Displaying items by tag: home made

Life is hectic and yesterday when I was exhausted from gardening I had a sudden urge to go inside and make drop scones. I just love that moment when the batter creates bubbles as it cooks.  I think if they could talk they would be saying "turn me over now". Here is the recipe:

There will be home-made food a plenty as usual at next weekend's Petta Fiesta. If you haven't got tickets yet you can buy them online, because you won't get many on the gate this time. Head for the Make Do and Mend tent where you can taste everything carrot (just like we had in the war, says Granny) There will be carrot and lentil burgers, carrot cake baked on the spot and the usual Happy Hour but with Harvey Carrotbanger cocktails. 

Stopped at Beccles market last week for suffolkfoodie 'research' and saw the blackboard with pea and mint soup so had to search it out.  Found a great little stall selling the soup complete with homemade croutons, great homemade preserves ( mostly foraged fruit and veg) and cakes.  Came home with a cup of soup, six chocolate and cherry biscuits and a bottle of plum sauce ( secret recipe!) All for a fiver!

WOW! Soft yeasty made-this-morning Cinnammon buns, a kind of danish pastry with not too sweet caramel topping, one the nicest home made cakes amongst many on sale at Wyverstone at the yard sale on Saturday. There was also a man with a freezer full of sausages.  www.wyverstonecafe.co.uk  - every two weeks in the village hall.

Tasted my sloe gin over Christmas - very nice.

Some people have asked why I don't put bad reviews on here? Because there are too many restaurants serving ordinary or worse food - that's why. I could write something about mediocre food every day - the tiny overcooked overpriced portion of sea bass I had at a Bury hotel, or disgusting local Chinese takeaway or cheese on toast made with sliced white bread topped with a plastic wrapped cheese slice and melted in the microwave - I've had all of these. But I want to celebrate good food and hope that sooner or later you will tell me where it is. If you're not on here it's because I haven't been there or I have, and it isn't any good.

Look at my produce! I thought jam was a hassle (thermometers, muslin, big aluminium or not pans, rolling boils, saucers of cold water...) until I discovered the sugars with pectin in and now there's no stopping me. This week bought kilo bags of two types of the sugar (one for soft fruit jam, one for fruit with stones) Then got just over a kilo of apricots first, made that one in an hour. Then bought raspberries, made that one in half an hour. Will make one more lot from wild bullis plums later as these are my real favourites and just fall off the trees into my open carrier bag!

Lovely food. I had their version of Welsh Rarebit with salad and the most delicious piece of lemon cake filled with home made lemon curd with greek yoghurt on the side. Mum had a bacon sandwich in ciabatta-type bread and a piece of plum and orange cake. They say they use their own produce and it shows  in the moist yellow cake made with their own eggs. We both had their own fresh apple juice. And they  have some really nice plants too. Not your usual garden centre.   www.harveysgardenplants.co.uk

These are the plums, the ones that are dropping from the trees all over our roads at the moment and  no one picks up. I am about to make some more jam which is fab for breakfast mixed into plain Greek yoghurt, instead of buying those horrible flavoured ones. This is especially good timing because my free sample of Total yoghurt is going to be delivered tomorrow! I am planning to do this jam -making in my Veuve Cliquot apron.

Here is the dip and the vanilla cream terrine made from the yoghurt, which is now coming to an end. It really was the thickest, tastiest and most versatile - so I am converted. See Madame Maincourse's comment to find out exactly what she did. Recipes later.