TARRAGON & THYME

Well although I am on holiday this week, it has officially been designated operation Christmas mop up in readiness for the Christmas celebrations in a few weeks time. I have therefore been pottling away and getting stuck in.   I have been washing and ironing washing and ironing and at long last I am pleased to report that mission impossible has now been accomplished and the washing and the ironing is now completed.  Phew.  Now just have to persuade the wardrobes that they really do want to accept further donations into the darkest depths of the closet or two or three....  One major job done, quite a few more to go.  Tomorrow we have operation toilet and bathroom.  Out will come the steam cleaner again; hopefully should not take me more than a couple of hours.   Well in theory anyway. Then that will be the bathroom and the kitchen completely done.  Then we have the pantry, yet again that should not take too long either.    Once they ...

I have this week off and I have an awful lot to do.  Today  my first day off and I haven't really done very much, haven't had a lot of energy today so have rested.   The weather has been very cold here and the wind is more than breezy and is howling a little.   Today I Have done a bit of shopping and managed to get one or two more items for the Christmas box such as some Paynes Chocolate Brazils and some salted peanuts.  I paid a visit to the veg shop and have come back with some oranges, clementines, lemons a leek, some root ginger,  some beetroot and two large cauliflowers.  Not much but things I needed.  The cauliflowers were 60 pence each and they are massive. Fen grown locally and on speaking to the veg shop owners they did not think that there would be any fresh cauliflowers like this around come Christmas.  I therefore bought two cauliflowers to make some cauliflower cheese for the freezer.  If they have anymore in the ...

I made this recipe for the first time just after receiving the Preserves book by Pam Corbin  from River Cottage not long after it was first published.  It has been a fixture on my pantry shelf ever since and very useful in the kitchen for making gravies, adding to sauces  it gives a really good base. I am not a fan of stock cubes in a mug of hot water but this was very palatable indeed as a quick warm me up instead of a tea or a coffee.   All you do is put a couple of teaspoons or more into a mug and top up with boiling water. I always make double the quantity of the recipe and it never seems to last that long or perhaps its me uses too much of it; but I like this to hand in my batterie de cuisine so to speak as you can do so much with it.  After all cooking is about adding layers of flavour to whatever dish you cook or make Here's a link here to the recipe  Souper Mix Its well worth making some as it has so much flavour and the flavour changes as to wha...

It seems to have been all go at home and at work this week seems to be zipping along like nobody's business. This morning did not start well; we both slept heavily and OH turned the alarm off and went back to sleep - me I didn't hear it I was still deep in slumber; and then it was all rush and tear in order to get to work on time.  I am not good if hurried in a morning I like to come too gracefully and gradually! I have been given a load of plums from someone's freezer today so have some plum jam to do.  I also have a batch of stock paste to make think will do that this evening - have lots to do just not have the energy to do it. We have pizza and garlic ciabatta with pate for tea - wanted something lighter than last nigh.  We had Cornish pasties,mashed potato and  onion gravy which was scrummy and warming and proper comfort food especially after a dark damp day. It has been a very foggy past couple of days resulting in teeming rain last night.  Its been...

Sorry I have been absent, been cleaning all day a real deep clean of the kitchen which I do inbetween regular cleaning at least every couple of months or so.  This is when I zip into cleaning anything and everything in sight with the steam cleaner.  This is all part and parcel of my preparations for Christmas.  With it being an old house and one that is rented, the owners have when they have had work done, had cheap tradesmen in who don't finish of the work properly and there are lumps and bumps or things are not straight. In between the cleaning I have also been sorting out cupboards I have found some more things I had forgotten I had like the Raclette, the popcorn maker, the candy floss machine, the chocolate fountain and the health grill!  Well no doubt I will press them into use over the festive season or in the next few weeks or so at the very least.  I have had much of my equipment for many years and I look after it as best as I can.  I still have t...

I fear the next few weeks are going to be frantic with one thing and another.  Fortunately I have 10 days holiday in December to look forward to, but I intend to do as much as I can in the weeks to come.  I have in mind a lot of sewing projects which I cannot tell about yet (as some are Christmas presents but will show photos later on) and also a lot of cooking projects also.  I also intend to give the kitchen a lick of paint - revamp the kitchen blind and also sew a skirt for the sink.  This has only been decided to day when I found a lot of material I had forgotten I had which is truly fortuitous.  (Just need to get the paint organised).  Together with a couple of further UFO's which I had totally forgotten about as well as some more kits and sewing bits and bobs.  There is also the ironing board cover which will get done this week probably Wednesday night as it will be my first night in this week as am out on Monday for a short while and out on Tues...

Yesterday I started to unpack one of my boxes as the box was far too big and the plan was to pack the contents into two smaller boxes.  I had forgotten what was in the box and it was exciting rediscovering bits and bobs that were well wrapped. I was initially going to pack the contents into two separate boxes, but like most best laid plans of mice and men things changed and I am keeping the contents  out for use over Christmas. First out were some cut glass sherry schooners Second two thernal pots brand new never used (told you all i was a squirrel) and I have decided to keep these out for use over Christmas for probably some really nice coffee. They are a pale blue which actually goes with a small blue flower in one of my dinner services, but that aside I think they will come in very useful in keeping things nice and warm over the seasonal festivities. A square brown bag cookie dish and brown bag cookie moulds (several) see separate post 8 dishes think you  c...