Jade Buck - foodie mum on the road.

Legal position on killing gulls, pigeons and crow.

2011-02-13T12:45:00.004Z

This was posted as a comment on my Rivercottage Blog and I thought it was worth posting on here too. Thanks to Richard Collingridge a.k.a "Yernagates" for this from www.collingridge.net

"It's worth clarifying the legal position, both for "seagulls", and for "pigeons" and indeed "crows".

Under some circumstances it IS indeed legal to kill one of the gull species, and take the eggs of two, but the many others are protected all the time.

It is NOT legal to kill some species of pigeon, and for the three "pest" pigeon species it is only legal under very particular circumstances. The same applies to the other "pests", including the common crow species.

The two most important things are to know the law, and to be able to identify birds BEFORE you shoot them. Sadly many shooters I've met seem to be quite vague on both these points.

The main law (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/69) is the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA) Section 1 (1) (1): thou shalt not harm a wild bird, and WCA S 1 (2) (b): thou shalt not possess any part of such bird. This law covers ALL wild birds, including all gulls and all pigeons, crows etc.

However, you can kill or possess a bird if taken lawfully: WCA S 1 (3) (a).

The main relevant legislation that allows lawful killing is the "general licences" (http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/regulation/wildlife/licences/generallicences.aspx#a), especially the one which allows "authorised persons" to kill or take the eggs of certain birds "to prevent serious damage or disease" (http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/wml-gl04_tcm6-24149.pdf).

The current licences run for the whole of the calendar year of 2011, and they do sometimes change from year to year. They currently list just one gull (the lesser black-backed) and three pigeons (collared dove, feral pigeon and woodpigeon). Also the common crow species, but not raven. Herring gull eggs can also be taken or destroyed for human health protection (a different licence, the one for public health or safety).

You do not have to apply for the general licences: they automatically cover anyone authorised by the landowner, except those previously convicted of wildlife crime.

You can only kill birds under a general licence when other non-lethal methods have failed.

All this means that it is illegal to kill, for example, woodpigeon solely for food or sport: it must be for the protection of crops when other methods have failed. So, if a farm had a history of woodpigeons seriously damaging rape crops, and gas guns no longer dissuaded them, it would then be legal to shoot them. However, on a grass farm with no pigeon damage, or where non-lethal methods had not been tried, it would NOT be legal.

Similarly with lesser black-backed gulls, crows, rooks etc: you have to be able to show that they were causing serious damage or disease, and that other methods had failed.

And then... When you are shooting your woodpigeon, are you certain it is not the very similar stock dove, which is fully protected under all circumstances? Most people don't know the difference, and many don't even know of the existence of stock doves. When shooting your feral pigeon, are you certain it's not a wild rock dove (the same species), or, again, a stock dove? Collared dove from turtle dove? Lesser black-backed gull from greater black-back, herring gull, or even yellow-legged gull (which has an intermediately grey back). Can you recognise a raven, which is fully protected, and is now again widespread in lowland Britain? (I can't always immediately tell a raven from a crow even with binoculars.)

If you are not utterly confident about these identifications, to be honest you should stick to pheasants and rabbits while you practise with binoculars and a bird book.

If you go birdwatching to see stock doves, you will find that they are always extremely shy. I strongly suspect this is because they are used to being shot at in mistake for woodpigeons. Likewise wild rock doves, and indeed ravens.

Incidentally, I have had LBB gull eggs (many years ago, when the law was different). They were lovely, with no hint of a taste of rubbish tip.(We were marooned on an island at the time, with nothing else to eat apart from limpets and seaweed.)

Richard"

Eating Seagull. (or KFSeagull...)

2011-02-12T17:18:00.009Z

Vermin with wings? Chicken of the sea? Or just an opportunity missed?

First and foremost, before we all go on a mad seagull killing frenzy. In the U.K it is against the law to kill seagulls or interfere with their nests under the countryside and wildlife act. Some Councils are allowed to cull them however, and usually do this by either poisoning or shooting them.

How to catch your seagull. Remember this is against the law in the U.K. I don't want the Men in Blue knocking at the door because someone said that Foodimum told them it was okay to catch and eat seagulls. It isn't...

Put some bait on a hook on a fishing line. Fling the bait up in to the air so that the seagull goes for it and reel it in. Break its neck as you would a chicken.

Someone also tried an interesting technique here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWuyKPGxhFo

I haven't tried any of the recipes below but if you do live somewhere where catching seagulls is legal and you have a go please let me know!

Seagull Recipe 1: Sautéed Seagull

(adapted from http://everything2.com/title/Dutch+Seagull+Recipe):

Pluck and prepare the seagull as you would a chicken and joint or quarter.

Soak the meat in heavily briny water in a cold place (the fridge?)for 12 hours. This is to try and remove the fishy taste. Do this again at least 3 times, each time throwing away the old salty water and replacing it with fresh briny water.

Lightly sauté the meat in butter, onions, lots of garlic and herbs and then add stock. Simmer for 3 hours. After 3 hours throw the liquid away. A voilà.

Recipe 2: Fricassee of Seagull

(Inspired by the cookbook "Cooking by Marguerite" (1999, published by Benedict Jacob))

Boil the seagull carcass for 2 hours in lightly salted water. Mince the flesh, and add to a hot pan of sesame oil, sliced beetroot, beansprouts, white wine or cider vinegar and vermouth. Serve with raisins or melon.

I would imagine that this would be a rather intense experience with hot oil sizzling and perhaps the vermouth igniting.

Recipe 3:KF Seagull

I found references to Seagulls being referred to as 'Sea going chickens' in the Channels Isles and that inspired this recipe.

I think that as with rooks the younger birds would be more succulent and if I had a choice I would like to feed the young seagull squab on oatmeal and cooked vegetables for a bit before dispatching it. I also think that you would need more than one bird to make a decent meal.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dry mustard
4 tablespoons paprika
2 cups plain flour
Dried breadcrumbs
2 eggs
Diced Seagull
Vegetable oil

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

Place everything in a bowl except the breadcrumbs, eggs, diced seagull and oil. Dip the meat into the beaten egg then the breadcrumbs then the herby floury mix.

Place all your pieces on an oven tray and cover with foil. Cook for 30 min’s then uncover and cook for another 30 min’s uncovered. Baste with the oil and cook for 5 more minutes. Allow to stand and serve.

As I say, I haven't tried any of the recipes so the timings might be out....

Well, I think the challenge is complete. I wonder if any of the recipes work......? If I find a way of legally obtaining a seagull I'll let you know.

Crabbing, edible shore crab bisque and Thai style coconut crab bisque.

2011-02-11T18:26:00.012Z

Now, I've seen this recipe a few times. First from the well know piscine chef Rick Stein then in John Wrights book The Edible seashore. Controversially I think Mr Wright may have um ....how do I say this..I think he may have 'allegedly' copied and pasted this straight from Mr Steins book.

The result of this recipe is an absolutely outstanding and elegant dish. The big downfall is, that it takes hours to prepare and if , like me you only have a rather elderly hand blender or a dodgy cheap liquidizer, it can seem like really hard work.

We live near West Bay in Dorset and when the sun is shining and there's a holiday feeling in the air we love to head down to the harbour and go crabbing for these edible shore crabs.

You are allowed to crab and take home edible shore crabs all year round and they are not protected.

Now, we've all seen those orange crab lines, avoid these. If you do manage to catch a crab with them it's likely to be only one. You'll find you'll have to slowly raise your line from the bottom of the harbour taking care not to bump it or alarm the crab. What regularly happens is that just before you get to the point where you can grab your crab it lets go and all you are left with is disappointment.

The smart way to do it is to buy a crabbing net (usually about £2-3). This you can bait with something smelly and preferably meaty or fishy. We always use the same, rather elderly and no doubt hygienically dubious bit of mackeral that we carefully re bag and put back in the freezer after use. It's piquancy gives us more of a fighting chance I think......

Lower the net in the water until it lands on the bottom and then tie the end of your string to a post. This stops you from losing the net accidentally- I speak from experience. Wait a few minutes and pull it up again. The crabs will be sitting on the bottom of the net happily chomping away at the bait. We tip our crabs into a big plastic box, half filled with sea water and with a lid (to stop them from escaping). A mixing bowls worth of edible shore crabs makes able 1 small bowl of bisque.

Rick Steins Shore crab bisque

http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/4737/shorecrab-bisque

Ingredients

900g/2lb shore crabs or other shellfish

50g/2oz butter

50g/2oz onion,chopped

50g/2oz carrot, chopped

50g/2oz celery, chopped

1 fresh or dried bay leaf

2 tbsp cognac

4 tomatoes

1 tsp tomato purée

85ml/3fl oz dry white wine

1 good-sized sprig of fresh tarragon

1.75l/3pt fish stock

50ml/2fl oz double cream

a pinch of cayenne pepper

juice of ¼ lemon

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil, drop in the crabs then bring them back to the boil and cook for 2 minutes. Strain and let the crabs cool a little, then chop with a large knife.
Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan and add the chopped onion, carrot, celery and the bay leaf. Cook without browning. Stir once or twice then add the crab. Stir, then add the cognac. Allow to boil off then add the tomatoes, tomato purée, wine, tarragon and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove the tough claw shells from the soup before liquidizing in a liquidizer or food processor in two or three batches. Process in short bursts until the shell is broken into small pieces about the size of your finger nail. Avoid producing puréed shell, the aim is to extract all possible flavour from any meat left sticking to the shell, particularly in the body section, rather than to extract flavour from the shell itself. Strain the soup through a conical strainer pushing as much liquid through as you can with the back of a ladle to extract all the juices.
Then, pass the soup through a fine strainer before returning to the heat. Bring to the boil, add the cream then season with cayenne pepper, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Reduce the volume by simmering if you think the flavour needs concentrating.

Thai style coconut crab bisque.

Follow the method above but omit the cream and cayenne pepper and add a large tablespoon of Thai red curry paste (see

http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaicurrypasterecipes/r/redpaste.htm).

Just before serving stir in a tin of coconut milk, sprinkle with coriander leaves and add a big squeeze of fresh lime juice and a shake of nam pla (Thai fish sauce).

One man and his Campervan

2011-02-09T10:31:00.000Z

Does anyone think that One Man and his Campervan ( Tuesday evening BBC2) is similar to what I've done? Please comment if you do!

All Hail Sea Kale

2010-07-20T15:10:00.003+01:00

Some people find it surprising that I love the taste on anything cabbagey. I know a lot of people shy away from brassicas and indeed any green vegetable but I really think they are missing out on a treat.

Covering the shingely shores of Cogden beach near us, succulent sea kale is in it's prime at the moment. I take the youngest leaves and sauté them in sesame oil and light soy sauce then sprinkle with sesame seeds.

It's a satisfying starter and if you add a few prawns , some noodles and a shake of sweet chilli sauce to the wok a gratifying meal is created.

Sea kale can be used in exactly the same way as cabbage. The leaves are thicker and it has a slightly salty taste but it's a interesting vegetable and worth experimenting with.

And I think a little nod should go out to Robin Harford a fellow forager who I spied gathering sea kale in the same location. Hurrah for fellow wild food foragers. Lovely to see you.

Moroccan style burgers

2010-07-20T14:39:00.003+01:00

Moorish burgers with a twist.

4 cups bread crumbs
2 cups chickpea flour
1 medium sized onion finely chopped
1/2 cup rice flour
Ground cumin.
Ground Coriander
1 bulb garlic (squashed and finely chopped)
1 tablespoon parsley
1 handful fresh mint
4 eggs
500g Lamb mince

Mix the chickpea flour, onion, rice flour, cumin, coriander, garlic, parsley, and mint together with 100 ml cold water. Stir well and leave for five minutes.
Add to the raw 500g Lamb mince and mix. Add the breadcrumbs and mix. I like to use my hands for this. Beat up the 4 eggs and add them to the mixture making sure they are well mixed in. The beaten eggs bind the mixture together. Leave for 10 minutes then form into burgers using your hands and drop into a hot frying pan. Brown on both sides then turn the temperature down to half way (number 3 on my electric hob) and allow to cook through. Serve with yoghurt, warm pittas and a salad.

Candied Alexander stem

2010-07-17T19:27:00.003+01:00

This is a recipe that I made up and tried in early April when the Alexander’s were shooting up their beautiful new stems. All the children I offered these 'homemade sweets' to loved them and I even used them in them in the same way to decorate cakes as you would use candied Angelica.It went especially well with lemon icing.

I neglected to share the recipe with you then so here it is.

Alexander’s have a fragrant taste not unlike myrtle and this candying process works really well with the younger stems. Try not to use the really new stems. They have to have a bit of 'substance' to them or they will disintegrate in the candying process.

How to make Candied Alexander stem.

Cut the stems into sections about 6 inches long then soak in cold water for about 8 hours.

Add the stems to boiling water with 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda (per Gallon). The Bicarb helps the Alexanders retain its colour. Boil until the stems have softened. Cool in cold water and soak in syrup of 1 cup sugar to 1 cup water. Do this for 24 hours.

After 24 hours drain and heat the syrup to 110 degrees Celsius. It helps if you have a cooking thermometer for this.

Pour the Syrup over the Alexander stems and repeat the syrup process for the next 3 days. On the fourth day cook the syrup to 120 degrees Celsius and then pop the stems in. Boil and then lift the stems out and drain them on a cake rack.

When they are cooled eat! I found them a little sticky so rolled them in icing sugar then stored then in a kilner jar. I don't know how long they would last like this. Quite a long time I feel. I never got the chance to find out as Oskar and his school friend ate the lot. I was extremely popular :)

I ate a squirrel and I liked it......

2010-07-17T18:55:00.006+01:00

So, Jason, my other half was driving along one of the many country lanes we have in beautiful West Dorset, when the car coming towards him knocked down a squirrel. He stopped and as the squirrel was most definitely dead and not at all squashed (technical term:) he brought it home to me where we enjoyed squirrel legs as a delightful nibble with a glass of dandelion wine. If I get a squirrel again I think spicy peanut satay is the way to go. ...
The squirrel was very fresh and I started skinning it as I would a rabbit. As I was doing so I realised that the back legs were where the meat was and as I was in a rush I concentrated on those.
I flash fried the back legs in olive oil and garlic, then seasoned with salt and pepper. Not adventurous I know, but I wanted to get an idea of the flavour of the meat. The legs tasted like fatty free range chicken. Not bad at all and if I get another opportunity in the near future I think squirrels a goer. It’s a bit fiddly for not much meat but if you like to explore new wild food and like a bit of meat then it’s worth it. Hey and frankly it good protein for free. Just make sure,that if you do acquire a squirrel then you know what enviroment it's been living in. A squirrel from an inner city park that had been feasting from the bins would proabbly taste revolting.
P.SI've heard rumours that certain Chefs in the New Forest have squirrel in their menu. And in deepest darkest suburban Surrey my in-laws have bought it from their local butchers for the princely sum of £5! Squirrel’s on the up!

Chocolate for breakfast?

2010-07-17T14:58:00.004+01:00

Chocolate for breakfast? Why not?

Dorset Cereals have kindly sent me some packs of their Chocolate Granola. Well, frugal as I am, I can never say ' No!' to a freebie. Especially if it adds some luxury to the breakfast table. When I was first approached by Dorset Cereals I must admit that I was dubious about their chocolate granola cereal. Chocolate is for treats and gooey puddings I thought.

Thinking about it, it may not be as odd as I initially though. The French eat chocolate for breakfast in the form of lovely warm crumbly pain au chocolat or even dip warm croissants into bowls of hot chocolate. In the Philippines they eat a sticky rice porridge called champorado with lots of chocolate mixed in and crisp fried, sun-dried fish on the side. In Spain they eat chocolate con churros- hot chocolate with doughy fritters.

Chocolate makes you feel happy due to the alkaloids, theobromine and phenethylamine which are present in it. Wikipedia suggests lots of health benefits for chocolate. So what could be more ideal?

So what does the Dorset cereals chocolate granola taste like? Well, it's very pleasurable. Initially it's very sweet tasting, then you get the bitterness of the fair-trade dark chocolate and then coconut drifts over your palette. It's chewy but nicely so and doesn't go soggy. As it's made with Fair-trade dark chocolate, oats, sunflower seeds, coconut and barley flakes I bet it would make a really good flapjack. I have a very savoury palette but I have to admit it's very moreish. More often than not, I found myself tucking into it in the evenings when I was flagging and wanted something naughty to indulge in. The rest of the family like it as their 'special weekend breakfast'. Chocolate is usually rationed in our house as our 5 year old gets rather bouncy on chocolate but because this is good quality chocolate, to our surprise he doesn't get bouncy and we all heave a sigh of relief. In fact breakfast eating the Dorset Cereals Chocolate granola was very pleasurable. Much more so than our normal cereals.

We all felt like we were getting a treat and we left the breakfast table smiling after a great start to the day.

Wild food window box

2010-07-16T12:04:00.001+01:00

Imagine just stepping outside your door and being able to conjure together a fresh wild food salad. Well, with this wild food salad window box you can do just that.

I took a group of Dorset toddlers on their very own wild food hunt to create their own wild food window box. We didn't even leave the garden. Armed with tiny trowels my little hunters marched up and down the garden in search of wild food yummies to dig up and plant. The mud went everywhere, much fun was to be had and at the end of the day each child enjoyed an omelette with a side helping of Dorset wild food garden salad! Perfect.

Here's how to make your wild food salad window box. Fill window box with good garden earth. Then use a decent reference book to hunt around the garden for wild food surprises. Look out for daisies, dandelions, jack by the hedge, sow thistle, yarrow, bitter cress, lambs leaf lettece,wintercress and chickweed. Carefully dig them up and plant them in the window box, water and wait for 2 weeks before picking the young leaves. That way the plants will have time to perk up a bit.

Etvoilà! You now have fresh salad to hand anytime you want it and without having to buy those expensive bags of salad from the supermarket.

Here's another very tasty way to use your salad leaves.

PUREED Dorset wild food salad and PEAS (OR POSH MUSHY PEAS)

1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves or a large handful of wild garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 large breakfast bowls of wild food garden salad, chopped
2 tablespoons water
200 g frozen peas, thawed
½ teaspoon salt
½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs, such as tarragon, thyme, mint or parsley

Melt the butter then add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring until softened. Add the salad and water, and simmer, covered, until the salad wilts, about 3 minutes. Stir in the peas and cook until they are heated through. Coarsely puree with a blender, and transfer the mixture back to the pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring, until heated through and then stir in the salt, lemon juice and herbs.

The ultimate Nettle soup recipe

2010-07-16T11:55:00.002+01:00

The ultimate nettle soup recipe.
When most people hear about your interest in wildfood what do they say?
“Oooh doyamean like nettles... I wouldn’t want to eat those. How do you stop them stinging you?
Well here’s the ultimate nettle soup recipe that will one, silence those with a dislike of the stinger and two become a regular favourite at the dinner table. After all ...(blah b;lah b;ah)
1 medium onion finely sliced
1 pint of bacon stock
1 large potatoe, diced and boiled
Black pepper
Crème fraise
1 large carrier bag of fresh nettle tops
Butter

Melt the butter slowly then add the onion. Cook over a gentle heat until softened and translucent. Add the bacon stock and heat until it gently simmers. Skim any scum off the surface. Add the nettles and simmer for about 5 minutes add the potatoe and keep cooking for about 5 more minutes. Take off the heat and season. Stir in a bog dolup of crème fraise and serve.
Sometimes if I have a handful of watercress I use that too as it gives a bit of extra pep. For even more pep add a splash of Tabasco.

A word of warning. After June nettles can have a laxative affect. I counteract this by growing my own nettles in my 'wild patch' and very regularly cutting them down to produce new nettle tips.

Food Friday

2010-07-16T11:20:00.002+01:00

Food friday.

So this is my new concept. It's very simple. I think that everyone should have a 'Food Friday'. In short this means dedicating some of your time on a Friday to producting your own food for the table. This could be by fishing, rabbiting, gathering wild food,bartering your skills in exchange for food or taking care of the veggie patch. As long as it means that you are actually producting your own food and it costs you nothing (or as near to nothing as you can). You may even be able barter skills for food.

Think of different ways you could achieve Food Friday...Mow next doors lawn in exchange for being able to help yourself to that abandoned rubbard in the corner of their garden.

By having a Food Friday we can drastically cut the amount of food miles our food has to come, eat more healthily, save money, learn about food and actually appriciate the food we do produce more. Too many people don't think about the food they buy and waste tons of it. This is a great way to be more in touch with our food. If everyone had a Food Friday and spent just one day (or even just a hours or two producting their own food) think about how much less food we would have to import and more closer to home. Think how much money you could save....

Please comment if you like my Food Friday idea...and spread the news. Everyone should have a Food Friday.

This Food Friday (today) I'm attending to my cabbages and pickling the green imature elderflower berries to make something very similar to capers.

Happy Food Friday!

Economy warp drive

2010-07-08T20:12:00.000+01:00

Recently, along with many other people we've been on a bit of an 'economy drive'. Thrifty is defiantly the word. I've been mining into our freezer and discovering all sorts of delights. Spicy polenta made for when we had guests but never used. Late summer blackberries stored when we had the idea we would accumulate enough of them to make wine....but never did. These forgotten treasures shouldn't be left in the freezer like monuments to a forgotten past. Abandoned in their cold museum. Let them free. Be inventive. My blackberries have become jam, my spicy polenta was transformed into a spicy sausage dish and the 25 sprats I practically dug up are to become tonight's supper. Sprat pate, served on warm soda bread and a salad from the garden. Actually rather than feeling that we are making doing or waste notting. I feel like I have again awakened that gluttonous side of me. The side that indulges itself. Using the leftovers and forgotten unlabeled boxes in the freezer hasn't made me feel downhearted. It's been inspiring.

Soda bread

2010-07-08T20:09:00.001+01:00

Prep time:15 minutes

Cook time:30-40 minutes

Serves:8

Description:
Soda bread is quick and easy to make. This one seems to last longer than a 'normal' soda bread and I think this is because it contains oats which hold the moisture for longer. It's little crumbly and has a wonderful texture. It's a meal in itself when spread thickly with butter. It goes wonderfuly with a creamy cheese or home made pate and a green salad from the garden. This is adapted from an Irish Soda Bread recipe by Margaret Hickly

Ingredients:
250g plain white flour
250g plain wholemeal flour (I used some from the excellent townmill.org.uk in Lyme Regis)
100g porridge oats (the rougher the better I say!)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
25g butter , cut in pieces
500ml buttermilk substitute for 'normal' or soya milk if you don't have any.

Directions:Preheat the oven to 200c or use the top oven of your Rayburn/Aga. Dust a oven tray with lots of flour and put to one side. This will stop the bread from sticking. Mix all the dry ingredients together then rub in the butter.Add the buttermilk and use your fingers or a butter knife until it forms a dough. You may not need to use all the buttermilk. Place on the oven tray and cut a cross on the top with a sharp knife to alow the dough to cook all the way through. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the bottom of the bread sounds hollow when you tap it.
Smother in butter and eat!

Homemade, elderflowerade, lemonade, mintade-all using pretty much the same recipe!

2010-07-08T20:07:00.000+01:00

This is a really easy peasy recipe that takes next to no time to make. It's elegent enough to serve to your most trying guests (with ice and a slice of course) but so easy peasy you don't mind if your 5 year old drinks litres of it. It's wonderfully refreshing and perfect for the summer

Ingredients:
1 cup lemon juice (about 6 lemons if you use lemons).

Alternatively for Mintade use 1 good handful of fresh mint leaves.

For Elderflowerade use 2-4 sprigs of Elderflowers. Elderflowers are best gathered early in the season and in warm weather. The beginning of the season is early June and they are best gathered in warm weather as this is when they realease their wonderful pungent pollen.

1 cup sugar

1 cup boiling water

4 cups cold water

Directions:
Mix the boiling water and sugar together until the suger is disolved. If it doesn't dissolve you may have to gently heat it on the hob.

Once the suger is dissolved add the lemon juice and the cold water and serve over ice. Yes it's that easy!

If you want to make elderflowerade cover 2-4 sprigs of elderflowers in 1 cup of sugar and leave overnight then use the sugar as above. Also add a squueeze or dash of lemon juice.

For Mintade cover a big handful of fresh mint in 1 cup of sugar and leave overnight then use the sugar as above. Add a sprig of mint to the mintade.

These also work well as make your own ice lollys .

How easy is that? Perfect refeshing summer drinks that cost next to nothing:)

MasterChef Live 2009 article published!

2009-11-27T20:11:00.002Z

The title says it all really doesn't it. The MasterChef Live 2009 review I posted on here on the 14th has been printed in a London newspaper. I went to the event courtesy of www.theblogpaper.co.uk. They haven't told me which paper it's in yet but...my...how exciting! See it here: www.theblogpaper.co.uk/article/culture/15nov09/masterchef-live-2009-review.

MasterChef Live- the review

2009-11-14T21:48:00.000Z

MasterChef Live- the review

Black garlic, flowering tea and how Masterchef Live can “change your life”.

Over the weekend of 13^th-15^th November the awe inspiring MasterChef Live took place at the iconic venue of London’s Olympia. With the likes of past MasterChef winners, celebrity chefs, Gregg (the pudding spoon) Wallace and John (change your life) Torode hosting and piles of seriously yummy food how could I not attend when Blogpaper.com invited me?

It was opened by Gregg and John who had a little comic trouble fumbling with the safety catch on the scissors. After overcoming this difficultly the ribbon was cut and Masterchef Live was decreed open. Press cameras flashed and a beaming Greg said:

“Wow, we’re just normal people doing a normal job, doing something we love and we’re lucky to do it. Go and discover amazing food and drink vodka!”

It was a little early for the Vodka, at 9.30 in the morning, but that didn’t stop the animated crowd from pouring into the main hall, eager to be first to bag a culinary discovery from over two hundred stalls.

I followed the crowds to the ‘Cookery experience’ where former MasterChef winners went head to head in a 20 minute cook off. Two kitchen stations were set up on stage and Gregg and Jon were loudly and exuberantly introduced by Olly Smith of Saturday Kitchen. Thomasina Miers and James Nathan bounded on stage and their bags of food where revealed. Prawns, harissa, basmati rice, chocolate, spinach and raspberries. The two MC winners rifled through their bags and got to grips with their ingredients.

James told us he wouldn’t try and make a tableful of dishes like he mistakenly (but astonishingly) did when he was on MC but that he’d stick to just one dish this time. Smiling, he explained he’s currently enjoying working in Padstow for Rick Stein, and loves his new professional chef status - a far cry from his previous job as a Lawyer.

Tomasina (MC winner 2005) seemed to be getting in a bit of a fluster and Jon joked that it probably seemed like he and Gregg were going to be judging her forever. However, she still managed to inform us that since winning MC she’s opened 3 restaurants all called Wahaca and written a book on Mexican street food. Gregg held up her left hand and Tommy sheepishly admitted ‘Oh and I’ve got married to”.

As the 20 minutes drew to an end it was apparent they were going to be given more time. Does this normally happen I wondered?

James hastily binned burnt rice and changed to couscous instead: “I’m changing continents” he exclaimed. Tommy was jokingly told to shut up and stop talking when it was time to plate up and after a frenzy of plate wiping the contestants stood back and let the judges decide. James won with his prawns in chilli and ginger against Tommy’s harissa, prawns and rice. I sneaked a taste of both dishes while the ‘clean team’ were cleaning up and both were mouth wateringly delicious. I had to agree with Jon and Gregg, James dish was the best. The textures were wonderful (crisp slivers of shallot anyone?) and boy did it have a zing from the chillies. Beautiful. I’d order it from a restaurant right now.

Afterwards I wandered around the amazing stalls. It was a cornucopia of colour and smells and not unlike a huge bustling continental market .People called out, exclaiming the virtues of their wares.

The unusual grabbed me. Black fermented garlic, oak smoked rapeseed oil, green tea that you eat, huge walls of cheeses and the most expensive apples I’ve ever seen. I loved it. It was like being plunged into a Willy Wonky world of foodie treats. When I came up for air, I realised that what really struck me about this event was that everyone really did have a genuine passion for good food and wanted to share that passion. Strangers excitedly talked to each other about the goodies in their bags. I overheard one middle aged lady invite another to ‘have a go’ at her corn fed chicken from the Well hung meat company:

“Go on, look at the colour of that, have a feel of it, go on really squish it”

To which the other lady replied:

“Oh you should see the tea bulbs I just bought; they flower when you put them in hot water!”

Now, I’ve had meat from the 'Well hung meat company' before and frankly it was fabulous, but I’d never heard of flowering tea bulbs. So in the spirit of the event I sought out Choi Time Tea’s stand where I discovered they don’t only have flowering tea but also ‘pearls’ of tea. How beautiful but boy, how wonderful it tastes. Their Jasmine scented green tea pearls have been described as the ‘Dom Perignon’ of the tea world by the Sunday Times and with one sip you can tell why. I bought two packs at £6.00 each. I’ll never go back to a plain old ‘builders brew’ again. Melissa Choi who owns the company told me she’s even converted hardened coffee drinkers to it, which is probably a plus as her tea is high in antioxidants.

One of the genius ideas in MasterChef Live is the ‘restaurant experience’. Here you can sample the signature dishes of all those restaurants that you’ve always want to go to but for one reason or another (the credit crunch?) couldn’t. The Ivy, Min Jiang, Launceston Place and the dishes of the MasterChef Winners were all available.

I tried Thomasina Meir’s’ duck liver and hazelnut ravioli, Min Jiangs duck dim sum and Theo Randall’s pan fried scallops. In order of preference I would put the ravioli first for taste and presentation (I could have eaten it forever), the scallops second followed by the duck dim sum. I found it deeply rewarding to be able to sample all the dishes in one place. Where else would I have that opportunity?

If you ever want to have the Masterchef experience without actually competing then this is the way to do it.

In the invention test paying members of the public, aspiring MasterChefs, had a go in a live 30 minute cook off. Complete with cooking stations, a mystery bag of goodies to cook from, your very own sous chef, provided by Southgate college. Andi Peters interrupts you as he commentates on everyone’s progress. You really do get the essence and feel of MasterChef. You can see hands shaking, smell the overly ‘caramelised’ mistakes and be subjected to that Masterchef fervour. Gregg Wallace and Jon Torode judge and they don’t disappoint with their witty banter. I spoke to one of the ‘runners up’-and asked her about it:

“I loved the experience although I was nervous (Gregg said that my chicken was undercooked) but I’d love to do it again, now. It was exhilarating”.

So to (dim) sum up (sorry),. MasterChef Live is a fantastic place to experience your very own culinary voyage of discovery. It’s inspired me so much that I’ve actually applied to be on MasterChef. You can get top tips from the foodie greats and can wallow in every conceivable food dream you’ve ever had with people who probably have the same or similar dreams. I know that I for one will be back next year whether I get accepted for MasterChef or not.

MasterChef Live: “It’ll change your life”

Black Garlic: blackgarlic.co.uk

Oak smoked rapeseed oil:justfoodco.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=235

Green tea-Aiya-europe.com

Choi time tea: www.choitime.com

Somerset Organic link-The Guardian

2008-06-23T18:32:00.001+01:00

These were the people who introduced us to Tamerisk farm.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jan/29/ruralaffairs.countrydiary

foodiemumontheroad to Campervanman come in Campervanman-Times article

2008-06-23T11:38:00.002+01:00

Camper van man's tour of the British coast
I stumbled across this article in the Times. Never one to miss an opportunity I've emailed 'Campervanman' to enquire if we can collaborate or meet up for some seaside fun somewhere on his trip. Here's hoping! Grab your sandy sandwiches everyone.

Salamanca farm-Norfolk

2008-06-23T10:47:00.003+01:00

Salamanca farm in Norfolk is the type of place the famous five would run away to and have adventures. The sprawling red brick farm house is wrapped in a leafy garden full of interesting corners, hidey holes and mature plants.

This is what grown up plants look like... Used to seeing bijou baby plants in their neat little pots, standing to attention at the nursery, it's refreshing to see what they look like when they rampage over lush green lawns. It looks beautiful, a Norfolk Eden.

Inside we are warmly welcomed by Mr and Mrs Harold ushered into the sitting room and given scaling hot treacle coloured tea a huge plate of all the biscuits I don't normally allow myself. Oskar my 3 year old sits comfortably on a loved brown chair sipping his squash and making his way through as many of the biscuits as possible before we realise and forbid anymore. Luckily he's quiet, looking through a thoughtfully provided children’s book so we don't notice until only the rich teas are left.

Our bed feels like our one back home and we sleep fitfully and wake to the smell of bacon frying.

In a dining room made for high teas, knees ups and full breakfasts we gorge ourselves on bacon, fresh eggs and sausages washed down with more deep brown tanniny tea. Mr Harold pops in and out ready to dispense seconds, warm one liners and top ups. A breakfast fit for a King, a farmer ready to head for a hard day in the fields or the famous five if they happened to be this way.

Continuation and Thank you FoodieMumFans.

2008-05-15T17:34:00.006+01:00

I'd just like to say a big thank you to all of you who have followed our journey so diligently. According to some, Foodiemumontheroad has been right up there on their daily checks with the News and Archers updates. Many people have said that the blog has inspired them to get out into the countryside and experiment with wild food and many people have expressed that the blog made them hungry! There can be no greater accolade and it's been an honour to be included in some many people’s everyday life. We have had hundreds of people following the trip and have made many wonderful, wonderful friends on our tour.

As you can imagine I've got loads of notes and thousands of photos. These I'm going to utilise in articles and hopefully a book...so if there are any editors or publishers out there who want a great article or book on a Foodiefamily's journey around England in a VW Camper van including wild food then please contact me.

Ruby is parked outside of the house and has developed her very own group of fans. For some their emphasis really has been Ruby. What she looks like, how she sounds, what we've done to her, how she's behaved. Many people love Ruby. She's very friendly looking with her headlight eyes, spare tyre nose and bumper smile.

I'm going to continue with Foodiemumontheroad with regular updates so do keep checking back on us. It's lovely to have you involved.

Day Thirty- Our route-Chesham

2008-04-30T21:23:00.001+01:00

There's no place like home.

2008-04-29T19:01:00.002+01:00

Well, we're back home in the grey drizzly Chilterns. I haven't had internet access for the past few days so I'll update the new 'missing days' tomorrow after a long sleep and a long bath....there's so much to tell you. See you tomorrow, foodiemumfriends.

Day Twenty Six-Stiffkey blues and Cley smoke house-Norfolk

2008-04-26T12:36:00.014+01:00

Day twenty five-Yorkshire to Norfolk.

2008-04-26T12:32:00.005+01:00

Poor old Jason spent his birthday today on the M1. Eight hours of driving Ruby while she pretended to be a yacht. Sailing along, she was having a great time. For an old girl that’s 36 years old, she’s completely in her element speeding along on the motorway with the wind on her high top. Rube's definitely faster with a wind behind her.

Just before dark Ruby broke down at a petrol station. As before (on day one) nothing happened when we turned the key and floored her acelerator. Oh, but this time we were prepared. Supplied with a jump start power pack from Halfords we tried to jump start her. After trying for 15 torturous minutes, with a series of local squaddies in uniform, parking up behind us for petrol and then realising we had broken down. We reached for the phone. Jason started ringing Green flag and I thought I would give her one more go...with a bit of a polite cough as though she was clearing her throat she started! I think she just wanted a little rest after the long drive from Yorkshire. She is an old lady after all.

Two hours later we were lost in the darks of Norfolk. Using the combined power of Jason’s wonder phone and directions from a lurching man residing outside the Star pub in Lessingham we found our way to Ingham our first Norfolk pit shop and to Rookery barn bed and breakfast. Run by Lynda and Tony a former pilot, ex Himalayan trekking guide, successful restaurateur and professional photographer. This was meant to be Jason birthday treat. As Oskar had slept most of the day away we watched children’s cartoons and drank service station champagne until midnight. Then we all sunk down into the biggest, comfiest double bed and slept.

Day Twenty four-Stow House Hotel-Wensleydale,Yorkshire

2008-04-24T19:45:00.006+01:00

Stow house hotel, Aysgarth, is a genteel type of hotel. One could imagine playing croquet on the lawn with characters from a PG Wodehouse novel or discovering that the quiet old lady knitting in the corner is actually the infamous amateur sleuth Miss Marple.

We had the whole of this splendid home (the former family residence of the talented amateur photographer Reverend Fenwick William Stow) to ourselves. Irene our host kindly allowed us to take the Master room at a reduced rate and so Jason slept in a four poster bed for first time in his life. The panoramic views of the Dales from our room were breathtaking. Tiny dry stone walls captured small squares of green, miniature sheep grazed and the shadows of the clouds danced across the landscape turning patches of gold into blue grey and back again. I was mesmerised and could have watched it forever.

Fighter jets occasionally roared overhead much to Oskar and Jason’s enjoyment destroying the peace temporarily as they ducked and dived through the clouds.

Rather than going out to eat we bought a selection of local yummies from nearby Hawes. Wensleydale cheese, bread from the local baker, homemade black pudding, lobster pate and early strawberries from nearby Gate Helmsley. All eaten as a picnic on the four poster bed.

Wish you were here?

Day Twenty four-Yorkshire

2008-04-24T19:45:00.000+01:00

Jasons birthday tomorrow!

Day Twenty four-Waterfalls and carpets of herbs-Yorkshire Dales.

2008-04-24T19:33:00.017+01:00

What's the sky like where you are today?

This is what it looks like here. An atmospheric ocean of deep bluebell blue.

I've been up hill and down dale today exploring the Yorkshire Dales and the tumbling water of the three tiered waterfalls at Aysgarth Falls. We all have happy glowing faces kissed by the dales wind and sun. My grin is especially broad as I have discovered that the Dales is carpeted in a plentiful supply of wildfood plants and herbs.

Wild Thyme

Wild strawberry
Violets

Thyme has unwisely partnered itself next to fragile young violets and wild garlic plunges over the banks of the falls mimicing the frothing water. Wild strawberry plants creep over the verdant green moss their infant flowers the first indication of their fragrant fruits yet to come. The copised Hazel has left us with a few out of season nets to nibble. Salad burnet finds itself crushed under my feet and the smell of fresh cucumber wafts up to meet me.

HazelSalad Burnet

A good excuse to have a Pimms if every I saw one. The Yorkshire Dales National Park has rules on conservation and picking wild plants is frowned. I don't think they would begrudge me my couple of hazel nuts but i think they would have something to say if I actually gathered all I found. So, I was a good foodiemum and just gathered pictures. I was very tempted though.

Day Twenty three-A start in the dark-Yorkshire Dales

2008-04-23T21:38:00.006+01:00

Oskar decided to wake up at 3am this morning. Yes it was still dark and we were desperately trying to get back to sleep in the infamous Ruby.

Jason and I sleep in the back of Ruby. The chair folds down to become a bijou double bed complete with chair cushions that are sometimes perfectly comfortable but occasionaly are annoyingly mobile.They creep around so you spend your entire night in a half slumber trying to find the comfortable bits.
Oskar has a bunk that fits over the two front seats and he enjoys it very much. Especially when he gets posted into it.

Anyway at 3am Oskar was awake and shouting.Loudly. No amount of passifying, ignoring or pleading worked. Even our pathetic: "but look, it's still dark outside, even the birds aren't up yet" didn't work.

So, we had a masterful plan- well it was masterful at 3 in the morning. Squeeze all three of us on the magically moving bijou double bed and pop a Magic Roundabout DVD in the laptop. I balanced it on my knees while still trying to sleep. It worked for an hour and a half. Jason and I have become experts at answering questions while still sleeping. Then the magical distraction wore off and so, still before the birds were up, we left Northumberland for the Yorkshire Dales.

We had planned to go back to Holy island today as yesterday I spotted winkles, mussels and a yummy seaweed called enteromorpha which is delicious briefly deep fried then tossed with seseme oil and a small amount of brown sugar. But the tide was still in and our beautiful boy was in no mood for waiting around. So off to the Yorkshire Dales it was.

Our thanks go out to the coffee shop near Newcastle for providing us with a bucket of very hot strong black coffee each and for not complainging when grunted at them. They were very sympathetic. Oskar got carrot cake and told to behave. Thankfully he did. Cake as second breakfast? We were weak and very desperate.

Now we are in a hotel complete with double bed, gramaphone and a decanter of sherry. Oskar is asleep having enjoyed his day dispite the early start and I have had two baths already. Its the one thing our dear Ruby lacks. A decent, hot relaxing bubbly bath. Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh. Goodnight.

Day Twenty two-Lavender tearooms and singing hinnies-Etal, Northumberland

2008-04-22T19:53:00.003+01:00

The Lavender tea rooms at Etal has only been in the capable hands of its new owner for 12 weeks but already she has made a considerable difference. The once cluttered shop has been opened up and a new line of Lavender tea rooms products including Jams and biscuits line the shelves. The tea rooms come village shop come post office are at the centre of this unspoilt village. The other main focus is the imposing Etal castle. The new propietor originally is from Melbourne in Australia and after living in Sheffield she felt it was time to create a new more idyllic life for her husband and two daughters. When the opportunity to take over the Lavender Tea rooms came up she jumped at the chance.”We always thought we wanted to have our own coffee shop or tea rooms so when this came up we took it”. With a friendly and chatty persona I’ve no doubt ‘The Lavender tea rooms’ will be a success.

The Lavender Tearooms traditional Northumbrian Singing Hinnie.

This is the size of a large teaplate and can be eaten with butter and jam or for a heartier tea have it with fried eggs and bacon.

INGREDIENTS
250g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
30g butter, and a bit extra for greasing the pan
30g lard, and a bit extra for greasing the pan
1 1/2 tbsp currants
2/3 cup of skimmed milk*
extra butter to serve
METHOD
· Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.Rub in the fats and stir in the currants. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk.
· Stir to make a softish dough (about the consistency of scone dough) - Divide and form into rounds. Roll each round on a floured board to a thickness of one centimetre.
· Heat a heavy pan.When hot, grease the pan with a bit of butter and lard and when it is "singing", lower heat, put in the hinnies and cook over moderate heat, turning after five minutes.
· Expect the cooked side to be speckled with darker patches.
· Cook the other side, cool briefly and either slather with butter and cut into wedges or cut into wedges, split carefully and put a knob of butter inside.
* This would originally have been made with the skimmed milk remaining after separating the milk to make cream Makes: 2 x 12cm rounds

Day twenty one-Lindisfarne mead-Holy Island

2008-04-22T19:51:00.010+01:00

Yes, we made it to Lindisfarne. Holy Island is the 'cradle of Christianity' in the UK and they also know how to make a wicked brew. Lindisfarne Mead. Originally it was brewed by the monks of Holy Island but now you can witness the entire procedure at the Lindisfarne, St Aidans Winery where disappointingly it’s not made by mystical chanting cowled monks but by some perfectly ordinary looking people. Still, they have a skill that seems pretty mystical to me. I thought that the honey would come from aperies on Holy island or at least from very nearby, but as it states on the bottle,the honey comes from:
"the four corners of the world".
It is then mixed with an assortment of spirits and grape juice to refine the taste and keep the product consistent. I am a little disappointed that they don’t use local ingredients but they have retained the ‘local knowledge’ of how to make the Lindisfarne Mead and they do make a considerable effort to educate the general public in the history and the processes of creating the mead...and that at least is something. Keeping the old stories alive enables us to create new stories-and more delightful Lindisfarne mead.

Day Twenty two-Northumbria

2008-04-22T19:51:00.008+01:00

Northumbria is a captivating mix of borders castles, yellow light,huge horned sheep, meandering unspoilt rivers and clean salty air. The fields at the moment are full of fat cock pheasents and scampering lambs. It was a revelation. Clean, everyone was friendly and there is a noticeable focus on providing local food. Mead, crab, lamb, confusingly named cakes and a winning substitute for extra virgin olive oil. (Oleifera)

Day Twenty-off tomorrow-Lake District.

2008-04-20T13:34:00.003+01:00

I think we'll be off again tomorrow....the Pennines? Linisfarne? We'll decide tonight while dinning at the Drunken Duck.

Day Nineteen-Fire engines and Boats-Lake District

2008-04-19T20:51:00.003+01:00

I took Oskar on a ride in a Fire Engine today in Bowness on Windermere. He donned a firemans hat and jacket and was so excited he actually sat still, with a huge fixed grin on his face, clutching my hand for the whole time. We even had the sirens and flashing lights. Oooo it was great and yes, I think I enjoyed myself nearly as much as Oz did.

I'm starting to get twitchy about wild food again. As always I've been on the look out. I never stop looking because thats when you miss a real treat! It didn't help that we went on a stunning boat trip around Lake Windermere. I found myself wondering if you could catch trout on a line, the same way you do Mackreal?

Day Eighteen-Bumpety bump,The Pudding Room and Lucy's-Lake District

2008-04-18T21:33:00.006+01:00

Jason has had his first 'bump' in 20 years of driving. Entirely not his fault. Ruby is unscathed and everyone is ok. Basically someone had their very low sports car right behind Ruby when we had to reverse to allow someone to reverse into a parking space. He was right in the blind spot and far too near. So Ruby’s tow bar knocked off his number plate and cracked the bumper behind it. Jason even took his time reversing especially as the reverse gear popped out and he had to put it back in and try again. A job for the sports cars insurance me thinks.

What a discovery- The Pudding Room. Sticky old fashioned homemade puds all homemade on the shores of Lake Coniston here in the Lakes by Helen who comes from a background of professional catering and training in a Swiss patisserie. We had a Rum n raisin sticky date pudding which was rich, warm and rummy. Spicy with the type of texture that just makes you want to keep digging your spoon in again and again. It actually comes very attractively hand wrapped in brown paper complete with a wooden spoon just in case you can't wait until you get home. Now we tried the Rum n raisin I'm going to work through the full spectrum of Pudding Room puddings. This is an extremely hard job but someone’s got to do it. I urge you to try a Pudding Room pod'. Order by ringing Helen direct on 07769 697868. Let me know if you do!

Lucy's of Ambleside
The first spears of Spring asparagus, slices of smoked Cumbrian ham 1 cm thick, locally made bread including a fabulous poppy seed covered 'donker'. Lucy's is the place to buy locally sourced food from the Lakes. Have a look at the site and discover Lucy's for yourself at http://www.lucysofambleside.co.uk/.

Day Seventeen-Haven Cottage B&B,Ambleside-Lake District

2008-04-17T18:36:00.007+01:00

Haven Cottage in Ambleside was recommended to us when we first came up with the idea to organise this crazy food trip. We stayed for 2 nights to have a bit of a rest from the quirky but decidedly cosy life we lead in Ruby.

When we arrived we were treated to locally made hot crumpets and locally blended fresh coffee. Oskar surprised us by eating 3 crumpets and Tim generously offered to toast us some more.

We came down each morning to breakfast to find Christmas cracker puzzles left to amuse us while our freshly cooked Cumbrian breakfast was being readied.

Here's the astonishing list that shows Haven cottage's dedication to local food. I wish all B&Bs had a list like this:

The cottage is decorated in old hunting prints and interesting knickknacks. The most intriguing is an old RAF jacket worn displayed in the living room. Tim’s fathers who was instrumental in 'The Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III. He drew up the escape tunnel maps for the escape parties. An experience that apparent ally changed him for the rest of his life into a very focused extraordinary individual.

Tim sometimes serves homemade local Lakeland Tatie Scones with breakfast. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
250g(8oz)self raising flour
125g(4oz) boiled mashed potatoes
60g(2oz)strong cheese -grated
30g(1oz)lard
Pinch of salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Black pepper
Splash of milk

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees c(Gas mark 6). Rub the flour and lard together to make breadcrumbs. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Add enough milk to make a stiff dough. Roll out on a floured board to a thickness of about 2 cm. Place on a greased baking paper in the oven and brown for 10 minutes on either side. Serve hot with butter. Great with a full breakfast.

Day Seventeen-Obsession-Lake District

2008-04-17T18:25:00.003+01:00

“I want to go on the cable cars.......“

Oskar has a beautiful new obsessional chant complete with a melody. Every other sentence today had been a request to go on the cable cars again. Much better than requests for hyper driven chocolate wizzo sticks or violent cartoons. His previous obessional chant was for model villages, which was much easier to cater for.

We’ve now moved onto the Lake district which is the most beautiful and breathtaking place I’ve ever seen. Moss flows over the sharp craggy rocks, trees grow knarled and twisted on fairytale mounds. Green grey hills reach the sky and the silver lakes flow on forever.

Day Sixteen-Heights of Abraham-Peak District

2008-04-17T18:24:00.002+01:00

We scaled the Heights of Abraham today in a cable car. Oskar loved it and would have ridden in cable cars all day if it was possible.

Day sixteen-tick tock Bakewell-Peak District

2008-04-17T13:23:00.004+01:00

The Rutland arms in Bakewell should be the setting for a detective novel. It’s crammed full of antiquated clocks of all descriptions. Each clock is set a couple of minutes off the time of its neighbour so not to chime at the same time. What was the story about the man whole tried to set all the clocks in a huge house to the same time and ended up insane? There are parts of working clocks mounted on the walls-their huge pendulums swinging rhythmically from side to side. Tick tock, tick tock, grandmother clock cases with no faces stand in the corners of rooms while the portraits of long dead nobles stare studiously down on them. A clocking in machine sits, now dormant in the entrance hall. The clocking in times of men long gone still stamped on its reel.
Ladies of a certain age, huddle together gossiping around the huge log fire, pashminas and tartan scarves strewn absentmindedly around their tweed shoulders. A coffee table full of large glasses of thick red wine, Earl grey and abandoned forks still sticky from small cakey indulgences.

“Oh I shouldn’t, Oh go on then”.

The Rutland Arms has definitely tried its utmost to get the best of local food into its dining room. Locally sourced loin of longhorn beef, Rillettes of pork and rabbit and cauliflower soup with wild sorrel grace its menu. Beautiful food but we had to wait over an hour in a quiet period to receive our main course.

Still the succession of sequentially chiming clocks entertained us and Oskar had a new Thomas the Tank engine magazine which luckily came with a free Thomas story book.
I would eat there again, but I think that you are required to be relaxed about the speed of service, fill the gaps with wine and gossip. It’s more of an adult friendly environment , although Oskar behaved himself impeccably. He’s such a star.

Bakewell is a bit short of venues to dine in after dark. There’s an Italian completely decorated in cream colours, the cream decor being enough to put off anyone with children. An Indian and the Rutland Arms. The town seems to be set up for the hordes of daylight visitors . There are plenty of coffee houses serving traditional Bakewell puddings(www.Postapudding.co.uk) and cafe food (Sandwiches and something and chips). Pubs with real ales and locally made pies featuring local meat and a really good award winning butchers Andrew Armstrong (Farmers & Butchers) Ltd . Market day is on Mondays and is reported to be well worth a visit with the majority of the stalls selling local produce.

Day fifteen-Abandon ship and Bakewell pudding-Peak district

2008-04-16T22:43:00.005+01:00

Our stomachs laden by the Crown Inns monster faggots, we ventured on up to the Peak district. Happy in the knowledge that we could travel for days if need be and not need to eat again. Oskar snoozed peacefully in his tipped back seat in the front of Ruby after many choruses of 'Clap hands' and a 'Crocodile sat on my lap'.

We've been teaching him, colour I spy. He starts with "I spy with my little eye something that is yellow..... We look around and he watches us. His little shining expectant eyes, following ours as we look around. It took us a long while to realise that he was waiting until we mentioned something yellow that he liked and not something he had spied. Still, we all enjoy the game and he is getting it now.

We pulled into a campsite that promised everything and more. A Stable bar serving local ales, a camp shop, selling local produce, family run and an adventure playground for Oskar. Clean hot showers and a little cafe. Unfortunately nearly everything was closed but we paid for our pitch an looked at the ominous dark clouds creeping menacingly towards us. ...the clouds opened and the biggest hailstones I've ever seem started to bombard Ruby. This onslaught was followed by high winds and torrential rains. Ruby couldn't take it anymore and started to leak. With cries of "Abandon ship". We left the site with rain water still trickling through her side door into Oskar’s emergency potty. It was evening now and the first place we found that took children was the Rutland Arms, Bakewell. The home of the original Bakewell pudding.

The story goes that the Bakewell Pudding originated through a mistake by the cook here. A Strawberry Tart was ordered for the guest. Instead of stirring the egg mixture into the pastry, the cook poured it over the strawberry jam. The pudding was so well received by the guest that the recipe became recognised as the Bakewell Pudding.

Recipe for Bakewell pudding

Ingredients

200g puff pastry
85g butter
85g caster sugar
3 free range egg yolks lightly beaten
2 free range egg whites
1/4tsp of almond essence
3 tbsps strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 210 degrees c (gas mark 7). Place a flat baking sheet in to warm up (the bottom of the pie needs extra heat to cook the pastry)Roll the pastry out and use to line a very well floured pie plate about seven inches across and one inch deep with a tiny lip all the way round. Traditionally it should be an oval shape, but it won't change the flavour. Spread the jam thinly on the bottom of the pastry. This is your jam tart, now you need your half made cakeCream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, and work in the egg yolks and almond essence bit by bit. In a separate, clean dry bowl, whisk the egg whites with a clean dry whisk until the mix makes soft peaks (very apt as we are in the Peak District), then beat into the butter and sugar mix. The mixture should be thick but pourable
Pour your cake into your puff pastry, and place in the oven on the pre-heated baking sheet. After about fifteen minutes, check the pie to see if the top is browning. If it is getting quite dark, reduce the heat down to 180 degrees c (gas mark 4). Bake for a further 20-25 minutes. After this time, the pastry should have puffed at the edges, the mix should be risen up and dark on top. It won't be thoroughly solid, but it's actually meant to be slightly soft.Allow to cool slightly. The top will sink very slightly but it’s meant to. Serve with cream, custard or ice cream.

Day fifteen-Monster Faggots-Worcestershire

2008-04-16T22:42:00.005+01:00

The Crown Inn Withybed Lane, Alvechurch, sells serious food. Food to weight you down and stop you from leaving, food that means that after one meal you don't have to eat for a week. This is 'nothing fancy food' and it's solid. We had homemade faggots the size of a wrestlers fist, chips and mushy peas. The faggots were well cooked, full of sage and seasoned to perfection. They seem to be very popular around here and many of the men in this 'locals' pub said they ate them more than once a week.

Recipe for Worcestershire faggots.

Feeds six very hungry people.

Time to cook Approximately 1 hour 40 minutes - 2 hours Oven temperature 180°C, Gas mark 4,

Ingredients:

450g (1lb) lean minced beef

100g (4oz) lamb’s liver, finely chopped

100g (4oz) streaky bacon, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1tbsp freshly chopped parsley

2tbsp freshly chopped sage

2tsp fresh thyme leaves

50g (2oz) breadcrumbs

2tsp English mustard

Salt and pepper

Onion Gravy:

1tbsp sunflower oil

2 large onions, finely chopped

1tbsp plain flour

300ml (1/2pint) ale

1pint good, hot beef stock

Dash Worcestershire sauce

2tsp dried mixed herbs

Make Prepare the onion gravy; heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and cook over a moderate heat for 4-5 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gradually stir in the ale, stock, Worcestershire or brown sauce, seasoning and dried mixed herbs. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Make the faggots; in a large bowl mix together the faggot ingredients and shape into 12 golf ball-sized balls. Transfer to a 2pint rectangular ovenproof dish or roasting tin and carefully pour over the gravy. Cover with foil and cook in a preheated oven for 1 1/2-2 hours. 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time, remove the foil and return to the oven. Guaranteed to put meat on your bones and hairs on your chest.

Day fourteen-dormant in the Clent hills-Worcestershire

2008-04-14T21:12:00.003+01:00

Today I've been dormant. We've been catching up on domestic chores and uploading everything that has been waiting in the wings for a mobile internet signal. The rain is beating the hell out of Ruby but Oskar still sleeps on peacefully in his bunk. He's loving this.

Day thirteen-Lambs and magic eggs-Wiltshire then the Clent hills

2008-04-14T20:41:00.003+01:00

Last night I was on lambing duty. Neil has a flock of 20 Jacob ewes on his holding and the last three woolly girls were ready to pop. We parked Ruby in the barn next to the sheep, thinking that this would be the night where all three of them would lamb with triplets. I checked on them at 1.30 and 4 in the morning but nothing other than a cheeky escapee lamb and the orphan lamb (Josh the girl) standing in her pen, bleating at her bottle, hoping it would magically give her some early breakfast. She really was quite hopeful. The disrupted sleep didn’t bother me, Oskar generally wakes up a few times during the night and what a night. Foxes cried to each other in their strange eerie banshee cry. Bat flitting through the umber mooned inky sky and that beautiful trick that the night plays on you-that the whole world is entirely yours.

We slept on in the morning. Probably because of our late night reminiscing with Neil and Jackie, a bottle of Camel Valleys finest, and the fact that the barn cast a subdued light on us in Ruby. When we woke and readied ourselves for breakfast we found that dawn pixies had left 6 eggs on our doorstep. Or it may have been Sasha and Harry Jackie and Neils daughters.

One of the ewesnext door was sniffing the strawy floor and making a nest. I mentioned it to Jason and we packed up Ruby ready for our next leg of the tour to the Clent Hills in Worcestershire. Jason looked over the wall and said in a hushed tone. Jade, Oskar look. Next to the ewe was a wobbly little lamb. Its mother nudged it and soon it was standing on its feet and drinking from its mother. Perfect.

Day twelve-Jackie and Neils' and their smallholding family-Wiltshire

2008-04-14T19:02:00.013+01:00

Jackies Sourdough recipe direct from the lady herself:

"OK, sourdough bread is along the lines of - for the original recipe it was a lot more, but what I do is put half a cup of flour (rye is good) and half a cup of water in a bowl, cover it over with muslin and an elastic band - you have to keep foreign bodies out, but let the yeasts in - and then the next day, transfer to a clean bowl, add another half cup of flour, and another half cup of water. So on for about 6 or 7 days - it has to be past the bubbling stage and smell 'winey'. Then you use about a pint of the gloop (put the rest in a jar in the fridge, it will keep for a week, then you've got to restart it with more water and flour. Don't forget to always keep some starter to carry on with) and add about another half pint of warm water, and flour (spelt is especially good, but any kind works) and a teaspoon or so of salt. Add enough flour to make a dough, knead for 15 mins til soft and elastic, put it in your tins, and leave to rise - this should make a couple of medium loaves. It takes a long time to rise. Four hours or so in a warmish place, overnight in a cooler place. Cook at 175 /350 for about an hour."

And her yummy homemade baked beans recipe

"Baked beans - soak and cook haricot or similar beans. Heat some fat in a pan - ideally one that is good on stove top and in the oven and has a tight fitting lid - and chop up an onion, I used a red one, and chuck it in the fat. Then add in some bacon bits, garlic, anything you fancy really. Cook until soft. Chuck in beans, with water to cover, couple of tablespoons of molasses, squirt or two of tomato paste, teaspoon of mustard, salt pepper - put the lid on and bung in the oven on what ever temperature it has managed for some hours. Four maybe. Or more ! Make sure there is enough water all the time. Take the lid off for the last bit."

To be continued shortly...

Day Twelve-Ponies, overlapping food and near crash-Exmoor

2008-04-14T18:38:00.003+01:00

From Dorset we journeyed on to Exmoor. Just for one night. On the way we saw there was a sign for a toll so that you could avoid Porlock Hill. Why waste money we thought? Its only a hill.. As we plumented towards the bottom of the hill. Ruby in 1st gear yelling at the idiot would was stareing at us hurtling towards them we thought otherwise.She didn't move and we landed in a hedge. We were very, very lucky. Porlock Hill is the steepest hill in England. We should have treated her with more respect. Remember, pay the toll, pay the toll........

Here's where we stayed the night Burrowhayes Farm in West Luccombe. I think we'll be back in the summer.

We left Burrowhayes Farm vowing never to attempt Porlock Hill again. West Luccombe is full of trickling streams, welly-booted childrens laughter and the musty scent of the wet but contented Exmoor ponies grazing in the adjacent paddock. Surrounding the village are intense wooded hills. The type that you can’t help but feel have hidden stories and treasures in them. Enchanted m' thinks. I’m not the only one to be inspired by this countryside; this is,R.D Blackmores, Lorna Doone Country.
I’ve fallen in love with Exmoor in a big way. In Ruby we travelled for hours and didn’t see one power line. On foot you could get fair lost in the dense deciduous woodland, wild craggy hills and deep valleys splashed with garish, mustard yellow Gorse bushes and the quite eyes of the native ponies. After our crabby feast last night, we were still replete although Jason and Oskar managed to partake of a little everlasting Bridport cheese and wild garlic, on thick door steps of Polperro granary toast.
A dilemma I have is that I keep buying excitable amounts of local food and as we move to each new area the food from the previous area overlaps with the current areas food. Ruby is practically groaning. We aren’t. Off to Wiltshire later, and to a wonderful family who strive to be self sufficient.

Day eleven-Camel Valley vineyard-Cornwall

2008-04-14T14:09:00.006+01:00

By 10.30 this morning I had drunk four different varieties of wine. No, I haven't turned into a alcoholic, or had a bad morning, neither had I succumbed to the type of Victorian shock which required me to be 'attended to'. It was because I had stumbled upon the glorious awarding winning Camel Valley Vineyard. Known for its unstinting dedication to producing the best of English wines. And boy do they deliver.

For £19.99 you can have a bottle of 2006 CAMEL VALLEY BRUT 'CORNWALL' Traditional Method Quality Sparkling Wine. Described as :

'Most impressive English wine on the market today' - Matthew Jukes.

'Delicious and so elegant, the nose is so pure and fresh' - Tom Stevenson, author Christie's Champagne Guide.

'Fresh, lovely bright, fruity style, good stuff!' - Oz Clarke

And that’s just the bubbly stuff!

We arrived after negotiating the thin Cornish country lanes swathed in wild garlic at the top of the Camel Valley, named after the river Camel that winds its way along the bottom. Acres of carefully tended vines stood, row after row like soldiers standing to attention. As we walked down to the shop Sam the wine expert bounced past us, hair flying and grinning like a maniac intent on getting to the shop to welcome us. I think visitors are few and far between out of season.
In the shop you can taste or take a glass of your favourite wine to the terrace overlooking the vineyard and gaze at the inspiring view. I'm sure it would become even more inspiring after a few glasses of Camel Valleys vineyards best. We tasted and I was really impressed. I've come to expect English wines not to be up to the standard of the rest of the wines of the rest of the world. Here I was wrong. The Bacchus was dry, very crisp, and had a slight metallic edge. Interestingly it was incredibly pale which Sam said some people find hard to fathom. The general thinking being that a white wine must have colour or else it's insipid. This had flavour by the bucket load, although it wasn't over powering. It definitely had one of those devilish finishes that leave you wanting more.

The quality dry wine was equally good,with green notes that rolled around your tongue not wanting to let go. I thought the Camel valley red wasn't quite up to the standard of the whites but was still exceptional. With a beautiful fruity tone it was a very light and indeed the colour was almost beetroot pink which was absolutely beautiful. I generally prefer heavy tanniny reds such as Merlots and Shiraz’s so it was probably that it wasn't to my preferred taste. I imagine though it would be to many other people.

We left clutching our two bottles of Cornish pleasure- a bottle of the 2006 CAMEL VALLEY BRUT 'CORNWALL' and a bottle of the 2006 CAMEL VALLEY BACCHUS QUALITY WINE.

Day Eleven-Warm, sea beet, crab and wild garlic pasta salad-Cornwall

2008-04-14T14:08:00.002+01:00

This is a warming heavy pasta salad that combines the taste of the seaside and with the comfort of warm pasta. A great chilly spring time dish to share with friends over a glass of cold crisp white wine or local golden ale such as Tribute a St Austell beer. To serve 4 of your most deserving mates:

· 300g good pasta
· 2 large handfuls of seabeet (mine was collected from Polperro)
· 1 large edible crab
· ½ dozen free range local eggs
· 3 heaped tablespoons capers
· 1 handful of wild garlic- flowers included.
· Large pinch of sea salt
· 20 black peppercorns –crushed
· Good olive oil

“Al dente” pasta is what you need for this dish so that the ingredients can be tossed together without forming a solid lump at the bottom of your serving bowl. The secret to perfect al dente pasta is that for every 100 grams of dry pasta you need 1 litre of water (preferably not hard water).Boil the water slowly. Add about 10g of salt pour in the pasta and turn up the heat so that you get a rolling boil. Stir with a wooden utensil and let the pasta cook for the recommended time (usually on the packet). Test the pasta if you are not sure by trying a bit. It should resist a little when you bite it. When ready add a cup of cold water and drain then toss in olive oil to stop it sticking to its self.

Cook the pasta and hard boil the eggs-I know some people who do this in the same saucepan. Drain the pasta and pop it into a large serving bowl. While the pasta is cooking rinse your seabeet and place in a small covered saucepan with 2 tablespoons of water and a knob of butter for about 3-4 minutes. Finely chop up the wild garlic. You may want to put the edible flowers to one side to decorate the dish just before serving. Take the shells off and chop the hardboiled eggs into quarters. Scoop out the crab meat from the shell, the claws and the large legs if you are really dedicated. Combine the eggs, sea beet-including the buttery juices from the pan, Capers,the wild garlic and finally add the crab meat to the pasta. Season with crushed black pepper and sea salt and decorate with wild garlic flowers. Allow your friends to serve themselves straight from the bowl. Then sit down pour a large glass of wine and allow yourself to be congratulated. Easy peasy.

Day Eleven-Fish and chips the Rick Stein way-Cornwall

2008-04-13T23:44:00.002+01:00

Padstow, or Padstein as the locals are starting to mockingly call it was our lunchtime destination. We had the kind of light this afternoon, that artists rave about bright, clear, crisp. All the colours of Cornwall leaped out at us demanding our attention. Padstow has a healthy fishing industry and the carefully kept fishing boats rested in the harbour for all to see; neighboured by a couplet of Rick Steins’ enterprises on the quay side. A very shiny fish and chip shop followed by an equally shiny Deli in a brand new shiny, shiny architect designed nautical building. All very shiny and contrived, commercial and welcoming.

On the left there is a traditional fish and chip counter. Traditional looking in every way except the staff, nearly all are French and answer to a chef.

On the right is a dining area. A cross between Wagamama tables where you sit next to people you don’t know and the clinical look of blue and white bathroom. It even has fake stones grouted to the sides of the waiters station. Skinny women wearing oversized sunglasses and bleached blond, aged lotharios sit check by jowl amongst bemused middle aged Mums and Dads and their expectant children. All waiting for Rick Steins fish and chips. Surely the best fish and chips we have ever tasted?

I actually applaud the fact the serve alcoholic drinks with the meals. I know it is reported that the late Queen mother’s favourite meal was fish and chips accompanied by a glass of champagne with an ice cube in it. No one dared question her. I felt I had had my champagne earlier (an English equivalent of course) at the Camel Valley Vineyard but opted for a small glass of Chenin blanc. I’ve always thought Fish and chip should sell alcoholic drinks. Who doesn’t enjoy occasionally saying NO, to the cooker and having a Carb’ rich evening in front of the telly with a good bottle of wine?

The service was second to none, the maître Dee was an efficient woman who dealt with us extremely professionally and had a beautiful rich Cornish accent. She anticipated our ever wish and as Oskar was napping on Jason’s chest came and popped his untouched food into a takeaway cardboard box.

The chips were perfectly fried in beef lard, which maybe to a lot of people taste but I couldn’t see the benefit? I know animal fats allow the taste of food to be exentuated in the mouth but I found it an odd though not unpleasant taste. I had grilled Cornish sardines and Jason had battered cod with the best homemade tartar sauce I’ve ever tasted. Lemony and mustardy a perfect accompaniment to his melt in the mouth cod in a very light but satisfying batter with a good crunch.

The food was good but we did spent £30 on Fish and Chips and too be honest I don’t think it was value for money. It wasn’t that much better than my local chippie in Chesham and where we can treat ourselves to a fish and chip supper for under a fiver.

Still Rick Stein has and is still helping local fishermen and is raising the profile of the work they do and the problems they encounter and for that I really do give a standing ovation to him. I just wish the focus was more to do with good seafood and less to do with the man; Rick Stein.

Day Ten-Trehaven Manor Hotel-Cornwall

2008-04-10T10:32:00.003+01:00

Trehaven Manor Hotel, Looe.

Wonderful breakfasts full of local food including Dartmoor Salmon,accomadating hosts (Ella and her husband) a honesty bar,soft comfortable beds (including a special one for Oskar with rocket duvet). We stayed for 2 nights and were completely recharged. I particulary liked listening to classical music while we trawled through our supendous breakfasts. Highly recommended.

Day nine-laughable Cornish Italian resturant

2008-04-09T14:41:00.008+01:00

After a day of making sandcastles and spotting tiny crabs scuttling along the bottom of the clear turquoise harbour. And me stopping every 5 minutes to study a wild green - usually embedded in one of the sheer cliff walls that characterise Looe. We headed out to Papa Nicos in East Looe. Our criteria had been, that our restaurant of choice had to be:

• Child friendly
• Serve local seafood
• Open (a lot of places don't seem to be open out of season)

A blackboard outside of Papa Nicos boasted that it served local lobsters, scallops and had a catch of the day. We had been advised that they were child friendly.

Ducking down through the dark low door we entered a small cavern with walls be-decked with dusty straw covered Chianti bottles and china vegetables. An Italian plate positioned prominately advertised the recipe for bolognaise sauce. I hoped it wasn't there to be referred to.

Making ourselves comfortable by leaning on the scratchy wall as we stood and waited to be seated didn't seem to attract the waitress. Papa Nicos is the size of a postage stamp and she only had one table to see too. Telling. Shifting our bodies around in a modestly uncomfortable way also didn't attract this resilient woman. Oskar(3 years) making a lot of noise did. He's a very useful chap.

We were waved to our table with a none committal back wave of her hand and we sat eating the thin packets of bread sticks with the use by date carefully covered up by thick black permanent marker. Waiting seemed to be the name of the game around here; so we waited and waited and waited. As you can imagine we were just dropping off when she enquired about drinks. Seemingly startled to see a 'child' (even though she had seen Oskar when we entered) she gathered together a thoroughly used tome of colouring pictures and a small handful of irritating colouring pencils with most of their tips missing.

Used to waiting now, we had started to see this as an endurance test and gave each other sly looks and giggled. As an afterthought, the menus were dropped on the table. I ordered Scallops in a white wine and ginger sauce, Jason had Spaghetti mussels and tomatoe sauce and Oskar had meat balls.

The 'Specials' were scrawled on the chalk board but also were printed on a heavily used laminated sheet. The Specials obviously weren’t so special after all. The food wasn't awful, but was overpriced and with the adage of the aged waitress rushing about making an art of fafiness and occasionally crossing words with the chef (whose' turtle like head would come out and just stare at the whole two tables of people then retreat). Our drinks arrived long after our food. We were relieved to leave, admittedly though with smiles of our faces from our hosts antics.

Day seven-Jades Jammy pheasant-Dorset

2008-04-09T14:40:00.025+01:00

These two beautiful pheasents were a gift from my Dorset cousin Stephen who occasionally gets to take part in a shoot on the estate where he is a shepherd. If you pay to go on this shoot it's about £40 a bird. Ridiculous I know but they were beautiful birds with no shot in them that we could find. Proabably becuase they have to shoot them really high here because of the Downs. We were very glad to have them and I felt I had to do them justise with this recipe of mine. The jam gives the meat a caramalised fruity coating which combined with the ginger and the pep of the pepper gives you a distinctively oriental taste. Think plum sauce and forget knives and forks this is sticky finger food to put a smile on your face....and sauce around your mouth.

Ingredients:
1 pot homemade jam (mine was some fantastic Damson jam from my Ashdown forest friend Katie)
1 pheasent
Chives 1 large handful
Dorset cider
Black pepper
Ginger 1 thumb sized piece or you could use ground ginger.

Spatchcock the pheasent by cutting along its backbone with a large knife. Turn the bird over and push down until it's flat-usually with a satifying crunch.

Lightly brown the skin side on the barbeque then turn over. This means that you don't have to over cook it later.

Tuck herbs along the V-down the sides of the legs and at the bottom of the breast. The herbs will infuse the meat and keep it moist. I like to use oniony herbs such as chives or wild garlic becuase this adds to the nod towards an oriental taste. Lemony herbs would work as well. If you have no herbs use finely sliced onion.

Cover the top of the pheasent with jam and add half the grated ginger or several good shakes of ground ginger. Season with lots of pepper.

Cover with a metal dish or saucepan. This allows the pheasent to start to cook through and also starts to caramalise the jam so it sticks to it when you turn it over.

Turn the pheasent over and add the nearly all rest of the jam, ginger, and pepper. Cover with the metal dish again. Use a skewer to prod the pheasent and check if there are any bloody juices coming out. This is time to bbq any veg you want to accompany it.Ours was from Fivepenny farm, Dorset.

When its cooked. Place it inside the metal dish on top of the BBQ and add a good slosh of cider then leave for about 4 minutes for the sauce to reduce. Take off the BBQ

Allow roughly 10 minutes for the meat to relax..or however long you can keep your hands off it. Then pull apart and serve with the liquor from the bowl.

Day seven-Collecting Alexanders-Dorset

2008-04-09T14:39:00.003+01:00

The verges of Dorset are absolutely covered by Alexanders. That wonderful vegetable brought over by the Romans because it has a similar taste to myrtle. Oskar and I gathered a large posy of them and ate them later in a hazy windowed Ruby. The stems we lightly steamed and stripped the outer fibrous layer off then ate them with garlic butter. Delicious. The flowers we didn't eat this time. They have a mealy meaty taste and smell and are great dipped in a tempura batter and served with a citrusy dressing or blanched and served in salads. The leaves can also be eaten in salads or cooked like spinach. A lot of wild food books advise cooking wild greens like spinach. The tedium of reading 'cook like spinach' over and over again in these books is good inspiration for finding new and interesting ways to actually cook wild greens I've found.

Day Seven-Homity pie, Dorset apple cake and Longhorns-Dorset

2008-04-09T14:37:00.003+01:00

The Bakehouse, Abbotsbury
Years ago we stumbled across this beautiful friendly tea room in the heart of Abbotsbury and became firm friend with Steve its proprietor. I've a sneaky suspicion he is firm friends with all who came through his doors but I was most impressed when after 2 1/2 years we ventured through his door again and he remembered exactly what we had habitually ordered those 2 1/2 years ago. A very friendly man with a wonderful business that supports local foods. He stocks the best Dorset apple cake and Blue Vinny Homity pie and I bet anyone would be hard pushed to leave The Bakehouse without a broad smile on their face. Definitely worth a visit, or even better a special trip down to Dorset just to see him. I'm sure you’d be very welcome.

Blue Vinny Homity pie
Use Wholemeal shortcrust pastry or bought pie case:
Ingredients:

450g potatoes
450g onions
3tbsp of oil
30g butter
A bunch of parsley, chopped.
225g crumbled Dorset Blue Vinny
2 crushed garlic cloves
1tbsp milk
Salt and black pepper

Roll out the pastry and line six 4" individual flan tins or on 8" flan tin. Boil the potatoes.Chop the onions finely and fry on a low heat, with a small pinch of salt until soft. Mix the potatoes and onions, add the butter, parsley, half the Blue Vinny, garlic, milk and season well, to taste. Cool, then use to fill the pastry cases. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bak in the oven at 220C (Gas mark 7) for about 25mins until golden.

Dorset Apple cake
Ingredients

225g butter,
450g apples
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
225g caster sugar,
3 large freerange eggs
225g self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
25g ground almonds
1 tbsp demerara sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (gas 4). Grease your deepest cake tin and line with baking paper. Peel, core and cut the apples into 1cm pieces, and toss with the lemon juice.
2. Cream together the butter, caster sugar and lemon zest in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, adding a little flour with each addition to keep the mixture smooth.
3. Sift the remaining flour and the baking powder into the bowl and fold in with the ground almonds. Drain the apple pieces well, then stir into the mixture.
4. Spoon into the prepared cake tin, lightly level the top and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Bake in the oven for 1 hour or until well-risen, brown and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. If the cake starts to look a little too brown, cover with a sheet of baking paper after about 45 minutes.
5. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the tin and place on a serving plate. Dredge heavily with the extra caster sugar. Serve warm with a spoonful of thick Dorset cream.

Bride Valley farm shop and Longlands Farm

After our nostalgic visit to Steve’s Bakehouse tea rooms I rushed around the corner to a tiny old farm shop in the centre of Abbotsbury.
Without it’s boards and signs you could easily miss it as the shop front is so small.

The Bride Valley Farm shop offers only high quality produce from the local area and on entering the shop I saw bags upon bags of flour from Arthur and Josephine’s Tamarisk farm. All the beef the shop sells is from their own herd, raised at Longlands Farm in nearby Littlebredy. They graze the chalk downland, which is specially managed for conservation, without the use of Chemical fertilizers or herbicides.

The land is home to an abundance of flora, including several species found only in this type of pasture. All of the cattle are pure-bred Longhorns, an old English breed producing a superior meat and the meat is very popular with Bride Valley Farm shop customers. The pork and lamb is supplied by the Longlands farms neighbours in Longbredy. The animals are traditionally reared with access to the outside Dorset downs.

As well as fantastic meat, the shops sells pate, huge pies and sausages rolls made from their own meat. They stock Dorset cream, cheeses, chutneys, honey and much more. All from selected local producers. Most from within a 4 mile radius of the shop at Abbotsbury.
Special orders are welcomed and interestingly enough they can also supply beautifully cured Longhorn hides from their own herd. Waste not want not.

For shop and hide enquiries contact: 01305 671235
For further enquiries concerning Longlands Farm. Please contact John and Patricia Barker at Longlands Farm, Littlebredy, Dorchester, Dorset. Telephone:01308 482371

Day six- Scallops and Fish pot.Dorset

2008-04-09T14:26:00.010+01:00

The Bridport Arms, West Bay. Full of fishy wonders. Many years ago I came to West Bay and was severely disappointed. It was full of day trippers, touristy food huts serving dodgy burgers and chips and fish that they were at pains to point out was cod and completely boneless...and presumably as far removed from being anything resembling a fish as possible. What a contrast it made from the tooing and froing of the hardworking fishing boats. All full of a kaleidoscopic array of fresh fish coming into rest in the harbour- right next to these 'food huts'. It was shameful.

Thankfully this has been amended. Next to the harbour is my favourite fishmongers (C T Samways & Son) who layout the most inspiring carpet of the freshest local seafood in their chill cabinets. They can tell you where everything was caught, why and how and will prise open huge juicy local oysters from near Portland for you to eat. Standing in the shop. Trying to retain any sense of dignity while the liquor trickles down your chin is to be avoided. Just laugh and join in with the rest of the occupants of the shop. Extremely enjoyable.

You can occasionally buy straight off the fishing boats if you are in the mood for gentle banter, are polite, interested and offer the fishermen a good price. Better still befriend a few of them and I'm sure you'll get the odd freebee in your bag.

And then there is the Bridport Arms, which used to be full of chips and pseudo 'Traditional pub fare'. It now specialises in a few carefully chosen fish and shell food dishes. Supplied of course from West Bays fishing boats.

We started with 4 king scallops accompanied by salad leaves, bacon and an onion marmalade.

Crispy slivers of salty bacon, the crunch of green salad leaves, followed by the bite and sweetness of the Scallop. Extenuated by the onion marmalade.

I love sharing my food and the fish pot to share was right up my street. Fresh and local and interesting to eat. As I lifted the lid I was hit by savoury steam. A fish pot is a fish stew and the 'sauce' shouldn't overwhelm the fish but enhance it. Cooked to perfection we delved in....

...and then jumped feet first striaght into our homemade puds. Heaven.

Missing days -the adventure continues. xxx

2008-04-08T09:40:00.003+01:00

I hope you've been enjoying our adventures so far? We've been in a Dorset internet and mobile blackspot, but don't worry. The adventures continue. I'll be uploading the missing days today and they include: Jammy pheasent,more on Tamerisk farm, Scallops and fish pot, Homity pie and a pocket full of gorse flowers. Don't go away!

Day eight-Silver footsteps and Crunchy Thai gorse salad-Dorset

2008-04-08T09:29:00.006+01:00

“Does the road wind up-hill, all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day’s journey take the whole day?
From morn to night my friend.”

Christina Rossetti

I went for a stomp today before the rest of the camp site was even stirring. The birds were shouting singing, full gusto. Exalting the day.

Jack frost visited during our wakeful night, and a new carpet of frosty flowers lay under my feet. Jigsaw puzzle footprints tracking my way. Stepping stones on the silver grass.

Our day’s journey may well take us the whole day today as we are venturing forth to rest our weary heads at a B&B in Cornwall tonight. At the start of our journey we decided to spend a night at a B&B once every week so we could all soak our weary toes in a hot bath.
Amazingly for one who was born in the West Country, I’ve never been to Cornwall, yet Jason a London boy has.

He gave me a pocket full of glowing, mustard yellow Gorse flowers last night. A gift more welcome than a dozen red roses. Mainly because they are edible and I’m always considering and relishing my next foodie feast or treat.

Gorse flowers are abundant at the moment and have an extremely surprising fragrance and taste. Seriously similar to green bananas and coconut. This lends themselves to be used in all manner of Thai inspired dishes.

Recipe for Crunchy Thai gorse salad. Adapted from a recipe from Abel and Cole.

Mix 2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice with 2 teaspoons sugar or honey and 3/4 teaspoon salt, until dissolved. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of salad oil. In a large bowl combine 300g finely shredded cabbage (about 5 handfuls, green or red) with 1 thinly sliced medium red onion, 2 medium grated carrots, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves. Add a handful of rinsed gorse flowers. Drizzle the vinaigrette over and toss until well combined. Beautiful.

You can adapt this recipe to include more wild greens such as bittercress and that wild salad staple chickweed. Leave a blog comment and share your Chrundy Thai Gorse salad experiments.

Day five-Tamarisk Farm-Dorset-UPDATED

2008-04-05T18:31:00.005+01:00

Tamarisk farm,West Bexington.
The sun filtered lazily through the dusty dappled leaves of the evergreen oak outside Tamarisk farm house. The house stood, mottled by the ever-changing light as it had for century’s. Solid, content and satisfied that it has played its part well in making the farm what it is now. Joined to the shrubby, scrubby, landscape that reaches down to the hard hitting sea with its line of dedicated fishermen; each a parody of the other.
Tamarisk Farm houses owners Arthur and Josephine Pearse are very similar to the home they have inhabited since the 1960s. With a gradual, functionalist approach they have learnt what the land will and will not do and have allowed this to dictate what they nurture and grow. Sticking to their organic principles, even though others didn’t necessarily agree with them for the last 47 years.
“We live as we thought we should live and so we grew organically. Having 6 children influenced what we did” adds Josephine.
Arthur answers when I question him about becoming a farmer that:
“We didn’t decide to become farmers. We decided to grow vegetables then Josephine who liked the animals decided to get some goats. The goats turned into cows and then the cows had more cows”
As I munch deep brown fruity homemade cake and sip strong tarry tea in this cosy farmhouse sitting-room I can’t help feel that time has stood still here. And that, that is no bad thing.
“People have become overwhelmed and meaning becomes concealed. We are a society full of materialism and consumerism” Says Arthur.
I can’t but help agree with him. We do seem to have lost touch with our surroundings and have lost the empathy we once had with the land. Ideals that Arthur and Josephine have not lost.
They have a caretaker approach to the land and when decades ago the government wanted to convert the area into a Nuclear power station they wrote to the National trust to see if they could help. The National Trust now owns and protects much of the surrounding area.
To be continued........................

Day four-Dorset beckons.We leave the Ashdown forest.

2008-04-04T20:55:00.009+01:00

Well, we left the wilds of the Ashdown forest today after we had consumed a mountain of fantastic sausages from Tablehurst farm served up with a side helping of deep green, buttery Ground Elder gathered from the very lane Ruby was parked up in. This lane ended a beautiful bridge where we played Pooh sticks with Oskar and our hosts little girl Holly. It was her Mum Katie who told us, nay, evangelised about the foodie Utopia that is the Ashdown forest. We were sorry to leave after being made to feel so welcome.

Recipe for Buttery Ground Elder

Gather your Ground elder, you will need about a good handful for each person. Rinse and place in a covered saucepan with a large knob of butter. Heat on the hob until the leaves have wilted about 4 or 5 minutes. Season with salt, black pepper and a dash of lemon juice. Yum.

D orset has always beckoned me with its wonderful balance of food from the land and sea. My family are originally from here and many of them are still here. It is where I was born. So, my next stop was at the home of my Shepherd cousin, Stephen and his partner Melitta a former commercial fisherwoman who has build her own family fishing boat. The farm Stephen works has 800 breeding ewes and most of them seem to be producing twin and triplets so Stephen certainly has his hands full. Last year the farm provided the nearby Village with 15 lambs as a thank you for putting up with the farm working all hours! Now that's a village to move to.

Stephen and Melitta, live with three border collies, two that work with the sheep and one pet. Melitta made us the best home grown rhubarb crumble with rhubarb from her Dads garden.

Recipe for Melittas Rhubarb crumble

Peel the tough bits off the rhubarb and chop into bit sized pieces, Place the rhubarb in a saucepan without water and stew until the rhubarb is soft and mushy Add plenty of sugar. This is a matter of taste, so add sugar until you like the ratio of sweetness to tartness. Make a normal crumble topping using: 180g (6 oz) plain flour, 90g (3 oz) butter, 90g (3 oz) sugar, Rub the flour into the butter until you get a breadcrumb consistency. Mix in some sugar to taste. Put the stewed rhubarb into an oven dish, including any liquid that has come off the rhubarb. Put the crumble mixture over the top and place into a oven at 190-200 degrees Celsius (gas mark 5) for 30-40 minutes. Once the top is golden brown serve. Preferably with thick Dorset cream.

Day three-biodynamic farm.

2008-04-03T16:39:00.003+01:00

Tablehurstfarm what an inspiring place. Full of run-away piglets, flushed friendly farm children and and is uniquely a bio-dynamic cooperative farm. The whole place is infused with rural wholesomeness.

Day two on the foodiemumontheroad tour.

2008-04-02T23:36:00.014+01:00

Today has been great! We've had supportive beeps as we wizzed around the wonderful countryside of the Ashdown forest searching for Harvest supplies. Amazingly we found it and what a treasure trove it is. It's easy to miss because the Ashdown forestry commision don't allow adverts or signs. After a local tip off we found a white log outside a lane with the words Harvest home. After creeping up the lane this is what we found.

A diamond in the rough. Daves shack is veiled in the glamour(?) of a sprawling tumble down shed. You'd be forgiven for thinking that it may give an ominous creak and collapes at any moment. But looks can be very deceiving. Inside is bright and clean and beautifully professional looking with helpful staff who know where every item comes from, and the majority of items are local. Daves shack began in 1985 and was set up by Dave Flintam. The supply wholesale, provide a box scheme, and stock and supply high quality, vegetarian,local, mainly organic food and health food products. It has a very welcoming feel and such a wonderful array of local veg I felt like a child in a sweet shop. With goodies like mustard leaf, fresh salsify,purslane, and a wonderful garlic and coriander tempah from Full of Beans I could have lived, cooked and realised foodie dreams there for a very, very, long time. Thank you to Dave, the driving spirit of Harvest supplies and to Sally (pictured with Dave) who was a font of local food knowledge and a very happy person!

Internet phone broken, Ruby's met Green Flag - UPDATED

2008-04-01T21:16:00.008+01:00

Drew and Dawn are writing for Jade as her technology is broken - OW!

They can't access the internet at the moment, Jade will be back online on Wednesday and.....

RUBY BROKE DOWN!

UPDATE-posted on April 2nd when internet access had been resumed.

Yes that’s right Ladies and Gentlemen, Ruby broke down! April Fool’s day certainly had lots of tricks to throw at us. Indeed it did.
Here's what happened......
We spent the morning frenziedly packing Ruby. Stuffing packets of herbs and spices in unlikely cubby holes and rushing back into the house numerous times to get 'useful', can't live without' items. Obviously we can live without them because I can't even remember what they are...and we are still very much alive.

At 11.30 Oskar’s preschool gave us a send off to be remembered. We chugged around the corner into the car park to be greeted by 12 expectant faces, twinkling with delight to see Red Ruby. With lots of giggles and shreeks of enjoyment the children clambered all over her, relishing in the fact that you can get a house on wheels. Oskar was a little sad to leave his group of friends but with all the children waving goodbye and Ruby, Ruby, RUUUBBBBY, blaring out from the stereo, he was grinning as soon as we were on the road.

Driving Ruby is a little like sailing, she tosses around like a boat. After an uneventful voyage we found ourselves on a Friendly club campsite in the Ashdown Forest, Sussex. We got ourselves set up, tried the mains electricity and agreed everything was in order. We decided to try and find Harvest Supplies. A.k.a Daves shack and turned the key in the ignition. Nothing. Nada. The engine didn't even try to turn over. The obvious ploy of tricking the engine into life by trying the key again and again didn't work . Thinking the worst (there was talk of starter motors) we called Green flag our break down service. They arrived within 3/4 hour and Magic Tony as he will now affectionately be known pin pointed the problem and within minutes had rectified it. The battery was flat, our fridge had drained it. We thought it was using the separate leisure battery, but oh no. Didn't we feel foolish. Thank you Tony for getting us on the road!

Well as the saying goes:

‘Ships are safest in the harbour, but that’s not what ships are made for.’

So off we set again to try and find Harvest Supplies. It would be easier to find a heffalump...and when we got back to the campsite we found the engine door had been left hanging wide open the whole trip.....

Tired after all of the tricks April 1st had played on us we battoned down the hatches in Ruby and I tried to access the internet using Jasons splendid new internet phone to update the foodiemumontheroad blog. April the 1st had one more trick to play on us. No battery? No problem, I’ll just use the charger. Sadly the charger was notable in its absence and a decoy one had been packed in its place. Humf.

The hunt for Harvest supplies continues tomorrow amid the beautiful playground of Gorse lined Winnie the Pooh country. See you then!

Off tomorrow and the wave off.

2008-03-31T20:51:00.005+01:00

How excited are we? Well, out of the whole Foodiemumontheroad, we've had the Mum (me), we've had a bit of the road (Ruby and her exploits), and now we are going to have the food(ie)! Tomorrow is our first day of the Foodiemumontheroad tour and we are heading from leafy Buckinghamshire to rural Sussex; the Ashdown forest to be precise (http://www.ashdownforest.org/). The home of Pooh bear...and while we won't be hunting heffalumps, we should be able to hunt down a few good foodie pit stops. Number one on my list is Harvest Supplies which, according to a reliable source (my friend Katie who lives in the aforementioned Forest) is:

"A shack in the Woods. Literally. No sign, you come across it looming out of the trees like an African Trading Post. Fruit and Veg delivery and the best groceries (Gluten-free bread and cake to sushi nori via home-brewed cider)."

With a description like that who can refuse a visit. Thanks Katie!

Tomorrow we are going to be waved off by Oskar's preschool friends. They've all been very enthusiastic about our trip. Mums and Dads have been enquiring about our preparations and taking us to one side to tell us that their secret hobby is collecting anything to do with VW campers: money boxes, keyrings, mugs.... The children are going to have a Foodiemumontheroad corner in the preschool where they will follow our trip. I'm going armed with maps and tiny Ruby cut outs for them and as I've finally managed to get the bunks up I'm hoping they will be crawling all over them and the van with the glee that only 3 year-olds can have. Waved off by 12 gorgeous toddlers, how can our foodiemumontheroad trip be anything but full of the same honest open eyed enjoyment and exploration. I know I'm going to try and make it so.

Thanks have to go out to our wonderful neighbours: Tina and Mike-again; Debs and Tom; Amy, Taya the wonderdog and Richard (of http://www.the-drawingroom.co.uk/ fame) who all jumped into the 'looking after the cats and chickens' breach after the original arrangement fell through.
Thanks also to Jon and Jon (ha ha) from the Carphone Warehouse Chesham who spent hours working out how to connect a reluctant computer to a reluctant mobile phone to the semi-reluctant Internet.

Day 1 tomorrow. See you on the other side.

First day of summer

2008-03-30T22:44:00.013+01:00

Ooo I'm so tired. I've had a fabulous first day of summer working on Ruby all day. So many stories and wonderful tales to tell, but for now some photos of today will have to suffice. 1 day to go!

My puny arms and will we be able to leave on Tuesday?

2008-03-28T19:29:00.005Z

My arms feel so puny. I've been locked in Ruby putting up the spare bunk beds. I borrowed a cordless drill from some neighbours (thank you Mike and Tina) and used the last few threads of twilight to drill away into our crimson and cream pride and joy. The trick seems to be to tap on her metallic Vdub skeleton until you find a patch that sounds hollow and then to drill away until it lunges forward. I then lurch back and try to regain some sense of womanly decorum about the whole matter. Seems to be working though...I've nearly got one bunk up.
We've regained Rube from the Auto electrics and as it’s now a matter of urgency drove her straight to the garage for the full works. Service, replacement door panels and seals, Oh my. There she stayed for a night and a day until we thought we'd chase them up and see how it was all going. It wasn't. Jack the super VW camper expert has been taken ill and nothing at all is going to happen until this Monday. We LEAVE on Tuesday. We WILL leave on Tuesday.WE WILL, WE WILL, WE WILL!

No longer a hostage and disapointing pine nuts

2008-03-25T14:21:00.006Z

Well, I went round to the Auto electrics today with the heavy’s (Jason) to demand Old Ruby back. Initially I was concerned, there was a big brute of a German Sheppard making himself known. After the overzealous hard working furry brute had been silenced with a hard look from the owner, I questioned why Ruby had been held hostage over the weekend and why hadn't I received the call they promised me? Wasn't I surprised when they were helpful and considerate and said they would have the job done by 2pm tomorrow. They were repentant that they hadn’t rung me but there had been a personal emergency. I toed the floor a bit and asked some, what I thought were knowledgeable electrical questions, then left, feeling like there had been a bit of an anticlimax to this whole hostage situation. I was expecting inept sparkies with feeble excuses and a bit of a battle and I got an auto electrician with a damned decent excuse and very professional manner.

Then with a view to getting Ruby sorted out once and for all we headed over to the garage where we were met by a large grey and white dog with a dubious curly haircut. Who runs these establishments? People or extraordinarily large woofers? Anyway they are taking Ruby in after the Auto electrics have finished with her tomorrow and will fit new panels to the rusty bottom of her side doors, replace the door seals and give her a service. I think Ruby is a little like a glamorous old lady who visits the doctor and health spa for regular health checks and pampering and isn't above having a little 'work' done.

I found a pine tree; I checked the pine nuts were probably edible on (www.pfaf.org). I heated the pinecone to release the nuts and found them to be....minuscule. They tasted mildly of burnt paper. Bit of a letdown to be honest. I think I'll look for more substantial pine cones in the future...or eat some burnt paper!

Stingers and the old gal (Ruby)

2008-03-22T20:21:00.016Z

It's now a bit of a wild food cliché, but have you noticed those tender young nettles lurking under the hedgerows? The leaves are so small and green, hopeful and babyfied. Use them cooked any where you would use greens. Baby veg from the supermarket isn't sold at a premium for any old reason: baby vegetables (and that includes nettles) are sweet and succulent and baby nettles have a beautiful fresh green ferrous taste. They may be a bit scary and stingy but just pop those babies into a steamer or boiling water for 5-10 minutes and you won't regret it.

Many of you have asked for more pictures of Ruby. I've managed to take a few snap shots by sneaking into the auto electrics yard. We hope she is going to be released from the camper van hostage takers on Tuesday but who knows? They haven't contacted us....Easter egg eating, camper van forgetting...um.. auto sparkies! Ooo I'm so huffy they've not contacted us. If you look at the blog slideshow you'll see a few of those snap shots, but for now here's a handful of pictures so you can see what she was like when we bought her from a lovely old man in Dorset.

Comments please!

2008-03-21T13:48:00.001Z

Hello everybody, you can now leave comments after each post. Start commenting and be part of foodiemumontheroad.

Egg no show and Ruby has been taken hostage.

2008-03-20T18:52:00.002Z

I have concerns. No eggs today. The chickens have stopped laying and the Auto electrics are holding Ruby hostage. The poor old lady is still there and all the auto 'leci men have gone home to eat Easter eggs without informing us they were going to do so. I've left numerous messages and they have the keys. She's a beautiful girl I know, and I can see why they want to hold onto her, but she was meant to go to the garage for her service today.
Egg no show, Ruby hostage, dark times indeed.
Less than 2 weeks to go and Ruby still has no heating and her door seals leak. Hurm, are we going to do it in time?

Auto electrics and pine cones.

2008-03-17T17:53:00.004Z

Poor ol' Rube is at the Auto Electrics. Forlorn in the car park. Practically abandoned to the whims of these 'leci philes. They were very helpful actually and promised to fit her in between jobs. She'll be back on Wednesday with her leisure battery in her engine bay...like all good campers should. The leisure battery is what we run the fridge and the like off when we can 't plug in to the camping mains. We're starting to get really excited about the trip and Oskar is telling everyone that he is going to sleep in a vw camper van. It's very cute when a 3 year old says it.
I've been reading the SAS survival handbook and have discovered that you can eat pine cone seeds. You heat the cone, the seeds drop out, then you munch them. Apparently you can eat the bark as well....I have to try this and report back to you. I'd like to try them in a warm, crumbly, goats cheese salad.
I've had pine needle tea, which is beautiful and fragrant and with a wonderfully fresh taste. Just infuse the pine needles in hot water for 5 minutes and drink. Nice to have a refreshing cuppa.

Theme music

2008-03-15T22:29:00.002Z

I've currently got RUBY, RUBY, RUBY, RUUUBY...DA DAA DA Da DA DA DAAAA...(www.am az on.co.uk/Ruby-Kaiser-Chiefs/dp/B000MRA88K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1205620423&sr=1-1) on the iPod. I'm imagining us zooming along country lanes singing at the top of our lungs to this; with me screeching "stop the Ruby" at the first yummy piece of wild food I see...I'm still on the look out for Morel mushrooms. I've not found one yet. The route seems to be planed. It involves English vineyards, Biodynamic farmers, Oysters, goose farms, Tudor cooks, the northern most producers of chillies (ww w.treescantdance.co.uk/) and Holy Island

Article published in Chesham Towntalk magazine (Autumn 2007)

2008-03-13T15:58:00.004Z

Fungi Fun

By Jade Parsonage

It's been another bumper year for all things fungi. The brief spells of hot weather and the amazing down pours have created just the right environment for a multitude of mushroomy offerings scattered around the Chesham countryside..

In Chesham we are quite open to the idea of eating interesting foods. Probably because although we live in a country market town we are reasonably cosmopolitan with a wonderful array of cultures who don't think it's unusual to go foraging for wild mushrooms. Why not? They are there for the picking, free more diverse and fresher than anything you could get from the shops.
As a nation we used to be braver when it came to pick your own wild mushrooms but somehow we have become increasingly reliant on supermarkets to make this decision for us. The knowledge of which mushrooms are ok to eat is being lost to all but the enthusiastic few.

In France you can take your fungi finds to your local pharmacy to be identified. I can't see the lovely pharmacists in Garlicks, Boots or any of the Chesham chemists being quite so open to the idea but I would openly encourage it!

Other countries are much more excepting more unusual fungi than we are. In Munich you can buy over 300 separate species of fungi in the markets and in France 30 wild fungi species are sold commercially.

The U.K gets through 30,000 tons of cultivated mushrooms every year. Why cultivate them when you can gather them for free?

Before exploring anywhere you must make sure that you have the permission of the landowner and take a good mushroom reference guide with you. I prefer 'Mushrooms and other fungi of Great Britain' by Roger Phillips for its clear photographs and no nonsense approach.

Only harvest fungi that satisfy all the specifications for season, size, colour environment in your field guide. You'll find that your confidence identifying edible specimens will grow with practise and you will also find indentify the best places to find them.

The National trusts Ashridge estate runs fungi forays and apart from being great fun they are a remarkable way to learn the relevant features of each fungi group and boost your confidence.

Other countries are much more excepting of other fungus than we are. In Munich you can buy over 300 separate species of fungi in the markets and in France 30 wild fungi species are sold commercially.

It's worth pointing out that although mushrooms need to be treated with caution, out of the 3000 or so species of large bodied fungi found in the U.K only 20 or so of these are seriously poisonous.

You can find mushrooms in a wide range of habitats around Chesham. Scour your own garden, the Moor, Chesham bois woods, Lowndes Park and Nashleigh rec. Just start looking and trying to identify them. Soon you'll realise that they are all around you and sometimes in the oddest of places. On old park benches for example. Camera phones are also useful for preliminary identification. Make the most of this fabulous time of year and go mushroom hunting. Even better take the kids along.

Drying mushrooms.

Drying is one of the oldest and best methods of preserving mushrooms and useful in times of abundance. My shelves are absolutely burdened by an assortment of dried mushrooms. They reconstitute well when soaked in warm water or you can add them dried to soups, stews and casseroles. It's very easy to do.

Ensure your edible fungi are clean (and are edible!)

Arrange them on a baking tray

Small or thin mushrooms can be dried at 50 degrees c for a couple of hours and larger offerings can be dried at 70 degrees. Of course you can cut them up.

Alternatively, thread string through them and hang them up in your airing cupboard until dried. This can make the room smell a bit mushroomy though!

Jades' Wild mushroom relish

This is a hybrid recipe combining a recipe for 'Mushroom Catchup' by Kettilby who wrote down 300 odd recipes in the 18^th Century and Mushroom pickle from 'Complete Home cookery' published by Fleetway house. It's a really meaty flavoursome relish that's a great warming snack on hot buttered toast after one of those wonderful chilly Autumnal walks. Even better, it keeps for at least a year, getting better as it matures and after you have eaten it all you can use the residual vinegar as an out of the world salad dressing. I've made it many times and it always works well. Use any edible mushrooms except ink caps as they seem to dissolve to nothing.

On a low heat put 200g of wild mushrooms in a saucepan with a small handful of salt. A lot of liquid will come out of the mushrooms. Cook them over a low heat until the liquid has evaporated. Add a 100g of chopped shallots, 2 cloves of garlic (or a large handful of chopped wild garlic), a teaspoon of crushed black pepper, a thumb sized nugget of fresh ginger, roughly chopped, a dozen cloves, a few blades of mace and a bay leaf. Cover the mixture with vinegar and bring the whole lot to the boil for a few minutes. Allow to cold slightly before pouring into jars.

Have fun foraging for your fungi and remember to 'identify, identify, identify.'

For more information Ashridges fungi forays phone: 01494 755557 or look at their website www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-ashridgeestate/ and for more mushroom recipe ideas look at www.mushroom-uk.com

Box mountain and misbehaving carpets

2008-03-13T15:22:00.000Z

Heeerm.... I think Jason might have something to say about the huge mountain of cardboard boxes that are currently spanning half of the living room. These are all of the those must have items from http://www.justkampers.co.uk/. They're useful, THEY'RE USEFUL! Admittedly the big chrome vw badge for the front of Ruby isn't absolutely necessary but she wanted one. All the other cool campers have them.

I've been fitting Rubys new carpet . Why is it that I always attempt tricky jobs using the most ludicrous items? Rubys carpet has been cut to fit using a small kitchen knife and a tiny blunt craft knife. Parts of her interior have been painted using a large clumsy childrens poster paint brush. I think I should be more professional. I'm just not doing the old girl justice. It doesn't help that the carpet trys to pounce on me when I'm working on it. Is all carpet so unweildy?

She's going in to have a service tomorrow...I don't think the garage know what they've let themselves in for. At least justkampers have sent us a user manual now perhaps they can just follow that.

The chickens have been running around the garden today and are now sitting sulking under the climbing frame with big clods of mud attached to their big fluffy feathery pantaloons. I guess they didn't count on it raining while they were having a much deserved dust (mud) bath. Funny girls. Rosie the has laid pretty much everyday since we got her. She's tiny and white like a chicken ballerina and lays pure white beautifully rounded eggs. Tarantula is built like a chicken Lancaster bomber and is incredibly fluffy. She made our day recently when she started laying her long thin dark mahogany eggs again. Incase you are wondering. Oskar named the hens.

I'm off to scale cardboard box mountain...just over 2 weeks before we go!

200 year old Cornish cookbook and spray paint.

2008-03-12T19:25:00.001Z

Wow, good news a friend of a friend, has a friend who has a 200 year old cookbook. Apparently it’s a tome of a book and they are going to email over a few scanned pics of it. Definitely worth a visit to Cornwall me thinks to try 200 year old recipes in the comfort of old Ruby the van. What did they eat then? I wonder who wrote it? Can I find the ingredients locally? Exciting stuff.
Today I've been spray painting the fitted cupboards in old Ruby. I now wish that I hadn't started spray painting them after getting half way through and developing an assortment spray paint related blisters on my fingers...I thought I had it sussed by using my thumb instead but..well you can guess the rest.
I've started fitting the carpet (recycled from next door-thanks Adrian) but had to stop when realised I could no longer see the extra sharp pointy knife I was using. Still it looks good by the light of the orange street lamp outside. Albeit dark and orangey.
It's quite a lot of fun working in the van in a gale..I hope Ruby doesn't get blown over. I think that even with my new spray paint fumes induced strength I couldn't get her up again. Wish I'd used an eco friendly paint now:(
Ahhhh off to have a well earned yarrow tea. Nice to see the little fronds back in the garden.