TARRAGON & THYME

Busy, Busy, Busy.  It is how I like things generally speaking although I do like to come up for air and do something different.  Things are likely to be very busy until Christmas. Wednesday Yesterday was a fighting day.  Everything I touched ended up taking me in a different direction and then G wanted some assistance with something, so I may as well not have bothered at all as not much achieved.   Today however: G ordered proper Cornish Pasties from a company in Cornwall called "Proper Job".  They arrived this morning, were frozen and we had eight traditional Beef Skirt Pasties arrive with four Sausage Rolls.  I quickly got those out of their packing which was excellent, plenty of cold bags that were still frozen in a Polystyrene container.  I can recycle this for taking cold stuff down to the caravan or using it for growing seedlings in the greenhouse for an early start.  The ice bags can also be re-used and re-frozen so ideal for taking st...

 on the Kitchen front, simply because I decided I needed to go to Waitrose and do a bit of shopping to add a bit more to the Pantry shelf. It is not the only shopping excursion I have planned for the week. I decided to go and do a little now whilst it was quieter and later in the week when the shelves are topped up a bit more, probably Thursday to get the rest. I have mentioned before that every year I do try and get the majority of stuff in by the beginning of December (a lot of the nitty gritty but not necessarily everything).  I have noticed since Covid, that a lot of the shelves are not stocked as well between the shops (or should I say as well as they used to be) Monday to probably early Thursday there is stuff out but not as much depending on what time of day you go. I went early afternoon after 2:00pm.  Cannot blame the supermarkets or Butchers for that bearing in mind that they do not want to waste things.  I did not get everything I wanted to get today....

Sunday   I have been in the kitchen today and managed to get a lot of stuff done.  However, still not enough to complete it and because the kitchen is a "busy room", I am intent on getting it done and dusted as best as I can before I even go into the Pantry again.  In reality I am about halfway along the kitchen having done loads of washing and wiping down as I go, as well as the constant washing pile and having to feed the big hungry monster to get things lovely and clean.  Sometimes it seems never-ending. In reality, rather than doing the kitchen, I would rather be sorting things in the Pantry. Realistically though, dealing with the kitchen first is the best way to deal with things overall. Monday Another busy day.  Still slow going.  Have got all the tea-towels washed up and the dishcloths, so can now get on with the huge pile of washing up. Still one tranche of sorting to do in the kitchen, and then should be able to scrub it out properly.  I did g...

Friday   I have been in the Pantry for most of the day trying to get things sorted a bit more.  Have managed to sort out quite a few things together and bagged them so like items with like, and that will make things easier when it comes to siting them in their homes.  I am having to re-jig things as I go along, which is slightly slowing things down even further.  Some shelves are not going to be as I had envisioned but a lot of organisation has been achieved which I am pleased about.  Will just keep working at it until it is sorted for as much as I can.  I know I am going to have to go back in, with items from the dining room, but at the moment I am just trying to get the immediate items put up and out of the way. I am trying to get the stuff in the bottom of the Pantry sorted and organised as well as those items in the kitchen first off. I have had to put stuff back into the Pantry for tonight even though I have not finished with them.  The Pantry doo...

A very cold and bitter night last night, the heating came on a couple of times as we have it pre-set that below 15 degrees the heating should come on.  It is not only us that need to keep warm but the animals too.  Both have their blankies and comfortable spots. Missy in particular because she is short-coated and elderly is in need of the extra warmth and comfort. I am too.  Because I get so cold even with the heating on whenever I go into the kitchen or bathroom which are the coldest rooms in the house, I have taken to wearing fingerless mitts to try and stop my hands going into spasm.   It seems to be helping.  I have also sent off for some proper compression gloves for RA sufferers/Raynaud's Syndrome/Osteo Arthritis, Scleroderma etc. etc.  I am hoping that they will assist in keeping my hands at an even temperature.  Worth a try in any event.  My hands used to be lovely and straight, but these days my fingers are definitely "off-piste" and...

 I have today recommenced tackling the kitchen - have had to go to the kitchen as I need to free up space in here before I can finally finish off the Pantry.  It has been slow going, but every step brings me closer to the finish line. It has been bitterly cold here in Peterborough and damp. I have stayed in the house, as I have indicated pottering about doing a bit here and there and generally getting stuck in, but gently.   I have to pack up my extensive collection of baking pans, sandwich tins, fancy cake tins etc and put that into the dining room easily accessible for when I need to use some of the actual tins.  I am going to need a few for the Christmas baking in any event.  Maybe at some point will be able to get some of them back into the kitchen at some point; will see how it goes. Once the kitchen is stripped I can then get the stuff out of the bottom of the Pantry and start sorting and emptying that out onto the shelves in the Pantry.  This pa...

Despite the Pantry not yet being done, there are lots of other "Pantry" related things to be getting on with at this time of the year.  Sometimes in order that you are not overwhelmed it is better to break things down into "Projects" and get them out of the way a bit at a time with, and this is predominantly what I have been up to with the Freezer section of this post. I have slowly since the end of October been gathering a few bits together in for baking from the Pantry for Christmas or to use generally week to week. I like to have a choice of ingredients to play with at Christmas and it gives me more scope as to what I can actually make. In no particular order Freezer 8 bags of Mixed fruit berries were on offer for two bags for £4. 2kg Gammon Bought and frozen 1kg Parsnips frozen 2kg Brussel Sprouts frozen 2kg prepared swede in cubes for stews or for Cornish style Pasties or wherever needed. 4kgs Crinkle cut Carrots frozen 4 tubs of Carrot and Swede Crush prepared...

Sorry I have been missing.  In the first instance this was because I was too busy and latterly because I have been below par.  It is what it is though. I also received a couple of duplicate messages from someone who would appear not to like me.  I refused to post their comment as I felt particularly sad for them in that they feel they have to reflect their own personal inadequacies on other folk.  I am big enough and ugly enough to let the comment pass even though they told me to "die"; I just wish them well and hope eventually they manage to address their own issues. There is no need for me to really do anything.  The interesting thing is that they posted as Anonymous and there was no trail to follow.  I think that really sums things up.   It is up to the individual reader whether they read my blog or not. That is down to individual choice. You are not forced to read at the end of the day although I for the best part appreciate those friends...

 We needed to pop to the shop (Iceland Warehouse) for some fresh bread and milk today and I wanted to have a look at what else was available.  I did not get my tinned goods today but that could be tomorrow that I get topped up with them; no room in the Pantry today. I did however buy a Fray Bentos Steak pie for mois and a Suet Steak pudding for G.  Comfort food of a different sort for a meal in the next few days with the addition of some mashed potatoes, carrots and broccoli. However will have to wait and see how things pan out.  I also need to go to Home Bargains to get a few bits and see what they have available on the food front.  I also want to have a look generally around the store. Nothing really Christmas orientated bought today, I am fast running out of room in the freezer.  What I have managed to acquire though are good solid items that are needed.  I even managed to find a couple of packs of Chicken Noodle soup and Oxtail soup.  Traditio...

If you have not seen it, here is the Kevin Christmas Ad for Aldi.

Pantry Continuation I had hoped in all honesty to complete the Pantry yesterday (Tuesday).  However, things were not to be.  As I mentioned in my previous post, I  did empty two big Poly tubs - I have another two to go, plus some smaller boxes.  It is coming together very gradually and will make my life easier overall, but it is getting it there and I am after getting all the stuff in the Pantry this time around before I go shopping.  Then I will know how much space I have left and can work out what is yet to be bought. I am planning on buying in quite a few tinned goods - one part of my Pantry that I have found that needs to be kept in.  It is that tinned store that keeps you going when things are tough. Next year from the off I am determined to try and do some form of heat processing to bolster up my food stores from the get go.  I have been doing odd things this year but not as much as I would like, next year is going to be different though. I am ke...