Cheese, Marmalade and Chutney

I realise I haven't written my blog recently.

We spent New Year in France. It was very cold when we arrived - just like in the UK and then suddenly we had a couple of unseasonably warm days, when it was warmer outside than in.

I was fortunate to be able to attend the second session of the cheese making course I had attended in November. Much of it was a repetition of the first session, but we were all much more relaxed and asked many more questions of our tutor.

Since coming back I have made a cheese, it is now is a cool place maturing. Time will tell whether it is edible or not. But as with everything practice makes perfect. Really just need my own cow, but as that is not practical will have to make do with Sainsburys!

Photos of curds and whey.

We enjoyed a lovely dinner Friday at Pea Porridge a local restaurant. We were celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary a few weeks late but better late than never. Good seasonal food and very tasty, a good place for a special meal. I had a starter of cod cheeks coated in a black tempura batter - stunning, black outside white inside, yes I know we shouldn't be eating cod but occasionally an exception has to be made. Then I had braised ox cheek, really tender and rich, lovely flavours and textures. To finish a pannacota with rhubarb. Rob had a salad to start with a Rocamadour cheese, followed by a pan fried hare fillet. He said it was really delicious.

Now busy promoting the Women Reaching Women event on Maternal Health. Fairly confident that we will have a good number of people attending, but it is always difficult to pin people down and get them to commit. Busy posting on Facebook and Twitter in the hope of reaching a wider audience. Visited several preschools and primary schools in the neighbourhood. Just over four weeks to go.

It is the season for Seville Oranges, so have been busy in the kitchen so far I have made two batches, one standard and one Oxford style. My chutneys are now on sale at our local coffee house, until now I have been selling direct to the consumer at fairs in France. Last summer there was great demand for the marmalade from the Brits and the chutneys sold well to my French customers. I have plenty of stock so hope this years sales are as good as last year.

WrW Maternal Health

Women Reaching Women

Improving Maternal Health



Maria Pawlowska,
Cambridge University Gates Scholar

Adam Musgrave
Health and Education Campaigner Oxfam GB


Victoria Morris,

Young Parents Support and Advocacy Worker Suffolk

Wednesday 23rd February 2011
Horringer Community Centre

7 p.m. Wine and Cheese 7.30 p.m. Start
Cost £4 
To Book contact SWFWI Office: suffolkwestwi@btconnect.com Tel:01284 754520 
This event is open to all please invite your friends and other interested parties

The year draws to a close.

As the year draws to a close, it is time to reflect on the past year before we embark on a new one. It seems as though the years go by faster and consequently it is easy to forget many of the things we have done. Luckily by writing this blog I can look back and appreciate some of the highlights of our year. Many are small relatively insignificant things but were important in their own right.

As I look over my vegetable garden today, it appears light and open. I realize that there is more light now that the trees have shed their leaves. Most of the ground is bare, covered in black plastic, awaiting the spring. But there are still sufficient plants in the ground to continue to give us fresh veg daily. There are a few red cabbage, several sprout plants, Swiss chard is still growing albeit slowly, the celery is abundant, if somewhat small but ideal for soups, it may not be a 'looker' but it tastes good. Under some fleece there is sufficient spinach for at least one meal. The lambs lettuce is covered with fallen leaves but there is enough for several salads. And the Jerusalem artichokes are still abundant. We won't go hungry just yet.

We started the year with snow and although we may not finish it with more snow, we have certainly had a cold a snowy winter so far. Yesterday we had relatively warm sunshine and there was a feeling of spring in the air, but of course it is still December and today is cold and murky again, with colder weather forecast for the coming days.

This past year has seen many natural disasters affect the world we have indeed been very lucky. I have to admit getting annoyed as I have heard of peoples holiday plans being ruined by ash clouds or snow, but perhaps we need to think about what is really important. We are as guilty too as we assume we can travel back and forth to France on a whim. Over the last few decades we have become accustomed to being able to do what we will when we want. Perhaps it is now time to stop and think do we need to travel so much or expect every thing to run smoothly all the time. Perhaps there is something to be said for the 'big society' where we think of others before ourselves. We are enjoying the last day of the year sitting inside in the warmth of our house, and tonight will see in the new year with the friends we share last new years eve with.

Tomorrow is another year - what will 2011 bring?

'Tis the night before Christmas

'Tis the night before Christmas, the mince pies are warm from the oven, mulled wine warming gently on the stove. Outside it is cold and frosty, but hey luckily no snow!

All ready for tomorrow, the pudding has been steamed and the cake decorated. A buche de noel is smothered with chocolate and chocolate stars, the stuffing is made and the turkey is covered with a thick layer of lemon and garlic seasoned butter à la Gordon Ramsey.

The presents are wrapped and all we need now is for Santa to visit and family to arrive tomorrow.

I hope all who read this have a very happy and peaceful Christmas.

WrW Maternal Health

All speakers now in place - just need an audience. If you haven't booked your tickets please do so now. It would be nice to have sold 50 tickets before the WI office closes for Christmas.

Women Reaching Women

Improving Maternal Health
Speakers: 

Maria Pawlowska,

Cambridge University Gates Scholar

Adam Musgrave

Health and Education Campaigner, Oxfam GB 

Victoria Morris, 

Young Parents Support and Advocacy Worker Suffolk

Wednesday 23rd February 2011

Horringer Community Centre

7 p.m. Wine and Cheese 7.30 p.m. Start


Tickets from SWFWI, Cost £4,Tel: 01284 754 520

Book this date - don’t miss it!
This event is open to all - please invite your friends and other interested parties

Muck, Muck, Muck - black gold!

After many wheelbarrows full of farmyard manure the garden is now ready for winter. Black plastic is covering large areas of open ground preventing the weeds from taking over in the spring. A thick layer of muck covers large areas - hopefully the worms will keep busy this winter and drag it all into the soil to make a nice humus rich growing medium.

The last of the carrots and turnips have been dug up, but there is still a good supply of sprouts for Christmas and several beautiful red cabbage.

The chicory has been dug up and planted in pots for forcing, never done it before so watch this space!

It is cold, very cold, outside but luckily we have missed the snow, just a few snow flurries, but nothing on the ground.

MUD, MUD, MUD

Mud is what you get when there has been a lot of rain in the countryside. Everything I touch outside is wet and dirty. It is time to clear the garden and prepare it for the winter. There are still vegetables in the ground which should keep us going for several weeks. Sprouts, red cabbage, leeks, turnips, beetroot and a variety of salad leaves, lambs ears, endive and oak leaf. The compost heap has been emptied on to the garden, the asparagus bed getting a good thick layer. I have dug all the potatoes, just need to go over the plot again to see if I have missed any, but will wait for a dry day before tackling that task. We have had a good crop this year, the Pink Fir Apples have been particularly prolific, and with a good crop of Blue Danube and Cara's we should have plenty of potatoes to see us through a cold winter.

Last autumn I took cuttings from the red currant bush, these rooted and we have now planted them on the edge of the garden with the idea of having an edible hedge. A way of having more soft fruit without taking up more space in the garden. Let's just hope they survive the move and the winter.

Now just need to plant up the bulbs I removed from the tubs, to plant summer bedding, so that we have another good display of colour come the spring.