TARRAGON & THYME

I have had a little dabble here and there just recently on Ebay.  Not knew items second hand ones that I liked and this particular one is something very old but something very new to me as well.  Something I intend to work at when I get a chance.  It is a part worked tablecloth and two full corners have been worked and one partly worked the fourth is yet to be done.  It is very fine work on linen and it is a lovely large cloth.  I like hand embroidery I always have so this will be a lovely item to finish off and then be able to use.  It will go beautifully with some of the green glass that I have been collecting recently.  What threads there were have also been sent which I was not expecting and so I will have to carefully match them up on a trip into town soon.  It is a lovely piece and someone has spent a lot of time working on it.  It will go beautifully with some of the items I have inherited and some of the items I already had....

Its a bit manic around here at present.  This evening on the way home from work we went to stock up on cat food. Then following that little diversion I persuaded OH to go to B  & Q to get the flooring sorted.  That has come home with us and OH is hoping to get it all sorted before he disappears on his fishing trip this weekend.  I have chosen a grey slate laminate which I think will look smart once it I finished.  Hopefully once he has gone fishing I will be able to start concentrating on some of the UFOs I have and possibly some of the new projects as well.  I have a lot of things that I want to get done.  I went and got stocked up on needlepoint needles, and embroidery needles in diferent sizes at lunch.  I have also purchased some of the red ( a really deep crimson) embroidery cotton for starting the calico embroidered panels for making up into quilts for Christmas intermixed with Christmassy patchwork effect fabrics....

Yesterday after writing my post and mentioning that we had Lemon sole for tea today I got the strongest yearning for home made fresh parsley sauce.  Its something that my mum used to make on a frequent basis but its something I have not had for years.  So when I popped to the shop  it seemed like serendipity that they had fresh flat leaved parsley on the shelf.  Its as though it was there waiting for me - speaking.  So what's a girl to do but gab a bag and that is what I am going to serve with the Lemon Sole, as well as a few petit pois, home made chips and a couple of lemon slices with bread and butter.  Any herb that is left over I dry and store in jars for use during the winter months. I got a pot of Basil yesterday as well for use to make home made pesto to go with the stuffed pasta I bought from Waitrose.  Any that is left will go into ice cube trays and be stored in the freezer  for future use.  We pay a lot for the ...

Moules marinaire and very tasty it was too.   Needed some fish as had over balanced on the meat over the past few days.  Bought them 3 packs for £10  from M & S prepared with shallot and garlic.  Served with wholemeal seeded French bread to mop up the juices and it has gone down very well indeed.  a light tea which was very much needed. I also nipped into Waitrose and from the reduced section managed to get two lemon sole.  Its a long time since I had lemon sole so they are for tomorrow night's tea to be served with home made chips, lemon slices and petit pois and bread and butter - another light tea.  I like fish and seafood its good for my arthritis. I have also got some beef and red wine stuffed ravioli and goats cheese and onion ravioli served with a rich tomato sauce that should do us for Wednesday night's tea.  Might also serve some steamed kale  with this to lighten it up a bit.  I bought a pot of basil as w...

This is the Jacobs Ladder joint that we bought from the Farm Shop last week.  Quite a substantial joint and I am hoping very tasty. What little fat there is on the joint and there was not much has gone lovely on the joint itself and crispy and golden.  I cooked the potatoes in with the joint right from the start and they also look good and I think will be delicious.  I have Yorkshire Pudding cooking in a separate tray and mixed veggies (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and peas) and new potatoes.  Does not look bad does it. I am waiting on the veggies and the Yorkshire Pudding. Its a late tea tonight as I am also deep cleaning the kitchen again which is time consuming but needs doing on a regular basis. I have the Physiotherapist tomorrow and also the Dentist tomorrow afternoon.  I have the day off so it is going to be a busy one again.  Then once all that is done I have a visit to B & Q in order to get the new floorin...

Is what we have had for tea this evening and it was gorgeous.  Last week when we went to the Farm Shop I picked up from the counter one double lamb cutlet as that was all they had on display.  However they went and cut us another one and minted it.  However we have not had chance to have it this week so that is the reason we have had this tonight as I just did not want to waste such good meat. I served it simply with new potatoes, mixed veg of peas, cauliflower, broccoli and carrot together with some mixed cabbage that I picked up from M & S earlier in the week. I cook the lamb slowly in a tray in the cooker in water letting the flavours already on the lamb seep into the gravy.  I add water, mint jelly, redcurrant jelly, stock pots or stock cubes, some marigold stock seasoning and a liberal sprinkling of white pepper (I cook a lot with pepper but not so much salt) and then bring this to the boil.  I then reduce the heat and le...

Well it has to me I have been playing catch up most of the week it really knocked me for six. However it does have its advantages.  This morning we were up early as we planned on visiting the Farm shop again.  It was relatively quiet because we were up early hardly any traffic and best of all the sun has been out all day.  It has been relatively warm but the wind still has a cold chill to it.  On our trip out today we were accompanied by my step son and his fiancée (they are getting married 1 September 2017) and we went for breakfast at Johnson's Farm.  This was quite a social occasion and then we went shopping in the farm shop. Different things again this week.  I wondered about buying some pigeons to make some pate - am quite partial to pigeon pate but would also like to try them cooked in their own right.  That might be for another week.  Today I have bought some different green back bacon both short back and streaky...