Sun, sea, Sevilles and snow!

At the end of October N started looking a little concerned and sheepish. A bit like Sniff does when he thinks he's done something cute, but worries that we might not think it quite so nice (like when he sleeps on N's clothes to show his affection, spreading his allergen-laden fur all over the things N might want to wear). In November the frequency of this look increased until N finally confessed that he'd already bought my birthday present and wasn't sure if I'd like it. I assured him it would be wonderful, that he always got me brilliant things, and didn't think much more about it.

Then, as my birthday crept nearer I become more intrigued, and finally on the day I was very nervously presented with an envelope. I was, by now, completely stumped. I ripped it open and eagerly pulled out the A4 sheets of paper neatly folded inside.

"Hello from River Cottage HQ! We are delighted that you are going to join us for Preserved - Winter on Monday 19th of January"
I couldn't believe it. I was going to River Cottage, and I was going to learn all about jams, and chutney, cordials, jellies, bottling and everything. I can't remember if I actually jumped up and down, but that's how I felt. Talk about best birthday present EVER!

So yes, yesterday I was off in the depths of the south-west watching Pam "the jam" Corbin and Liz "the pickle" Neville make all sorts of delicious smelling preserves, being fed delicious locally produced food and generally being rather smug. Oh and watching the snow. Yes, that's right, true to form, once again we brought the bad weather with us. I mean, I know it's January, but I didn't expect to get caught between a yurt and a barn with a steaming cup of coffee in a blizzard!
There is so much to tell about the day. Not only did I learn loads, but I met some amazing people, all of whom share the same passion for food as me. I can't tell you how comforting it is to sit in a room full of people who don't think its that weird to constantly talk about food, and who don't think dreams of self-sufficiency and owning bakeries is pure madness! I am hoping I didn't bore them to death too much and that perhaps they will pop in here. It'd be good to know how they're getting on with the preserving too.

I don't want to ramble on here about it all, as it would take forever, and I am still trying to take stock myself. As you can probably imagine poor N had three and a half hours in the car on the drive home listening to my "and then they did this...," "then I got to eat this...," "then so-and-so told me about this..." I think that drive must have felt a lot longer for him, and yet he never once tried to stop me and even encouraged me. I did mention he's wonderful, right? However, I will share some photos of the day, and hopefully as I make some preserves over the next few days and weeks I can remember to tell the odd anecdote here and there.

I will say however, that I had a totally amazing and inspiring time. I am itching to get going and waiting a whole day for my Seville oranges to arrive is seeming like forever! I may well have to raid the freezer fruit stash just so I can have a go at something later!

Having taken the weekend for the trip I should also mention that we got to see some of that bit of the world. Very nice indeed, and Lyme Regis offered us up not only a beautiful walk along the coast in sunshine that made it almost too warm for coats, and many bookshops to browse, but also a bakery/coffee shop that was filled with books about architecture and cookery. Could there be a more perfect venue for us to have a mid-morning caffeine top-up?Like I said, inspiration everywhere.

Thank you N for the best birthday ever, and thank you to the people I met and all those at River Cottage HQ who made the day so magical.

Hmmm....I wonder when I can pursude N to take me to visit again?




p.s. photo disclaimer - sorry there aren't more and better, but I am still wading through them trying to pick the best and many from the actual demonstrations were taken hastily and through a mirror so aren't the best anyway. Scenic seaside shots to come! I liked the above because of the "builders" option in the teas!

Easter treats part one: hot cross buns

I'm not religious in any way and neither is N, so celebrating Easter might seems like an odd thing to do in Our Lovely Flat (tm). However, since it was a Pagan festival stolen by the Christians, which has since been re-appropriated by the Capitalists I figure that the food lovers out there are well within their right to borrow the occasion as an excuse to make some damn fine food. After all I think any great food could be considered sacred, and I don't need any excuses to worship at the table!

To be honest, I don't need an excuse to try making homemade versions of food that I really enjoy, in fact I don't need any excuse to make any tasty food at all, but Easter did provide an opportunity to make a whole lot of it at once! Having made my own stollen at Christmas I just couldn't resit trying my hand at the classic hot cross bun. I love hot cross buns, they combine so many things that I enjoy, bread, spices and toast (because I think the best way to enjoy them is toasted to bring out the spices, then slathered in butter!).

Fortunately one of my favourite cookbooks The River Cottage Year by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall included what looked like a great recipe for hot cross buns, and having cooked a number of things from it that have worked out perfectly I knew I need look no further. (I seriously can't recommend this book too highly, I can't wait to see what the Summer month recipes hold in store for us).

The smell of the dough was so fantastic. All spicy with a hint of orange, lemon and yeast. I was so excited about the whole thing that I totally forgot to look at how many the mix would make. So when it came to dividing the dough I was peering at the recipe reciting "cut into 2, then 4, then..." pauses and reads on, "ah, 16, that's rather a lot..." Oops! I must admit I wasn't too disappointed, in fact I was rather pleased. You can never have too many hot cross buns in my opinion.

It was so much fun making the plain flour dough for the crosses. It really felt like I was making proper professional food. I was so smug. N arrived home from work just as I was pasting the crosses on and his face lit up in a grin.

It was hard to resist not breaking one or two open when they came out of the oven and start eating them immediately, but somehow our will power held and they managed to be kept for breakfast. They were delicious and H F-W was right, the didn't have a yeasty flavour at all, just the gentle tones of mixed spice and the slight hint of orange and lemon. Perfect.

So, another thank you to H F-W, another great breakfast, and another successful food adventure.

I'm afraid I'm not going to post the recipe as it is a whole page of the book and quite frankly I can't be bothered to copy it out. I'll just leave you with the photos to make you all jealous! - Plus you should buy the book, it's brilliant.

This week's new recipe choice goes to...

..."Leeky Welsh Rarebit" by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

I've been a fan of HF-W for a little while, mostly because of his rational approach to seasonal sensible food. I like the fact that he supports the growing of your own fruit and veg if you can, battles for free-range, organic whenever possible, fair food and good treatment of animals. I could ramble on about all these things for ages, but now is not the time, as I am here to talk about the above goodness that was today's lunch and this weeks new food resolution adventure.*

I was lucky enough to get "The River Cottage Year" for Christmas from N's parents and have thoroughly enjoyed not only the recipes but the writing. The best thing about it though it that it's organised according to months and what is in season. This is particularly perfect for us as our weekly Abel and Cole delivery is also seasonal and so H F-W has helped a lot in knowing what on earth to make with the weird and wonderful veggies that have turned up on the doorstep.

However, having tried all the January vegetable recipe suggestions, I seem to have left H F-W behind this past month. I've also been sidetracked by the Delia Smith "Vegetarian" book N and I picked up on our bonanza book buying weekend. So on Thursday lunch time whilst taking a break from work I decided to return to "The River Cottage Year" and see what delights he suggests for February in case I'd missed anything the month had to offer. Turns out I had. Leeky Welsh Rarebit.

The picture alone was enough to set taste buds going, and the discovery that it included beer made it a total must. So, having made a nice big white loaf for toast, during half-time I frantically threw together butter, flour, beer, cheese and leeks and presented, just in time for the second half, my first ever attempt at rarebit.

It was really nice, and just what a grey late-February lunchtime needed. My only changes next time would be to add some more mustard to the mix and to use mature cheddar (which the recipe suggests, but that we didn't have). We eat it with lashings of Daddies sauce and N dutifully finished off the left over beer; what a trooper.

And so now, all set up for the afternoon we're off to the garden centre for more pots so we can finally get out greenhouse experiments started. Thanks Hugh for inspiration all round today!

*Actually, there was another new food resolution adventure earlier in the week, but it was very minor and less successful, oh and I conveniently forgot to take any photos! I made baked parsnip crisps to have as nachos on Wednesday. However, they didn't cook evenly and shrunk much more dramatically than I had expected. Some were really nice, some were still soggy and some were burnt to a crips. Oops! Another Minor Failure for the North London Kitchen and hence why it didn't make the blog.