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Too cold for Swimming! Our holiday in the Scottish Hebrides




 

 



This year we spent our long August holiday in Scotland. We spent much of our holiday on the islands of the  Hebrides, including Iona, Lewis, Uist and Skye. This was a complete change from our usual jaunt to somewhere hot and sunny. Paul was keen to see this unspoilt part of the UK and to drive along quiet roads with little traffic. It is always a challenge to find somewhere relatively free of tourists in August, but it is possible. Paul is also very keen on archaeology and in particular standing stones; there are plenty of those in the Hebrides! Look at this stone, which is reputed to be the tallest in the UK! Somehow I did not find it that impressive, but you may call me a cynic!

Okay it is big, but not that big. Also, it had no pomp and circumstance and no visitor centre. In fact, it was just near a domestic dwelling.

To go back to the first picture, that is me on Iona. It was absolutely beautiful, a really magical place. However, the sea was freezing cold. My thought was, if it is like this in August, then presumably it is always too cold to swim in the Hebrides! I usually like to spend much of our summer holiday swimming, but this was not to be. In fact, the only swim I had was in the hotel pool in Buxton, on our return journey.

Before I dipped my toes in the water that day, I had spent some time sitting in our pod (our accommodation for two nights) trying to decide what to do that morning. Paul had decided to go back to the mainland to fetch his laptop and some other provisions. It was windy and cold and I sat in the pod wrapped in a blanket and listened to an episode of The Archers! Thank goodness for a decent wifi signal!  This is the question I posed to my helpful friends in my Archers Chit-Chat facebook group:

‘Paul has popped back to Mull on the ferry to fetch a few more things from the car. He needs his laptop to deal with some business. I have a book, facebook and radio to listen to including last night’s epidode. It is a bit wet and windy and the coffee I can make in a mug (taking the grounds off when it has settled) is not brilliant. Should I?
1) Stay in and have a cosy morning with a duvet over my legs and make more sub-standard coffee?
2) Listen to the Archers then walk to the local gallery and shop and get a decent coffee and some more shopping?
3) Go for a swim in the sea’

Of course there were all sorts of suggestions as to which option I should take, and in the end I decided to brave the weather and go and investigate the various shops and find a decent cup of coffee. Scotland has such changeable weather. One minute there is a gale blowing and you wish you had brought some gloves with you, then half an hour later it is blazing sunshine!

Despite the sea being really, really cold and the frequency of the rain and the wind, it was a really magical holiday with breath-taking scenery. The sea was also a really amazing turquoise colour, whatever the weather. The sand is white, and I assume the colour of the sea is related to the colour and nature of the rocks. These photos are of a beach on the Isle of Lewis. I just love taking pictures of rocks and pebbles.

One big advantage of going on holiday to somewhere which is not hot and sunny is that it is much easier to go for walks and appreciate the scenery. In hot places, I am constantly wanting to stop for cold drinks and ice-creams. So we did do much more walking in the Hebrides than on our average holiday in the Mediterranean. We took high quality walking boots with us, as well as waterproof coats, and a selection of jumpers. My favourite warm jumper is big and yellow and very cuddly (from Marks and Spencer if you are interested!) You can see it in the picture below:

I had not worn this jumper for months, but had the good sense to take it on our Hebrides jaunt. We stayed for one night on South Uist, which I found very bleak. We also hit a very bad patch of weather with wind and rain. In the morning, after checking out from our very pleasant but basic B and B, Paul decided to go for a walk to see some more standing stones. There really was a howling gale, but for me the last straw came when I realised that I had left my cuddly jumper at the B and B! I just gave in to my feelings and weaknesses and decided to stay in the car rather than go for a walk in the rain. I sat and read my book and made contact with my Chit-Chat friends on facebook. The happy ending to the story is that we had not driven that far from the B and B, so were able to go back and fetch my jumper!

Even my daughter Jess, who usually shuns my clothing, which is obviously only suitable for middle-aged people, took a fancy to my yellow jumper. Here is a picture of her wearing it.

Jess joined us for a week on our holiday, staying with us for one night on Skye and nearly a week on Lewis.

I have to mention our two night stay on Skye, staying at the Doll’s House, owned by my Chit-Chat friend Cheryl Mcculloch. It was lovely to meet her at last, and stay in her very well-equipped airbnb accommodation. See her facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/skyebirdsdollshouse

Jess stayed with us for one night at the Doll’s House too, and we even shared a meal in Cheryl’s home. We are not a dog loving family, but Jess fell in love with Cheryl’s dog Raasay and talked about getting a dog for herself in the future! See this picture of us enjoying a meal and getting friendly with Raasay!

 

In conclusion I’d say that the holiday was a complete success, even despite the incredibly cold boat trip we took whilst staying on Lewis. Jess had headed back home by then. It was wet from the sea splashing up all over the boat and then it started to rain. I could not understand to start with why we had to wear waterproof jackets and trousers borrowed from the boat hire company, as well as our own waterproofs. By the end of the trip, Paul said that he could not feel his feet! Actually it was a lovely trip and, as always, we had a very informative guide to point out all the birds and wildlife to us. Here is a picture of Paul before we set off on our trip, looking cheerful as he had not yet lost the use of his toes!

By the way, Paul and I both got hooked on Peter May’s books whilst on holiday in the Hebrides. They were recommended by one of my Chit-Chat friends. Many of them are set on Lewis, and I particularly enjoyed ‘Coffin Road’ and ‘The Blackhouse.’ I am on part two of that series, and Paul is reading part three. Peter makes the scenery come alive, with very evocative descriptions of scenery and places.

Yes the holiday was a success, but as an antidote we have booked 10 days in Croatia next August!

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My Christmas List – Cookery Books



I really do not need any more cookery books! The bookcase in the picture holds all of my cookery books, and the theory is that I should not have any more than will fit onto these shelves. There are about 90 cookery books in my collection. Added to that, I have my three regular food magazines which I read every month. I do of course devise many of my own recipes too.

I did weed the cookery book shelves in the summer, prior to decorating the rather tired-looking bookcase with decoupage. I used sheets of paper from old cookery books, mainly from charity shops, and a couple of my own books that I was prepared to sacrifice. You can see a bit more detail in the picture below:

I deliberately left some of the recipes exposed, as I might try some of the retro ideas from Mrs Beeton and The Penguin Cordon Bleu Cookery Book.

If I had any more space, or if I can find somewhere else to start a new bookcase (unlikely as we have 3 other small bookcases and 3 large ones) these are the books which would be on my list this Christmas. Not all of them are brand new.

I love Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s recipes and I love vegetables, so enough said! I like to cook vegetarian food on a regular basis. I am not so convinced by vegan food, as I have a cheese and yoghurt habit that I cannot give up! However, I am always willing to try anything new.

Paul and I have been watching Rick’s series travelling to Mexico, and enjoy Rick’s style of cooking and his general enthusiasm for life and food. It was also wonderful to see him going to Caesar’s Restaurant and see a real Caesar salad made. One of my niggles in life is how not one restaurant I have been to knows how to make a genuine Caesar salad. It does not have chicken or bacon in it!

I might actually have an excuse for adding this book to my collection, as it is not just a cookery book, but more a book to read and devour in front of the fire on a cold winter’s evening. Nigel Slater is one of my favourite cookery writers and broadcasters, and I enjoyed reading his autobiographical book ‘Toast.’

Friends and family will know that Nigella is another of my firm favourites. I love her laid-back style and her attitude to entertaining (just like mine – relaxed and enjoyable from start to finish). I also love her twinkly fairy lights. My friends also sometimes refer to me as a ‘Domestic Goddess’ although possibly this is a title which can only be truly attributed to Nigella!

Jamie is another firm favourite of mine. Maybe I could justify adding this book to my collection, as I only have one other book which is one dedicated to Christmas cooking (Delia Smith’s, and it is the original one rather than the new, updated edition).

Paul and I love travelling, so this book would truly sit well with my love of food abroad, but I still prefer to self-cater when we are on holiday. There is also nothing quite like bringing the sunshine home!

This book is a few years old now, and I coveted it for a long time. I have one cookery book by Yotam Ottolenghi (Plenty). I particularly love the high-quality binding of his books, not to mention the amazing, sunny recipes with which he entices me.

Finally, I should like one more book by Ottolenghi:

I do love a home-cooked pudding, and this one would round off my collection nicely, with that touch of the Middle-East.

Now all I need is for my nearest and dearest to read this list…. Maybe I could clear some space for a new bookcase in the ‘spare bedroom.’ It is only spare until the young person returns from New Zealand next year!

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Desert Island Cookery Writers

Being a fan of Radio 4 and a long-term listener to Desert Island Discs, I thought that it would be fun to list my all-time favourite cookery writers. This is not a list of books, but of the writers, as I’d find it so hard to choose one book by each writer.  In addition, please note that these are not in order of preference. as that would also be a hard choice to make. I have picked 8, as there are 8 tracks allowed on the Radio 4 desert island.

  1. Nigella Lawson – chosen because she is a cook rather than a chef and loves good, home-cooking. She is also not afraid to add her own twists to classic recipes. Her descriptive, chatty style also appeals to me, and the fact that many of her books are arranged by themes rather than traditionally separating out main courses, puddings and so on. In her new book, At my Table: A Celebration of Home Cooking, there are no chapters at all, although the last section is devoted to puddings and cakes.
  2. Nigel Slater – again he is a home cook rather than a chef and is a master of fast food with no compromises on ingredients or flavour.
  3. Jamie Oliver – his sheer enthuiasm and love of food is infectious. His recipes really work, and he really cares about the quality of food and the state of the nation’s diet. I own more of Jamie Oliver cookery books than I do of any other cookery writer.
  4. Delia Smith – I grew up cooking with Delia. At school, studying home economics, we used to watch videos in class of Delia’s Complete Cookery Course. She is not afraid to go right back to basics, but also has some really innovative recipes.
  5. Rick Stein – a couple of years ago I went on a half day course at Rick Stein’s Cookery School. I love fish, which is how I first came to Rick, but in recent years I have really enjoyed his themed books based around his global travels. He is of course a chef rather than a cook, but his recipes are still good for the home cook.
  6. Madhur Jaffrey – years ago, Madhur was one of the few writers I came across writing recipes for genuine Indian food. I have always been a fan of spices and even 20 years ago I had given up on curry powder and have always ground my own spices.
  7. Sophie Grigson – another writer who uses fresh, seasonal produce. My particular favourite is Sophie Grigson’s Country Kitchen, which takes the reader through the seasons with suggestions for use of ingredients. They are recipes you actually want to make, rather than just read.
  8. Yotam Ottolenghi – I love Middle-Eastern food, so could not manage without Yotam. I particularly love his imaginative vegetarian recipes. Many people have commented that his recipes use far too many ingredients, or ones that are difficult to come by. This is not my experience, and is perhaps a reflection of what I typically keep in my storecupboard!

 

 

 

 



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My Food Diary Sunday 10th-Saturday 16th September




You may have spotted by now that I cook proper meals every day, and that I use a fair number of recipes from cookery books and magazines/newspapers, as well as devising my own recipes. I thought it would be interesting to sometimes write a diary for the week showing you what I have cooked for dinner. I am not including breakfasts, as my breakfast is usually the same each morning – Greek yoghurt with fresh fruit and honey. I have not photographed every meal, especially as sometimes we eat left-overs of a previous meal.  For lunch I usually make sandwiches or have left-overs of some dinner which needs eating up. I’ll include the lunches if they were particulary notable or if I made some bread from a recipe that I’d like to share. Sometimes I shall also include some home-bakes for afternoon tea or pudding.

Sunday 10th September

Dinner: Roast Chicken and Potatoes with Apple Stuffing, Carrots, Peas and Gravy

Although I have no photo of this meal, I’d just like to tell you about the stuffing. We have three apple trees in our garden, all of which produce reasonable crops each year. Having not had time to make an apple pudding, I decided to make an apple stuffing. For this I mixed 4oz breadcrumbs, 2oz melted butter (you could use suet instead), a handful of freshly chopped herbs such as parsley and thyme, a beaten egg, two grated apples and a little lemon rind and juice. On this occasion I stuffed the body cavity of the chicken, but you could also make stuffing balls. To make this meal easier, as we were sitting in the living room having drinks and nibbles with relatives whilst it was cooking, I put some unpeeled maincrop potato pieces in the tin with the chicken whilst roasting it.

Later on I cooked fresh carrots and peas together in a pan with a small amount of water, rosemary, vanilla extract, a knob of butter and a teaspoon of sugar. I cooked the carrots for about 10 minutes before adding the fresh peas and then cooking them together for another five minutes. I always make my gravy by adding some vegetable water, wine, dijon mustard and a spoon of home-made jelly to the juices in the roasting tin.

Monday 11th September

I unexpectedly went out for an early dinner/meeting, so made pizzas for Paul and Jess.  My dinner is pictured below. We went to the Black Boy pub in Shinfield:  https://www.baronspubs.com/blackboy/

Fish Tortillas at The Black Boy in Shinfield

The meal was excellent, and the staff were really helpful and available with accurate information for a colleague who is gluten intolerant.

Tuesday 12th September

Pork Osso Buco with Aubergines, Apples and Chickpeas, served with mash

Okay, confession time! This recipe was not one of my best! I wanted to leave something for Paul to put in the oven whilst I was out at yet another meeting. I could then make the mashed potato on my return. The dish would have been perfect without the aubergine, but it was in the oven too long and was of too soft a texture to go with the other ingredients, particularly serving it with mash. I cooked the meat in some lovely cider which we bought on holiday in Spain this year: http://www.agroturismoarratzain.com/

So in future, I’d leave out the aubergine and use some fennel instead for a crunchier texture.

Wednesday 13th September

Ratatouille and Melting Mozarella Crumble from Sainsburys Magazine September Issue

This dish was a real winner! We eat vegetarian food at least a couple of times a week, and this dish fitted the bill and satisfied Paul, who misses the solid taste of flesh more than I do! It is a fairly standard ratatouille recipe with the addition of spinach. It is piled into a baking dish and has mozarella torn over the top before adding a crumble topping made with breadcrumbs, rosemary and toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds. You then bake it until it is crisp and bubbling. I think that my breadcrumb mixture was particularly tasty, as I was using up some mini bruschetta topped with tomatoes and olive oil. They had gone soft, but were perfect blitzed into crumbs, tomatoes included.

Thursday 14th September

Indian-spiced Celeriac Rosti with herb yoghurt from Sainsburys Magazine September Issue

Indian-spiced Celeriac Rosti with Herb Yoghurt and Left-over Aubergine Sauce

In the picture you will see that I did also eat up the remains of the aubergine sauce left-over from the pork casserole, so for me this was not quite a vegetarian dish. Rosti are a fun dish to make and to give a different texture to vegetables. Apparently celeriac is also very low in calories. The suggestion was to serve the rosti with mango chutney, and I just happened to have made a couple of jars of that recently – so much better home-made!

Friday 15th September – Fish Pie made according to a Jamie Oliver recipe (The Return of the Naked Chef 2000)

Fantastic Fish Pie from The Return of the Naked Chef

I have made this wonderful pie many times, and have adapted the recipe to suit my tastes and preferences. The best tip I learnt from Jamie by making this pie was that it is not necessary to cook fish before putting it into a pie. This means that you use fewer pans, and that the fish holds its shape better. Jamie includes spinach and carrot in his recipe. I have always used more carrot than he suggests, and I also add fennel and celery. Originally this was a way of bribing my daughter Jess into eating more vegetables, as she has always loved fish pie. I continue to make the pie with these additions even if I am not trying to deceive children.

 

Saturday 16th September Chicken with Chorizo, Chick Peas  and Kale from Davina’s 5 Weeks to Sugar Free

I was not particularly looking for sugar-free recipes, but I spotted this book in my mother’s house and noted a few really good recipes in it. Chorizo and chick peas are two of my favourite ingredients and I could happily just make a meal out of these ingredients. This went really well with a jacket potato and butter.

During the week I also made Portuguese Custard Tarts using this recipe: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/portuguese-egg-custard-tarts 

Apple and Rosemary Loaf, using an Alice Hart recipe in the Waitrose Magazine September Issue, and Jaffa Cakes using one of Felicity Cloake’s Guardian recipes: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/oct/27/how-to-make-the-perfect-jaffa-cakes

These are more like cakes than the commerically made variety, and have to be consumed fairly quickly! See my photos of the home-baking below:

Jaffa Cakes
Apple and Rosemary Loaf from Waitrose September by Alice Hart
Pasteis de Nata or Portuguese Custard Tarts

 

 



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Autumn Cooking – some recipes by Rosie Birkett in BBC Good Food Magazine

 

Blackberry Doughnut with Custard and Strawberry and Balsamic Vinegar Ice-cream

I enjoy cooking with my daughter Jess, although it is unusual for us to find time to have a cooking session nowadays. She is a chef in a local pub and on her days off is not often in the mood for long cooking sessions with her mother! I managed to tempt her with this enticing-looking recipe for Blackberry Doughnuts in BBC Good Food Magazine. Personally I give doughnuts a wide berth if commerically made, but home-made they are completely different.

Cooked Doughnuts

Rosie Birkett includes a recipe for quick blackberry jam for filling these doughnuts, and suggests serving them with  Bay Leaf Custard. In the end we went for home-made vanilla custard, and I had one serving with a portion of Strawberry Ice-cream with Balsamic Vinegar (a Delia Smith favourite recipe of mine).

Home-made Blackberry Jam

Jess, my daughter, insists on having a proper deep-fat fryer, so we had to give that a good clean up before using it; I don’t like the stickiness of fryers, so insist on keeping it in the shed!

Cooked and Filled Blackberry Doughnuts

We did find that it was difficult to get the frying temperature right for cooking the doughnuts all the way through but not burnt on the outside, despite heating the oil to the suggested temperature of 180 degrees C. In the end, we put them in the oven for about 7 minutes, after frying them.

The verdict was positive all round, and we would definitely make these doughnuts again, maybe using different varieties of home-made or good-quality bought jam to suit the seasons. We were lucky enough to have some freshly-picked blackberries for making the jam.

The other recipe I made from Rosie’s selection was Slow-cooked Marrow with fennel and Tomato. I love marrow, although many people seem to either treat it as a joke or a burden, or an over-grown courgette. I do think that stuffed marrow is good, but that it is great to ring the changes, having marrow as a side dish or main course vegetarian dish. Rosie describes this dish as a little like caponata. She serves it with some sourdough bread and soft goats’ cheese. On this occasion I left out the bread and cheese, but I think that it would be great served in this way as a first course.

I have no photo of my version of this dish, so you will just have to imagine it! I shall be making the other dishes featured in this article sometime soon: Braised Squid with Fennel and Tomatoes , Devilled Prawns and Corny Polenta and Cacio e Pepe with Runner Beans.

I am seriously tempted to buy Rosie’s book, which is featured below. She uses seasonal, fresh produce and simple store cupboard ingredients.

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Cooking the Ottolenghi Way: A Review of ‘Plenty’ by Yotam Ottolenghi

 

 

This is the kind of cookery book to persuade meat eaters to eat more vegetarian food! I am a confirmed omnivore but love vegetables and meals without meat. Yotam Ottolenghi is a particular favourite of mine, with his Middle- Eastern slant on food. He was born in Israel, and is Israeli-British.  I probably identify with Yotam as he is not a vegetarian either, but was asked to write this book by The Guardian.

This book is beautiful in itself, and, like all of Yotam’s books, is a high-quality hardback with a substantial cover rather than the traditional boards with a dust-jacket. Inside there are beautful line drawings of vegetables as well as really enticing photos of every dish.

As a non-vegetarian I make no judgements on the views of others, but personally am not a fan of tofu, quorn and other specific vegetarian and vegan meat substitutes. Maybe ‘meat substitute’ is the wrong expression to use, but I am not sure how else to explain what I mean. Yotam includes very little of these ingredients in his recipes, which for me is a definite plus point. Two of the recipes which include tofu are Gado Gado and Mee Goreng. My answer is to substitute halloumi or paneer, which I love (vegans may not approve!)

Before I go on to list some of my favourite recipes from this book, it is probably worth assessing which recipes are suitable for vegans. I was discussing this subject with my fellow-blogger Niki di Palma (https://westslidestory.com/) who is indeed a vegan! Apparently lots of vegetarian cookery books are not great for vegans, as the recipes tend to use a lot of cheese and yoghurt.

I can see some recipes which could certainly have the cheese or yoghurt removed to make them vegan-friendly. I have made the Spicy Moroccan Carrot Salad on a number of occasions, and I see no harm in leaving out the yoghurt, or maybe using coconut milk instead. There are some other lovely salad recipes in the book, such as Beetroot, Orange and Black Olive, Green Bean with Mustard Seeds and Tarragon and Mango and Coconut Rice. On a warm day I think that a selection of these salads would make a substantial meal.  Main course recipes which are vegan without adaptations include: The Ultimate Winter Couscous (ingredients include pumpkin, carrots, parsnips and chickpeas), Gado Gado, Mee Goreng (both already mentioned), Broad Bean Burgers, Black Pepper Tofu (despite my aversion to tofu, this one might even have me converted!), Quinoa and Grilled Sourdough Salad and Soba Noodles with Aubergine and Mango.

I am particularly keen on the recipes for: Lentils with Grilled Aubergine (this satisfies my constant cravings for puy lentils and yoghurt), Chard and Saffron Omelettes (did I mention that I also adore eggs?), Very Full Tart  (filled with sweet potatoes, aubergine, peppers and tomatoes), Chickpea, Tomato and Bread Soup and Tamara’s Ratatouille (also vegan!)

This book is very adaptable and would also suit a confirmed meat-eater who would like some more interesting ways of jazzing up meat meals. Many of the dishes would go well on a buffet table or work as accompaniments to roasted and grilled meats.

 

I

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Cooking the Nigella way: a review of ‘Nigella Bites’

 


I have a whole bookcase dedicated to cookery books, and I do actually use them. Apparently this is not always the case; I am told that many people own cookery books and do not cook any recipes from them. This is not to say that I do not sometimes change and adapt recipes or invent my own recipes. You may be thinking that I spend an awful lot of time in the kitchen, and you would be right! I am going to share some of my favourites with you, and am starting by reviewing a selection by specific writers.

Nigella Bites was published in 2001, although I am not sure how long I have owned it. A quick skim through the book and I can count at least 21 recipes I have cooked from this book, many of them on numerous occasions. I love Nigella’s chatty, descriptive style and her suggestions for changing, adapting and even (dare I say it?!) improving the recipes. She is also one of the chefs I enjoy watching on television. My one rule for watching chefs on television is that the content of the programme has to be the pure pleasure of food with no competitiveness. Thus I am not a fan of Masterchef or The Great British Bake Off. Anyway, I digress.

I know that not everyone enjoys Nigella’s style. She is very sexy and attractive and enjoys her food very much. I must admit that I do love gazing at other peoples’ kitchens. I have a very small kitchen, and sometimes try to do too much in it.

The format of Nigella’s recipe books is to organise by themes and menus rather than conventionally grouping together all the starters, main courses, puddings and so on. Some of the chapters in Nigella Bites are: All-Day Breakfast, Comfort Food, Trashy, Suppertime and Slow-Cook Weekend.

There are some recipes in this book which I shall probably never try. I am not a fan of pomegranate seeds: I have tried them and find them completely bitter and indigestible. Pomegranate molasses is a different matter – I love it and use it frequently. I am also not keen on the Jewish way of making chicken soup, so I’ll not be trying the version in this book. Another recipe I am not tempted to try is the Ham in Cocoa Cola, however much it might be recommended! Some of my favourite recipes are:

Welsh-Rarebit Muffins – cake-style savoury muffins which are wonderful for breakfast.

Double Potato and Halloumi Bake – a really excellent vegetarian dish which is good for everyday as well as being special enough for a party dish.

Chocolate Fudge Cake – one of many chocolate cake recipes by Nigella; this one has a lovely squidgy chocolate icing made with plain chocolate. At this point I need to show you the evidence that I have made this cake on many occasions. See the state that this page is in, in my book!

Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe

Thai Yellow Pumpkin and Seafood Curry – this is one recipe I turn to again and again. I sometimes serve it with basmati rice, or I have made it more soupy and just served it in big bowls.

Bitter Orange Ice-cream – again I have made this on many occasions. It is the easiest orange ice-cream ever to make, being completely made from cream rather than from a custard base. Nigella also helpfully has instructions for making either with seville oranges (only available for a short time in the winter) or with sweet oranges and limes.

Soft and Sharp Involtini – this is a wonderful Italian vegetarian dish of stuffed aubergine slices. It is easy enough to make for a mid-week meal, although some may dispute this (I spend a reasonable amount of time preparing evening meals and am also very quick at putting meals together once I know a recipe well).

Bream with Anchovies and Thyme, served with the following recipe of Chick Peas with Chilli, Garlic and Thyme. Nigella uses two of my favourite ingredients in this medley – anchovies and chick peas.

Chocolate Pots – I show you below the photo of my pages, which have been stuck together with chocolate. A good thing I more or less know the ingredients! This is the easiest of cold chocolate pots to make and can easily be adapted for larger quantities.

Chocolate Pots recipe

I hope that you enjoy this cookery book as much as I do. It really is worth having a look at, and none of the recipes contain ingredients which are difficult to get hold of. Simplicity is the key in this book.

 

 

 

 

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For the Love of The Archers: An Unofficial Companion, by Beth Miller: A review of this recently published book (2015)

I have been an avid fan of ‘The Archers’ for about 30 years now and have acquired several Archers books over the years. I have to say that this is the most entertaining one to date. Of course it does help that this book is right up to date, and includes some very recent story-lines. That aside, I like the format which Beth Miller has used. There are ‘Meet the Characters’ sections and also ‘Welcome to Ambridge’ the latter which describes in more detail the various dwellings in the village and beyond. There are ‘memorable moments’ sections and also listener portraits; these are from a varied selection and include the scriptwriter Keri Davies and other authors, poets and well-known faces. I particularly enjoyed the ‘Gone but not forgotten’ features including of course Nigel Pargeter, John Archer and Grace Archer.
I should mention here that I am a member of two facebook groups, Ambridge Addicts and Archers Appreciation, the latter of which has a mention in the back of the book as a source of even more information. It is a testament to the popularity of radio today that there are so many fan groups devoted to just one soap/drama series. I would particularly recommend this book to my fellow Addicts/Appreciators. I think they would enjoy the who’s who of the silent characters, a list of all the named animals included and even some of the Christmas Village Productions which have taken place since the arrival of Lynda Snell in the village.
Finally, for Archers meet-ups and families who are addicted, there are 22 different themed quizzes for enjoying a real life ‘Quiz Night at the Bull.’ I strongly recommend that fans past, present and future put this book on their Christmas list, or better still buy it themselves just to be sure of getting a copy!