After seeing it advertised quite a few times I was thrilled this evening to actually catch an episode of the Hairy Bakers on BBC 2.I've been a fan of the duo Dave and Si that make up the Hairy Bikers for a while now and the idea of them doing a whole series on baking seemed like a fantastic idea. There are so many cookery programmes on TV, yet I don't recall a single one that is devoted to baking alone.In the episode I caught tonight (number 2 I believe) the aim was for them to prepare tea at the Henley Regatta and so first they went on a trip to try out various different ... read more
More life…
Once again those things on life that need doing are replacing those things in life that I want to do. Work and other things are still preventing me from finding the time to do those quality things that I want to spend time doing. Mr C and I spent the weekend up north visiting my mum and dad and whilst there I was able to take advantage of their garden and start my latest Rowan knitting project whilst sat in the sunshine. I've started work on the bag project that came as this year's free gift with Rowan International membership. I particularly am enjoying the regularity of row after row of ... read more
Bruce Bogtrotter’s Heroic Chocolate Cake
Last night Mr C and I were attending a local nature reserve committee meeting. The meeting was originally supposed to be last week, the night before my birthday, and hence I had planned to take along some birthday cake. The meeting was re-arranged though, but I still thought cake was in order. As it was supposed to be a birthday cake I thought that chocolate cake had to be in order. I searched all my cookbooks and decided upon a recipe for "Bruce Bogtrtter's Heroic Chocolate Cake" from Jane Brocket's Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer: A Golden Treasury of Classic Treats. Until I read Jane's book I ... read more
Land Girls and Lumber Jills
I'm always fascinated about the what life was like living in Britain during the 2nd World War, especially for those women left at home whilst their husbands and brothers fought in the military overseas. I was therefore pleased to see a couple of articles on the BBC News website today about the Land Girls and Lumber Jills receiving official recognition for the role that they played during the War. It is sad that they have had to wait for so long, but better late than never. The stories of some of these women are fascinating. I found this photojournal online, but I'll certainly be looking out ... read more
Chocolate brownies
As you may have noticed by now I am rather partial to chocolate. I particular enjoy cooking and baking with it and another of my favourite recipes containing it is for Chocolate Brownies and came from my mother in law, S. The ingredients for this are quite simple: 4oz margarine, 8oz sugar, 2 eggs, 3oz plain flour, 2 - 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and (the bit that makes them slightly different) 2 handfuls of sultanas. You start by melting the margarine in a pan. Once this is done, mix in the sugar off the heat. Then add the cocoa (my favourite part) and beat in the ... read more
Gran’s flapjack
As I've said before, my baking adventures aren't all that successful. My sister H is totally different and is fantastic at baking. She came to stay with Mr C and me over the bank holiday weekend so I decided to use the opportunity to get in a quick lesson. Over the years I have tried various flapjack recipes, but have never managed to get anything close to that made by my Gran. I've always ended up with something either very crumbly, or so hard that you nearly break your teeth on it! So, H and I decided to start my lesson by phoning my Mum for a copy of Gran's recipe: 4oz brown sugar 4oz ... read more
Rocky Road
While I really enjoy baking I’m not always that successful, despite all the lessons that my dear Gran keeps giving me. There is one recipe though that I know I can do without messing anything up (well at least not so far) and Mr C and I certainly enjoy eating the results. Rocky Road is a Nigella Lawson recipe. I have to admit to not being sure which of her books it is from as my sister kindly wrote it out for me, but I’m guessing it’s probably in Nigella Express. The recipe is fairly simple in terms of ingredients (good dark chocolate, golden syrup, butter, ... read more