TARRAGON & THYME

I am now home, finished work for 2014  a time for reflection.  Tonight is New Year's Eve and tomorrow is a brand new page, a new script a New Year.  We are the authors of our own success we will decide what goes on the page although sometimes serendipity lends a hand.  May blessings follow you all through the year to come and may I thank each one of you personally for following my blog and contributing and allowing me a voice. These past few mornings as I have been walking into work has reminded me of when I was a little girl and we lived in Uppingham.  I remember Winters being cold and bitter nearly always white and most mornings we got up to a scenic white icing covered panorama which made everything look ghostly and etheral. And the cold was bitter really bone chilling bitter like it has been for the past few days.  Then we had one coal fire to huddle around to keep warm and to sit and dream in front of and it was in Winters such as these that I dev...

I a very chuffed to have a freezer again - I did not realise just how much I had missed having one. Today I have been lucky enough to find at my local shop six punnets of red plums which would normally be about £1 apiece reduced to 25p per punnet. Its lovely to be able to take advantage of items like this as now I have somewhere to put them.  I have for the time being therefore frozen them whole.  They will come in useful either for some Jam, chutney or a pudding but at that kind of price you cannot refuse to sniff at them.  There is always something you can do and I had thought about a mixed plum and other fruit compote (thinking with the addition of Raspberries, blueberries and maybe a few strawberries here) cooked down to a puree and then either served with some vanilla ice cream either as a hot or cold compote; or maybe drizzled all over a sponge flan base, topped with ice cream and then meringue and then baked in the oven to brown the meringue (Baked Alaska) now...

I nipped into Lakeland whilst I was in town yesterday and fell lucky.  When Lakeland introduced their new catalogue I pored over the book and decided on a couple of items  I could afford and/or would like - and sometimes I manage to get things and other times zilch.  Its the luck of the draw really. When I went into the shop yesterday I was specifically looking for two items; the Pannetone pan and the Stollen pan.  Both had been advertised earlier on at £15 each which I decided was a little too rich for my pocket but nevertheless if I came across them with a reasonable reduction on them then that was a different matter for consideration entirely.  At first I could not locate them but then on the way out of the shop I espied them under a counter.  Both had been reduced to half price and so I came away with them, and my new book salt, sugar and smoke which I have covered under a separate post. So sometimes if you wait circumstances change and enable that ...

I first spotted this book by Diana Henry in Lakeland in the run up to Christmas it was on offer then at around £12 or so and I ummhed and arrghed over whether to buy it or not.  However yesterday I noted that it was down to £10.49 so I nabbed a copy and I am so glad that I did.   Not only does it have some very different recipes but it is a very good read about personal hands on experience testing the boundaries of preserving methods.  A woman after my own heart.  So if like me you are passionate about preserving and putting good food on your family's table this tome is one that needs to sit firmly on your bookshelf.  I have only read a little way through it so far but it is a wonderful mix of recipes, hands on experience, lovely anecdotal stories with plenty of reassurance and simplified instructions for how to start to learn to preserve for yourself I am looking forward to reading more over the next few days or so. There are some lovely recipes....

Pardon me but I thought we were still celebrating Christmas but to my horror yesterday,(Saturday) there perched in a prominent place in my local store was a Cadburys stand for Cadbury's Easter Eggs! Needless to say whilst at the Co-Op (the store in question) I did manage to pick up another beef joint and two pork shoulder joints for just under £15.  They have therefore been squirelled away in the freezer.  I am slowly getting bits and bobs here and there and filling up a bit at a time. At the end of the month (January) I intend to go to ABC Meats http://www.abcqualitymeats.co.uk/ for minted lamb chops, chinese style chicken and pork garlic chicken, stewing steak, chicken breasts, sausages, bacon, lamb chops, And also Hyperama (Cash n Carry) for  Pork bellies so that we can do some rolled stuffed pork belly joints for Sunday dinner which are a big favourite  I am also quite keen to have a go at preparing my own pastrami, Salami and Pork pies.  Will have...

Both OH and I like smoked Salmon and Gravadlax - OH does not like tinned salmon but likes tinned Tuna and fresh Tuna I am not keen on fresh Tuna.  Having said that I have had it in mind for sometime that I wanted to have a go at making my own Gravadlax.  This Christmas whilst in Morrisons we came upon an offer for a whole Salmon  which we had filleted by the Fishmonger.We took out the bones with a pair of tweezers at home. I have several recipes in various cookbooks but in the end I used this recipe on: http://www.gnolls.org/1887/the-best-gravlax-recipe-on-the-internet/  I had it in my head that this is quite complicated but in actual fact it was a lot easier in practice and the tip about using cling film actually works extremely well. It was good to try something new. And if I do say so myself it is lovely.  As the fish was about 4lbs in weight once filleted we have ended up with loads of Gravadlax but the beauty of this recipe is that any exce...

 This is the freezer I have gone for from ao.com http://ao.com/product/EC4201AOW-Electrolux-Chest-Freezer-White-27173.aspx I now have a challenge for now and into  the New Year of re-stocking the freezer so that we have a variety of meals available to us.  I have never ever been without a full size chest freezer since I was 19 years of age and this last year has been difficult to say the least as I was used to squirreling all sorts of goodies away to help with quick meals, variety in meals available to us.  Being budget conscious i.e.getting maximum usage out of ingredients i.e. making my own stocks and gravies out of next to nothing being prime among those reasons.  A good basis of home made stock makes lovely soup and if you freeze some of the stock in individual ice cube trays one or two cubes can be added to home made gravy; and if you use home roasted veggies which are slightly past their best, cook them and then pop them through a sieve this can then ...

We have had a very quiet Christmas so far - just OH and I yesterday.  We normally have a Turkey for Christmas Day dinner but this year we tried a Turkey bomb.  Very nice really enjoyed it but we will be returning the full sized Turkey next year.  The Turkey bomb though would be ideal for a large family gathering. Today my mum should have been with us unfortunately OH is full of cold and so we have had to put her off coming - we do not want her being poorly as well. [my mum like myself because of a wonky immune system does not need to be near anyone with a cold as what would be a mild cold for everyone else always ends up double whammy for us].  However that being said I hate being practical because it is letting her down; although I know it is the best thing to do in the long run - a heart versus head situation; it doesn't make it any easier.  Fortunately OH seems a bit easier than he was so fingers crossed for Sunday going ahead. The house is warm and ...

Merry Christmas everyone here's hoping that it is a peaceful happy one. Pattypan x

As a little girl I would regularly be taken to see "Santa Claus" usually at Mawer and Collingham's store in Lincoln and of course in those days they used to take photos of the special moment.  I have one of those photos probably like many other children a black and white photo with a white curly haired old gentleman.  Me sporting a little blue bonnet to match my coat and it also had a little matching muff to pop my hands into and being given a present.   Much was always made of Christmas when we were growing up.  My father believed in imagination and being able to use it.  He took every opportunity to make us use it and there are several incidents where great concern was shown by us because he had us believing and eating out of his hand.  The innocence of children.  Saying that my Dad and my Granddad (Pop) loved and enjoyed their children.  We were never a bother and we were enjoyed.  There was always loving support and encouragemen...

Now it is the season for fairy stories, fantasies pantomime and lots of imagination so do bear with the writer's over excessive story telling and over embellishing but the facts of the story are very true.  We all need a bit of pantomime in our lives occasionally - not that I am a drama Queen! Once upon a time Pattypan and her OH, Gee visited a big electrical outlet called Currys as we needed a specific scart cable and some other consumables to get the best out of some pre-existing equipment in the house.  Pattypan browsed the kitchen equipment whilst Gee dealt with his consumables and then Gee came back to meet her.  Pattypan had been interested in a Hotpoint Steam Blender for  little while and a hand blender and selection of tools and we had initially looked in the Hotpoint shop but by the time we had saved up they did not have any in stock. Gee noticed that there was a Managers special on the equipment and a lot cheaper than we had budgeted for and so we ...

The shortest day, celebrated generation to generation since time immemorial. Marked by past festivals of differing names and by different cultures all reverent of the turning season and the nurturing of the soil and plotting of crops to suit the sun and the moon. A beautiful sunset and howling winds rattling down the chimney stack and making the grotty gas fire in the front room rattle like a wailing banshee she is just playing at the moment, playing chase down any little hole or cavity she can enter and then whoosh she is off again to dance another dance Tonight's sunset was beautiful and no matter how hard I tried to take some photos with my mobile phone what I was seeing through the lens and what came out on the phone really bore no similarity.  You can just about see the pink glow with the trees in silhouette. The wheel has turned again and we have a new moon to boot. They have not really come out as well as I would have expected.  Never mind back to the...

For those of you who want to have a go at a Whisked Sponge Recipe this is the recipe I use.  I also use this for a swiss roll  for a chocolate log or Buche de Noel, and a flan sponge case  The recipe gives instructions as to how to process if you do not have an electric mixer.  I am lucky in that I have a Kenwood Chef and it whisks this up in no time at all. 3oz self raising flour 3 large eggs 3oz caster sugar 1 tablespoon of hot water To finish Either jam and Icing sugar or Fresh whipped double cream and either fresh, tinned or frozen fruit Cooking time 15 to 20 minutes Oven setting 180 degrees C, 350 degrees F and Gas Mark 4 Before you start grease and line the bases with greaseproof discs of two 7 inch sandwich tins. Sieve the flour twice onto some greaseproof paper or use a plate.  Put the eggs and sugar into a bowl [if mixing by hand you must put this mixture over a pan of hot water] but there is no need to do this if using an elec...

Now this is really speaking to me.  Think I may have to give this one a go!  All that white chocolate, seasonal clementines and orange liqueur and cream - blow the waste line sometimes there are things that a girl just has to do! http://www.morrisonsmag.co.uk/december_2013/clementine_white_chocolate_trifle Yummy or what But then again I might make a home made (Pattypan take on a version of Black Forest Gateau)  OHs favourite;   During the summer II preserved some Morello cherries in syrup with added Kirsch having in mind Christmas and preparing a pudding that OH would like and not only that these cherries are just begging to be used in this way.  I also have some Morello Cherry jam.  What I thought I would do is make a couple of whisked chocolate sponge cakes round ones cook them and let them cool.  When cool the construction part begins.  to start with I drain thethe Cherries in Kirsch then drizzle a little of the syrup on each ...

Its been a bit hectic here for the past few days; I scrubbed the kitchen and the bathroom out completely- the really deep clean - with having animals in the house you cannot be too careful -  and sorted out a load of rubbish to boot  we have to go to the tip tomorrow as a result.  The washing machine man came and sorted out my washing machine out putting in a new drum and block.  So I am now up and running working my way through a fortnight's worth of washing and it is slowly getting done and dried. Today we had an early start as my new freezer arrived a 400 litre chest freezer and I have also popped some of today's purchases in as well as emptying and re-decanting frozen items from the upright which has jut about packed up as well.  Its brilliant - the new one that is.  OH and I went round Waitrose last evening ostensibly just for one or two items but having a good recce of their frozen section as well which was very interesting one or two items a...

OH works for Hotpoint Indesit and for the past couple of years he has come home at Christmas with a present from the Company and it arrives in a plain brown string handled box just like this. Inside that box (which is quite heavy) there is a Panettone (lovely for bread and butter pudding this one has the peel in it) and there is nothing quite like bread and butter pudding in the cold winter months.  Interestingly enough bread and butter pudding was off my eat list as a child but now it is one of my favourites along with steamed Treacle Sponge. A bag of Cantucci sweet almond biscuits which we eat as they are or in a trifle soaked with a little sherry or Amaretto or Tiramisu or Lemoncello pudding and two bars of proper Italian Touronne nougat which is to die for one chocolate and one plain.   It is a hard nougat but once you start eating it, it goes all soft and chewy . Its a super pressie and every member of staff gets one. Next year may be diffe...

Today's finds: This little clock which is ideal for my bedroom and goes with my bedroom furniture which is solid pine.  The print is pretty and the right colourways for my bedroom. A really pretty immaculately embroidered tablecloth which will look lovely over a little octagonal table I have in my room (its a job in waiting as I intend to paint it cream). So happy with these finds There are more to come. Take care Pattypan x

Its an odd combination but one that holds resonance for me.  It's that time of year again -  nearly Christmas and as usual for this time of year for me I have been thinking of those no longer with us and their little customs, idiosyncrasies, traditions and humour. Remembering them in my own little ways never forgetting them and still missing them.   This was the time of year that we used to go to my grandparents as it was the time that the family got together.  We would travel from Oakham and then Uppingham to my grandparents' home usually there had been heavy snowfall and we used to be wrapped in blankets and would be singing all the way to my grandparents' home at night and then be bundled in front of the fire given something nice and hot to drink and something to eat and then bed.   It wasn't just the family that congregated there would be Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, Second Cousins from both paternal and maternal sides of the family.  There would ...

I have had a really bad cold and raging toothache since the weekend and ended up having to miss the Christmas party I intended to go to because I couldn't eat very  much was full of cold and in agony with the tooth.  I chipped a back one which I have been to the dentist for and had a filling added but I know my teeth I do not think it will be long before I lose it completely.  The washing machine also packed up a fortnight ago and the Engineer is due first thing on Friday morning it has to have a new block and drum in it.  I am also in the pros of deep cleaning the house although hampered by no washing machine; but I am slowly getting there.   Shopping with mother on Friday and Saturday. Decorations at the weekend (I had planned on doing last Sunday but something else got in the way).   It all goes to make life interesting. I have a new chest freezer arriving on Saturday morning There is also the main food shopping trip to do A couple of la...

 I have a habit of finding projects that I would like to have a go at and then lose the information with the link on it.  Very frustrating and time consuming.  Therefore to make life easier for me and to be more time efficient, I therefore thought I would prepare a quick check list of those items that I am interested in, in the one spot so that I can find them when I want them.  There might be something there that you might like to have a go at too. I will add to it as I find something of interest. http://www.prima.co.uk/craft/patchwork-throw http://www.prima.co.uk/craft/how-to-knit-a-scarf http://www.prima.co.uk/craft/christmas-knitting-pattern http://www.prima.co.uk/craft/how-to-knit-a-blanket http://www.prima.co.uk/craft/how-to-knit-a-spring-jacket  http://www.prima.co.uk/craft/knitting-a-scandinavian-jumper   http://www.prima.co.uk/craft/wrapover-jacket-knitting-pattern   http://www.prima.co.uk/craft/sweater-knitting-patt...

I was looking for Christmas decorations this morning and in my hunt I ended up finding a bag full of lots of bits and pieces that quite literally I had forgotten about namely some buttons and beads that I had purchased earlier in the year and pots and pots of seed beads and buttons.  From time to time I enjoy playing a little - I wish I had time to play more seriously but there are so many things I am into and yet there are only so many hours in the day.  Something has to give and unfortunately it is the crafts at the moment but I intend to try and make more time in the New Year to have a play day every so often - that's the hope anyway. I have lots of lovely beading and jewellery books that I have gathered over the years and in the following book there are several patterns that I would actually like to make for myself as well as for Christmas presents.  Next year I intend to start making a few things and popping them up gradually allowing myself more time to do thin...

At this time of year, you need something simple to make which can be made in advance and in bulk and then frozen to save time.  Something simple like homemade bread sauce which gives a lot of flavour to meat.  Once frozen all you need to do is liberate a pot from the freezer.  I am talking about Bread sauce - some people know about this, others do not This is something that is and has been regularly served up by my paternal family, subsequently my birth family, and myself with roast chicken as it adds a different dimension and a lot of flavour to a roast chicken meal.  My partner's family had never come across it either (he is particularly taken with it).   It is wonderful if served with sage and onion stuffing (with sausage meat in) as well. I call bread sauce, stuffings and Yorkshire Puddings "padder outers" as they add more to the plate, give lots of flavour and use up a valuable commodity i.e., bread, which may othe...