 minutes. They freeze perfectly and thaw quickly. If you fill with buttercream they can be frozen with the filling already in them. For glace icing, do this after thawing, when you’re ready to serve them. Un-iced they make good sponges for making trifle.

We’re not strictly vegetarian but we do try to eat less meat and enjoy alternative meals. I find cashew nuts a good standby for vegetarian dishes and I use them in various ways. I grind them and add them to a one-pan meal to make a creamy sauce or stir into pasta with garlic, salt and pepper and cream. I also use them for my festive flan which I make on Christmas Day as an alternative to meat. Might not sound exciting but trust me, it is absolutely delicious and satisfying. Full of Christmas flavours and enjoyed with roasties and cranberry sauce. I will post the recipe for this next time.

I found a recipe for savoury cashew cakes in a vegetarian cookbook. The recipe didn’t work! I just got into a very sticky mess! I liked the idea though so I came up with my own version which we enjoy now and then. Here’s my recipe.

Cashew Cakes. Makes 4
250ml Milk ( I use Oatly but dairy 
is fine)
1/4 cup Cornflour
crushed Garlic clove
1/2 cup Sweetcorn (frozen or tinned)
100g Breadcrumbs
50g ground Cashew Nuts
Salt and Pepper

Heat the milk with the crushed garlic.
Mix the cornflour with an extra drop
of milk until dissolved.
Stir cornflour into boiling milk,
stirring well as it thickens.
Remove from heat.
Add sweetcorn, nuts, breadcrumbs
and salt and pepper.
Allow to cool completely.
With your hand form four flat
cakes.
Heat oil to medium temperature
then fry cakes, turning half-way
through, until nicely browned.

If you prefer, a finely chopped
onion can be added to the hot mixture
instead of the garlic.

Good with a green veg like broccoli
and your favourite pickle.

With all the card-writing, baking, wrapping presents and so on I haven’t had time to paint. I’m really missing it. As soon as Christmas is over my paints will be out and the brushes will be stroking away. In the meantime, here is a cheerful little picture I did a while ago. It’s painted with gouache. Not seasonal but bright colours to lift our winter spirits.

I hope you enjoy the blog. Please feel free to comment. It’s a pleasure to receive some feedback. With you again in a few days.

Winter has arrived. The garden is wet and cold but there are compensations. Lots of nice winter vegs to eat for example, safely tucked away in the polytunnels.

Lovely leeks, carrots and parsnips make hearty, warming soups. I love walking down the garden to fetch good things to cook.

Although many of the perennial plants have died down now until Spring some hardy sorts are just beginning to show off. The hellebore buds are gradually swelling and the winter clematis are beginning to flower. Clematis cirrhoza “Freckles” has a few pretty blossoms and the “Winter Beauty” has a few white buds on show. Some of the primulas are pretty but sadly the slugs love them too.

We’ve had a lot of rain and gloomy grey skies this week. Good excuse to bake, knit and sew. Also to use my camera. I love to see the dripping leaves, flowers and berries and the crystal drops with the light shining through them. Every opportunity, I’m out with my camera.

Here's a little poem I composed which sums up how I feel.
Rainy Days

Raindrops patter on the pane. 
I will the sun to shine
But all in vain.

Watching cloudy skies I sit.
No gardening today,
Perhaps I'll knit.

But when the raindrops slow
I fetch my camera
And out I go.

My eyes are full of rapture
As shimmering drops
I try to capture.

I'm so happy on my quest.
Sometimes the wetter days
Are just the best.

While it’s been wet I’ve been happily baking, knitting and sewing. I made my orange and cranberry cakes again. The first lot went in a trice. This time I doubled the recipe and baked the mixture in a roasting tin then cut it into squares.

Sunny days are few and far between at this time of the year when I can go out and do some garden work. However, it’s a good time to do some of those indoor jobs which have been on a list for ages. Today I felt very virtuous because I caught up with some mending I’ve had in mind for a while.

Some of the stitching around the edge of a bedspread had come loose and a little tear needed repairing. So I fetched out my sewing machine and set to work.

My husband is not a man to buy new clothes. The older something is the better he likes it. So when his favourite workshirts become tatty round the collar I turn the collar. In other words, I unstitch the bit that holds the collar, turn the collar over so the worn bit is underneath and then stitch it back into place. I did one of these today.

Before you start thinking I’m some kind of a martyr I must admit that I actually enjoy doing this!

I was helped by my handy little stitch ripper to open up the seam before removing the collar and turning it over. When the shirt is being worn again the old tatty bit lies underneath and doesn’t show. Good job done and one happy man.

If you like sewing, this stitch ripper is a vital tool. It removes tiny stitches that scissors just can’t reach without cutting the fabric. I also use it to remove labels from clothes because I find they prickle and irritate the back of my neck. I’ve had mine for many years but they are probably still available at sewing shops.

It was a pleasure to use my sewing machine again. I haven’t had it out since last Christmas when I made some little felt Christmas stockings to use at the table instead of crackers.

It’s nice to keep busy on these colder days. I’m not a fan of Winter so I have to find pleasurable things to pass the time and make it seem to go more quickly. I hope you’re all enjoying being creative as much as I am and if you don’t feel inclined, I hope you’ll enjoy reading about mine.

Be with you again in a few days. Bye for now.

I haven’t put the decorations or tree up yet. Don’t want to peak too soon. I am still busy in the kitchen though with my Christmas preparations.

I made cranberry sauce today. I really dislike that jam-like stuff in jars which is supposed to be cranberry sauce. I love the sharp tang, colour and texture of real cranberries. I can’t get enough of it with my Christmas meals.

If you’ve never tasted homemade you’re missing a treat and it couldn’t be easier to make. Just buy some fresh cranberries, pick them over and discard any mushy ones while you’re washing them. Even easier if you buy frozen ones. Simmer gently with a little water to stop them burning until they’re broken down (about 20 minutes or so) then add sugar, to taste. They take quite a lot of sugar but it depends on how sweet or sharp you prefer them, so taste as you go. Cook for a few more minutes.

Some people like to add orange juice and /or port but I just love the full-on cranberry flavour on its own. When it cools it thickens to a rich glossy gelled texture. Freezes perfectly without any loss of flavour or consistency.

Delicious with turkey of course but also with beef and a special vegetarian pie which I make on Christmas Day ( recipe coming soon).

When I need to relax I like to sit a while but there has been little I want to watch on the telly so I dug out a favourite book of mine to do a little crafting. It’s “100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet” by Lesley Stanfield. It’s a fascinating collection of patterns graded into three levels: basic, intermediate and advanced. I can’t do the advanced. I find patterns very confusing and my concentration span is limited. I do enjoy having a go though.

A few years ago I knitted the little acorns, in the photo on the right, to stitch onto a shawl I crocheted for my daughter. She was born in Autumn so autumnal things are her favourites and I knew acorns would be appealing. This week I knitted some little cherries. Passed a few happy hours keeping my fingers busy although I have to admit it didn’t come easily. The instructions in the book confuse me but then I’m no expert at these things. I usually muddle through with a bit of perseverence. No pain, no gain!

Maybe not the most useful things to have but quite pretty and amusing and keeps me out of mischief. Will make nice brooches or decorations for other things.

Then back to the kitchen and Christmas preparations.

Another little quick dessert I often make is a cream-filled swiss roll. It is quite easy to do with a little care and a variety of fillings make it very versatile. Freezes beautifully and saves time when other jobs take precedence. Looks special too if you decorate the top to make it look luxurious. The one I made today is filled with chopped stem ginger stirred into whipped cream.

There are lots of recipes for swiss roll but here is mine if you’d like to try it.

Choc Swiss Roll

65g Caster Sugar  2 large Eggs
50g plain Flour  2 rounded tablespoons
of Cocoa Powder

You will need a swiss roll baking tin
and greaseproof paper.
Heat the oven to 210C/190C fan oven
Cut a piece of greaseproof paper to
line the tin, with slightly 
overlapping edges.
Grease the tin a bit
and press the paper into place.
Beat the eggs and sugar with an
electric mixer until the volume
increases and the whisks leave
a trail in the mixture.
Sift the flour and cocoa together and with a
metal spoon gently fold into the eggs and 
sugar until it is all mixed in. Don't beat or
you will lose the air in the mixture.
Put into the tin and level if necessary,
then bake for 7-8 minutes.
Put a fresh piece of greaseproof paper on
the worktop and sprinkle with icing sugar
or caster sugar. Tip the cake 
top-down onto the fresh paper. Allow to cool
for a couple of minutes then very
carefully peel the original paper away.
Using the paper on the worktop to assist
you roll the cake up starting at the short
end facing you.
Leave to cool completely. Gently unroll and 
spread with whipped cream then roll up again.
Serves about four.
Fillings are up to your taste and imagination.
Chopped stem ginger is good, toasted pecans 
are delicious, grated chocolate or coffee liqueur,
added to the whipped cream. All these freeze
perfectly.
If you want to eat it fresh, any fresh fruit
can be added. Strawberries, raspberries or
apricots are good. Tinned fruit is fine if 
you drain it well. For a Black Forest gateau
effect use tinned black cherries and
chocolate with the cream.

If you freeze it for another occasion, like Christmas or a dinner with friends, place it unwrapped in the freezer and open-freeze it until firm. Then wrap and put back in. This prevents it from getting squashed while it’s still soft.

Thaws perfectly in the fridge and if you decorate the top with more cream, fruit or chocolate it will impress your family or guests and taste wonderful.

These wintery days with grey skies are the perfect time to enjoy making things for Christmas. All the hard work will pay off when you can sit back a little at Christmas with your efforts behind you.

Don’t forget to give the Christmas cake another drink of sherry in the next week or so.

Happy baking and crafting, until next time. Bye for now, with you again in a few days.

The frosts have kicked in although we have been lucky this year. The weather has been very mild. Even though the plants will finally give up their flowers it’s nice to see those wintery scenes.

Frosty Morning

The crisp, curled leaves
Lie frozen on the garden path.
Their steamy breath rises
In the morning sun.
Silver-edged, their crumpled beauty
Enfolds the icy remnants
Of nature's latent bounty.
Too cold to shiver in the breeze
They stiffly stand guard
Above the sleeping soil.

Now that the nights are colder and the darkness comes early we have started the woodstove for cosy evenings. I have been cutting down the woody stems in the garden and using them for kindling.

It’s wonderful to see the flickering flames and to hear the gentle hiss of the logs as they burn. It took me a while to get the hang of lighting the stove at first. Over the years I’ve developed techniques for easy starting and no need for those horrible smelly firelighters. I found that standing the logs vertically at either side with paper, dried woody stems and small sticks from our trees with another log placed horizontally across the top worked best. Like this:

It makes for a quick blaze and the logs ignite very well. When it’s going sufficiently the top log fits down between the others for a good satisfying fire.Then we can toast our toes for a couple of hours, watch the fascinating flames and soak up the atmosphere of a cosy winter evening.

When we first had our stove I rubbed and scrubbed at the glass door in an effort to keep it clean but it was a struggle. I thought I needed some expensive cleaning product. Then luckily I saw a marvelous tip in Permaculture magazine. Dip a damp cloth in the wood ash from the previous fire and rub the glass with it. Hey presto! Works like magic! All the smoke and tar just dissolve away. Since then we’ve had a lovely clear view of the fire through a sparkling clean window. Thank you Permaculture.

Despite the occasional frost I was pleased to find some late autumn raspberries in the garden. Protected by the fruit cage, the blackbirds hadn’t been able to steal them. I brought them in and enjoyed a small bowlful.

I often suffer sleepless nights but at least I find my best ideas come to me when I lie awake. I thought up a recipe the other night and couldn’t wait to try it. Orange and cranberry buns. I baked it the next morning and was very pleased with the result. Here is my recipe. Very simple and easy. Christmas flavours but good to eat at any time.

Orange and Cranberry Buns

1 Orange  2 large Eggs  100g Caster Sugar
100g self-raising Flour  1 heaped tspn Baking Powder
100g Sunflower Oil  75g dried Cranberries (Whitworths
or Ocean Spray craisins)
Makes about 10

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan oven

Grate the orange peel. Put all ingredients except the cranberries into a bowl and beat well. Add cranberries and beat again until well mixed.

Put into the bun tins (I use paper cases to line the tins)
Bake for 18-20 minutes.
If you want to double up they freeze well.

Nice with a cup of tea or perhaps a glass of your favourite wine.

Some Christmas cooking ideas coming soon. Enjoy your preparations even though Christmas may be a lot different this year. It all helps to raise the spirits.

Bye for now. With you again in a few days.

I’ve had a few things to do over the last few days. The garden needed attention. The brown drooping leaves were looking sad so I spent a little time cutting down the perennials.

The woody aster stems with their fluffy seedheads are ideal for starting the fire so I save those along with marjoram sprigs with their scenty tops and the big mop-head flowers of the dried hydrangeas. Just need to be sure that they are very dry.

When I was snipping off the dead leaves of the alchemilla I disturbed several ladybirds. Felt bad about it. They’d probably found a nice hidey-hole for the winter and I came along and shoved them out! There is plenty of shelter around the garden though so I’m sure they’ll survive.

I love to see the garden after the rain. I wander around with my camera and catch glimpses of raindrops clinging to the leaves and flowers.

There was a marigold with a tiny green caterpillar nestled in the flower.

The birds and squirrels are making the most of the food we’re providing. Sunflower hearts and peanuts are very popular. We love to watch the antics of the squirrels as they try to open the bird feeder. Not successful but we put some out on the birdtable so they can help themselves.

Yesterday a flight of geese went over in a lovely v-formation, honking very loudly. A wonderful sight. Too quick for a photo and my little camera probably wouldn’t be up to the job. It’s something we see every year as there is a lake nearby. Always thrilling no matter how many times I see it.

I like it if it rains after dark, when I’m snug in the kitchen. The rain lashes the window and glistens on the pane.

When I took this shot I was busy making my cheesy potatoes. Cheese stirred into hot mashed potatoes and spread on top of steamed kale or broccoli, then browned in the oven. Delicious and a good alternative to meat if you’re trying to cut down.

I was thinking again about my kitchen favourites. I have quite a few, as all cooks do. Some are not just essential tools but also make some jobs a lot simpler than they often seem. Scissors for example. Of course we all need scissors from time to time to cut things open but I also find them useful for snipping parsley or chives for instance. Easier than chopping, especially if you only need a bit to top a dish or a sandwich. Saves washing a chopping board. I use them too for trimming the fat from bacon or for cutting out the stalks on kale leaves. Kept just for food and washed up afterwards.

Cake liners are another thing I love, for loaf tins. I make a lovely banana and cranberry loaf ( recipe on a future post) and the liners make it so easy to release them from the tins when they come out of the oven. It’s horrible when a big lump of cake sticks to the tin and spoils a beautiful cake. They tip out perfectly with a liner.

Measuring cups are not only useful but somehow pleasing to look at and to handle. My little set sits on the worktop ready to be used.

My pastry mat is something I bought last year and wouldn’t be without now. It protects the work surface and the measurements on it are brilliant if I need to know the size of a cake tin or a circle of pastry.

I’ve made some mince pies for freezing so that I’m ahead for Christmas and in case of any unexpected events. Not going to post a recipe. There is nothing special about my mince pies. We love them though, especially with a dusting of icing sugar. I use my own mincemeat and always stir in a little extra brandy when I open the jar.

And finally here is a painting of some ducks in an autumnal setting. I painted this with gouache from a photo I took while we were out one day. I hope you like it.

With you again in a few days. Thanks for visiting. Comments are always welcome.

Christmas is only a month away so my thoughts are occupied with seasonal things. I have almost knitted a sixth Christmas cracker from the pattern in Landscape magazine.

Because our son used to work at Christmas we usually have a get-together the weekend before. We have a festive feast and exchange our presents and then we all spend Christmas in our own way. Sadly, this year that probably won’t be possible.

We’ll still celebrate in our own ways so traditional preparations will still go on. Time to put the sherry on the Christmas cake for example. I did mine the other day. Pricked the top of the cake all over with a sharp fork then carefully spooned sherry into the holes. A taster for the cook as well, of course. If you tried my recipe and are doing this, make sure you moisten the edge because it becomes very dry in the oven while its baking. If you prefer brandy, that’s fine. Do it once again in a couple of weeks but don’t overdo it or the cake will be soggy.

With Christmas in mind, I usually make a pecan pie. It’s a great favourite with my family and friends. I adapted this from an American recipe. Here is my version.

Pecan Pie

1 cup plain Flour
1 third cup of Sunflower Oil
1 quarter cup of cold Water
3 large Eggs
three quarters cup of Sugar
1 cup of Golden Syrup
1 cup of broken Pecans
20g melted Butter
pinch of salt
Whole Pecans to decorate. 250g bag

You will need a flan dish measuring approximately 9" or 22.5cm

Put the flour, sunflower oil and water into the food processor. Grease the flan dish with the residue from your oil measuring cup. Mix then turn off the machine and gather the pastry into a ball. Press the pastry into the dish, making sure it is even and no gaps in the base. 

Put the pastry case into the fridge while you make the filling.
Tip out the bag of pecans and use any broken ones to fill the 1 cup measure. Be generous with them.

Then grind them in your food processor or mill.

If you can't do this, put them in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
Heat the oven to 190C/170Fan oven.
Put eggs, sugar, syrup, salt, melted butter and ground pecans into a bowl and beat well.
Pour into the pastry case. Decorate with whole pecans. If you drop them gently onto the mixture they will float and look very attractive.

Check the oven is up to temperature. Open the door, then carry the dish very carefully so as not to disturb the pecans and bake for 35 - 40 minutes.
It will go dark brown. That's how it should be but check that the pecans don't burn. It might lift slightly in the oven but it usually flattens again while cooling.
Serve slightly warm with ice-cream or cold with single cream. Freezes perfectly.
This one didn't turn out as perfect as usual. Not quite so neat on top. Wouldn't you know when I wanted to show it off! You win some, you lose some. I'm sure yours will be perfect.

Happy baking. Enjoy your Christmas preparations.