tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61680972489918209652024-03-12T16:31:43.372-07:00Clotted Cream DiariesA Cornish and Scillonian food blog....Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.comBlogger276125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-61436202881030027222014-11-28T05:24:00.002-08:002014-11-28T05:24:34.297-08:00Plain and simple Cottage Pie....<div style="text-align: center;">
The last couple of weeks have been all about the sunrises and sunsets. Sometimes dawn is a bright lemon yellow, sometimes a vivid pink. But rarely a day has passed without us standing on the patio remembering why we are so lucky to live here. </div>
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The vegetable stall is still going strong with little tomatoes, peppers and cabbage still being picked. But the fields are mainly empty, beautifully ploughed for next years crops. </div>
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We're back off to Cornwall tomorrow for ten days to spend time with family before Christmas. Scilly hasn't been touched with signs of festivities yet so the best is still to come. But the time away does mean I've had to clear out the fridge. I've frozen lemon and orange wedges and dried out leftover herbs. With a fridge nursing some carrots, potatoes and minced beef I decided last night to make a cottage pie. It might not look gourmet but it's one of my favourite comfort foods and is brilliant to portion up and freeze for Cory. </div>
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<b>Cottage Pie (serves 4)</b></div>
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400g minced beef</div>
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1 tbsp vegetable oil</div>
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1 onion</div>
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2 carrots</div>
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3 sticks of celery</div>
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1kg potatoes</div>
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100g butter</div>
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80ml milk</div>
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50g manchego cheese/cheddar</div>
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1 tbsp plain flour</div>
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500ml beef stock</div>
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2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce</div>
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Preheat the oven to 190'c. Chop the onion, celery and carrot into small pieces and fry in the oil on a medium temperature for around 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and place to one side. </div>
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While that is cooking, peel the potatoes and cut in half. Place in a pan of cold water and bring to the boil and cook for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. </div>
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Drain the potatoes and put back into the hot pan with the milk and 75g of the butter. Mask enthusiastically until the potatoes look a bit like over whipped cream. Put to one side. </div>
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Back to the vegetable pan. Increase the heat to high and add the minced beef (breaking up with a spoon). Cook until browned. Add the flour and stir through. Then add the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes until you have a lovely gravy. </div>
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Top with the mashed potatoes, grated cheese and the remainder of the butter. Bake for around 20 minutes until browned. </div>
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<br />Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-5764656622778885562014-10-07T05:56:00.001-07:002014-10-07T05:56:13.095-07:00The big freeze...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Until last week I was still swimming in the sea without batting an eyelid. Now the autumn storms have arrived. The dusty roads are puddles again and the rain seems to have sent the message to the ferns to turn rusty brown. Scilly changes immediately once the autumn arrives. It's suddenly much quieter although you still see happy visitors lying with their backs on warm rocks enjoying the seclusion of a beach to themselves. </div>
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It's time to start filling the freezer too. The last of the apples I used to make jam with have been sitting waiting so I made them into apple sauce and froze it into portions ready for crumbles, granola and roast pork. Blackberries are all bagged and frozen and the herbs in the garden have all been picked and frozen or made into jellies. I had a basket full of mini butternut squashes leftover from the Food Festival so this week I decided to make my winter soup base. I make it every year- a really basic vegetable soup with a freeze into portions and then add things to so I don't get bored. Ideas to add to this one include...</div>
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* Toasted nduja (you can stir through or just place on top)</div>
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* Add coconut cream and 1tsp of thai red curry sauce</div>
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* Add leftover chopped vegetables and shredded chicken from a roast dinner</div>
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* Fry some pancetta and stir through then crumble in some Cornish Blue cheese</div>
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* Or spread it on to pizza bases as an alternative to tomato and top with crispy chorizo, goats cheese and fresh rocket</div>
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<b>Winter Soup Base.....(serves 16 portions) </b></div>
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12 mini butternut squashes or 4-5 larger ones</div>
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2 small white onions</div>
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2 tbsp olive oil</div>
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4 garlic cloves</div>
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4 pints of chicken stock</div>
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In a large pan put the finely sliced onions and oil on a low heat and cook until soft. Add the cubes of butternut squash (about the size of a 10p piece) and continue cooking for around 10 minutes. Add the stock and crushed garlic and bring to the boil. Boil until you can cut through the squash pieces easily. </div>
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With a hand mixer blend until smooth. Leave to cool and portion up and freeze. Use within 6 months. </div>
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<br />Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-44101842019508390732014-09-21T11:53:00.000-07:002014-09-21T11:53:48.970-07:00Salakee duck with Thai Red Curry Sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Today Cory discovered the beach. We've been fairly lucky with her stages of development vs beach visits. For most of the early summer, when the weather was blisteringly hot, Cory was happy for a couple of hours sitting in her sun tent playing with toys. We could sunbathe next to the tent occasionally swapping toys while she babbled to her favourites.</div>
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Then one fateful day on Samson she realised she could crawl out of the tent and have a whole beach to shovel into her mouth. As she did the weather turned, the clouds arrived and frankly it hasn't been as hot or beach tempting since.</div>
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For about a month I've avoided the beach. I've scooped so much sand out of Cory's mouth I could have my own garden sand pit. But tonight she was scratchy. I was scratchy. We went for a walk across Rushy Bay Green and the sun had come out in the hazy September way it does. I kicked my shoes off and took her down to Great Par. We sat down below Great Cairn. The first scoop of the sand went into her mouth. Then she looked around and it was like something had clicked. Her face lit up and she started throwing sand around and crawled off at top speed to examine a limpet shell, a pile of seaweed, a sea worn pebble. After several attempts of keeping her away from the sea I just let her. She crawled in confidently and as the little waves lapped over her crawling body she laughed and splashed her hands getting completely soaked. I had to forcibly remove her (with much howling) and I think we now have a real beach baby on our hands. Much to her kitesurfing Daddy's delight...</div>
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As we gear up for the autumn and winter I'm starting to cook again in the evenings. In the summer we tend to just live on barbecues and salads and whatever I can be bothered to put on a plate. At the Food Festival last week I bought lots of Salakee Farm duck for the freezer, breasts, legs and a whole duck to enjoy when the dark evenings arrive and I want something rich and warm. We used the breasts and made a quick red thai curry sauce to go with them. They were spectacular. The texture of the duck is like nothing I have ever had before. Buttery and soft. If you are on holiday on Scilly this autumn it's really worth ordering some (either straight from the Farm or from restaurant menus). </div>
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<b>Salakee Farm Duck Breasts with Thai Red Curry Sauce (serves 2- actually would serve 3 at least but we were really hungry)</b></div>
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<b>Paste:</b></div>
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1 red chilli</div>
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1 inch fresh ginger</div>
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2 tsp galangal paste</div>
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2 tbsp fish sauce</div>
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1 lemongrass stalk </div>
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1 tsp paprika</div>
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2 shallots</div>
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2 garlic cloves</div>
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the juice of 1 lime</div>
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<b>Other:</b></div>
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1 tin of coconut milk</div>
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2 duck breasts</div>
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more fish sauce</div>
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another lime</div>
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First make a paste. In a mini chopper put all the ingredients and pulse until you have a smooth paste. Put a heavy based frying pan on a hot hob and add the duck skin side down. Cook for around 4-5 minutes until the skin is golden brown. Flip over and cook for another 3 minutes. Put in a 180'c oven for around 5-10 minutes or until cooked how you like it. </div>
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Use the frying pan (with the duck fat still in it) and fry off the paste for about 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk and reduce the heat and let it simmer while the duck is in the oven. Add the last minute stir in the remaining lime juice and fish sauce (to taste). Pour over the duck breast and serve with green beans and rice. </div>
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<br />Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-48728083704651280802014-09-18T11:20:00.000-07:002014-09-18T11:20:15.400-07:00Tresco & Bryher Food Festival 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It doesn't feel like the September of the last few years. The Swallows might have headed home but the tripper boats are still packed with camera laden visitors. The paths are well trodden and the beaches still have lines of coupled footprints. Today I stood at the end of Rushy Bay Green looking out to the Western Rocks. There's still evidence of last year's destructive storms. A line of hedging is dead from the flooding. There is still seaweed tangled in with the new growth. But there's a bright pink floral coating to ground that I haven't seen before. Not the usual Thrift but a blanket of bright rose pink. The air was foggy and it's hard to remember a day as beautiful as this. I'm glad there are still so many people around to enjoy it. </div>
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At the weekend the crowds packed into the Tresco and Bryher Food Festival. It's the third year we've held it and it must have been our busiest to date. From Oysters and Ale to Sea Salt and Sourdough starters we had a really great representation from Scilly and I've had so many people contacting me saying how much they enjoyed it. </div>
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<br />Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-22101604497668164852014-06-12T12:49:00.001-07:002014-06-12T12:49:35.314-07:00Bryher strawberry and white peach smoothie....(serves 2)<div style="text-align: center;">
Today's been the first day I've really felt the sun stinging my skin. The layers are off, visitors are having picnics on the beach and getting up at 5am is less of a chore and more the best part of the day. </div>
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We've been to the Abbey Gardens and lay in the sunshine the sun on our toes. This little man came along to say hello...</div>
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Our garden may not have such exotic visitors but it is in full bloom....</div>
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And even the seagulls are out sunbathing and not harassing my chickens!</div>
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The best part of the sunshine is that island fruit and vegetables are starting to blossom. Last week saw the first fat, ripe strawberries on the stall. Picked and eaten on the same day. Now they are an everyday staple in the house. But they are best of all at breakfast. If I have a few left over we make them in to a smoothie with the amazing white fleshed peaches Bryher Shop have in at the moment....</div>
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<b>Bryher strawberry and white peach smoothie (serves 2)</b></div>
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150g strawberries (hulled)</div>
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4 small white fleshed peaches (peeled)</div>
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200ml almond milk</div>
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Put all three ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. </div>
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<br />Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-9286199143341133542014-05-24T12:16:00.002-07:002014-05-24T12:18:04.889-07:00Speros, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was our first night out in seven and a half months. Now the baby is sleeping through (ish) we were able to ask Mum and Dad to babysit and head off in the boat for a couple of hours to ourselves. We decided to head off island to Speros on St Mary's. It's right on the beach and makes a perfect landing spot for the boat. </div>
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After dropping anchor Richard and Amelia gave us a table out on the patio (you might as well be eating on the beach!) and it was such a warm evening it was the perfect start.</div>
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We were both keen to have some local crab as we haven't had any this year so started with a mixed seafood platter. A great big pile of white crab meat with smoked mackerel, smoked salmon and prawns. It was the perfect choice. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PrHskSz3N_A/U3iwXzAVIWI/AAAAAAAADKY/-Nu4w3PyHpo/s1600/678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">Then I had chicken breast with cured meats, pesto, boiled potatoes and vegetables which was delicious. I love chicken and it's never on menus enough so I was really pleased to have it for once.</span><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PrHskSz3N_A/U3iwXzAVIWI/AAAAAAAADKY/-Nu4w3PyHpo/s1600/678.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zV1zhSBWjgo/U3iwKXW7QtI/AAAAAAAADKQ/bTuBP0-lvLo/s1600/681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zV1zhSBWjgo/U3iwKXW7QtI/AAAAAAAADKQ/bTuBP0-lvLo/s1600/681.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zV1zhSBWjgo/U3iwKXW7QtI/AAAAAAAADKQ/bTuBP0-lvLo/s1600/681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">We tend to go half and half on desserts but we both wanted the chocolate brownie which was divine (and gluten free!). </span></a><br />
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Speros is such a lovely place to eat on St Mary's. The location in fantastic, the food delicious and the service hard to beat.<br />
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And if you've got a boat it's got just about the prettiest 'car' park you can imagine!<br />
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In a way, Scilly can be at its best when shrouded in fog. Your senses aren't distracted by the stretches of beaches and rocky cliffs. Instead you listen to the confused birds singing for their companions. You notice branches drenched in sea mist.</div>
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And sometime the jobs you hate can be the most relaxing. I can't say I enjoy making marmalade. It's not my kind of cooking. Soaking, peeling slicing, boiling, more boiling, settling. It's just not for me. But sometimes sitting on a stool thinly slicing orange peel, listening to the radio can be cathartic. When you've got a 5 month old baby making demands of you 24 hours a day it's nice to have a pile of oranges just sitting there, happily waiting to be sliced. </div>
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This is a combination of about 5 friends and families recipes. I don't even use Seville oranges so sorry to the marmalade purists.</div>
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<b>My Marmalade (makes about 5 jars)</b></div>
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2kg oranges</div>
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About 4 litres of water</div>
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Pop the whole oranges in the water and leave overnight. The next morning remove them from the water (but keep the water which now will have the faint smell of oranges.) Peel them and put the insides in a bowl to one side. Start slicing the peel and put into the pan of water. </div>
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Bring to the boil and boil for about an hour until the peel is soft. Add the jam sugar and boil until it reaches 105'c or put a little on a cold saucer and run a spoon across it to see if it makes creases. You can scrape the frothy scum off as it makes the marmalade cloudier.</div>
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Pour carefully into sterilised jars and leave the lids off. Leave to stand for 12 hours (as it helps it set better) then put the lids on. </div>
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<br />Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-91090014641141499952014-03-10T10:11:00.002-07:002014-03-10T10:14:49.996-07:00Back for 2014....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So I'm out of the baby haze. 5 months after the birth of Cordelia Anne I'm finally back at the computer and back to the blog. </div>
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Today we wandered over to Tresco as it was the first proper opening day of the Ruin Beach Cafe. It's one of our favourite places to eat. They have a wood fired oven so we love getting ideas for our garden oven. </div>
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If you're worried about visiting the South West this spring time (post storms) just look at what you are missing...</div>
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The food was fantastic as usual and my in laws loved it (it was their first visit).</div>
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Thanks for sticking with me (and the nice emails!)</div>
Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-35033901959735485222013-07-26T02:36:00.002-07:002013-07-26T02:36:23.944-07:00Summer on Scilly....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Three businesses a part time job and a baby on the way. That's my explanation for why I've been away since April. Here are some summery shots of food and I'll be back soon....</div>
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<br />Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-8290155263453560682013-04-06T09:14:00.000-07:002013-04-06T09:14:00.293-07:00A salad for a sunny spring Scilly day...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QbRG1cS9MyA/UWBD4VxUABI/AAAAAAAADGM/2ujZQaGKe0Y/s1600/DSC06724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QbRG1cS9MyA/UWBD4VxUABI/AAAAAAAADGM/2ujZQaGKe0Y/s320/DSC06724.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The first hint of sunshine and we're making a salad. A salad for lunch, then an afternoon on the boat, then a barbecue. It's panic stations at Samson Hill. We decided to make the most of this sunshine as if it will never come again. (The forecast actually says next week should be sunny but still...) We got our new boat in the water. We've called her 'Per Ardua' as that was the original name of Samson Hill Cottage and is the first part of the phrase in Latin that means 'Through adversity to the stars.' And I love that. </div>
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We drove over to St Mary's with the wind in our hair to wander around Hugh Town with dozens of other people enjoying the warm sun trapped between the granite buildings. We popped into Plowman's Food Co for some fresh beef for a stew this week then we headed back to the harbour. Visitors were walking down the quay with their rumbling suitcases being pulled behind them. The Scillonian was filling up getting ready to head back to the mainland. We darted over to Samson and motored along the shore. </div>
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Although it was cold it felt good to be in the fresh air and it was lovely to be filling our conversations with 'In the summer...' and 'On a nice day let's...'</div>
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Anyway back to that salad. The rocket is still going strong at Hillside Farm. I bought a big bag yesterday and decided to use it all today for lunch. It was my favourite lunch this year...</div>
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<b>Bryher rocket salad with Cornish blue and St Agnes honey dressing (serves 2...)</b></div>
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2 big handfuls of rocket</div>
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3oz Cornish blue cheese</div>
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2 small pears</div>
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2 tbsp garlic infused oil (or olive)</div>
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2 tsp balsamic vinegar</div>
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1 tsp St Agnes honey (usually available from the local produce market in the autumn)</div>
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6 small slices baguette or bread</div>
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herb olive oil</div>
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First for my herb olive oil. I've started blitzing herbs from the garden with oil and keeping it in my fridge for a few days. At the moment it's mint, sage, fennel and thyme. It's brilliant for spooning over omelettes and makes blander meals look and taste a little bit more exciting. </div>
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Preheat the oven to 180'c. Slice the baguette into rounds and spread a tsp of the herb mix on each round. Put in the oven for about 5 minutes until crisped up. </div>
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Put the rocket in a large bowl. Peel, core and slice the pear into matchsticks and toss in with the rocket. Crumble the blue cheese in too. In another bowl whisk the oil, vinegar and honey and drizzle over the salad. Give it a good mix with your hands or salad tossers. </div>
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Serve with the herb toasts. </div>
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<br />Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-57704638108912961052013-03-20T07:07:00.000-07:002013-03-20T07:10:42.533-07:00How to self cater an afternoon tea wedding (part 5)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We wanted the evening part of the wedding to be as relaxed as the day with people helping themselves to food as they chatted, danced and drank. The menu we decided on was....</div>
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Huge cheeseboards</div>
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A hog roast</div>
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Chocolate brownie wedding cake</div>
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Ice cream sundae bar</div>
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Pick and mix</div>
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Starting with the cheeseboards. The cheese tasting was probably one of my favourite parts of the wedding planning as I love cheese! We got all our cheese from The Cheese Shop in Truro which is fantastic. I used to live in a flat opposite and used to love going on a Saturday morning to buy fresh bread and a lump of cheese and fig chutney and read the Saturday papers. It all felt very grown up. We took our best man and his wife with us and we decided on.....</div>
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Beenleigh Blue (one of my favourite blue cheeses)</div>
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A strong Cornish cheddar</div>
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A french sheeps's cheese (very like brie) called Brebirousse d'Argental</div>
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A Cornish brie</div>
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We served them with homemade chutneys and biscuits. We had about 200 people for the evening part of the wedding and we were advised to estimate about 50g cheese per person. However, we knew our friends would eat way more than that, as well as hog roast, sundaes etc so instead of 10kg we decided on 15kg and that was just about enough (there was a little left over.)</div>
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We then had a caterer in to do our hog roast...again enough for 200 people. Now....one thing that always happens at a wedding is some kind of disaster in the planning...recently I found out what our was. Apparently something happened with the hog roast machine which set fire to the marquee it was in. The marquee then melted onto the cooking hog. Anyway the local hotel saved the day and hacked up the roast into lots of piece and cooked it bit by bit. It turns out we'd borrowed the friend's marquee...and I feel awful!</div>
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Moving on from the small fire....we decided for pudding to have a chocolate brownie wedding cake...made by my lovely bridesmaid and darling cousin Charlie. (See below). We also had an ice cream sundae bar with ice creams, chocolate sauce, sprinkles, sweets etc. </div>
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Then there was pick and mix for people to nibble on later on (about 2kgs worth!)</div>
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<b>Money Saving Tips</b></div>
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Find someone who loves making cakes and get them to bake your wedding cake! Most wedding cakes cost around £500. Brownies meant people could eat them with their hands and could have them with ice cream if they wanted. Grown up and children loved them. (There were none left by the end of the night. </div>
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<b>What I'm glad we did</b></div>
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We used wooden cutlery in buckets to save on the washing up. </div>
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We over catered. We knew a lot of the guests were staying a week so if there was too much we could always give it to them for lunches etc for the rest of the week. </div>
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Kept it casual. I loved seeing everyone chatting and enjoying themselves.</div>
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Chose strong cheeses and a good mixture. </div>
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<b>What I wish we hadn't done</b></div>
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Errrr burnt down someone's marquee?</div>
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Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-28913191027865878082013-03-17T10:16:00.000-07:002013-03-17T10:16:31.126-07:00How to self cater an afternoon tea wedding (part 4) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ok so this is embarassing. A year and a half I started a series called 'How to Self Cater an Afternoon Tea Wedding'. Then I got caught up in moving to a small island and opening a B&B and suddenly it's 18 months later. Now my little darling sister is getting married in 4 weeks and it's reminded me to carry it on. So here is part four...and it's all about the drink. </div>
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First you need to decide how you want the wedding to work. Having a wedding on a small island meant everyone was staying or travelling by boat which meant that we knew most people would be drinking. We also knew that we wanted it to be a free bar so we could make it a really great party. </div>
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So we started off deciding what we wanted....it went like this.</div>
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Welcome drinks: Gin and Tonics</div>
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Cornish Beers</div>
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Elderflower Cordial (for children and non drinkers)</div>
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Wine for the afternoon tea</div>
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Champagne for the toasts</div>
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Kegs of beer for the evening, more wine and spirits for the late nighters. Coke and lemonade. </div>
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Trying to work out how much to buy is the next challenge.</div>
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* With the welcome drinks we decided that two drinks each would be fine. </div>
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*A bottle of red and a bottle of white per table (8 people on a table, so that's one and a half glasses each)</div>
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* Two glasses of champagne</div>
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* Evening drinks: We split the evening crowd in half. So half wine and half beer. Now we were told half a bottle of wine is the best estimate per person. We went for a bottle of wine and I am so glad we did as we had none left by the end. We estimated three pints per person. That was a little too much as we still had some left over. (It was drunk at the post wedding events.)</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LjzoIlIerUY/UUX0AEVnxcI/AAAAAAAADEw/7ZqA56ViHVU/s1600/281816_10150319715711049_1442559_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LjzoIlIerUY/UUX0AEVnxcI/AAAAAAAADEw/7ZqA56ViHVU/s320/281816_10150319715711049_1442559_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Money Saving Tips:</b></div>
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First if you are getting married after Christmas buy your alcohol at Christmas. We bought the gin, wine and champagne in the Christmas sales. You can save a fortune.</div>
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Don't be snobby about champagne. (I was). My mum convinced me to go for Tesco Premier Cru as it had beaten champagne heavyweights at the International Wine Challenge Awards. It was £15 a bottle and again we got it at Christmas so got it a little bit cheaper. </div>
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Do your research. We actually got our wine from Waitrose because they had a really good deal and did free delivery to Scilly.</div>
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<b>What I'm Glad I Did: </b></div>
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Stuck to our guns about the welcome drinks. Both sets of our parents did not like the idea of gin and tonics and beers as our welcome drinks. There was a lot of talk about people not liking gin or beer and what would they drink then? (Our answer a) elderflower b) go and ask the bar for a glass of wine c) wait until afternoon was served.) We arrived half an hour after everyone else. Most people were on their second gin and tonic and seemed very happy....</div>
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<b>What I Shouldn't Have Done:</b></div>
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Left the late night spirits on the bar. They had already been opened by 4pm. By 7pm they had gone. My sister ran down to mum and dad's and raided their alcohol cabinet bringing up all the bottles they could. My dad was horrified. The guests were very grateful. We should have ordered more spirits. I think there were 4 bottles. We should have gone for 8. </div>
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<b>Next Post: </b></div>
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The evening do.... Hog roast, cheeseboard, brownies and ice cream sundae bar. And a fire that burnt down a marquee. </div>
Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-74019422971556063622013-03-16T03:10:00.000-07:002013-03-16T03:11:40.680-07:00Bananatoffeerama....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Buds are starting to appear on the fruit trees, ferns are bursting through the ground and there's the coconut smell of the bright yellow gorse flowers whenever the sun shines. We've made use of the sunshine by clearing the garden. It's stage two of the garden plan which should take us about five years to get looking presentable. This week we had friends to stay and they helped Gareth put in the chicken run. (These chickens are going to have one of the best views in the world.) They'll arrive once the passenger boat starts running in the next couple of weeks. </div>
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I've been working on the old entrance. I've been clearing brambles as thick as a 50p piece and as long as swimming pool. I'm constantly followed by a robin and a fat blackbird taking advantage of all the bugs and worms that are exposed as I pull rocks back. </div>
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Then this week the sunshine stopped. The forecast said snow (which we kind of ignored as it's so rare.) But it did snow and very heavily. Unfortunately it didn't stick. I had high hopes of building a sledge but there wasn't even enough for a snowball. </div>
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On our friends' last night we cooked pizzas in the wood fired oven. We had a few black bananas left and between them they came up with this recipe....which may become a post pizza tradition.</div>
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<b>Wood fired bananas with fudge, chocolate and biscuits (serves 4)....</b></div>
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4 bananas</div>
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4 chunks of fudge (<a href="http://www.veronicafarmfudge.co.uk/" target="_blank">preferably Veronica Farm Fudge available here</a>) </div>
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8 chunks of chocolate</div>
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4 chocolate digestive biscuits</div>
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Chop up the fudge and chocolate. </div>
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Make a slice down the middle of the bananas (leaving them in their skins.)</div>
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Stuff the bananas with the fudge and chocolate. </div>
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Wrap them tightly in foil. Pop them in the embers of the woodfired oven or barbecue for 5-7 minutes (or a 200'c) oven for 15 minutes (using oven gloves). Crush the biscuits in a bowl. </div>
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Carefully take the bananas out and very carefully unwrap the foil using oven gloves. Sprinkle the crushed biscuits over the top. </div>
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<br />Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-29192618362793059082013-03-04T06:23:00.001-08:002013-03-04T06:23:24.496-08:00St Piran's Day Cornish Blue Pasties...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Happy St Piran's Day for tomorrow. St Piran's Day has become so much bigger in the last few years. (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Piran's_Day" target="_blank">Here's the history</a>). There is only one dish fit for the celebrations and that is a pasty lunch. I got really excited because I had loads of Cornish Blue cheese to use up and thought I would make Steak and Cornish Blue pasties. I did a bit of googling around to see whether there were any recipes anywhere and couldn't find one. Then I felt a bit smug that I was going to put a recipe online, only to realise yesterday that Chough's won World Champion Company Savoury at the World Pasty Championships at the weekend for the same thing. </div>
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So the idea isn't original but it was delicious. If you don't want the blue cheese in it just leave it out. </div>
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I also experimented using strong white bread flour instead of plain and I actually preferred it. Which is handy as I've got 8kgs to use up.</div>
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<b>Cornish Blue and Steak Pasties (makes 4 or 6 bite size)</b></div>
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450g strong white bread flour</div>
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120g butter</div>
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120g hard white vegetable fat or lard</div>
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120g butter</div>
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up to 200ml cold water</div>
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200g beef skirt (I only had chopped beef)</div>
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100g Cornish Blue cheese</div>
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1 small onion</div>
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100g slice swede</div>
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120g potato</div>
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salt and pepper</div>
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2 tbsps clotted cream </div>
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Weigh the flour into a bowl and season with some salt. Grate in the butter and vegetable fat. Rub the fat into the flour until thoroughly combined.</div>
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Add the water a little at a time and bring the dough together with a knife. Give it a little knead and bring it together into a ball. Wrap it in cling film and pop it in the fridge for about 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200'c.</div>
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Peel and chop the onion and separate the chunks. Peel and slice the potato and swede into slices about as thick as a pound coin. Chop the cheese and beef into rough chunks. (Make sure you haven't got chunks of fat on the beef.)</div>
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Take the pastry out of the fridge and chop into four (or six if making smaller ones). Roll out into four circles the size of a small dinner plate (about 25 cms.) Layer up the pasty filling in the centre leaving a good sized edge, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. Top with some little blobs of clotted cream. </div>
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Fold the pastry over so you have a crescent shape and press down the edge to keep the ingredients in. I could now tell you how to crimp but I'm rubbish at it. (See below). However, there's a good masterclass <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0xKXGcu464" target="_blank">here </a>that's much better than I could do.</div>
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Brush with a little milk and put in the oven for 30 minutes. Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve on it's own. Not with mayonnaise and ketchup as my other half did. </div>
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The other two pasties I put in the freezer so I can defrost tomorrow morning and have a proper St Piran's Day lunch. </div>
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You can find out more about St Piran's Day and get in the spirit by following @stpiransday on twitter.</div>
Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-21084614683889611902013-03-03T00:39:00.000-08:002013-03-03T00:39:06.109-08:00Perfect Sunday pancakes....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QRUQNOkRTEY/UTMFxca2pVI/AAAAAAAADBM/IWXOGx5mOV4/s1600/DSC06638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QRUQNOkRTEY/UTMFxca2pVI/AAAAAAAADBM/IWXOGx5mOV4/s320/DSC06638.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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There's little Spring breakthroughs at the moment on Bryher. Beautiful sunsets turning the buildings on Tresco pink, sunny days which trick you into thinking it's warm enough for a picnic and flowers and buds bursting to life in the garden. </div>
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But there's a cold easterly windy blowing into Samson Hill making gardening hard to tolerate. This week we've had our first visitors who had three days of sunshine. They also had the extra low tides which meant they walk to Tresco two days in a row, stopping to chat to people walking the other way. The house suddenly seems much quieter now they have gone. After a winter of cereal and toast I decided to get up early and do us a cooked breakfast to warm us up for a day clearing the autumn bracken and brambles as long as our kitchen. </div>
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<b>My mum's scotch pancakes and bacon (serves 3-4)</b></div>
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225g self raising flour</div>
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1 pinch of salt</div>
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1 egg</div>
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25g very soft margarine or butter</div>
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25g caster sugar</div>
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225ml milk</div>
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spray oil or a little butter</div>
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8 slices of bacon (I used<a href="http://www.troytown.co.uk/content/troytown.html" target="_blank"> Troytown</a> which are like slices of heaven) </div>
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maple syrup </div>
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Preheat the oven to 200'c. Put the bacon on a baking tray. Pop in the oven. While the bacon is cooking, sieve the flour into a large bowl. Add all the other ingredients and mix with an electric beating until smooth. </div>
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Spray a frying pan with spray oil or add a little butter. Heat the pan up and add a tablespoon or so of the batter. Once it starts to bubble, flip over with a fish slice. You will need to do several batches. (I keep them warm by getting another big bowl and putting a clean tea towel in it and then I wrap the pancakes in it.<br />
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Put the pancakes of a warm plate and serve with the crispy bacon and lots of maple syrup. </div>
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<br />Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-82980671380776097532013-02-06T01:03:00.001-08:002013-02-06T01:05:15.567-08:00Home alone....<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm in the sitting room watching the rain pour down outside. It's the kind of rain that hits the window like a child throwing gravel. It's a foul day. The waves are rolling in off the Atlantic and are hitting the west coast of the island making a noise like a creaking ship. Last night the wind gusted up to 90mph. It's the perfect day to be inside, to watch Scilly at it's most exposed and at its most perfect. </div>
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We've been decorating the house. Using masking tape to cover the light switches and skirting boards and using big rollers to cover the smudges and scrapes from our guests suitcases as they came and went. Painting over 2012 and creating afresh for 2013. We've got another three weeks until our first guests arrive and it all starts again. We can't wait to share our house with people. To meet new faces and to welcome back some from 2012. But for now we are wrapped up warm, enjoying our solitude.<br />
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<b>Chicken and vegetable pie (serves 4)....</b><br />
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1x 500g packet of puff pastry<br />
a little flour<br />
2 small chicken breasts<br />
1 small leek<br />
a little olive oil<br />
1 fat clove of garlic<br />
1 good handful of a green leafy vegetable (I used pak choi)<br />
1 good handful of a sturdier vegetable (cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms etc)<br />
10g butter<br />
10g plain flour<br />
125ml milk<br />
salt and pepper<br />
20g parmesan cheese<br />
egg for glazing<br />
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Cut the pastry block in half and roll both out to about the size of an A4 piece of paper (one should be slightly bigger than the other.)<br />
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In a pan gently fry the chicken and chopped leek in the olive oil until the chicken is cooked through. Add the other vegetables, stir and take off the heat. Grate in a clove of garlic. In another pan melt the butter and add the flour. Stir for around a minute. Add the milk and keep stirring until the sauce has thickened a little. Add salt and pepper and stir into the chicken and leek mix. It should create a shiny wet glaze rather than a creamy sauce.<br />
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Put the smaller pastry half on a greased baking tray. Spoon the chicken mix on top leaving any remaining sauce in the pan. Grate half of the parmesan over the top and season. </div>
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Lay the bigger pastry half over the top and seal around the edges using a fork. Glaze with the beaten egg and the rest of the parmesan and make a small snip in the top.<br />
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Pop in the oven for around 20-30 minutes. <br />
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Serve with vegetables.<br />
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* I actually made a lower dairy version of this pie substituting the butter and milk for soya spread and soya milk and the parmesan for pecorino. The pastry of course is still full of butter but it justified it to me! </div>
Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-14407965273872895662013-01-22T09:44:00.001-08:002013-01-22T09:44:20.134-08:00Eating out in Thailand....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So we are back from our travels in Thailand and it was stupendous. I'm full of predictable plans to cook all kind of Thai dishes. I'll try not to bore you too much....</div>
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<br />Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-88470970759365599482012-12-30T04:51:00.001-08:002012-12-30T04:51:18.559-08:00Mainland munchies....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Only 3 weeks left of our 10 week trip away. This week we're in Cornwall for New Year and then off to Thailand for a two week (very late) honeymoon. We start in Bangkok, then onto Cape Panwa and Koh Phi Phi. I am mostly looking forward to the Bangkok street food which everyone says is fantastic. I'd love any good food reccomendations for Thailand. Anyway here is some of what we've been eating in the last few weeks.....</div>
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Treacle Tart and Vanilla Salt at The Scarlet, Mawgan Porth. </div>
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Crab raviolo with Mylor prawn bisque, tarragon foam, rouille and crostini at The Scarlet. Probbl one of my food highlights.</div>
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Cocktails with bridesman Alex in London.</div>
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A chocolately delight at The Porthminster Beach Cafe, St Ives.</div>
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Japanese mackerel broth at The Porthminster Beach Cafe, St Ives.</div>
Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-70758936263763378472012-12-03T13:21:00.000-08:002012-12-03T13:21:51.094-08:00Hubba hubba....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So we're in Truro. The B&B season on Scilly has finished and we have three months before it all starts again. To be honest I can't believe how fast it has gone and the FABULOUS people we have met and friends we have made. But we have various weddings and birthdays coming up over the winter that meant we had to be on the mainland. We decided instead of going back and forth we would spend ten weeks over here spending time with the friends and family we have missed so much this year. </div>
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The last couple of weeks we have been back in Truro and its been fantastic. It's great to bump into people whether you're shopping in town or on a semi empty beach. It's also been lovely to spend some time in Truro and appreciate it's stunning architecture and atmosphere which is easy to forget when you are living here. </div>
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On thing that's changed is The Hub's pop up restaurant on Lemon Quay. I bumped into one of my old work colleagues in the supermarket the other day and she said we had to go there as 'the burgers are the best in the world!'</div>
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We decided to go and get takeaway today and went for a kahuna burger with fries and winter slaw. </div>
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I love street food and it's great that this place has that kind of vibe. There was a lot of wide eyed mumbling when the other half was tucking in. Best burger in Cornwall? I think so. The most exciting new foodie place in Truro? Definitely.</div>
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Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-51598964953021662982012-10-14T07:05:00.000-07:002012-10-14T07:05:12.427-07:00Hat trick...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I've never really had to budget before. I've thought I have. When I was in my twenties and I lived in a little flat in Truro I was forever running out of money to put in the electricity meter. It was always half past seven on a Sunday night when the lights would go off and I would be left reading with a torch with my duvet up to my face (I also would never have enough money for heating!) But it was mainly because I'd spent all my money on gin and tonics the night before and magazines and takeaways. But now I share a bank account with the other half...a business account. Everything has to be recorded and checked and justified and we can't really justify a splurge at Topshop as a business expense. But I've actually enjoyed it. We hardly spend anything that isn't related to the business and I haven't really missed it. It's meant in January we can have our first holiday in 5 years (and it will be our delayed honeymoon.) To top it off we haven't had to pay to get to the mainland. Anyone who has ever visited Scilly will know the biggest expense is the flights to and from the islands. (The boat doesn't run in the winter.) At Bryher Fete this year we won flights and you have never seen two people more excited!</div>
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We also recently found out we won two nights and dinner at The Scarlet in Mawgan Porth which means we can finish our season here and go and enjoy two days of pampering in one of our favourite hotels. To top it off we won lunch for two at the Hell Bay Hotel in a coffee morning raffle so we went there to celebrate our luck and the end of our first season. </div>
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Brown and white crab with passionfruit mousse and crusty bread.<br />
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Chocolate fondant with pistachio ice cream.</div>
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Bouillabaisse. The best ever.</div>
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* Please excuse the fact the courses are mixed up...I can't work out this new blog thingy!</div>
<br />Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-36284744659106556762012-10-13T04:52:00.000-07:002012-10-13T04:52:21.041-07:00Tresco and Bryher Food Festival <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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These are just a few snapshots of the Tresco and Bryher Food and Drink Festival I helped to organise in September. Everyone on Bryher showcased just how great the food is here. Bryher is famous for its cakes but it has so much more to offer...delicious fish and chips, seafood, fudge, vegetables, fruit.<br />
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This is Bryher Shop's famous Tattie Cake. Prince Charles took some home with him when he visited the island in July. </div>
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Bryher Shop has a fantastic bakery so we can get fresh bread everyday. </div>
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These were the pain au chocolat and croissants we sold on the Samson Hill Cottage stall. </div>
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Fraggle Rock Cafe showcased lots of their local drinks and amazing cakes and meringues (below).</div>
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There were lots of free samples of cheese and wines for people to try. </div>
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And the Hell Bay Hotel made a constant supply of crab and lobster ravioli. It was the best I have ever had. </div>
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The next Tresco and Bryher Food Festival will be on September 14th and 15th 2013. Come along and enjoy! </div>
<br />Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-35822474773902333212012-09-09T05:53:00.000-07:002012-09-09T05:55:05.337-07:00Autumn souper...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There's been a wierd fog around for the last few days. It rolls up the channel amoothering the sunshine and forcing the temperature to plummet. It is like autumn giving the last of our summer sunshine a sharp shove and reminding us it's just around the corner. As we walk to the vegetable stall in the morning our flip flops get sodden with the cold dew and we have to talk them off and brave the damp muddy pathways. The stall is at its best at this time of year. The summer vegetables I've missed for myself are still there. Ripe fat tomatoes, cucumbers as long as a ruler, bunches of bright green basil and shiny purple aubergines of all different sizes. But now there is the autumn crop as well. The jars of strawberry jam have appeared for us to stock up on and green and orange squashes.</div>
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Yesterday we did our changeovers at the B&B and still had two hours before our guests arrived on the boat. So I made an autumny soup with the leftover Kabocha<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 6px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 6px; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"> </span>squash in the fridge and we sat on the patio watching the fog roll in....</div>
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<b>Roasted kabocha squash and nduja soup with herby crumbs.......(</b>serves 3-4) </div>
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1/2 a kabocha squash (about 14oz/455g)</div>
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1 small onion</div>
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2 cloves of garlic</div>
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a tsp chopped fresh chilli</div>
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11/2 pints of chicken/vegetable stock</div>
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3oz nduja sausage</div>
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4tbsp herby crumbs (see below recipe) </div>
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Preheat the oven to 200'c. Peel, deseed and chop the squash into rough pieces (not too small). Drizzle with oil and pop into the oven for about 30-45 mins until you push a knife through with no resistance. Put to one side.</div>
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In a large pan add a little oil and add the finely shopped onion and garlic on a medium heat. Allow to cook for about 5-7 minutes although don't let it brown. Add the squash and the stock. Let it simmer for 5 minutes then add the chopped chilli. (I do this right at the end so you still get a nice kick of chilli.) </div>
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Put the crumbs in a baking dish and pop into the oven for 5-10 minutes to crisp and brown. </div>
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Blitz with a hand blender carefully until smooth. Add more of less stock if you like it thinner or thicker. Season with salt. </div>
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In a small pan add the nduja and a tbsp of olive oil and fry (mixing while you do) until you almost have a thick nduja dressing. Ladle the soup into a bowl and spoon the nduja and warm herby crumbs over the top. </div>
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<b>Herby crumbs.....</b></div>
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I use these a lot for stuffings for roast dinner and for stuffing mushrooms and they are a great way of using up stale bread.. They are also great on gratins and vegetable bakes so I keep a big bag in my freezer. </div>
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1 small loaf of white bread</div>
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4 handfuls of herbs. (At the moment I am using parsley, fennel, sage, savoury, thyme and chives)</div>
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Rip up the bread into a food processor and blitz with the crumbs. Store in the freezer in a carrier bag. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7HFTyEEiiwE/UEyKiQ8xdlI/AAAAAAAAC2A/XOIuzAGiWB4/s1600/DSC05954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7HFTyEEiiwE/UEyKiQ8xdlI/AAAAAAAAC2A/XOIuzAGiWB4/s320/DSC05954.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-76982061634683212402012-08-17T07:52:00.001-07:002012-08-17T07:52:45.996-07:00Catch up....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I don't seem to be capable of sitting down and writing a blog post, I thought I would post a few pictures of what I have been cooking.....</div>
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These are some of the canapes we serve before dinner...Cornish honey roasted nuts with sea salt and Bryher cucumber with smoked salmon and wasabi. </div>
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One of Samson Hill's most popular main courses...Fish crumble. </div>
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We went shrimping and caught shrimps for a 1970's shrimp cocktail. </div>
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I have learnt how to make croissants and pain au chocolat....</div>
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This was a herb garden stuffing for roast chicken. </div>
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Some guests caught a fish and wanted it for breakfast.....</div>
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These are my mum and dad's grapes they grew in their shed. They ended up on our breakfast table...</div>
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Panfried Cornish hake with a summer vegetable rissoto. I served this summery dish when it was a big storm outside and it felt anything but summery...</div>
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<br />Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-15195909657598460602012-07-15T06:00:00.001-07:002012-07-15T06:00:04.965-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Today we are having our photos taken for a magazine. It's a beautiful day and the tide is just right. So we sat in the sun at lunchtime and put our feet up...so we look suitably relaxed in the photos!</div>
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<br />Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168097248991820965.post-3044185365163622222012-07-15T05:56:00.001-07:002012-07-15T05:56:24.682-07:00Barbecued mackerel with new potato summer salad.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I am still here. Cleaning, dusting, making beds, ironing, cleaning windows, washing, shopping, walking, cooking, eating, enjoying the sunshine. </div>
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<br />Issyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413027415543101784noreply@blogger.com1