Today has been varied to say the least

Today started a little later than usual - OH is normally out of bed for 6am and out the house for 7am. This morning he had a bit of a lay in before actually going in to work to do some overtime.  He chose not to walk Missy and asked me to deal with her routine.  Dog in a massive sulk and I had intended having another half an hour lay in but that was not to be.  In the end I got up and let her out and then started pottering in the garden and have potted some more plants up including tomatoes and cucumber both grown from seed.  So pretty pleased about that.

OH had asked that I be ready to go out at 12:30pm as he wanted to try out a new Butchers in Sawtry called the Butchers Blade as he could get Fruit Pig black pudding from there.  There is a story here in that my step son and his wife and sister and children went to Hunstanton for a week and whilst there came across produce from a local Butcher which he said was absolutely delicious.  He bought OH some white pudding back which he said was very tasty, but Black Pudding is his favourite.  As he kept raving about this we looked on the Fruit Pig website which is https://www.fruitpig.co.uk/.  The nearest Butcher to us selling their produce was The Butcher's Blade at Sawtry.

I was therefore taken aback a little when OH arrived home for 11am - apparently because the Butcher closes at 1pm.  So he had finished early to come and pick me up so that we could get over there in good time.

Their website is:

The Butcher's Blade 

https://www.bigbarn.co.uk/producer/sawtry/the-butchers-blade-25923/

I must say that it is the tiniest butcher's shop I have been into.  However the place was absolutely spotless and they had all sorts of proper goodies available in the shop itself.  We had initially gone for the black pudding and we were able to buy the last of his stock today but we also came away with his home made smoked sausages Mediterranean smoked sausage, and his take on Cumberland sausage, a ham and leek pie, half a haslet, pate, pork pie, smoked bacon, a dry aged topside joint and some cheeses Rutland Red, smoked Brie and Stilton.  The quality of the meat is superb we have already had the smoked sausage and also the Mediterranean sausage cooked on the barbecue together with the black pudding.  The black pudding is made from proper blood not powdered blood, is nicely seasoned and although I am not a black pudding fan OH is I would quite happily have a little of this as it was so tasty. Everything very well seasoned as well.  I have also signed a petition on line to get cooking back into the schools so perhaps you might also like to add your name to the link given.  Cooking is a life skill and should be available to all not for just six weeks here and there but every week for a minimum of four hours. (three hour practical cooking period and one hour preparation).  What is even more impressive is that they use wrapping paper and paper bags to wrap the produce in.  Very green.

We are going to try the other produce we have bought as well and will come back and report on the same but what we have had so far is absolutely superb.  We are already eying up one of the Rib of Beef for part of our Christmas celebrations this year.

On the way back home we stopped at Harvest Barn where I picked up some different bread flours and some herbs i.e. sweet cicely and also aniseed which I did not have.  I was also treated to a couple of large flavoured meringues Raspberry and then Mango and Passion Fruit.

I also had to nip into Wilkinsons on the way home to get some stain remover and also fabric conditioner.  I came back with two reduced tomato plants as well which are now on the hanging brackets outside the kitchen window.

It has been raining on and off all day and in between the showers we managed to barbecue our sausages and black pudding.  It has gone a little chilly and as I was getting cold I have popped a jumper on as my arms had gone cold.  We very much need the rain but I have a lot of stuff to do in the coming weeks.

Right had better get a wriggle on lots to do.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

x

Update:  Pork pie absolutely delicious.  It is second in line with the Franks Pork pie being numero uno with The Butcher's Knife pork pie in second position.  Very tasty and the pastry was nice.

The smoked back bacon was lush and the Dry aged beef was to die for.  It is not cheap but lovely to have a treat every so often.