jane-claire's kitchen

gingerbread men

2011-10-01T14:29:00.004+01:00

My wee sister came up last weekend and so I did some baking. I had bought the Peyton and Byrne 'British Baking' book which is a wee beauty. Simple, recognisable British baking - no fuss here, just good, solid recipes.

I went with the Gingerbread Men recipe as I always love biscuits that mean I get to use my biscuit cutters and because they last for a week - most baked goods need to be eaten pretty quickly but I was doing prep work as I would be working the day Emma arrived. This turned out to be a very good thing as I ended up being very ill and was in no fit state to bake or cook anything so at least there was some home baking already sorted!

Ingredients

350g plain flour
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g cold unsalted butter
150g light soft brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
4 tbsp golden syrup

The recipe says the prep time is about 15 minutes - I would say nearer 25 - unless you are super duper fast.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180c/gas 4 and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Sift the flour, ginger and bicarb powder into a bowl.

Rub in the butter - or do what I did and use a food processor.

Stir in the sugar.

Whisk the egg and syrup in a bowl then add to the flour and butter mixture. Licking the golden syrup spoon is a nice treat!

Mix it all well to form a dough.

Flour a surface and roll out the dough. I divided the dough into two balls for this bit. The recipe says 3mm thickness - I like a thicker biscuit so went for nearer 5mm.

Dip your cutter in flour then cut out your shapes and transfer them to the tray. You can make eyes, nose and mouth using a knitting needle or sharp knife. You can also add currants for jacket buttons and eyes too if you like.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until a lovely golden brown. When ready let them cool for 1-2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.

Store in an airtight container - they will last up to a week.

onion tart and two potatoe salads

2011-09-05T23:25:00.000+01:00

We have been getting a veggie box delivered each week and it has meant we are a) eating with the season and b)responding to what has arrived and thinking up recipes to use up the food rather than planning what we want to eat then shopping for the veg. This has been quite good because it forces you to look out new recipes.

This week we had a glut of potatoes and onions [white and spring]. It is still too warm to go into proper winter food yet so I searched my cookery books and my brain for a solution. The result - two types of potatoe salad and Nigella's onion tart [page 392, How to Eat].

Now, I cheated a bit. I left out the nutmeg because I really don't like it, and swapped the marsala to red wine. And, the tart calls for a pastry case and I have been really busy so I bought one.

Ingredients
30g butter
Drop of oil
500g white onions, sliced very thinly
1-2 teaspoons of sugar
4 tbsp red wine
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
300ml creme fraiche

Melt the butter with the oil in your frying pan and then add the onions.
Stir and cook on a medium to low heat for about 10-12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in the sugar and reduce to the lowest heat and cover [with a lid, foil or, as I did, a large dinner plate].
Leave to cook for about 20 minutes. The onions should be all tender and almost going to mush.
Add in the wine, turn up the heat and cook for about 8 minutes. Keep stirring so it doesn't catch.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool a bit.
[you could also do this bit in the morning or the night before]

If you are using a homemade pastry case, make it while all the onion prep is going on.

Make a custard by beating the eggs, egg yolk, creme fraiche and half a teaspoon of salt together.
Add a good grinding of pepper - I like a lot so it is more like several grindings.
Take your onions and line the pastry case with them.
Then carefully pour over your egg mix - Nigella gives a good tip at this point - don't fill your case right up with the liquid - leave some aside and top up once you have it on the rack in the oven to avoid the wobbly, shaky, drippy trip from surface to oven.
Nigella doesn't say this but if you have a pastry case that isn't in a tin/foil [because like me you bought it!] place it on a baking sheet with a strip of greaseproof paper underneath it. This means that when you come to remove it you can lift it and slide it onto a plate without breaking the pastry.

Grind some more pepper on the top.
Bake it at Gas 6/180 degrees for about 35 minutes or until it is golden on top. It should be set but not rubbery and overly firm. It will cook a bit still as it cools down.
Remove it from the oven and let it cool for about 10-15 minutes before slicing up and serving.

For the potatoes
As many potatoes as your local veggie box man has delivered![about 750kg in my case...]
A jar of good quality mayonnaise
A tbsp of mustard
A glug of oil
A large handful of chopped spring onions
Salt and pepper

Potatoe salad needs cold potatoes so either boil them while doing the onions or do them the night/morning before.

The first thing to do though was to scrub the soily potatoes - which Andy really enjoys...

When cold, divide them between 2 bowls.
In one bowl add two tbsp of good mayonnaise and the spring onions - mix well.

Some like lots of creamy mayonnaise so once you have done the first two tbsp judge yourself what you would like. Grind over some pepper and give it a final mix.
In the other, add the mustard and the oil and mix well.

I also served some cherry toms mixed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar with some salad leaves which I thought cut through the dairy centred nature of the rest of the dish.

ssssausages

2011-09-03T23:14:00.000+01:00

I had my wee brother Theo over and needed some easy peasy recipes that would fill up a 15 year old with, apparently, hollow legs.

I picked up this recipe from Jamie Oliver's 'Jamie at Home' - I didn't follow it quite to the letter but here is my version.

Ingredients

12 sausages
Two punnets of cherry tomatoes
2-3 sprigs of Thyme
2-3 sprigs of Rosemary
2-3 garlic cloves - crushed and chopped
A tbsp of crushed Oregano
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Baking potatoes

Prep

You will need a large roasting tin and the oven preheated to about Gas 6, 180 degrees
Foil for the baked potatoes

Method

Prick the potatoes all over, wrap in foil and start to bake in the oven immediately

Slice up the cherry toms in half and place in a large roasting tin

Scatter the herbs and garlic over the tomatoes

Glug 3-4 tbsp of olive oil and 1-2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar over the herbs, garlic and tomatoes

Now for the messy bit...

Dump the sausages on the top and with your hands mix everything up until the sausages are all coated
Before putting in the oven, arrange it so the sausages are on top

Bake for 30 minutes, then turn over the sausages and divest the potatoes of their foil so the skins bake crispy, and bake for another 15-20 minutes

Voila!

Tips

I made this the day of the Bridge of Allan games - torrential rain ensued. To save time I baked my potatoes in foil at breakfast time - I sometimes find that although usually they take an hour you might need longer and I like my skins really crispy. I also prepared the toms and sausages in their seasoning and left them in the tin covered in cling film. This meant that dinner was even quicker and easier and the food kept fine like that until it was time to bake it. And if you make this quantity just for two there will be enough for two nights or, in our case, for a hungry person to have as a rather nice packed lunch to reheat at work.

bloggin'

2011-08-19T23:24:00.005+01:00

I am starting to blog again - slowly - but after a break it's hard to get back into the swing of it! I have also started a new blog - it is for my political/newsy stuff as I want this blog to be pure fun and food and funky cool stuff.

Talking of cool stuff - here is a pic of the Joseph Joseph salt and pepper grinder we got today -

go read this blog

2011-07-29T01:48:00.000+01:00

One of the best bits of my job is meeting people living with diabetes and hearing about their experiences. Sometimes I don't get to meet them in person - sometimes it is a patient survey or letter or email. How people talk about their diabetes and deal with it is diverse and fascinating. Joe Freeman - our social media guy - pointed me in the direction of the Diabetes UK blog - which I knew about but hadn't made time to go and see [bad me]. The first post I read was about a person who wanted to know what they looked like when they have a hypo. What an amazing thing - it wouldn't have occured to me that someone would think of that and yet it makes perfect sense. Knowing your condition includes knowing about how it manifests itself and as the blogger notes how it looks may not automatically mean people know it is a hypo. I know of people who have been assumed to be drunk or on drugs when having a hypo - of people being picked up by the police or thrown out of shops/restaurants etc for being disorderly. Hearing directly from people with diabetes reminds all of us that raising awareness and making sure everyone knows about diabetes is really important. And that being let into a persons experience is a real privelege. Go read it!

gin is good

2011-07-28T22:54:00.002+01:00

But don't say I said that. Working for a health charity means you are much more conscious than usual over what you are 'supposed' to be doing to be healthy. I have a heightened awareness for the foods and exercise avoidance that mean a less healthy lifestyle. However, heightened awareness also means I think even more about chips than I ever did. And chocolate. And gin. I want them.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been trying to clean up my act. Moving job to a health charity may mean I know more about and are more aware of health messages - but this hasn't turned into a super healthy lifestyle. If anything the travel, odd working hours, evening events with buffets and a weakness for comfort eating when juggling 'competing priorities' means I have in fact put on weight and developed some not-so-great habits.

While working on our South Asian Community project a lot of the feedback from participants has been about the basic, simple changes you can make. How to give up sugar in your tea, or change your cooking oil. It's easy to say - harder to implement. Everyone in a household may need to make the change around you. For many they are trying to break the habits and practices of a lifetime. More than that, it is about culture too. For me food is a social thing. Breaking bread - or sitting down to a lovingly prepared meal and sharing the food and our reactions to it - is part of my culture and background. So taking a leaf out of their book, instead of thinking 'I must be able to cycle 50 miles before work NOW' I have taken a gentler approach.

I haven't fully given up coffee but I have limited myself to coffee on a Sunday. The cravings were bad - the headache coincided with a few stressful days at work so I convinced myself it wasn't the caffeine withdrawal. I even tried - horror of horrors - decaf coffee at work.

I haven't fully given up chocolate either - but I have cut down drastically. No Milky Bar on the train home [they are really small these days!]. I did have a dark chocolate covered ginger biscuit - but that doesn't count?

And last night on our walk along the river to get ice cream I went for a modest small scoop - not my usual greedy two scoop with a Flake.

I now also walk a lot more when I am in London instead of resorting to the tube. I get some exercise but also get to see and learn about the city I am working in. I am also walking to the train station in the village at home and back each day. Not quite my 'big goal' but better than nought.

These are all small changes - but I am proud of making them. They are the first step to getting healthier - and without that sense of failure when in the first week you haven't lost a stone and bagged a Munro, because who could achieve that? I am also reminded though of how hard it is to make those changes. I am surrounded by the information and guidance needed - and yet I still find it hard. It makes me realise how much we ask of those around us when we talk about five-a-day and doing more exercise. We need to realise that this stuff isn't as easy as it looks in a leaflet and that daily life and ingrained habits are hard to change.

And I have my wee brother coming to stay next week. So the next step is some big walks in the amazing countryside I have around me. He is great company and likes to get out and about so that will get my walking legs up to speed again.

So - back to the gin - I have not given up alcohol. I am not a big drinker but I do like 'a wee swally'. And I am not a martyr so I have to keep one fun thing. I can go weeks without a glass of wine - although in the modern way of the young professional I will have several glasses when out with friends but rate it ok because we were also having dinner - bourgeoise drinking is just as bad as any other kind. Also cocktails are not necessarily better than drinking Buckie. It's just more stylish. But I don't believe in giving up every fun thing. So I have this evening sat down to a lovely Blackwood's gin which has aided my 'work diary tidy up' and allowed me to feel like working late isn't too much of a bind. For me it is small steps, big changes, and if I am going to preach the message I should live it too.

back online

2011-07-22T18:14:00.002+01:00

It has been a while since I last posted which has been down to a combination of moving house, no internet and an incredibly busy time at work. I am back on the internet though and blogging has recommenced. I will be sifting through the scraps, photos and other flotsam and jetsam I have gathered thinking 'that would be good for the blog' and getting it posted. So bear with me - I am gearing up again for the blogosphere!

In the meantime, you can catch me on twitter @JCJudson...

style blogs

2011-06-02T22:21:00.001+01:00

Most style blogs are focused on London, NY, Paris, Milan etc etc. So it is good to see a blog that, while it does include some London street style, includes that capital of fashion - Glasgow [Les Garcons de Glasgow]. The Sunday Herald did a piece on it - and ran a street style spread. Apparently next week they are in Stirling - do you think my hoody, skinnies and boots combo for sorting out the house will be a hit?

For a good take on LFW see dressmebest - not a Glasgow blog but it brought me to this amazing red and black dress...

organisational culture

2011-05-31T18:27:00.005+01:00

not this kind of culture...

I spent Tuesday at the Volunteer Development Scotland board meeting in Stirling - VDS is Scotland's Centre for Excellence in volunteering and leads the way in informing and modernising approaches to volunteering policy, enhancing practice and improving the quality of the volunteering experience for the people of Scotland. I really enjoy being a part of the board - yes, the decisions are sometimes challenging and in the current economic climate everything comes with a bit more pressure these days - but the enthusiasm and focus of the team at VDS is something I enjoy being around.

In previous meetings we have used the term 'form follows function' to help us through our decision making and today the Chair coined another - lean, mean, fast, flexible. 'Mean' is not us being horrible to one another - more that any organisation needs to be able to focus on its aims and objectives and not be distracted from that path. I like these two phrases. The first reminds us that while structures are important, they are only important so far as they enable us to carry out and achieve our aims. The second phrase reminds us that delivery needs to be reactive and proactive to the environment around us and that there is no room for excess in anything that we do.

In the hands of other organisations these phrases could be seen as negative or reasons to take actions that would otherwise be unpalatable without a sound bite to cover them off. It is interesting to me that I don't feel this with the Board or team at VDS - that behind the words is a philosophy and ethos that is about always keeping the volunteer at the centre of our work. How do you explain this though? This kind of 'feeling' strays into that fuzzy world of 'culture' that many organisations struggle to define or achieve. It has made me reflect on the organisations and cultures I come across in other parts of my working and personal life - the NHS, Diabetes UK [and my amazing team in Scotland], the Scottish Government etc.

It has also prompted me to go and look out my old MBA notes on culture and have a think about the different kinds and how they are generated - and the leadership qualities required for each one - combined with what I saw at VDS and experience elsewhere and see what I can learn from that. I think it could form a future post...

joseph joseph - so good they named it twice

2011-05-30T19:52:00.000+01:00

I previously blogged about the joseph joseph index chopping boards I got given for Christmas [thanks, Emma!]. I have not used them, preferring to save them for the new house. Now, the new house has seen some buying power - kitchens, carpets, bathroom suites etc all take investment - but we have been very restrained and not splurged on 'furnishings and household items' as I term it. So, we haven't bought anything that isn't integral to the building itself. We have held back and been sensible - we have not stockpiled cushions, crockery or ornaments. This weekend we broke with that just a wee tiny bit. We ordered some dining chairs to brighten up the dining table and some bar stools for the breakfast bar. We have also ordered pots and pans [new induction hob = new cooking pots] but that is a whole other post. We also indulged in some joseph joseph! So I have new utensils on their way -

And critically, two new worktop savers for our new breakfast bar/Kitchen surfaces. The house has a lot of sleek lines and neutral colours but everyone needs some fun and we spotted some cool worktop savers at Sterling Mills.

Andy gets the tractor -

I get the sheep on the hill -

We managed to not buy the entire range, or give in to new knives, or any number of amazing things. So we have been restrained - honest!

busy busy busy

2011-05-29T23:02:00.000+01:00

Sometimes life gets very busy and while most of the busyness has been good it is tiring and I am starting to look forward to a week or two of calm post-move.

First off is that the house is now lurching forward at a scary pace. We are three weeks out from moving - decisions about paint, conversations with lawyers, forms to fill, carpets to finally order, packing to be done.

The house is looking almost like a proper ready-to-move in house - we get very excited every time we visit. It has always, even in it's shell-like state, felt like home but now there is actually a visibly recognisable house there.

Yes, it has gone so far that I now gaze at freshly painted walls for hours on end...

The walls are painted and the windows sealed and there are wires for our lights.

The bathroom is in and almost done.

The stained glass is being cleaned and restored.

And sometimes it is the little things - our front door is finished, the handles are on the internal doors.

On top of that, work has been pretty manic. We had a day long meeting on Tuesday on peer support for people living with diabetes [followed by dinner with the lovely Ruth Wilson - our Peer Support Manager who works out of the Cardiff office] and launched the Live for It! project on Thursday. Friday was 'work from home day' which means I get to catch up on all of the paperwork and emailing the week generates. And I get to do it sitting in my jeans and hoody and playing my music loud. It also means I can multi task to make our lovely builders some cakes - this week they got cherry and chocolate muffins. In the space of our hour on site they had cleaned out the whole batch...

To round it all off I finally got somewhere with my shoulder and saw the GP and got some pain relief. The worst thing about the pain has been the exhaustion that has come with it and not being able to concentrate when it gets really bad. When everything looks like it is at the end of a long tunnel because the pain is at crazy levels it makes it difficult to be as productive as usual. But - now it is under control I managed a full Saturday awake - for the past four or five weeks I have crashed out post-house visit for most of the day - not great for packing and getting stuff done!

Now I just need to make it through the next three weeks and it will be move in day!

back to skool

2011-05-27T14:42:00.004+01:00

One of the issues that really gets me going is kids in school with type 1 diabetes who feel isolated, or are bullied, or don't get access to their treatments because diabetes is not well understood. Alongside that I want kids to have good, engaging education on making healthy choices so that their future is not going to include developing type 2. If diabetes continues to rise in prevalence at it's current rate, 1 in 4 children at school will have diabetes when they are in late adulthood. This for me is quite terrifying - what kind of future is that to offer young people?

How to tackle this? Well, a purely medical approach won't work. Nurses and doctors don't have the time to go into schools to talk about diabetes, kids don't want a lecture on metabolic systems and teachers don't have the training themselves to explain one of the most complex conditions there is. Diabetes UK Scotland doesn't know how to educate primary school kids and schools don't want us taking up their class time.

We had to think differently. The Edinburgh International Science Festival has a worldwide reputation for making science education fun and interesting and encouraging kids to enjoy science. We have the diabetes knowledge and the ability to fundraise. The schools have a new 'curriculum for excellence' that requires learning to integrate subject areas. From that an idea was born. Why not devise a schools tour that took healthy lifestyle messages and promotion to the kids in a way that matches curriculum objectives? But, in addition, the first step in this was through one of our volunteers who attended an EISF event and had that 'lightbulb' moment - and reminds me that you can take an idea from its initial point of origin and take it right through to fruition. Something to remember when ideas seem too hard to make a reality.

Live for It! is the fantastic result of this. After almost a year of development, and £100,000 investment with sponsorship from Lifescan, Pfizer and ScotMid we have launched a joint project between EISF and Diabetes UK Scotland that debuted yesterday at Niddrie Mills Primary School in Edinburgh.

Each school participates in four 90 minute sessions during which students explore topics including, diet, cooking, digestion, diabetes and how the body uses energy. The programme comprises three interactive workshops, Eat for it! – where students go on a journey through the digestive system, Go for It! where they test blood glucose and learn how our bodies convert food into energy, and Cook for It! – all about eating a balanced diet and making healthy food choices. The final session Live for It! allows the students to show off what they have learned through a series of interesting challenges, including Oscar; a life size model patient with exposed organs and a flashing red nose modelled on the ‘Operation’ board game.

The kids get to find out about how glucose and diet affect the body...

I went along to the launch yesterday and had an amazing time - seeing kids talk about the pancreas, the first time they made and tasted cous cous, figure out what foods to eat and be excited about exercise and what recipes they had tried over the four weeks was great. Seeing a very tangible impact from our work was also good and gives your enthusiasm a real boost. I also got to try out the x box kinnect challenge along with Sarah Ward [Diabetes UK Scotland Project Development Manager and the one to contact about Live for It! - sarah.ward@diabetes.org.uk].

This year we will reach around 26 schools and we are already planning for how to fund more.

For me this is what the job ultimately is about - yes, writing reports, filing documents, sorting out emails, managing the budget - these are all essential. But the only reason for doing all of that is so that a bunch of kids get the chance to make the choices about their life that can make the difference between a healthy life or one where type 2 diabetes looms down the line. And the great thing is that with the EISF we will get robust evaluated outcomes and be able to take this to the Scottish Government and others and say, hey, why not make sure every kid in Scotland gets this?

I get to hang out with the EISF team - amazing people - and their Director - Simon Gage - also amazing!

work life balance

2011-05-20T23:09:00.004+01:00

So all this social media stuff these days makes it difficult to keep work and home life separate. I currently have two facebook pages and have just started to tweet and I am realising that keeping bits of yourself separate is quite difficult.

When I started this blog it was partly so that Andy had an online repository of recipes, for me to record recipes and general chit chat for friends and family - it resolutely stayed clear of of other areas of my life - like work, politics and having Lupus and M.E. They do sometimes get a mention but they are not dwelt on. I worried about mixing them and about whether if I mentioned work and what I made last night for dinner in the same post that somehow made the work stuff less profesional and the home stuff less fun. It is more difficult these days to shut the door behind you and create that space. But at the same time sometimes the overlap can be positive.

One of things I have realised recently is how much I enjoy that Andy shares the same area of work - diabetes. We have quite different jobs and careers and also quite different interests in general - proving the opposites attract rule. He has a phd and works with other very clever people in health informatics and I can barely get my head round what he does - I do a job and have a career that at times defies definition. Campaigning, public affairs, policy development, planning etc - what does all that mean? I always struggle when you get a form with a drop down menu and you have to chose your profession - teacher, doctor, mechanic, lawyer, nurse, shop assistant - why don't I have an easily defined profession? It seemed that our work was definitely an area where we would always have little in common. But we do both share a keen sense of wanting to have jobs where we can see a line between what we do and making a positive difference in someone's life. Well, that can sound a bit cheesey and ultimately we need to pay the mortgage but we have always made decisions that once the bills are paid we pick jobs we enjoy and that match that goal. Diabetes has been the first time we have overlapped.

One of the interesting things about this has been how we have dealt with sharing our work and also drawing boundaries around it. Andy works with patient data and supports research - so sometimes he won't tell me what he is working on. Sometimes the first time I know what he has been doing is when a paper is published or an announcement made. Equally there are things I sometimes don't tell him - like the content of presentations I am about to do at conferences he is in the audience of. We have worked out a way of keeping those issues separate.

But what has been lovely is when we are tackling a problem or feeling a sense of achivement with things at work we can share it - and we can share a general sense of working together towards something. Andy knows me better than anyone so while the fact that his ability to read my mind isn't always a good thing, it is lovely to be able to be totally open and know the person you are talking to 'gets you'.

As well as Andy and I sharing diabetes, I have realised that working with people the way we do at Diabetes UK Scotland means you are allowed to be a person as well as a role. There always has to be a line, of course, but some of my favourite moments have not been in meetings or writing reports - some have been when a volunteer has offered me hospitality in their home after a long day and made me feel welcome or when the team takes a break to play with a team member's daughter after nursery. Sometimes it is when you are exhausted and are really not looking forward to taking the train home when you realise the short lift to the station you were being given is taking twenty minutes and in fact your colleague has decided to drive you home to help you out.

I suppose what I am trying to say is that we are all human and not mechanical parts that can be separated and then put back together easily. It is good to have boundaries. It is good to be professional. But I think maybe my virtual on-line kitchen could do with a bit more of a peak at the other rooms in the house a bit more often. Anyway, once the new house is finished a seem of blogging material will run dry and I will need the material! And if John Halamka can have a blog that combines his high profile work in American healthcare with how to build a birdhouse then why can't we all?

the project - the kitchen goes in !

2011-05-15T09:58:00.004+01:00

And the big moment is here! Our kitchen is now being put in and while there are still a couple of bits and pieces to finish the bulk of it is there. The kitchen has been over a year in planning and while I love all of our house the kitchen has always been the bit I have looked forward to most.

The back wall of cabinets are black gloss [the wrap is still on to protect it while the house is finished] with a vanilla worktop and cabinet doors. I did worry about whether the black gloss would be over powering but seeing it in has put my mind at rest - the height and light of the space needs something other than the vanilla and I am happy it works well.

The surface space is really good - it will be so much easier to have more than a foot of space like we did in our old flat! The template for the indiction hob and hood are done too.

And our brand new shiny sink -

The bit I have been waiting for though, of course, is the Magic Larder - no picture can do it justice and just now the shelves are tied up but here is the first pics. I am in storage heaven...

So there are still bits and pieces to be done but it is great to see such a big step forward - it makes it all the more real and closer to moving in.

elections

2011-05-06T22:50:00.004+01:00

They say a week is a long time in politics but after the election results today maybe it should be revised to 24 hours being the definition of a 'long time'. The SNP have the first full majority since the Parliament was re-established in 1999, Labour has become a minority, weak and destabilised party and the Lib Dems suffered a severe drubbing.

The Scottish Election has been a complex one. The media like to reduce analysis to glib statements - it's the Westminster coalition that did it, it was a two party race etc etc. But you don't get the majority the SNP has under an additional member based PR system a year after a resounding vote for Labour in the UK general election without a number of intertwined issues coming together.

The first is that while I sometimes have pondered the logic of local communities unseating elected representatives who are clearly excellent both locally and nationally for the sheer hell of it [as it appears to me anyway], I believe the Scottish electorate are fairly sophisticated and have an understanding of politics in Scotland that is beyond that of most political pundits - you only had to see Nick Robinson on the BBC to realise that. It may seem to some that a strong vote for Labour at the Westminster elections last year would lead to a strong showing yesterday. But of course they are entirely different elections with different choices and different policy outcomes and that viewpoint belies the nuances of a devolved system. Voters may not articulate it as political anoraks would but they definitley 'get it'.

The second is that the collapse of the Lib Dem vote was expected but the depth of the Labour collapse was not. The Lib Dem losses in and of themselves did not create the unstoppable surge in SNP support. Why did the Labour vote collapse like this? Scottish Lib Dems are suffering from a coalition with the Conservatives - what's Labour's reason?

The third is that while the SNP has independence as a policy they have proven that they are a party with policies for all areas of Scottish life. They are not a one trick pony. You may not like all of the tricks but they are a full blown show - not a sketch. They have governed and by all reasonable measures have governed well. They have certainly disproved the predictions of not lasting more than six months in power.

The fourth is that voters views on independence are not the driving factor in voting for or against the SNP. People will vote for the SNP as a party for Scotland even if they are not fully for indepedence.

The fifth is Labour's inability to run a positive campaign and one that is about Scotland - and not about Labour's struggle to operate in the devolved settlement they enabled to happen. A campaign that focuses on using Scotland as a springboard to success in a future Westminster election, negative messaging and an inability to contain Labour's internal struggle to recover from last year's UK elections and the previous Scottish elections is not a vote winner. Scottish voters perhaps more than others are sensitive to being used and patronised to.

The Lib Dems are in a dark place - but at least they know why they are there and so have a head start on how to work their way out of it. Labour needs to figure out how the past 24 hours came to be and recalibrate accordingly. Do they have the mettle to do this? Given the losses they have suffered their intellectual and political capacity is significantly pruned.

Of course, this short blog post itself only skims the surface of a 24 hour period that will take days, if not weeks, to understand and analyse. But five years ago no-one would have predicted an SNP majority or that Labour would be in the position they are now in. Scotland is grasping devolution in a way that no other part of the UK is quite achieving and is stating and creating its own path. If there is a part of our United Kingdom that knows it's own mind it appears it is Scotland.

placemats

2011-03-14T23:26:00.000Z

I like slate placemats - simple, robust and easy to clean. In particular I like these ones from London Kills Me - they have a dandelion pattern so it breaks up the slate and stops it looking to harsh. Also, their website pointed out you can use chalk to write dinner guests names on as place settings which I hadn't thought of!

taste - sunday morning coffee

2011-03-13T22:27:00.000Z

Yesterday morning I nipped over to Linlithgow to catch up with my friend Michelle - and she suggested Taste, a wee cafe and deli in the town. I had heard her mention this place before and I am always up for finding new cafes and places that sell cakes and interesting foodstuffs.

I drove over - using my sat nav for the first time - and given I am the most nervous driver in the world quite enjoyed my wee jaunt. The sat nav unhelpfully fell out of its holder half way there but I have to say Ms Sat Nav is a plucky gal and continued to politely direct me from under the car seat.

I had an Americano with warm milk and a slice of gingerbread loaf with butter. The coffee was excellent - sometimes Americano can be served a bit bitter and with too much hot water. Yes, it is meant to be a long drink but I prefer it with a bit of the espresso syrup taste and texture to it - which this was. The milk came in a small jug, nicely warmed - not scorched - and with a wee cap of froth. The loaf was moist but managed to stay firm and not collapse under the butter spreading. Getting gingerbread loaf right is not easy - too dry and it crumbles, too moist and you risk creating a close packed shelf of loaf under the knife.

After a second Americano - which was as good as the first so was impressed with the consistency - I ordered a peppermint tea [we talk a lot - therefore a lot of coffee/tea is needed!]. And they use Tea Pigs! Which I love - I really like fresh mint leaves but next best thing is Tea Pigs.

The service was good - polite and helpful but not intrusive and on a Sunday it is nice to not feel rushed.

I didn't have a lot of time to browse but they have a great selection of chutneys and pickles, a small wine selection and an amazing array of cakes, pastries and pates. I will definitely be back.

the project - site visit

2011-03-12T22:33:00.001Z

Stairs from 1st floor to mezzanine

Things move very slowly then suddenly speed up. The past few weeks has seen a flurry of emails to sign off the final-final-final plans for the kitchen, bathroom and flooring. It is amazing that you can think you have thought of everything and then suddenly there is a teeny tiny detail you missed that is incredibly important and must be agreed, like, right now.

Beam reaching up from 1st to mezzanine floor, wee bit of dining platform

The big jobs are also being done - the inside is now all plasterboarded with wires poking through and plug socket spaces appearing. It is at this point you realise that there isn't a plug socket just where you will need one because seeing it 3-d is very different to a paper plan.

Andy standing at the bathroom door, down the corridor towards the two bedrooms

We are also beginning to see the space and get a better feel for it now the windows are all in and the house is a lot lighter. This means the mezzanine seems huge but the bedrooms smaller. The dining platform is taller than we imagined and the garden a bigger space. It is like Alice in Wonderland - sizes and shapes change with every visit. But luckily, so far, we haven't thought 'oh my God we don't like it' - more 'oh my God why can we not move in tomorrow'!

Andy in his hard hat and fetching yellow vest...

However, it is a conversion which means the secret hidey holes we had in the old place and our current rented accommodation will not be available. Two challenges for me - to be a lot tidier and to not hoard. Those who know me well will understand the challenge this poses. The clear out we did a year ago needs to be repeated with an even harsher edit. So I need to see this as a fresh beginning and a chance to declutter rather than a hard and emotional break up with shoes I haven't worn since university and 'archiving' every single card, postcard and letter I have ever been sent.

Where the stained glass window will be put back in as part of the internal wall that encloses the dining platform - as you walk down from the mezzanine or sit at the dining table you will be able to look through the stained glass

And if I manage to do this, and perhaps make some ebay money too, then I can invest in this lovely simple but quirky Keith Brymer Jones 'word' crockery...I particularly like the 'what comes first the chicken or the egg' egg cups and the 'porridge' bowl.

customer service - the post office

2011-03-12T17:07:00.003Z

For three weeks now I have been trying to post a parcel. Travelling umpteen miles across the UK hasn't helped but neither has the lack of post office facilities. Which still apparently close on Wednesday afternoons [who can keep those kind of hours?] and stop doing any actual post office type work at random times like 4pm, the only times I actually had free last week. So, this morning I got up earlier than I usually do on a Saturday to catch the post office down the road because it shuts at 11.30am - go figure], housed as part of the local co-op.

I needed something to post the birthday present to my sister in - nowadays unless you go to an out-of-town Staples or big supermarket it is quite a challenge to track down items like brown paper or the larger size of jiffy bag. Train stations [which I spend a scary amount of time in] used to often have post boxes and stationery shops that sold postage items beyond stamps. Not Euston's WH Smith, though, I discovered.

Anyway, I had my presents wrapped and strolled down the road. I perused the stationery section and saw one large size of build-it-yourself box. I asked the post office woman if she had any smaller boxes - no. I showed her what I was sending and asked if there was anything that suited - again, no.

So I had to choose between a flimsy, tiny envelope you could spit through or a massive box that ran the risk of ramping up my sister's expectations as to the size of her gift. So I decided to go with the box and asked how much it was. I was told I had to go and purchase at the co-op till and then come back to pay for the postage. I thought this was a bit daft but couldn't be bothered arguing.

I paid for my oversized box, went back to the post office bit of the shop and spent a good five minutes figuring out how to get the box from flat to box-shaped while Ms Post Office looked on through the plexi glass. Finally I managed it [thanks for the help there] and filled it about a quarter full [sorry Alice!] and started to fill out the address section.

As I did so, another customer came up and asked for a large Jiffy envelope 'the ones you do for a pound' and the post office woman reaches under the counter and produces a padded enevelope of the type that has a gusset [eugh - weird term but that is what they call it!] so you can fit larger items than flat paper/cards in. Just the perfect size and type for what I am sending!

I looked on in disbelief - and after the guy had bought it I asked the post office woman why when I asked she hadn't suggested it - her response was that I was asking about the stationery on display, not what she had behind the counter, and had asked about 'boxes' not 'envelopes'. But I didn't know there WAS anything 'behind the counter' [and, by the way, what else is she hiding back there...] or that precision terminology was required! How can you ask if you don't know? I pointed this out, along with the fact I had shown her what I was attempting to send so surely she could have put two and two together and suggested something that was more suitable and cost less - the box being 3.59. I got a blank stare and a 'do you want to send it First Class?

I did want to send it First Class [4.50!!! - but then you could say its my own fault for being late with it in the first place]. I asked if it would get there on Monday or possibly Tuesday given the weekend. I was promptly told that the post had already been picked up [at 10am - this was now, after all the box gubbins, about 10.45] and it wouldn't go in the post until pick up on Monday and so probably wouldn't arrive until Wednesday or Thursday and, in fact, it probably would have been better to just send it Second Class! So why did she ask if I wanted to send it First Class?!?!

So, dear sister of mine, you will recieve a large not-even-half-full box that cost the best part of a tenner - a tenner I would much rather have handed straight to you [or given to a good cause] - and gave me a customer-service aneurism.

I try my best to support local shops and businesses. I signed the Post Office petitions and emailed my MP to say they shoudln't be closed down. I am always nice to shop staff and waiting staff [having been there myself]. And I know it was 10.30 on a cold and miserable Saturday morning. But seriously, work tends to go by much faster and easier if you actually try and help your customers.

And now I understand why my husband uses e-gift cards...

tea towels

2011-03-11T22:02:00.004Z

I like the traditional tea towels you get - plain white with a coloured stripe - but I also like graphic ones. Not chintzy ones with scenes of the countryside. Blackline drawings and domestic themes that are not pink and girly [pink is not my favourite colour]. Here are some I have seen recently -

Biscuit tea towel by Charlotte Farmer from Bloomsbury Store - there are also tea cups, cakes and tea spoon ones -

Cassette tape tea towel from Rockett St George where you can also get ones with a typewriter, Eiffel tower and cutlery themes

Of course if I was a really proud housewife I would buy this tea towel commemorating the Royal Wedding!

walk

2011-03-08T19:14:00.003Z

Today I had a rare day off and decided after weeks stuck in offices, trains and conference rooms in hotels across the UK some fresh air was needed. So I set off for a short-ish [5 miles] walk up through the back of the university and through Mine Woods.

On the way I enjoyed the views of a rather misty and atmospheric Stirling.

I also said hello to the horses at the riding school.

Walking through Mine Woods I spotted a rock with three abandoned mittens - each one different so no pair - three lost gloves looking a bit soggy and sad!

I then popped into Clive's for a bowl of broccoli soup - which was lovely and warming and indulgent. It wasn't thick and gloopy [I like chunky soup but not soup that is like a paste] but managed to have a robust cheesey flavour alongside the veggies.

It was good to just have a few hours away from work and the demands of email and phone. It gives you a bit of perspective and refreshes you. Now that the weather is getting better I am looking forward to getting back into my routine of a Friday walk and exercising a bit more.

Pancake Day!

2011-03-08T12:09:00.001Z

Yes - it is Shrove Tuesday - this means I am off for a walk stopping by the cafe for pancakes for lunch then heading home to cook them also for dinner! Yum!

tipsy bookshelves

2011-02-18T23:59:00.003Z

When you blog about one type of thing you have never seen before often you then see several examples one after another - so following on from the parallel world bookcases I posted about a few days ago I spotted Malagana Designs new Equilibrium bookshelves. They come with the tagline 'say goodbye to your bookends'. I think they would make a great home for my Jasper Fforde 'Thursday Next' books.

messin' with your eyes

2011-02-14T16:51:00.000Z

Pic from design milk

The new collection by Samal Designs includes quirky shelving that looks like it is disappearing through the wall. It is quite surreal and you wouldn't maybe want to have to navigate it after a couple of glasses of wine but I like breaking out from the norm. The pieces have special wall brackets to create the illusion and still have usable shelving that won't fall over.

precious things

2011-02-12T23:27:00.000Z

I love good design-led shelving for books and the objects - a vase, cup, picture etc - that are special to us. made.com champions young designers and gives them a space to showcase their designs. The Polygon collection by Luca Stepan is simple but stylish and my favourite piece is the white oak bookshelves.

Very functional but the shape of the wood and the pigeon hole style is visually arresting while not overtaking their purpose - to keep your treasured possessions safe, sorted and accessible.

carpets

2011-02-09T23:57:00.000Z

We have never had to buy carpets - our old house had original wood floors so the only flooring we have ever had to decide upon was the wee bit of floor in our bathroom and kitchen. So we have had to enter the world of carpets - which to a newby is quite bewildering.

We went to Sterling Furniture Warehouse in Tillicoultry - on recommendation from friends and the people doing our house. And thankfully when we arrived we found a guy who could explain all the different types of carpets. He was good because he didn't steer us towards the most expensive and try and get us to shell out wads of cash but also didn't just abandon us because we probably wouldn't be after hand-woven-by-maidens floor coverings. He picked up that that given we will be outlaying for a whole house at once we wanted good quality and nice but not to the point where we will be gazing at our amazing carpet from makeshift furniture made out of cardboard boxes while eating beans on toast. We also want it to work with the building - a church conversion.

We learned about the different wool mixes and types of carpets - what carpets are a pain to hoover [important for us - safe to say hoovering isn't a hobby of ours] and what carpet is better for hardwearing areas and what is better for looking smart and posh.

Being colour blind is always a challenge so I have to rely on Andy making sure that what we pick matches our planned interiors but also that it looks okay to my eyes as well as to everyone elses.

We like simple modern interiors but with splashes of strong colours. All the walls will be paint - no wallpaper - and will be in very neutral colours except perhaps for a feature wall or two. The 1st floor will be wood - maple - and any other flooring will be pattern free - so we reckoned we could go for something a bit stronger in colour for the carpets.

So it looks like olive green for the guest bedroom, aubergine for our bedroom, a grey that apparently has purples through it that I can't see and blueberry for the mezzanine! Here are close ups of the samples -

cashmere and cupcakes

2011-02-08T22:32:00.001Z

The cashmere and cupcakes blog covers the three things I like to dream about most - food, fashion and interiors [I know, how shallow, shouldn't it be world peace?].

However, it also made me unfairly jealous - a photographer husband and previous career in fashwan probably help though to set yourself up as a blogger and actually earn a living wage from it.

And her walk in wardrobe is just unfair too - but I do quite like the tips for being organised - though knowing me I will probably stick to 'piles of clothes in order of when I last wore them'.

Anyway - despite the jealousy it is a good blog to check out and has really lovely pics and plenty of nice stuff to look at/read about...

in my larder - broad beans

2011-02-06T22:18:00.001Z

Interesting thing about broad beans - they are rich in L-dopa, a substance used medically in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

L-dopa is also the drug used by Dr Oliver Sacks to 'awaken' patients who developed encephalitis lethargica which followed on from the global flu pandemic that killed millions after the first world war. The use of the drug had unintended consequences - the patients were 'awakened' but in the process developed tics and spasms and strange activity patterns to the extent that many asked to be taken off the drug even if that meant reverting to the catatonic state they had been in before.

This story is also the basis of a new dance piece by Rambert Dance which I read about in the Herald this week - which prompted me to think about how much I love broad beans and in eating them associate them with feeling healthy and strong - which given I have M.E. and Lupus is an important part of the link between what I eat and how it affects my health.

There is also apparently a link between L-dopa and the human libido - some use fava beans as an alternative to Viagra - but I couldn't possibly comment further.

Broad beans can be bought fresh in their pods, dried or canned. I am quite impatient and also not very good at remembering to soak things overnight so I tend to use canned beans - preferably in water - as you can just crack open the tin and use them.

My favourite broad bean recipes include -

Chorizo and broad beans

Egyptian beans [ful medames]

Take some cooked beans and add oil, garlic, lemon, salt and cumin and mix together - then eat with good bread

Pasta and broad beans
pasta of your choice
broad beans, drained
garlic
olive oil
parmesan - grated
mushrooms - chopped
red pepper - chopped

Cook your pasta as per the instructions

In a pan fry the garlic and oil for 2-3 minutes

Add in the choppped peppers and cook for 5 minutes

Add in the chopped mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes

Add in the broad beans and cook for 3-4 minutes

Add the contents of the frying pan to the pasta and stir together

Other options

At this point if you wish you could also add a cooked tomatoe based pasta sauce - but I like it plain with a good seasoning of pepper and grated parmesan

You could also add fried pancetta as a topping - the broad beans will compliment the salty meat.

in my larder - chorizo

2011-02-05T15:27:00.003Z

Chorizo is one of my favourite things and when I would have it in restaurants I assumed it was some kind of tricky ingredient that required a lot of chef-y knowledge to use. But it isn't. It is basically a fermented and cured sausage and requires very little work at all to make into a tasty bite.

There are lots of different types of chorizo. You can actually get fresh chorizo that requires cooking before eating but it is much more common in its cured version.

Spanish chorizo and Portuguese chorizo get their smokiness and deep red colour from dried smoked red peppers. Mexican chorizo is usually made with chile peppers because the paprika used in Spainish chorizo is expensive to import. In Spain and Portugal the sausages are usually encased in intestines but in Latin America they are usually encased in artificial casings.

Chorizo can be eaten as it comes - it is lovely sliced up and served with bread and dips and cheeses or in a sandwich - and you can also fry it. It can be simmered in alcohol - particularly apple cider.

You get chorizo described as 'sweet' or 'spicy' - usually thin chorizo is sweet and short are spicy - but as this isn;t always true you should check the packaging or ask the staff.

Chorizo is made with pork - so remember to check with any dinner guests if this might be a problem.

My favourite chorizo recipes include -

Chorizo with scallops, beetroot salad and rosemary potatoes

Chorizo stew

Chorizo and bread
olives
olive oil
balsamic Vinegar
chorizo
goat's cheese
cherry tomatoes
2 small dipping/nibble dishes

Take two small dishes - with the first fill with a slug of good olive oil and a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and with the second fill with some olives

Take some freshly baked bread - or some ciabatta or other tasty bread from the shop - and either slice up thickly as it is or, if it is a cold day, slice and toast under the grill

Take your tomatoes and slice into small quarters

Take a small frying pan, slice the chorizo thickly and fry gently in some olive oil. The slow fry will release the lovely orange oil from the chorizo meat

Take a slotted spoon and tranfer the chorizo slices to a small dish. Do not discard the oil

Take out the bread and pile on a plate - scatter the chorizo and the goat's cheese over the top and then drizzle with the oil from the pan

Put the tomatoes around the edge of the plate

Serve with the olives and oil/vinegar alongside. And a nice bottle of red!

I always find that the chorizo oil itself, while gorgeous, isn't usually enough for me and so I like the oil/vinegar combo to dip any left over bread in. This dish is good as either a snack for lunch or as a starter to a more elaborate evening meal. It is also sometimes good if you are in late and want supper - but not something too labour intensive. Of course, if you can't be bothered at all - skip everything apart from the chorizo and bread and make an even quicker bite.

Chorizo and broad beans

I love this. I love the contrast beween the smokey, spicy, fatty meat and the fresh green beans.

glug of olive oil
can of broad beans, drained
chorizo sliced up thinly
garlic - crushed with the back of a knife
red onion sliced thinly [for some reason I like the onion half moon shaped rather than finely chopped]

In a large, shallow frying pan heat up some olive oil and add the garlic - allow to cook for 2-3 minutes

Remove the garlic - you just want to flavour the oil - and add the onions and cook gently until they are translucent - you don't want them singed/burnt

Add the green beans and cook gently for 5 mins

Remove the beans and onion and keep warm

Add the chorizo and cook gently to release the lovely orange oils

Take the pan off the heat and add the beans and onion back in and stir

You can then serve this three ways -

Over thickly sliced and toasted ciabatta or your bread of choice

With plain cooked pasta - the chorizo oil is enough of a dressing

With rosemary fried potatoes

Chorizo and pasta

tinned tomatoes
basil - a handful of chopped leaves
garlic - crushed
olive oil
chorizo
onion
pasta of your choice - I like chunky pasta for this
bread - to mop up the juices
some kind of green vegetable e.g. peas, broccoli

In a small pan cook the garlic in the olive oil then add the tomatoes and basil - this makes a basic pasta sauce which can be frozen - for best results make the day before

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the onions gently - when they are transulcent add the chorizo and fry for 4-5 minutes

Put your pasta on to cook - if you are using broccoli or peas add to the pasta pot towards the end to cook with it [if you are using broad beans, fry with the onion and remove while the chorizo cooks]

Drain the pasta and plate up - ladle your pasta sauce over it - then top with the chorizo and onion mix - lovely!

Mop you plate with bread and accompany with a nice glass of red.

site visit

2011-01-31T22:36:00.000Z

We went and saw how things were going down at the house at the weekend - our house hasn't seen much movement but the 'mirror' house on the other side of the church is further along and Bobby showed us round to get an idea of how ours will look in a few weeks time.

This is one of the beams in the main bedroom coming through the 1st floor -

This picture shows the way the ceiling copes with the very large church window - when you stand under it you are under a pointed roof bit and although I couldn't quite capture it here there is a lot of space between the lower part of the ceiling and the window.

This picture is of the ground floor stairs entry to the 1st floor [on the right] and the stairs going up to the mezzanine [on the left]. The 1st floor is where the kitchen, dining and reading/quite area will be.

Looking down from the mezzanine onto the first floor you can see the raised dining area and Andy in the pic gives it a bit of scale - there is a lot of height in the building. The beam you can see is the one in the previous pic that started off in the main bedroom.

And here is that same beam stretching right up into the mezzanine...

Andy is standing on the raised dining room area...

I love the shape the beams make high up in the roof...

This is the 1st floor looking at it standing on the raised dining area - the doorway goes through into the utility room and WC. The bit you can see under the mezzanine is where I will have my books and reading area. And the kitchen will be against the back wall and come out to teh far side of the beam from where I am standing taking this pic and the pine mezzanine pillar. The bit between teh beam and pillar will be a breakfast bar.

So, although this isn't our house it gave us a good feel, albeit the opposite way round, for how ours will be. It has been quite interesting because each house has taken ideas from each other and so while they will be different there are probably things we wouldn't have thought of ourselves and vice versa. For example, the raised dining area came from our house but the idea of a stained glass panel in the stair partition to capture light in the dining area came from our neighbour.

What we are quite pleased about though is that in a few weeks our house will look like this and then the site team will be focusing on our side of the building and we should be ready earlier than other houses for moving in. Right now that moment can't come soon enough!

coffee cake

2011-01-30T20:05:00.001Z

It was Andy's birthday this week and I wanted to bake him a cake. I bought carrots for carrot cake but when it came to making it my hands couldn't cope with the cold [I have raynauds] and after a close call with a sharp knife I decided that fridge-cold carrots to grate were not a good idea.

So I decided to go off piste and make a coffee cake instead.

ingredients - cake

150g of caster sugar
150g self raising flour
150g of butter
3 eggs
1 tbsp of [good] instant coffee
1 tbsp hot water
1 and a half tsp baking powder

ingredients - icing

Some walnuts
225g icing sugar
100g butter
1 and a half tbsp [good] instant coffee

method

Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3

Grease and line a cake tin

Cream the sugar and butter in a bowl [or cheat like me and use the food processor]

Whisk the eggs in a mug

Add the eggs to the creamed butter and sugar in stages alongside a tbsp of flour and mix well each time you add

Add the rest of the flour and the baking powder and fold in gently

Dissolve the coffee in the hot water and add to the mixture still folding

Spoon the mixture into the tin and cook for 40-50 mins [my cooker is rubbish so it may take a bit shorter for a fan oven]

While the cake is cooking you can make the icing

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy

Dissolve the coffee in the hot water and then add to the butter and sugar

If it seems a bit runny let it set in the fridge for a while - if you do this though you will need to let it come to room temprature again before icing the cake or else it will be so cold it won't spread easily and will tear up the cake

When the cake is done take it out of the oven to cool for five minutes then remove from the tin

Let it cool for a further five minutes before carefully removing the greaseproof paper

Cool fully on a rack before icing

While the cake is cooling, select 7 whole walnuts - one will go in the middle of the cake and the rest spaced out around it's edges

Take a handful of walnuts and chop up - not too finely as you don't want walnut dust

Ice the cake, place your whole walnuts and then scatter the chopped walnuts over the cake

Brew a fresh pot of coffee, grab a good book, put on some music and relax!

You can double the cake mixture and then divide it between two sandwish tins if you want a really big, deep cake - make sure you double your icing too though for the filling.

As you can see from the pic the cake was half gone before I got to use the camera...

indexed chopping boards - yes please!

2011-01-05T17:38:00.000Z

I like practical but stylish kitchen equipment. I want items to be simple - too complicated means you are less likely to want to use them and try out that new recipe and too decorative means cleaning and storage is difficult. Anything that has a glut of twirls and carved bits is a haven for food to get stuck and for cleaning to be a right chore.

Joseph Joseph is a company run by two twins, Antony and Richard, and grew from their family's glass business. The kitchen items are modern in design so perhaps more traditional cooks may not find them appealing, but I love the very simple and practical designs that have a look and feel that takes them out of the ordinary.

One of the issues I often have is my rather odd assortment of chopping boards that has been built up over several years. There are different sizes, colours, designs but despite the variety there is no sense of organisation or that the collection actually houses the right types of board. We keep 'the white chopping board' for just meat but I would like to be much better at having chopping boards for specific uses. In fact, really the only 'good' chopping board I have is an amazing block wood number my sister's [Alice] friend, Ruth, got us when we got married - it has survived the past ten years admirably and sometimes it is used to serve food as well as be used in its preparation.

I woudl be happy with any item from this company but I was very pleased to unwrap our Christmas gift from my sister Emma to discover the Index set of chopping boards from Joseph Joseph.

There is one for veg, cooked meat, raw meat and fish. The come colour co-ordinated and in a smart 'file' - and each board has a file tab telling you what it is to be used for - perfect.

And because they look so good having them out on the work surface in our new open plan kitchen will be great.

tagine

2011-01-04T14:54:00.000Z

I have posted previously the recipe I tested for morrocan lamb - I made it in a pot but at Christmas my lovely sister gave me a beautiful tagine dish. Not only does this mean my New Year's Eve dinner could be made in a proper dish - the dish itself is black and aubergine in colour - perfect for the new kitchen!

I was trying to cut down on time in the kitchen over new year so I made up the morrocan lamb dish up until the point you add the chickpeas. I then froze it. I defrosted it overnight and then popped it in the tagine with the chickpeas and followed the instructions to slowly heat the dish in the oven. This worked very well - even though I am sure some will frown upon it - and I added the fresh herbs and toasted pine and pistachio nuts just before serving. This meant that on the day the preparation was only about an hour giving me more time to drink wine and chat to Andy and Calum.

It was great to be able to serve it directly at the table and you could keep the lid on to keep it all warm for serving seconds. Also, taking the lid of to reveal the dark tasty sauce and meat, with the bright green flashes of parsley and coriander topped of with the crunchy nuts was a good 'reveal' - food deserves to have a bit of the spotlight.

new year's day dinner

2011-01-02T20:13:00.005Z

After a big fry up breakie - and a walk up the Wallace - I made New Year's Day dinner which for us is good old steak pie, roasty potatoes and veg followed by trifle.

I was up against the steak pie we have had the past two years from the excellent butcher in Innerleithen and so wanted a recipe that was particularly moreish. I went with Jamie Oliver's steak, guiness and cheese pie which I made in my lovely new pie dish - a great Christmas present from my Mum.

I usually make our trifle so stuck to the tried and tested trifle sponges, jelly, custard and whipped cream. The jelly asked for 2 pts of hot water but I put in one and three quarters as I like my jelly quite solid - and the boys seemed quite happy with it.

steam pudding

2010-12-27T18:13:00.003Z

In my search for good puds to make over New Year am thinking of doing Ed Baine's steam pudding with golden syrup....mmmm....and possibly some chocolate cups [filling 1,filling 2].

pie

2010-12-27T18:04:00.001Z

I am thinking of trying out Jamie Oliver's Steak, Guiness and Cheese pie for New Year...

tea for two

2010-12-19T19:33:00.000Z

Last Saturday I met Mac for a Christmas afternoon tea at the Sheraton in Edinburgh. I love afternoon tea, spending time with Mac and open fires and comfy armchairs so it was a delightful combination.

We were both suffering from bad colds and so cocooning ourselves with an attentive waiter, lavish display of eats and hot tea was just the ticket.

Our waiter was a lovely chap who was happy to explain everything to us and answer any questions and was polite enough to not quarantine the two red nosed germ filled guests who had to have a constant supply of tissues at hand.

First, we had to choose our tea from a dinky tea chest. Each glass container was secured by a strap of leather and you could open them up and have a look and a sniff.

As we chose we were served with the most amazing yoghurty creamy taster pot with a plump semi dried apricot.

Mac went for a tea that looks like a shrivelled up flower that blooms in the hot water.

I went for Orange, Cinnamon and Roiboos tea which required careful timing...

My tea was amazing - it was warm and refreshing and was slightly creamy in texture. Really good for nursing my sore throat and cold, achy bones back to something resembling normality,

We were then presented with a three tier cake stand adorned with sandwiches [turkey, stuffing and cranberry, prawn, ham and mustard] and more cakes than you could shake a stick at. There was Christmas Loaf, Cinnamon Buns, Mini Mince Pies, Christmas Cake and these were supplemented with scones, clotted cream and jam. We had plain, sultana and champagne, and cinnamon scones - warm, fluffy and melt in the mouth. This was all topped off with small cups filled with Christmas Creme Brulee....yum.

The food was amazing - you wouldn't think sandwiches would be that exciting but they were wee mouthfuls of heaven. The cakes were so good we couldn't quite manage all of them.

Afternoon tea is just so lovely - you can chat away, relax and nibble delightful bites to your hearts content. Seeing Mac was great - it doesn't happen often enough - and it was fun to do something a wee bit different. The hotel is just perfect for hiding from the cold and it is nice to feel a bit pampered. Mac is definitely a good afternoon tea buddy!

After drinking enough tea to rehydrate a small army, we wanted to finish off with some coffee - and would you believe it it came with yet more biscuits and sweet things! You can never have too many sweet treats...

If you have an afternoon to while away with a good friend and want something different from the usual pub or cafe lunch I would definitely recommend the Sheraton's afternoon tea.

motifs

2010-12-17T00:13:00.000Z

I don't go in for a lot of motifs but I like owls and I also like stags and thistles. Stags and thistles could end up being a bit stereotype scottish or a bit huntin', shootin', fishin'. Timorous Beasties has long been a favourite with me because of their modern take on traditional styles and designs and I am chuffed they have brought out this amazing thistle wall paper and textiles -

Wallpaper - small

Wallpaper - large

Cushion

lighting

2010-12-16T00:05:00.000Z

We have been um-ming and ah-ing about lighting for the kitchen and dining areas on the first floor. This is the latest thought - copper shades by Tom Dixon -

paul smith for stelton

2010-12-15T01:11:00.000Z

And after blogging yesterday about Stelton jugs -Paul Smith designs for stelton! The bar set is very funky -

But as it is rather pricey this might be more my thing although not in the pink - they do other colours but couldn't get a pic of them -

vacuum coffee press

2010-12-14T23:54:00.000Z

A few years ago I spotted the sharp,crisp lines of the Stelton vacuum jug. I thought this was a clever idea - pop your hot drink into it and sit out in the garden on those days when it is autumnal and/or spring like e.g. not warm enough for iced lemonade but not so cold and wintery that you want to be housebound.

But at the time they didn't do one for coffee - I wanted one that I could use as a cafetiere rather than having to use my inside cafetiere then transfer the hot coffee to the jug. I know, I am quite picky. But also it cools the coffee having to mess about with it like that.

The I read Stieg Larsson's book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Blomkvist spends an inordinate amount of time drinking coffee on his balcony from a vacuum jug. I was jealous. And figured that as per usual the Swedish were ahead of the curve.

I am therefore really pleased to have found that Skelton have now released a coffee press version of the original Erik Magnusson design - and you can get it from John Lewis. Who wants a bog standard picnic flask when this wee beauty can take its place on your garden table? This is a definite buy for the new garden - I can read my book, take in the air and be warmed up with a lovely cup of coffee.

flooring

2010-12-13T23:34:00.000Z

We haven't quite decided on flooring for the bathroom yet. We know we don't want carpet, lino or wood. We like the flooring we had in our wee flat but am not sure how well it will go with the tiles we think we will go for. So, it is a bit different but I saw cool floor covering by The Rubber Floor Company. It is very modern but then the bathroom is a modern design - and it is better just going for it than putting in pseudo materials.

They do a variety of textures -

Smooth

Grid

Stud

Slate

vintage luggage

2010-12-12T20:45:00.001Z

I like to keep 'memories' - it might be ticket stubs to a special concert or event, and extra special birthday card, a postcard, an old photo etc. Some people call it hoarding but I find these little talismans remind you of good things you often forget. And sometimes when you are having a bad day - or you are snowed in and have nothing better to do - it can be lovely taking a wee trip through the good times.

However, at the moment all of these wee things are crammed into shoe boxes and files - not very good for them and also not easy to sift through. So I am on the look out for storage that isn't office styled but is a bit more homey and befits the contents inside. So I am very pleased to find the London Vintage Luggage company based in Camden - nicely placed for the London office, that sells all sorts of leather luggage goods from valises and suitcaes to vanity cases and jewellery boxes. I think that keeping my memories in a 1930's small vintage case or series of ladies leather 1940's folios would be just right and very visually arresting.

Edit: I have also found another place for vintage luggage - Streamline Luggage

textiles

2010-12-11T18:45:00.001Z

I am working on some ideas on creating a cosy, relaxed nook in the mezzanine area of the new house. I want a space where I can have my books, laptop, magazines and card making stuff and have as a chill out zone. So while I am not a 'girly' girl I do want it to be softer in design than other parts of the house.

The kitchen is a very sleek and glossy space and the dining and living areas will be quite modern in style. I do not want old fashioned funriture but I do want something that is more mid century than modern.

I also like textile designs that are colourful but are more naive in design - like Marimekko and Donna Wilson.

Donna is a Scottish artist who now works in London and has managed to grow her business without going the overblown way of Cath Kidston and Orla Kiely - both of whom have achieved hugely and in some ways had radical impacts on interiors over the past 20 years [and don't get me wrong, some of their textile designs are lovely]. However, while you can recognise a Donna Wilson design the same way you can a Kidston, it is not as ubiquitous. Wilson has managed to retain a sense of the handmade - mainly because she hasn't succumbed to factory production - and of not causing her customers to bump into the designs the way you do with an Orla covered laptop and Kidston patterned suitcases.

I love the owl and robin cushions -

I also like the seventies-esque flower cushion

And you must have a cosy blanket and I like this one which is called 'up the garden path' -

And while having a thundersome cushion may not seem nice and cosy I do like the cloud range of cushions -

baker boy andy

2010-12-10T20:34:00.000Z

With the snow meaning no bread on the shop shelves we bought flour and yeast and decided to make our own [risking the wrath of our grinch-like cooker]. I was making morrocan lamb so Andy got bread duties. We based the recipe on one by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Ingredients by HF-W - adaptations by us!

1kg strong white bread flour - we used wholemeal because that is all the shop had
10g fast-action yeast
15g fine salt
1-2 tbsp sunflower, rapeseed or olive oil (optional), plus extra to oil the dough
600ml warm water

Method

Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl.

Add the oil then add the water.

Stir to create a rough, sticky dough. The dough really should be quite sticky – if it isn’t, add a splash more water. We were using wholemeal flour which makes for a drier dough so added another 100ml of water.

Turn out the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, rhythmically stretching the dough away from you, then folding it back on itself.

Andy beats the winter chill by kneading the dough....

When the dough is smooth and elastic, form it into a ball, coat it very lightly with oil and place in a clean bowl.

Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place until doubled in size - in the region of 1½ hours.

Tip the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and deflate with your fingertips. Reshape the dough into neat rounds and put on a lightly floured board to prove for around 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250°C/gas mark 10, or its highest setting. Put a baking tray in to heat up.

When the loaves have almost doubled in size again, take the hot baking tray from the oven and sprinkle with a little flour.

Carefully transfer the risen loaves to the tray. Slash the tops with a sharp, serrated knife and put in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190°C/gas mark 5 and bake for about 30 minutes more, or until the crust is well-coloured, and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it sharply with your fingers. Transfer to a rack to cool completely before slicing.

The finished bread was amazing - and it lasted fine over three days. The oil really helps keep a nice soft crumb but I reckon it was Andy's excellent kneading that really made it good bread!

snow again!

2010-12-09T18:10:00.000Z

And the big freeze continues. I made it into work on Monday but Tuesday and today have been wiped out. My trips to Dundee and London have been cancelled and the team are all working using remote access to our networks from home.

Some of the effects of the snow are amazing - our windows were covered with ice, from the inside, and the icicles hanging from windowsills around the house are the biggest I have seen.

The garden is very snowy - all the trees look like extras from Narnia -

The sky is an amazingly clear blue - when the news have shown satellite pics of Scotland our sky is devoid of clouds - making the air icy and very cold - but also creates spectacularly clear light and skies. Against the white snow it is quite beautiful.

I popped into the garden for five minutes to just take in the snow and sharp air and it really was breathtaking - quite literally - as the cold hits your throat it makes you catch your breath and fingers and nose start tingling pretty much straight away. It is quite something.

moroccan lamb - cafe gandolfi style

2010-12-08T20:05:00.000Z

This looks complicated because of the number of ingredients but it really isn't. We had this as our 'snowed in' meal with some of Andy's excellent bread. Chunky meaty stew and bread to soak up the juices - perfect for a cold snowy evening. The flavours are not tongue bitingly spicy - they are more subtle than that and are very satisfying.

ingredients

[this serves 4]

500g diced lamb
2 sliced red onions
2 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
50g root ginger - finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick
3 tsps ground coriander
6 tsps smoked paprika
6 tsps all spice
30g chopped dried apricots
30g chopped dried dates
1 aubergine
1 courgette
1 red pepper
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
15g chopped coriander
5-10g chopped mint
5-10g chopped flat leaf parsely
handful of toasted psitachios
handful of toasted pine nuts
tin of cooked chick peas

[Gandolfi's recipe adds 3 tsps nutmeg - I hate nutmeg so have left it out. They also use zahtar which I didn't have so I used all spice]

Take a big pot and fry the onions in oil until they are all softly cooked and almost like a paste.

Mix lamb in a bowl seasoned with salt and pepper and a glug of oil. Heat a frying pan and when it is hot add the lamb in batches to brown. Don't cram it all in at once - it is difficult to turn the meat and it will steam instead of brown.

To the onion pot add the garlic, ginger, and spices. Stir, add oil if needed, then add the veggies. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the lamb and cover with water. Simmer for 60 minutes.

After the 60 minutes is done, add the chick pease and fruit and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered. When the meat is all tender and lovely, stir through the chopped herbs and serve in hearty portions in big bowls. Sprinkle the toasted nuts over the top.

This was good the first night but the second night was even better. I would suggest making this the day before you want to eat it - means you can prepare in advance if it is for folk coming round and also helps the flavours. If doing this would make it up to the point you had the herbs and would add these when you reheat to serve.

snow!

2010-12-08T17:59:00.003Z

Snow, ice, freezing temperatures. We have had a couple of 'snow days' and have managed to work from home rather than risk the ice rink of the A9 or frozen scotrail system. However, despite the chill, I really can't cope with being cooped up for days on end so I convinced Andy we should go for a walk.

As you can see from Andy's layers - it was parky...

And the Wallace was surrounded in crisp white snow -

We took a stroll round the university campus. Last year the loch froze in January - it has already started freeze well ahead of schedule -

I felt bad for the wee ducks!

And we also spotted icicles -

The first half of the walk was really bitterly cold but once we got going we heated up. Mind you, we were wearing our dive base layers so had a bit of a head start on being toasty....

cafe gandolfi

2010-12-03T22:46:00.004Z

I bought the Cafe Gandolfi recipe book yesterday and it is pretty good - clear, simple recipes with uncomplicated ingredients. Given we are pretty much snowed in for the weekend I am going to try out their Moroccan lamb recipe. I have tried Moro's take on this so it will be a good comparison.

snow etc

2010-12-03T22:09:00.003Z

I haven't blogged for over a month - bad me - mainly because work has been way more busy than 24 hours in the day really allows for. We have just held our annual Volunteers Conference which was really good - and finished just before the snow really hit bad. The night before the conference the snow started to fall and the kids had fun snowball fighting. Come Monday and the deep freeze was well underway. I got into work on Monday although getting back home was a bit of a struggle.

I was snowed in Tuesday and Wednesday and while I got in on Thursday I did not enjoy the three hour wait in Queen Street for a train home. Being a seasoned commuter I am usually good at rolling with it - but at -13 my fingers and toes were not too happy. Mind you, I had a good chat with one of the staff - upbeat woman who wasn't a jobsworth type - and she said I was one of the cheeriest people she had spoken to! Probably it is because unlike others I have heard I don't take the view that the train staff caused the snow - and if there are issues around how we handle the weather I think that that responsibility might be above the ticket collectors pay grade.

Shopping has taken on a new dimension - the supermarket was out of eggs and bread and while we are not in seige mode we did stock up on comfort food to keep us warm and fueled up.The weather makes me want to cook stews and casseroles and hearty pies.

Of course, as the weather continues the stories of people having fun building snowmen and kids enjoying a couple of snow days begins to turn to more upsetting stories. Older people left stranded, people dying in the cold, and the traffic accidents caused by bad road conditions. The snow may look white and pure but it can have a dark side. But there are also positive stories of people helping each other out and looking out for each other.

So - with night time temps plummeting to -20 and icicles hanging from the trees in the garden, my aim over the weekend is to hibernate and, due to the bread shortage, tackle making some bread for the first time in quite a while.

steak, cheese and guiness pie

2010-12-03T19:59:00.000Z

This is the Jamie Oliver recipe that I tried out. I like this pie in part because I can make the filling in advance - either the day before or to freeze - and also because the cheese and Guiness sets it apart from the usual steak pie. It gives it a depth of flavour and the cheese gives a creamy texture with a bit of a bite against the silky sauce and rich meat.

ingredients

olive oil
2 red onions - chopped
3 cloves of garlic
20g butter
2 carrots
6/7 closed cup mushrooms or 2-3 large field mushrooms
7-800g of stewing/casserole beef, cubed
2-3 sprigs of rosemary - leaves picked and chopped
salt and pepper
Can of Guiness - 300ml
2 tbsp plain flour
160g cheddar cheese [half this amount if you are going to freeze teh filling to use later]

Puff pastry

1 egg

method

Preheat oven to gas mark 5/190C

Heat a slosh of olive oil in a big pan that can go in the oven and has a lid

Fry the onions gently for 10 minutes

Add garlic, butter and carrots and stir

Stir in the mushrooms

Stir in the beef, rosemary, pinch of salt and teaspoon of pepper

Fry fast and hot fior 3-4 minutes to colour the beef a bit

Pour in the guiness, stir in the flour and then top up with water to cover

Cover the pan with a lid and place in the oven for 90 minutes

Remove from the oven and give it a good stir - and then put it back in the oven for another hour

Take out and add in half the cheese and stir until it melts into the sauce

You want a good thick sauce for the pie filling so if it is still a bit liquidy put it on the hob and reduce for a while

Let the filling cool - if you are freezing the filling to use at a later date let it cool completely - and if using straight away allow it to cool slightly

Dust the worksurface and roll out your pastry to fit over the top of your pie dish and about as thick as a pound coin

If you want a fully contained pie, roll out enough to line a buttered pie dish leaving enough over the edges to crimp around the lid

Tip your filling into your dish and then sprinkle teh remaining cheese over the top

Fit on your lid - if it is a lined pie then paste beaten egg along the edges of the lining so it sticks to the lid

Brush the lid with egg for a golden finish and if you like fashion some pastry decorations fixed on with beaten egg

This year I used my reindeer cookie cutter to decorate the pie - and I also got to use my Christmas present from my Mum and Dad - a cheery red and white spotted pie dish with matching flour shaker and pastry brush. I don't have a picture of the pie in the dish - we fell to eating it too quickly for that!

cool cushion

2010-10-15T20:10:00.000+01:00

I love cushions - I like to be cosy and comfy but still like my lounging to have a wee bit of edge to it through its design. This 'read all about it' cushion from Dwell would be perfect for my window chair when reading the Sunday papers.

mull of galloway lighthouse

2010-10-14T21:58:00.000+01:00

I love lighthouses - the engineering, architecture, their purpose and the stunning places they are built are a powerful combination for me.

So it was a real treat to spend the day at Mull of Galloway and visit the lighthouse there - it is roughly an hour and a half away from Kirkcudbright but well worth the journey. The day started off pretty driech but as we got closer the skies cleared and the sun came out - the soft quality of the light was amazing against the green of the hills and the blues and greys of the sea.

My first sighting of the light house was in the distance and over several cliffs and was stunning - appearing through the clearing skies, the sun hitting off the fresh whiteness of the lighthouse, it was really thrilling to see.

We parked up and strolled over to the lighthouse - unfortunately we couldn't get up the tower that day but we did get access to the exhibition [two pounds each - bargain!]within the old lighthouse keepers area. Now, I go to a lot of exhibitions and some are great and some are pretty rubbish. I don't know how many times I have gone to an overhyped exhibition - either making out it will take days to fully experience when it could take 20 minutes, or with 'techy' interactive bits that don't work or are not that impressive, or are just plain dull.

Well, maybe my judgement is biased given I love lighthouses, but I think they got the balance just right on this one. The videos that you could watch were a good balance between being educational [one explained how the lamp, lens and engine worked] and giving you the story right from the horses mouth [one video was one of the lighthouse staff talking about his life and work].

The engine room contained technical information as well as correspondence between Stevenson and his contractors and artefacts like the instruction book issued to lighthouse staff - see below for the rather detailed instructions on how staff should wash themselves!

The balance between serious information and more human, funny anecdotes, like the staff reaction to having a lighthouse bible issued to them, was well done and we spent quite a long time looking through everything.

The lighthouse itself is stunning - Stevenson was of course an amazing engineer but he also managed to create beautiful buildings in incredibly challenging environments. Inside there are pictures of all the lighthouses in Scotland and you can tell a Stevenson designed lighthouse - although they were designed absolutely for their purpose, if you didn't know what a lighthouse was, and just saw the design anywhere, you would be impressed by the architecture. The fact it is beautiful and functional is an achievment and echoes William Morris' edict about having nothing in your house unless it has a function or is beuatiful - Stevenson's lighthouses manage to combine both with elegance.

After we had exhausted the exhibition, we took pics of the lighthouse and then popped into the Gallie Craig Coffee Shop just a short stroll from the lighthouse.

This has to be the best view from a cafe anywhere - the building is well designed with large glass panoramas to take in a 270 degree view. The building is dug into the hillside with the roof covered in the same plants and grasses as the hillside, so it blends in amazingly well to its surroundings. And, a major bonus, the cafe is run by lovely women who do proper home baking and a selection of daily specials for hot meals. The carrot cake was to die for and the scones were actually better than the ones we had bought from the bakers in Castle Douglas. With so many cafes now either being Costa or Starbucks outposts, or just below par serving bad coffee and cakes in wee packets, it was good to see a well run establishment. If they can do it in such a remote location why can't others in towns and cities achieve the same?

We then took a walk along the cliffs - it was very windy but after we had walked over 2-3cliffs we found a wee sheltered area where we sat for ages just enjoying the sun, fresh air, amazing views and the sound of the sea.

Andy sorting his hair in the very blustery wind!

Andy with sorted hair!

I really miss the sea now that we live 'inland' and could have spent hours just listening to it.

The amazing view from the cliffs

As a souvenir Andy got me a map of Scotland that has all of the lighthouses marked on it - what a geek I am but I was very chuffed he spotted it - not many maps will show where even the more well known lighthouses are.

If you like bird watching, you can access an RSPB nature reserve where you can bir watch to your hearts content. I know nothing about bird watching so can't say whether it is worth it or not, but given the coastal position imagine the seabird element would be good.

It is definitely somewhere I would visit again and would plan for doing more walking next time too. And while I am landlocked in Stirling I can checkout the lighthouse's webcam! Well worth a visit.

carlingwark loch & castle douglas

2010-10-13T19:21:00.002+01:00

Castle Douglas is tagged a 'food town' by Dumfries and Galloway and so Andy and I couldn't resist a visit. Particularly as we had heard that Ballard's the butcher was a particular pleasure to visit. But first we took a walk to work up an appetite and take in the beautiful countryside around the village.

We followed the Carlingwark Loch trail which takes you around the loch, over marshlands [see Andy on the board pathways across the marsh below] and past Threave Castle.

The castle was closed for the winter but it was fun to point out where my parents would take us on trips when we were little.

The Mausoleum at Threave

It was a sunny day and we got to really appreciate the softer landscape of the area - quite different to what we are used to in Dundee or Stirling.

Andy stole my hat...

We then headed into town and had lunch at 'designs' art gallery and cafe [see top of post for pic]. The cafe is excellent - Andy had a chicken and avacadoe wrap and I had croque monsieur. The salads that were served alongside were very good - actual salads - not just lettuce, tomatoe and cucumber. There was a bean salad, coleslaw, carrot salad and your usual lettices and tomatoes. The dressing was good to - mustardy and with the right balane of lemon juice and olive oil.

The gallery itself was also lovely - a large airy room at the back had an exhibition inspired by the charity Shelter, this led on to a room selling a small but well chosen selection of books and then through to the front where there was a gift area. In fact, we picked up two beautiful masks for the Diabetes UK Scotland masked ball at the end of October.

We then took in the food town - the shops are small but well stocked and with several bakers, butchers and delis there is a good choice on offer. We visited Deli 173, which also has a branch in Dumfries, and picked up some amazing blueberry jam. We then hit Ballard's which was as good as we had been told. A really good selection of cuts but one of the things I really liked was the prepared meat available. When you are cooking for one or two it is always good to get prepared meat choices at the butcher and we tried the chicken wrapped in bacon and stuffed with haggis. We decided to come back later on in the week to pick up more tasty morsels.

We then bought vegetables to go with the chicken from the local greengrocer - including some yellow courgettes which we had not tasted before.

When we got back home, I made the chicken with sweet potatoes, peppers and courgettes roasted in olive oil and black pepper. Despite the fact I had no foil to cover the chicken with, and compounded this by over cooking by 5 minutes because I wasn't sure of the cooker and chicken is not something you want undercooked, the meat was tender, juicy and fell apart as we dug into it. The haggis was good - spicy but while creamy it wasn't too heavy. The bacon wrap wasn't a wee mean strip but instead was a thickly sliced piece of meat, very lean. We enjoyed it very much and cemented our plans to go back for more.

gatehouse of fleet & the ship inn

2010-10-12T19:13:00.001+01:00

We decided that a walk was in order - mainly so that we could indulge in a Sunday roast provide by the recommended Ship Inn in Gatehouse of Fleet. The Fleet has a lovely area of ancient forest with well signed walks and amazing scenery. The Ship Inn also has a literary connection - Dorothy L. Sayers famed novel Five Red Herrings was written while she stayed at this hotel, then known as the Anwoth Hotel. She referred to the then landlord, Joe Dignam, as "the kindliest of landlords" and had a true affinity with Gatehouse of Fleet, Kirkcudbright and the surrounding area in which the novel is based.

Walks through forests are always good for windy, rainy days - sheltered, you can enjoy a good long walk without getting soaked. We took a flask of tea with us to keep us going and enjoyed looking out for red squirrels. We saw this ancient tree - and took turns keeking out from it.

After our walk we nipped home to change then headed back out to have dinner at the Ship Inn. The Inn has been recently renovated and it has been done tastefully. Lots of warm wood, sturdy tables and chairs and a good atmosphere. We both had the roast beef with yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings and for pudding Andy had lemon cheesecake while I had profiteroles.

The beef was great - lots of it and very tender. The puds were good too. My only slight criticism were the roasties - they could have been a wee bit crispier but then I imagine churning out dozens of roast dinners on sunday takes its toll.

The profiteroles were excellent with a strong chocolate sauce. The sauce was evidently made from a good chocolate - no cloying sickliness or grainy texture. Andy thought the cheesecake spot on and from my taste it was clear it was a homemade not out-of-the-freezer job not just from the smooth creamy, cheesiness of the filling but particularly from the base which was buttery, crumbly and with the right amount of crunch. There is a difference to having crunch and just being brittle. I mention the cheese tang detected in the filling because often cheesecake filling can taste like a bland and tough cream - it is good to taste a filling that stands up to the name cheesecake

fabulous fabric

2010-10-11T22:12:00.000+01:00

While in Kirkcudbright we took a wee look round the art galleries and visted Jo Gallant's shop on the high street. I have seen her work in the Fotheringham Gallery in Bridge of Allan so it was good to see the main shop. The attraction for me is the mix of colour and textiles she uses. I like autumnal colours but not sludgy - with a bit of vibrancy about them - and items that use different fabrics like silk and wool. Her cushions and throws are lovely and I particularly like the sunset designs she has. I will be keeping it in mind for the new house.

the waterhouse

2010-10-11T17:21:00.001+01:00

On our holiday this year we stayed at an eco lodge called the waterhouse - although it is 'eco' it is very comfortable and well appointed - I am all for saving the world but would prefer to do it with running hot water!

The waterhouse has one double bedroom, a bunk room with two bunks, a bathroom with waterfall shower and kitchen/dining/lounge area. It is a small building but just right for two. Often when we try and find self catering accommodation it tends to be big in size and you feel like you are rattling around in it - not to mention paying for space you won't use. It is good to find somewhere that caters for couples.

The waterhouse is owned by Martin and Sharon who bought the land about 15 years ago, renovated their own house, developed the gardens and then built the waterhouse. The gardens are really magical with ponds, arbours and a summerhouse. The design although carefully planned does not look planned - but very natural. It is very private and you feel very much closed away from the outside world.

Martin looks after the gardens and waterhouse and Sharon is an additional support for learning teacher at the local school. Martin will also cook dinner for you and we did this on the Tuesday night - his cooking is very tasty and we had baked onions with feta cheese and pine nuts, beef in red wine and fruit kebabs and ice cream. It was really good and it is always nice to be cooked for.

The waterhouse has a hot tub on the decking area and this is a real added bonus to the place. Even if it is cold outside you can be toasty warm and enjoy the outdoors and we enjoyed having a wee drink, watching the sun go down and gazing at the stars in the evening. A really good way to end your day of walks and sight seeing.

Andy eating his lunch

And me making it!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would definitely go back.

feminism - apparently committing home cooking mass murder

2010-10-10T19:09:00.007+01:00

A while ago Jan Moir wrote an article in the Daily Mail about how she thought feminsim killed home cooking. And put forward the continuing myth that home cooking is somehow 'feminine' in and of itself. This annoys me no end. I really dislike rose tinted glasses combined with a hefty dose of sexism, and in this case would go so far as to say misogyny.

Cooking up until second wave feminism wasn't all hearty, healthy meals. Finance, education and time all played a part in ensuring children got badly cooked, badly balanced food on a daily basis - we may have a problem with obesity and that is serious but we also used to have problems with rickets. Stay at home mothers didn't guarantee wholesome meals - and that isn't the fault of mothers.

Also, working women have always had to find ways to feed their families - and by that I mean all women who have had either paid or non-paid work. The work that goes into running a home and raising children seems to be brushed aside - I imagine keeping a 'good house' in the 1950s wasn't exactly a picnic.

Apparently feminism killed home cooking and created take aways, microwaved meals and is responsible for the obesity epidemic. If only we would just give up on all this using our skills and intelligence to run our homes well, run a business, teach, be doctors, nurses, care workers, lawyers, politicians or, you know, earn enough to pay the bills, the world would be a much better place. And while we are at it, lets repeal the legislation that gave us the vote and the right to not be raped by our husbands.

Feminism didn't kill home cooking - some people would argue the microwave and ready made meals did. The modern age desire to make machines, speed things up and out smart one another did. Percy Spencer - bloke - invented the microwave. MacDonalds wasn't invented by Mrs Beeton. I am being flippant, but seriously, it is quite a stretch to say that feminism - that invisible dementor - killed home cooking.

First - feminism actually means you get a choice. A choice for every woman and man to home cook or not to home cook. And if the argument is that home cooking is more healthy how come men aren't smart enough to a) figure that out and b) act on it? I thought men were supposed to be smart?

Second - where are the fathers/other adults? Obesity in children requires two things - children and an intake of food that doesn't outweigh the activity output. However a child comes into the world they are brought up by more than one adult - in other words 'Mum' - whether it's dad, granny, grandad, uncle joe etc you get the picture. Where are these other adults providing meals, taking kids out to play etc? What about the adults that give kids sweets thinking it is a 'treat' or prevent girls from playing football because it isn't 'ladylike'.

Third - the fact you don't like women is not a causal effect for obesity.

Rose Prince in the Daily Fail article says that -

"The way we cook has to change if the gentle art of feminine food is to be revived."

The last time I looked there wasn't much that was gentle about home cooking. I just made pancakes for afternoon tea alongside baking some bread for tomorrow [how feminine of me] - beating eggs, frying over a high hot-oil heat, kneading dough, flinging things in and out of the oven, smoking my oil so hot the smoke alarm went off, the occasional swearing when you realise you haven't boiled the kettle yet for the coffee but the last batch of pancakes is just about done. And I am sure my husband would back me up that out of the two of us it is me that is the most messy in the kitchen. Yes, working in a hot kitchen is very sweet and dainty.

I love cooking. I love home cooked meals and regularly spend weekends cooking for hours for it to be devoured in seconds. As much as possible I try and cook most meals during the week albeit of a more basic pasta and sauce variety. But here is the thing. I get to choose. And I get to choose what is right for my circumstances - and so does my husband. Our food intake and health are entirely in our own independent adult hands which is just how it should be. And when we are looking after kids, the impact feminism has is one showing that adults and kids regardless of gender can contribute to - and enjoy - cooking and cleaning up, and that healthy food is about a balanced diet and not starving yourself to the size of a toothpick. What an awful attitude to have, eh Jan?

So in the light of all of this 'feminism is to blame for pretty much everything we don't like' it is refreshing to see a new blog,
to serve woman, start up by writers from the F-Word designed to counteract both the idea that cooking is essentially ‘feminine’, and the idea that feminism is anti cooking. The point of the blog is to bring the intersections of cooking and food and politics and feminism together. There will be two loosely grouped themes - one covering aspects related to food and the other using food as a launching point to discuss feminist topics including -

The labour aspect of cooking
the chef vs cook conversation (different versions of the same recipe custard/ creme anglaise)
cultural and religious intersections of food
feminism and veganism/vegetarianism
communal cooking/eating
cooking for families/

I am pretty excited about it - feminism and cooking - two of my favourite things in one place.

Check it out and contribute. I am off to sit and watch TV while my husband cooks the dinner - I hope this doesn't send the world off it's axis.

PS - I have a feeling that describing feminism as an invisible dementor is something I may have read somewhere at some point - so if I did steal it apologies! It has now become so much a part of my lexicon I can't remember if it is original or not!

holidays

2010-10-09T17:10:00.004+01:00

The past two weeks we have been on holiday - the first week we just lazed about the house and the second week we stayed in self catering accommodation in Kirkcudbright. I will be posting over the next few days what we got up to but here is a quick summary.

We stayed at 'the waterhouse' an eco lodge set in amazing gardens with a lovely decked area complete with hot tub. We had a great time exploring the area, visiting Wigtown, Castle Douglas, Gatehouse of Fleet and the Mull of Galloway.

We were quite lucky with the weather - while there was perhaps a day and a half of rain most of the time it was dry and we had at least two days of really summer-like weather.

Although we now live full time together and so can't really say we don't get to see one another, there is something about being on holiday and away from your usual setting. The waterhouse has no phone or internet connection and having time where no-one expects you to be around [and really I mean work!] is very freeing and lets you relax properly.

What we have both realised is that as time has gone by and our jobs and lives in general have got busier, we really do need proper time off in a way we didn't 5 or 6 years ago. Commuting, busy jobs and dealing with the house means real time off is hard to come by. We usually don't bother too much with forward planning our holidays and just take time off as and when we realise we haven't had a break for a while. But that doesn't seem to work as well now - now we really do need to plan regular breaks and make sure we don't work for months without proper time off. Certainly we both felt the weeks on the run up to our hols this time around were tiring and we weren't quite as energetic as usual.

So, along with having a fantastic holiday we have agreed to try and plan our time off to make sure we don't burn like we did a bit this time round.

ottolenghi - marinated romano peppers with mozzarella or feta cheese

2010-09-29T11:18:00.001+01:00

I love soft, marinated peppers with good bread to dip in the marinade and scoop up the peppers with. I found this recipe in my new cookbook which is proving a very good purchase. This recipe uses romano peppers which visually look good on the table as well as tasting a wee bit more subtle than bell peppers.

6 romano peppers
120ml olive oil
2.5 tbsp finely chopped coriander
2.5 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 tbsp cider vinegar
100g rocket
200g of your chosen cheese - mozzarella or feta
sea salt and black pepper
Bake or buy your favourite bread

Spread the peppers out on a roasting tin, drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
Mix well and roast for 15 minutes at 200/G 6
While the peppers roast, mix the parsley, coriander, garlic and vinegar and 80 ml of the olive oil - season to taste
Put the warm peppers in a bowl and mix in the marinade - leave at room temprature for at least 2 hours

To serve, warm your bread, spread the rocket out on a plate and lay over the peppers
Spoon the marinade over the peppers and break your cheese into chunks over the peppers
Serve with the warm bread and be ready to be licking your fingers clean!

For this version I used organic feta which worked well. I haven't tried the mozzarella yet - I also think a good sharp parmesan would be good.

ottolenghi - marinated chicken and char grilled broccoli

2010-09-28T00:17:00.005+01:00

I have recently bought the Ottolenghi cookbook - I haven't been to their restaurant in London yet although the recipes and description of their food philosophy in the book means a visit is most definitely on the cards. I bought the book partly because the reviews were good and partly because of the look of the book. Superficial maybe, but if a cookbook looks simple and well designed then often the food is too.

I wanted to try something new but easy and with a health kick to it - and some punchy but clean flavours - so went for the marinated turkey breast with cumin, coriander and white wine served with chargrilled broccoli with chilli and garlic. I love broccoli - it is one of my favourite vegetables - but there aren't a lot of recipes about for it that arean't focused on cheesy or creamy sauces.

For the turkey
A turkey breast or turkey fillets
4 tbsp mint leaves
4 tbsp parsley leaves
4 tbsp coriander leaves
1 garlic clove, peeled
60ml lemon juice
60ml olive oil
125ml white wine
half a tsp ground cumin
half a tsp salt
half a tsp black pepper

This makes enough for 4-6 but I halved the quantities for this occasion. Usually I would make the 4-6 in order to have enough for the next night.

Put everything apart from the turkey into a food processor and whizz it all up to make the marinade
Put the meat into a non-metallic container and pour over the marinade, massaging it into the meat

Cover and leave in the fridge over night
Take the turkey out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature
Place turkey in a roasting tin - reserving the marinade - and roast at 220/G 7 for 15 minutes and then 180/G 4 for 30-45 minutes if using turkey breast. If using fillets roast at 200/G6 for 20-30 mins
Put the marinade in a small pot and heat up, reduce by about half, season to taste
When the turkey is ready let it rest for ten minutes then slice it thinly and serve with the sauce

For the broccoli
1 head of broccoli
55ml olive oil
2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1 mild red chilli thinly sliced
sea salt and black pepper
toasted flaked almonds [if you have them, I had forgotten about them!]
thin slices of lemon to garnish

Separate broccoli into florets and blanhc the broccoli in boiling hot water for 2 minutes
Plunge into a bowl of ice cold water then drain until completely dry - this stops it cooking and keeps the broccoli nice and crunchy
Toss the broccoli in a bowl with 20ml of the olive oil
Place a ridged griddle - or as I did a frying pan if you don't have a griddle - over a high heat and grill the florets
You might need to do the broccoli in batches - once done put in a heatproof bowl
While grilling the broccoli warm the oil in a small pan with the garlic and chillies

Pour the olive oil mixture over the broccoli and toss well - give it a taste and adjust the seasoning
Garnish with the lemon and almonds if you wish then serve

I also had some bread with this to sook up the lovely juices and sauce.

2010-09-26T22:49:00.000+01:00

When I was 24 Andy bought me some amazing red chunky kick ass boots for my birthday from a shop in Edinburgh called 'Pie in the Sky'. At first I was unsure because they were to the knee lace ups with a sole on them like a tractor tyre. I was worried I couldn't carry them off. But in fact with them on I felt like I could take on anything.

I had never heard of the brand 'Art' before - it is a spanish brand an until a year or so ago - when I spotted them in a shop in London - hadn't seen anything else like them.

They have been faithful friends seeing me through 8 winters and being comfy, reliable and toasty as well as adding that edge to my usual weekend outfit of jeans and hoody.

Well, the sole started to go on my red boots and while the cobbler is doing his best to squeeze a bit more life out of them I have to accept they will now be worn on occasion and when I don't think the weather will finish them off.

So with a heavy heart I began to think about new winter boots. Well, as luck would have it, one of the two rather excellent shoe shops in Bridge of Allan, Chapter, sells Art boots and shoes. Last winter I had seen a pair of Art boots in Chapter but had decided it would signal a betrayal of my favourite fellows and they weren't done in yet. When I realised another winter was unrealistic I called up Chapter and asked if they still had any and they did!

I went down and tried them on and it was like falling in love all over again. This time they are black and have a bit of a chunky heel on them - but in all the important ways, comfort, warmth, kick-assability - they are blood sisters to my previous pair.

Of course, my original pair are still favoured - they will have outings too. But I will make sure they are outings that won't tire them out to the point of no return. Their retirement should be a long and happy one - and anyway, mad as it is, I cannot bear to part with them.

RAF Leuchars air show

2010-09-25T22:15:00.003+01:00

When my wee brother was up to stay in August we visited the East Fortune airfield and museum and while we were there saw a flyer for the Leuchars air show. It transpired that neither Andy, Theo or I had been to the Leuchars air show and we decided we must go. Andy had been to RAF Fylingdales air shows when he was a wee boy but Theo and I reckoned Leuchars could compete with whatever Yorkshire had managed to put on.

I was looking forward to it but surprised myself by how excited I was to see the planes and the demonstrations. I was also reminded of what it means to have weapons that can destroy hundreds if not thousands of lives.

The Vulcan - which can carry nuclear warheads - was chilling to see up close. Its size and shape were menacing and the sound it made as it flew over our heads did induce fear. I imagined what it would be like if you were hearing that as someone who wasn't in an airfield in Scotland and I have no doubt it would be a terrifying experience.

I was also reminded though of the day to day work of the RAF. I would classify myself as a pacifist but if anything this makes me feel even more strongly about how we support and see our troops. It is governments that decide to go to war - not pilots. The demonstrations by the Red Arrows were fantastic in their skill and the commentary reminded the audience that all of the pilots serve on the front line at one time or another and one pilot who was flying has a partner currently serving in Afghanistan.

I had never seen the Red Arrows live - and it was an incredible display. Andy really enjoyed it too - and I think was a bit tickled by how much I enjoyed it. I am not usually into machines or being enthralled by trains, planes and automobiles but I was gobsmacked by what was on display.

I think that the layout contributed to this - we were incredibly close to the displays. Andy said that he had never been so close at Fylingdales.

My favourite part though was the fly by in honour of the few who fought and won the Battle of Britain.

The Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane were beautiful and the sound they made was such a contrast to the modern machines we had witnessed to that point. I always suspect that we are a hairs breadth away from fairness to fascism - it seems so easy for people, society, governments to lose a grip on being humane [you only need to look at France and its treatment of the Roma]and slip easily into racism, xenophobia and hate. The fly by was a strong reminder that many people, normal everyday people, gave up their freedoms for us to be able to stand at an air show and enjoy our Saturday afternoon.

And, for that matter, enjoy fish and chips and an evening of xbox playing - because that is exactly what we did. We met up with Theo who had gone along to the show with the air cadets he stayed over with us in Stirling. It is great having him to stay and it was really good to hear all his thoughts and comments on the show - I learnt a lot - he has a huge amount of knowledge that helped put what I had seen into context.

It was a great day and would very much recommend it - I would definitley go back as it was something you really could see time and time again.

selkin' about

2010-09-03T22:33:00.005+01:00

I haven't blogged for a while as life has been a bit frantic recently but I have to share the fantastic birthday present I got from Andy this year.

I really feel the cold - I have Raynaud's - and spent last winter in various levels of pain and numbness induced by the cold weather and our single glazing rented accommodation. My fingerless mitts were worn out - I pretty much wore them most of the time - even when trying to make the dinner.

A couple of years ago Andy discovered Lippi Selk Bags - a sleeping bag with arms and legs and a hood - that you can wear I guess a bit like a romper suit. I loved the idea but I guess it seemed a bit of a mad thing to buy.

Well, this year when Andy gave me my pressie I couldn't believe it - I could tell the minute I read my card - the cryptic message was all about Andy's duties to make me cups of tea and making sure I am kept toasty - and I just knew. A Leppi Selk Bag!!!

Andy knows just how much I suffer in the cold weather and while not everyone may see the romance in it I have to say sometimes the most thoughtful pressies are not the usual suspects.

It is the warmest thing ever - and it has reinforced feet so I can walk about in the garden. It might sound crazy but even in the coldest darkest depths of winter I like to sit outside with a cuppa. With my selky I will be able to do just that and be warm and cosy and not have blue fingers and nose. I almost can't wait for the cold weather...

museum of flight - east fortune

2010-08-06T14:50:00.000+01:00

Theo is an air cadet and all things RAF/world wars have fascinated my family for years. On Tuesday we set off for the Museum of Flight which is based at East Fortune, an airfield used as a base for both 1st and 2nd world wars. It now houses aircraft from civilian use and the forces.

The main attraction is to see Concorde - East Fortune is lucky to have Alpha Alpha - the Concorde that unfortunately missed out on Sir Terence Conran's refit as it retired in 2001. However, this doesn't take away from how breathtaking she is.

I had never really understood the whole Concorde thing beyond that it was for rich and famous folk and engineers to get excited over. But seeing her in the hangar was quite spectacular - the famour nose, the exhibition stories and seeing inside the cockpit. The cockpit is astonishing and no wonder pilots required 10 years commercial experience plus a six month conversion course.

ohmygod - look at all those buttons!

We could so fly this...

What was clear is how much pride the crew - ground and cabin - took in their work. I was particularly touched by the story of the woman who started off as a hairdresser, retrained as a pilot and pursued her dream of being a Concorde pilot.

We also got to test our own possible piloting prowess - or lack thereof - in the Flight School. As predicted, Theo and I did not do that well at the colour test - and having seen the cockpits of a variety of planes by this point I can see why being able to tell what colour of light is flashing would be rather important. But it seems our other sight capabilities and hearing would be fine.

Checking out our peripheral vision

Hearing test...

We also got to see a Komet - the German plane that could fly high and at speed but once it had reached its target had about seven minutes of fuel left. The journey back was glider fashion so eth pilot had to have skills as a pilot and glider.

We saw MIGS and Harrier jets and seeing them up close there was little room really for the pilots and you got to see teh wear and tear daily use rendered on the cockpit. We also saw a Vulcan, the plane used to carry Britain's nuclear deterent - a cold, timely reminder of what job these engineering marvels were often designed for.

The BOAC exhibition was also very interesting, taking you back to when overseas flights were a luxury and an adventure. People would turn up for their flight as if dressed for a posh evening occasion and the cabin crews would serve three course meals that could rival a good hotel on the ground. Changed days.

East Fortune played a big part on both World Wars and as always the stories are poignant and laced with the every day. The crew at East Fortune provided the escort for the Germany Navy surrendering their ships at the River Forth and they provided protection for the convoys of ships bringing supplies to troops and civilians alike. One letter in the exhibition is from a fiance who has lost her husband to be in the war and is writing to his mother - 'I keep remembering all the little things he said and did. I just loved everything about him' - reminding you that all of the photos of men and women in uniform have a human story behind them. Although to lighten the experience I did laugh at the quote that the difference between NAAFI tea and coffee was a penny!

After exhausting the exhibitions we had lunch outside despite the rather fierce wind - after all, Scottish summer weather won't stop us having a picnic. We then drove out to Gullane and took a walk along the shore before returning to Bridge of Allan for a fish tea at the Allanwater Cafe - a good end to our day!

the project - timber going in

2010-08-03T21:05:00.000+01:00

We have had two site visits recently - the timber frame of the first floor has gone in so we can really get a sense of the bedroom spaces. It is weird because you can see through all the walls but good because you get a 3d visual of the space - which makes it easier to imagine actually living there. The rooms are a good size as is the downstairs bathroom so that helps settle our minds a bit about having enough space.

The second visit saw the first floor down so we could stand at first floor level. This meant we could see better what is going to happen with the windows and the large church ceiling beams. The windows will be stepped - this ensures the full window is maintained in the bedrooms.

On the kitchen end of the 1st floor this stepped bit of floor will be below units and at the dining end will be visible. Given where this will be occuring plus the position of the beams, we have decided to forgo the kitchen island and its back to the drawing board for the kitchen.

However, Ally, one of the architects, came up with an excellent idea which is to raise the dining area up two steps. This makes the division of space in the 1st floor clearer plus as the floor is then raised the stairs to the mezzanine can be rejigged to take up less space. This gives me more room for the dining table.

The new plans

The thought at the moment is to have a big chunky wood table with one side normal chairs and the wall side seating to be a pew reclaimed from the church.

So its all go - with a lot to think about and make decisions on. But it is great to see the timber framing go in and see progress happening. No doubt like everyone else we are just itching to see it finished and move in.

Andy getting the tape measure out!

walk in the woods

2010-08-03T10:00:00.000+01:00

We are off for a week and my wee brother Theo has come to stay. Today we managed to dodge the rain clouds and take a walk through Mine Woods. Theo managed to find a good tree to climb -

Andy went for the alternative [and safer] option of a wall...!

We then sat by the river and had tea and cake - before trekking back home. The fresh air balanced the evening xbox playing.

afternoon tea

2010-08-02T18:10:00.000+01:00

My family all love afternoon tea and to celebrate Theo staying for a week I made an afternoon tea on Sunday. I had been away in Liverpool and London most of the week and had to go shopping for tux's and shoes and assorted James Bond Ball items for later on this month on Saturday - so I didn't have much time to pull one together. I trawled my books for easy peasy recipes and so this is my easy afternoon tea that leaves you time to give the house a dust before your Mum arrives!

Click on the weblinks to get to the recipes.

Traditional Tea Bread

Honeycomb chocolate cake

Cupcakes with butter icing

I also made up some salmon and cream cheese and some ham and mustard sandwiches - no recipe needed for that!

scones

2010-08-02T17:57:00.002+01:00

I don't have any pics of these - they got eaten too fast.

8oz self raising flour
Pinch of salt
2oz butter
1oz caster sugar
150ml/5fl oz milk

Heat the oven to 220C
Grease baking tray
Mix together flour, salt and rub in butter
Stir in sugar
Stir in milk until you get a soft dough
Flour surface and knead lightly
Make rounds with a cookie cutter, place on tray, brush tops with milk
Bake for 12-15 minutes

I sometimes add currants at the 'dry' stage. You can make cheese scones by substituting the sugar for cheddar.

cupcakes

2010-08-02T17:39:00.004+01:00

This is dead easy but they look fancy. I bought some toppings to really go for the whole Magnolia Bakery thing.

The cakes

2 eggs
4oz margerine - or butter if for special
6oz caster sugar
8oz self raising flour
A little milk
Muffin cases

For fairy cakes half the quantities and use smaller cases.

Beat the eggs
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy
Add half the egg and half the flour and mix well
Add the rest of the egg and flour and a tbsp of milk and mix
Add a bit more milk if needed - needs to be a firmish mix but not dry.
Scoop into cases - I fill almost the full way - but if you want flat tops fill about half way. Flat tops are more arty but I like as much cake as possible in each cupcake.
Bake at gas mark 6/200C for 15-16 minutes or until firm.

Icing

125g/4oz butter
A few drops of vanilla essence
8oz icing sugar

Beat together until creamy. Slather in great quantities on top of your cooled cupcakes.

I like to add food colouring - but a little goes a long way so take it teeny drops at a time. I also like having various toppings too.

chocolate honeycomb cake

2010-08-02T17:24:00.005+01:00

This is great because it doesn't need baked - so it frees up oven space plus can be made in advance.

100g/3 and a half oz plain chocolate
100g/3 and a half oz milk chocolate
100g/3 and a half oz
3 tbsp golden syrup
250g/9oz crushed ginger or digestive biscuits
1 box of maltesers
A handful of cranberries - or your favourite dried fruit

Greased tin - I use a half sized tin usually used for lasagne as it has deep sides.

Melt together the chocolate, butter and syrup

In a large bowl mix together the crushed biscuits, maltesers and, if using, the dried fruit.

Pour over and mix in the chocolate melt - the maltesers may go bald as their chocolate melts off but that's ok - it looks fine when finished.

Pour into and level off in the tin, cover in cling film and pop in the fridge until firmed up.

Great for packed lunches - and you can cut them big or small - depending on how greedy you feel.

easy traditional tea bread

2010-08-02T17:18:00.003+01:00

350g/12oz mixed dried fruit
110g/4oz Demerara sugar
250ml/9fl oz cold strong black tea
1 large egg
225g/8oz self raising flour

1lb loaf tin greased and lined
Oven at gas mark 3/150C

Put the dried fruits, sugar and tea in a large bowl, cover and leave overnight or for 6 hours.

Beat the egg and flour into the soaked fruits until smooth. Pour into your loaf tin and bake for 1hr - 1hr 15 until a knife or knitting needle comes out clean. Leave it to cool in the tin.

The loaf keeps really well because of the soaking - and is good on a picnic too.

This was a great recipe becuase I could start it off when I got in the night before and pop it in the oven before having my breakfast and shower - I love recipes that allow for multi tasking.

things going on

2010-07-19T06:48:00.000+01:00

Things going on with me right now -

Rain - what footwear do you put on for warm weather interspersed with downpours that is smart, on-trend and comfortable?

The Big Society - or the big con. Working in the third sector I will be digesting the Cameron speech this evening.

Lip stain by Laura Mercier - my attempt to move towards being able to wear lipstick.

Burkha banning - seriously, empowering women by telling them what to wear?!

Oloroso roof terrace - gin and tonic with Michelle on Saturday and despite the cold loved the views. Not so much of the hen night groups though...

Playing Rock Band - the only computer game I can play for more than ten minutes without lashing out in frustration.

old skool

2010-07-14T22:54:00.001+01:00

I am always on the look out for cool desks - and this isn't the picture I had in my head - but while browsing the pedlars website I spotted these. They are American school desks from the 1950s/60s and I think they are too cool for skool. They have beautiful curved lines and I think would be great as an alternative to a full desk - perhaps I could fit one of these and a squidgy lounge-y sofa in my bit of the mezzanine area?

Like the shop owners say, the best bit is the space to keep books.

coffee sack chair

2010-07-13T00:26:00.001+01:00

I love it when traditional furnishings combine with industrial styling - like this Simon chair from John Lewis which is upholsered in a coffee sack material. I like the ruggedness of the material plus it plays to my love of coffee.

lighting

2010-07-11T18:15:00.001+01:00

I haven't blogged for a while mainly because we have been caught up in sorting out the old place and also I have been away with work a fair bit. But now we have the floor plans away and the paperwork sorted I am starting to think more about the interior. One issue I am keen to get right is the lighting. We prefer minimalist wall coverings - paint not wallpaper and pattern isn't something we go in for - so the lighting is a way to express more of a design element.

With a double height space in the kitchen/dining/lounge area I have been looking for some statement pendants that will really set off the kitchen and the airiness (is that even a word?) of the open plan 1st floor. I also want something that is modern in its aesthetic but fits in with the history of the building as a working public space.

I have discovered a company based in London called Skinflint Design who do reclaimed lights mainly from industry. They have revamped M.O.D. lights tank signal lights which I think look great - chunky and sturdy - and although they come from tanks they remind me of marine-esque fittings on submarines and working ships.

I love this unique wee lamp too - it is a 1930s GEC lamp and I think would be cool in the mezzanine. I like the large face of the lamp.

I have also been browsing the Glasgow Architectural Salvage website - they have some amazing lights salvaged from the Glasgow synagogue - which would make an interesting choice for what was once a Free Church. But they are huge and not really the right style for our place.

Half the fun though is in the search - and finding out what you like and dislike - and even if you like it whether or not it is right for the style of place you have.

thomas chalmers

2010-07-10T19:04:00.003+01:00

In a previous post I mentioned I had been doing a wee bit of research on the church but hadn't managed to find out who Thomas Chalmers was. Well, I kindly received a comment from Simon Wells who posted this link which provides a background to Thomas Chalmers.

He certainly seems to have been a focused and driven individual - and took his religious belief and applied it in very practical ways. I am not particularly in favour of organised religion and struggle often with the zeal in which it is pursued - and my own reading is that Thomas may have had some of this as a characteristic - but I do admire the way on which he saw his faith as an active one, and where those with support those without through schooling, public buildings and activities and adding concrete action alongside preaching.

I don't know enough theology etc to really grasp all that the article discusses - although I see that a territorial approach does ensure that the Free Church maintained a close grassroots link with the people a particular parish covered, and this to my mind is better than an approach that is about holding the church apart and somehow aloof from the people it is meant to house.

It has made me want to do a bit more research around the Free Church and Thomas Chalmers so thanks to Simon Wells for sending on the link.

garden

2010-07-09T20:54:00.000+01:00

We won't have a huge garden in the new place, but it will be big enough for what we need - namely a place to sit and savour a gin and tonic after work! It does mean that for the first time we will need to consider garden furniture. I have no idea what we should go for - traditional because it is a church? Ultra modern to juxtapose with the history of the building?

As I haven't a clue yet, I think I will just collect up stuff I see that I like then figure the details out later.

I do like furniture that has a bit of humour to it so I appreciated the Big Scrubber garden stool that Ben Baker designed - and you can get it from Hen and Hammock

I also like a rocking chair - lovely for whiling away the time reading a book and chilling out. The Rhode Island rocker from The Contemporary Home takes the rocking chair and makes it a bit more modern.

Of course, a hammock would be excellent - snoozing on a Sunday afternoon in the garden is a favourite pastime in between reading the Sunday papers and snacking on bacon sandwiches. There is a lovely one from Living it Up but I can't get the pic to show up here so you will need to click through instead.

not one for colour blind folk

2010-06-14T22:02:00.003+01:00

I saw this clock from the white lounge that is made up of multi coloured spots. The description says you can see the numbers in the spots.

But if, like me, you are colourblind you won't see nawt. Andy thought this was very funny and is threatening to get one. I pointed out that I may not be able to see the numbers - but I can see the hands of the clock so can tell the time fine. Not that it will help me be ready on time in the morning anyway...

site visit - hard hats and bright yellow jackets!

2010-06-13T21:30:00.005+01:00

Yes, the jackets are so bright the flash goes a bit crazy...

We had a good meeting with the architects (Bobby and Ally) doing the conversion to finalise our floor plans this weekend and we got to have a site visit.

We haven't made major changes to the plans but we have changed where a bedroom door is, decided where to place the utility and WC on the 1st floor and agreed how we want the stairs to be. Although we weren't moving entire walls we have come to realise how important even small changes can be. The plans there are now for the stairs have solved a couple of concerns we had on the 1st floor around layout and we can imagine a much more flexible space.

The front door...

But - the site visit! This in many ways is the most exciting bit - getting to see your house progress. The last time we saw the site the church was really in darkness as all the windows were boarded up and the church was just a stone shell. The drains and concrete floor are now in and the timber framing is going up - in the back house first so ours hasn't started yet but it gave us an idea of how it will look. We could also see where the party wall will be which gave us a much better sense of the space.

This pic shows the front door and the Bed 1 and Bed 2 windows.

On Saturday Bobby took us round and explained the insultation he is using, how the timber frame is constructed and the plans for ensuring the beautiful church windows are fully incorporated into our house.

It was much lighter inside this time and so we could really get a better look at our space. On the plans you begin to think the space is small - but putting people inside up against the trusses and arches and you get a real sense of the house. And the double height space is going to be amazing.

Bobby also showed us one of the church hall houses which is about a month ahead - they have their plasterboard going up. This also meant we could see how the walls can house built in cisterns and the wee inset shelves I would like to have in the bathroom.

We also took a look at the garden space. Last time we thought it was pretty tiny and woudl probably only take a wee set of 2 seats and a small table - but seeing it now it looks much bigger - definitely room for some large troughs of herbs and flowers and some decent garden furniture. We will be going for slabs though - we are learning in our current place that we like sitting in the garden but not so much the gardening itself - time poor and not especially green fingered - so a patio style garden is probably best for us.

We came away with a much better visual for how the house will develop and the spaces we have for the rooms. In about 3 weeks time our partitions go up - so we will be back to see the plans become actual walls and rooms.

my dream kitchen

2010-06-13T21:07:00.006+01:00

So despite the lack of posting lots has been going on with the project and with selling our own house. The past month I have been having meetings with our kitchen designer, Mark, at Selan Design in Broughty Ferry. We went round three companies but Selan really stood out for us. The customer service so far has been excellent and Mark has been great at talking us through all of the options, finding out how and how much we use our kitchen and generally being the kind of designer we were hoping for.

I started off with the idea of having a 6 burner range and stand alone kitchen furniture. I had quite a fixed idea of what I wanted. However, having gone round several show rooms, and spending time thinking through how we wanted our open plan living space to be, we both realised we wanted something quite different.

We have busy lives and so need a kitchen that is hard working but very easy to keep clean and tidy. We also thought that as the 1st floor is entirely open, and we won't have a fire, the kitchen could and for us should be the main focal point. This led us to look more at a statement design for our kitchen and to go for something very sleek, modern and simple. The simplicity is important, because we also want, in other parts of the house, to reflect the history of the building. This means the kitchen needs to marry modern and sleek with the ability to blend in with historical features.

The design isn't quite finished yet but the pics show roughly what we are thinking of. What is definite is that we will have an island, a breakfast bar, and a full wall of cabinetry with fitted ovens. We think we will go for Miele for the hob/oven and Siemens for the white goods.

This pic is one of their show kitchens and not exactly like ours - but gives an idea of the back wall.

We have also changed our floor plan - the stairs are now more of a spiral - to extend the living space right to the back wall on one side. We haven't quite decided which bit to be sofa/chill out area and which bit to be the dining table. There will be lots of discussions no doubt to be had on that.

I will post more about the individual details of the kitchen - I am very pleased with the route we have gone down re appliances and have even given up my range idea in favour of an induction hob with funky down draft extractor. Believe me, I can bore for Britain now on induction hobs!

The main thing though that tells me we are developing the right design is how excited we are both getting about our kitchen. In my current kitchen now I can't help but think how it will be in the new house compared to how we are now. Being able to imagine how our kitchen tells me I am on the right track.

a wee walk

2010-05-31T21:22:00.006+01:00

I was off work a couple of weeks ago because my M.E. and Lupus had flared up. When this happens my main thing is to sleep a lot and work up to being able to walk a couple of miles. Just a stroll, but if I can walk to the village and back then I know I am getting better. It took me to the second week before I managed it but when I did it was lovely weather and I was in shorts and t-shirt.

The walk I do to get myself back on track is up through the university campus, through Mine Wood and up to the village. It is a good walk for recovery because there are several places you can stop and several places where it is easy to turn around. You are never far away from the bus route so there is a get out if the fatigue kicks in.

I start off walking through the campus - there is a lovely walk around the duck pond and if I have some bread around the house they get a wee snack.

From the edge of campus I can just see the riding school (white building) and the edge of Mine Wood.

When you get up towards the riding school there is a wee bench that is an absolute sun trap and is a welcome break from the steep road.

From the edge of Mine Wood you can see out across to the Wallace Monument and also across the village and out to the Ochils. My house is just below the Monument so I like this view as it makes me feel I have done a fair bit of walking by this point.

There are two walks you can do through Mine Wood - they both bring you out roughly at the same place but the lower walk is easier and downhill most of the way. The upper walk takes longer and is steeper. It goes up and round the back of the back of the woods. On the longer walk there is a big uprooted tree - good for a wee pause to catch your breath.

They bring you out at the back of the village and you follow the walk down through to the river and the back of the local chippie.

I then have two choices - if it is a very nice day I get a takeaway picnic lunch from the deli and sit by the river. If it is nice but not quite picnic weather I go and get the artichoke, feta and beetroot salad from Clive Ramsays and sit in their wee outdoor bit.

Then it's the walk back along - I am usually pretty exhausted by this point so instead of trekking back through the wood I walk through the village along the main road.

I managed this walk three times before I went back to work and on the last walk I did the upper version so treated myself to an icecream from Corrieri's as a reward - not sure that's on the healthy eating list...

home made lamb sausages in prosciutto

2010-05-31T20:43:00.004+01:00

On Saturdays we allow ourselves a bit of a lie in after a week of 0630 starts and take in a bit of Saturday Kitchen - yes, our life is just too exciting. But sometimes there are good recipes or ideas to try out for Saturday dinner. A few weeks ago Tana Ramsay was on - much nicer than Gordon - and she did a recipe for home made lamb sausages. Being half asleep I didn't quite catch everything so when we did our shopping I kind of had to wing it. Here is the recipe I did but if you want the proper one it is on the BBC website.

Makes 12 small sausages or six big. The 12 small means you can split it out over a couple of nights.

Ingredients

for the sausages

500g of lamb mince
couple of tablespoons of breadcrumbs
red onion finely chopped
2 tbsp of cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
pepper to season
beaten egg
12 slices of prosciutto

for the salad

spinach and rocket leaves
cherry tomatoes cut in half
warmed broad beans
squeeze of lemon juice, half a tsp wholegrain mustard and glug of olive oil mixed for dressing

for the potatoes - this makes my recipe much less healthier than Tana's but Andy loves these potatoes

baby potatoes, cut in half and boiled until just done
olive oil
garlic

Method

for the sausages

mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl
mix in the egg
roll into 12 wee balls - wet hands first to prevent sticking

pat the balls into wee sausage shapes and then wrap around the prosciutto
place in a well greased baking tray
cook in an oven preheated to gas mark 6 for about 20-30 minutes (my oven isn't great so adjust heat down a bit if you have a fan oven)

for the salad

mix the salad dressing ingredients while heating the broad beans through in a pan
mix ingrediants together!
I quite liked some shavings of parmesan

for the potatoes

heat enough olive oil to reach half way up the potatoes
pop in some cloves of garlic and allow to cook gently
remove garlic as oil begins to sizzle - you can check the heat by testing a potatoe
add potatoes cut side down and fry for 10-15 minutes
turn over to the skin side and fry for 10 mins

For a healthier alternative, boil the potatoes until done and while still warm mix with a tablespoon of pesto.

This was a good dinner to have outside in the garden when its not quite fully salad weather but you don't want a steak pie or something heavy. It was very nice with a cheeky glass of wine!!

the project

2010-05-03T12:44:00.006+01:00

We both wanted to know a bit more about the church we will be living in - fingers crossed - and so being stuck at home I did a bit of internet searching. I thought it strange for a church to be called 'Chalmers Church' - I associate churches with saint's names or a more religious sounding moniker. It turns out it was called Chalmers Memorial Church (a free church) and was built circa 1854 but I haven't discovered yet who Chalmers was.

I have found a picture of the inside of the church as it used to be -

I got this from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments in Scotland website. They seem to have lots of pictures but only let people download this one from their site. The others you have to order - although you can't see what you are ordering. It also looks like the RCAHMS holds an unpblished leaflet (Bowden, J (2003) History of Chalmers Church 160 years: 1844-2003, Unpublished Pamphlet)on the church that might be worth a look. So it may be a wee visit to the RCAHMS will be the way to find out more.

If you look on the right hand side of the picture, the door you can just see will be our front door.

The Church was designed by W.H., J.W. & J. Hay, Architects, of Liverpool and is described as a Middle Pointed Gothic style church. The pointed spire is 108ft in height and it was erected at a cost of #2,500 with seating for 800 people. This is how the church is described in The Building Chronicle, 1856.

I also found an article in the Glasgow Herald, 20th May, 1940 which reports on the dedication of the organ screen.

The church closed and merged with Bridge of Allan Parish Church (Church of Scotland)in 2004. Bridge of Allan Parish Church is notable for some its internal fittings, which were designed by Charles Rennie Macintosh in 1904. And, with a bit more searching, I found the schedule for selling the church in 2006 which included this photo -

The church was originally for lease/sale as offices - I am glad that instead it is going to be houses!

alternative to wallpaper

2010-04-24T14:25:00.001+01:00

I have already posted about wall stickers or decals - here are some more that I like from Supernice.

This one would be good for a utility or laundry room...

This one I like for the diving theme...maybe for a bathroom or a store room for our dive kit...

And this one is a design I think would look good in a lounge area...

dressing for work

2010-04-18T22:10:00.005+01:00

I have a hard time figuring out what you should wear to work. I work for a charity - so it isn't suited and booted all the time. But I am a manager and often doing events - so I want to look smart and professional. Being female I am really conscious of appropriate work wear that isn't a boxy suit but also isn't so girly that people make judgements [not that they should cause that would be sexist but the world ain't perfect yet]. Also - I can look young for my age. I am 31 but frequently get asked for id when buying that cheeky bottle of red from M&S on the way home from work on a Friday night and also get charged a half on the bus on occasion. This boosts the ego no end but isn't great when you are trying to convince the government to do what you think they should be doing.

I also commute and work on the west coast - so weather and being comfortable are also issues. And, finally, I want to wear clothes that I like and feel like 'me'!

I don't work in academia but I really like a site called academic chic as it tackles a lot of the same problems I find myself faced with.Its an american site but the tips translate even if the shops aren't over here ye - although with Cos and J Crew opening branches over here soon it should become less of a problem. They also blog on commuter tips and other fashion challenges women in the workplace have. Being young women working in the traditionally male and stuffy environment of the university or college campus must be something of a challenge and a lot of what they blog about resonates with my own concerns.

A New Home...sometime in 2011!

2010-04-18T17:23:00.003+01:00

We have been looking for a new house to move to and last week took a big decision - to go for an off-plan church conversion in Bridge of Allan by Crammond Select Homes. So the next few weeks will be a flurry of legal papers, getting the flat on the market and keeping our fingers crossed that it will all work out. Buying off plan is worrying - because you can't see what you will get - and exctiting because we get to have a big input into the layout and interior decoration of the property. For us, the excitment makes the worry worth it - it may be strange, but the chance to map out exactly where you want your power sockets to be is to my mind a wee slice of heaven. All of this means the move date is likely to be between Christmas and March 2011 - so lots of time to search out that perfect tile or paint colour...

However, this - coupled with the lack of a decent oven in our current rented place - means my updates are likely to focus more on home stuff rather than food in the next wee while. But you can bet that the design of the kitchen will feature heavily and that post-move there will be plenty of culinary experiments on the go.

Champanys

2010-04-12T22:37:00.006+01:00

On Saturday night we went through to Linlithgow to have dinner with Michelle and Robin. They had told us about a restaurant called Champanys - a chop and ale house out near their house. They told us about the amazing burgers and steaks and we were only too happy to test their recommendation.

There is a restaurant which we hear is excellent but was a bit pricey for a Saturday night meal that wasn't for a special occasion - so we went to the chop and ale house.

It doesn't take reservations so we got there early to get a table. The place was very busy and Michelle and Robin said that they had never seen it quiet - it is always busy and has people waiting for tables. We had a half hour wait - just enough time for a quick G&T and some chat - and then got a table.

Robin and Michelle advised skipping the starters and saving room for pudding - and they were right. The main meals were very generous and the puddings were excellent - we would not have wanted to have missed out on them. Robin, Andy and I had burgers - mine with cheese and the boys had the mexican. Michelle had the scampi - my second option - and she let me have a taste. The scampi was excellent and I would give it a go next time - because there will definitely be a next time!! The burgers were thick and juicy and the meat amazing. The side salad was actually worth eating and the coleslaw was good - I prefer coleslaw to having sauces and this one wasn't too creamy and had enough bite from the cabbage for it to stand up against the doorstop of a burger.

The puddings were also good - it is not often you get a restaurant that is excellent at both main and pudding courses. Andy had the cheesecake and it was bliss - it tasted like no cheesecake I have had before - it was very light and yet didn't stray into mousse-y territory. It avoided being claggy and the texture was smooth and silky. I had the profiteroles which were also very good - light pastry and sligtly bitter chocolate to cut through the cream. But I think next time I would go for the cheesecake.

The service was also top notch. It was very busy but the staff were all polite, the courses were served in good time and the staff had time to make a comment or quip while serving. A bit of banter is always a good thing.

The bill was good too - around £30 a head - which for the standard of food and service was a good deal. We also took a peak around the wine shop next door and spotted a few bottles that looked pretty tasty. Champanys is definitely on the list for a repeat visit.

sparkle

2010-02-12T22:46:00.004Z

I love jewellery - from chunky plastic and wood right through to diamonds and gold. But I like unusual pieces, something you don't see all the time. I came across Kabiri when browsing for peridot pieces - very difficult to find - and spotted this ring. It is not peridot but I do think it is very beautiful - and their site contains a wide range of styles from very reasonable prices (£40-15,000).

Wall stickers - scandi living

2010-02-09T19:56:00.001Z

Came across a company called Scandi Living who do wall stickers. I spotted the one below and thought it was cool - bright and simple.

amazing garlic bread

2010-02-08T18:55:00.001Z

This recipe is 'borrowed' from a starter we had at the Sheriffmuir Inn - see my review for more on an excellent meal and restaurant. I love garlic and this brings out the sweetness of the garlic - there is no sharp hotness here - and with the cold tart tomatoes it really is the best garlic bread I have tasted.

ingredients - serves 4

4 garlic bulbs
16 cherry tomatoes
olive oil - 2 tbsp
splash of balsamic vinegar
3-4 leaves of basil
ciabatta bread - shop bought or, if you are feeling adventurous, home baked. I use Jamie Oliver's recipe.

Pop the whole garlic bulbs onto a baking sheet and roast in an oven for about 20-30 minutes.

Chop up the cherry tomatoes and mix in a bowl with the other ingredients and leave to sit while the garlic roasts.

Five minutes before the garlic is finished roasting, slice up the ciabatta, pop on a baking sheet and toast in the grill.

Take out the garlic and slice off the tops of the bulbs. Set a bulb on each plate with a slice or two of bread and a spoonful of tomatoe mixture on the side.

To eat, you just pop out the individual cloves and spread them onto the bread - they will be lovely and soft and spread like a good butter. Then scoop up a wee bit of tomatoe. The crunchy bread, soft, sweet and delicate garlic and sharp tomatoes is an amazing trio that together makes for a tasty morsel that whets the appetite perfectly for your main course.

I also think that if you want to make this into a more substantial lunch dish, serve it with a platter of cured meats, olives and some cheeses.

portmeirion

2010-02-07T18:00:00.004Z

I love Portmeirion - I have several pieces including a Totem coffee set - the coffee pot is beuatiful with its tall cylindrical pot and slender, gently curved spout. Well, this year is the 50th birthday of the company and to celebrate they have reproduced some of their most iconic designs including Totem, Magic City and Dolphin. It reminds you of how innovative the company was and is - from today's collections I do love 'crazy daisy' although I think I would mix it in with plain white crockery as it is very busy.

sausage rolls

2010-02-07T16:36:00.003Z

There is nothing better than something hot in pastry to take the edge of winter chills. I made these over Christmas and we had them as a snack after our Christmas walk. They freeze really well and do taste better than shop bought - even though I cheat and use ready made puff pastry.

block of frozen puff pastry
sausage meat
handful of herbs e.g. sage, parsley, thyme
onion, finely chopped
pepper
some milk
an oven warmed to a mod/high heat - on my currently rubbish cooker it took gas mark 7 to get anywhere

Defrost the puff pastry as per the packet instructions

Chop up your selection of herbs - you can chop them up really finely if you like - I personally like mine a wee bit bigger

Empty your sausagemeat into a bowl - season with the pepper, mix, then add in your herbs and onion and mix again

Rest the sausage meat for about ten minutes

Roll out the pastry into a large rectangle - I make mine so that the length would make 3-4 rolls and the width two sets of rolls - this way you will get 6-8 each time and making the pastry not too big to handle but not so small you aren't making the best use of your time.

Remove your sausagemeat from the bowl and split into balls - 2-3 balls - and then roll a ball into a sausage shape that is the same length as your pastry. Lay on the pastry, take the outside edge of the length side, and fold over the meat. Make sure you leave a bit of overlap with the bottom layer of pastry to press together. Take your pastry brush, dip in teh milk, and run along the length edge and then score the bottom pastry layer to separate it from the rest of the pastry.

Press home the two length edges - I tuck them under then flip the roll and give it a wee press.

Cut your roll into 3 or 4 depending on how big you want your sausage rolls - then take a pair of scissors and snip along the tops to make sure there is an escape for any steam that builds up. I usually have 2-3 snips a roll.

Place on a warm baking tray and pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes - I find your eye is a better judge than timings on when they are ready. They should be golden and sizzling.

tips for keeping warm

2010-01-08T12:09:00.009Z

It is sooooo cold! I am very glad I am off and not having to face the daily commute and can slob out in my hoodie. I hate hate hate being cold and so have various ways of keeping cosy. Here are my favourites:

Hot water bottle - yes, turning the heating on is a no brainer but a hot water bottle will heat you up asap and really helps to defrost toes. I have one from Boots that comes with a furry red and white spot cover. If I am really cold I tuck it up my jumper for an extra blast of heat!

Wooly leggings - if you have long johns wear them. If you don't, and can't quite bring yourself to buy some, the trend for leggings means you can get a wide selection of woollen leggings. You can wear them under your favourite comfy trousers.

Socks - wool walking socks are excellent for keeping toes cosy. The trick is to not have them too tight - in fact I like to steal Andy's as it means there is plenty of room for air to circulate and warm up. If they are too tight they will cut off your circulation which is already struggling as it is in the cold.

Layer up - loose layers are much better than one big thick layer. Layers trap air that gets warmed up and creates insulation. A merino wool base layer long sleeved top under a fleece is a good start.

Mittens - mittens are maybe seen as children's gloves but they are much more effective at keeping you warm. I prefer the ones you get where it is a pair of fingerless mits with a mitten covering you pull over your fingers. This means that if you have to do something that requires full finger movement, you don't have to either take your gloves off or struggle with woolly challenged fingers. The fact that your fingers mingle in the mitt mean they share warmth rather than being trapped in their own lonely chilly wool finger. I got mine from Monsoon Accessorize although you can probably get some that are more robust from outdoorsy shops.

Hot tea - I have posted before about making a right proper pot of tea. It is even more important when trying to conserve and create heat to warm the pot and your cup before making and serving your tea. In this weather dishes become very chilled and will therefore leach heat out of your food and hot drinks. So also warm plates before serving dinner etc.

Have a bath - having a lovely warm bath is often the only time when I feel completely toasty and warm. It works a treat in cold weather. My key tips are to swirl warm water arond the bath before starting to fill - like warming a giant pot for tea! - so the bath has the chill taken off it. Make sure the bath is warm but not to hot - you don't want chilblains. I fill 2/3 full to a medium temp, get in, then add hot water as required. If you plunge icy toes into very hot water you could end up with painful feet. To make the bath more special than just a way to heat up, I add bubbles and light the room with candles. Make sure your towel and pyjamas/clothes are hanging on the radiator so you don't go from warm bath to chilled clothes and have your slippers ready to avoid cold tiles!

An electric blanket - some people don't like these but I love them. You can get them with two sides if you have a partner that doesn't like them or has different temp needs. Mine has a pre-heat setting so that you can warm the bed safely before hitting the sack.

Slippers - I love slippers. But you do have to be careful that you buy good ones. You don't want to buy slippers that don't have good grips or support. You might just be wearing them in the house but you should still think about how safe they are for your feet. I love the sheepskin boots from M&S - they have in-built support, have a rubber sole and are super cosy. They are so good even my slipper-hating husband has been converted. After stealing mine for several weeks Santa brought him a pair for Christmas!

Soup - a bowl of soup is the most warming thing I think to have. A basic tomatoe soup is really easy to make and, of course, there is always good old heinz! Warm the bowl before serving so it doesn't cool too quickly.

A hat - not only does a hat keep you cosy and warm, it means you don't have to do your hair!!!

Fourth Element - this isn't a serious suggestion (unless you are keeping warm beyond nipping out to the shops) but I have Fourth Element arctic base layers for diving and I have used them for going out walking this Christmas and I think they might get an airing today. They are the warmest tops, leggings, hats etc ever.

So, as you can tell, I am very focused on staying warm! And, although it seems like going outside is madness in this cold, going for a brisk walk followed by hot chocolate will be a good start to keeping your system moving and keeping you warm alongside all my other wee tricks.

the sherrifmuir inn

2010-01-06T15:20:00.000Z

Before Christmas, we went for dinner with my friend Michelle and her partner Rob. We are still finding our way restaurant-wise and Michelle suggested the Sherrifmuir Inn. I had heard the Inn mentioned as a good place to go and so it proved - tucked up in the wee hamlet of Sheriffmuir is a fantastic pub/restaurant that does really excellent food with a great ambience.

I like places where you get good food but in relaxed surroundings and that is what we got. The woman who runs the place - I didn't catch her name - was cheery and welcoming and even when we were the last table left she didn't rush us out the door.

The first course was garlic bread - but not as you would normally recognise it. Two thick slices of good bread were served with a tomatoe salad and a whole roasted bulb of garlic. The top was sliced off and to eat you squeezed out the soft roasted garlic and then spread it on your bread. The roasting had essentially turned each clove into a wee soft nub of garlic spread. Delicious. Rob had the garlic mushrooms - mushrooms grilled and popped on a kebab skewer and dressed with garlic - they looked amazing.

For our mains we had fish and chips. I have never liked mushy peas and usually ask for the peas to be left off the plate. I forgot this time and had a wee panic when I saw them on the plate. However, I am so glad I tasted them. These were not mashed beyond recognition peas that had been canned or frozen. The fresh green taste was like a wee mouthful of spring and cut nicely across the batter of the fish.

After such amazing food, I couldn't manage a whole pudding to myself and so shared a sticky toffee pudding with Michelle. It was truly yummy - hot, sweet and dripping in sauce. The coffees were also excellent - often it is the coffee that will tip me from pleseantly satisfied into heartburn territory as it is so often badly served, but this coffee topped off the meal to perfection. Strong but not 'burnt' it is clear whoever is working the espresso knows what they are doing.

The bill was £25 a head - which given the three courses, standard of food and the bottle of wine we had was an excellent price. We will definitely be going back.

book review - delia

2009-12-22T22:24:00.006Z

I have always felt a bit hot and cold about Delia. Some people like her 'in charge' approach and certainly she sticks to a simple format - no Nigella-esque red silk dressing gowns raiding the fridge at midnight. But sometimes I do feel she can be a wee bit bossy. For example, in one of her recipes where you need to measure a liquid she doesn't just advocate a jug but a glass one at that. If I use a plastic one will Delia have me sitting on the naughty step?

However, I watched her Christmas TV programme and was inspired to buy her book. The recipes she showed the viewers were clear, not too difficult, and proper traditional fare for Christmas.

I found the book to be simple in layout and very clear in its instructions - not that I would expect anything less from Delia. I think what I liked about it best though is that the choice of recipes is extensive - usually in this sort of book you get several ways to cook and use left over turkey with a dull veggie option and perhaps one or two random 'not turkey' dishes that don't really sit well next to the main act of the Christmas Dinner. Not here.

The first thing is that the contents and planner are extremely helpful in theming the foods and also in reminding you of all those wee items you might forget when in a rush. I usually find other people's planners fairly pointless given I am cooking for two most of the time but I found this one helpful.

One of the features I liked best was the inclusion of snacks and nibbles that will see you through unexpected visitors or where a sit down meal is not appropriate. Parmesan twists, sausage rolls and the tomatoe tart with swiss cheese and rosemary are all easy to do and freezable - good for planning ahead or making up several lots and then using as you need them. I have never made sausage rolls and will be making some for coming home from the Nightwatch service.

The vegetarian section is strong - in fact most of the recipes I didn't identify as 'veggie' - with the luxuriant vegetable pie and oriecchiette and walnut sauce stand outs for me that will be getting a practice.

I also liked the inclusion of a hogmanay section - and one that doesn't offend a Scottish reader. Black Bun, Arbroath smokies, Cranachan, trifle and a haggis pie all feature. I am almost embarrassed to say that it is Delia who has inspired me to make Black Bun for the first time.

I would thoroughly recommend this book for anyone who is doing a Christmas Dinner for the first time, as the recipes are straightforward and without frills, but also for the experienced cook. I haven't really focused on the main event dishes as I am happy with doing a Christmas Dinner - but I found the other recipes inspiring for the rest of the Christmas period.

I usually have my folks over on Boxing Day but as we couldn't all make it that day, it will be on the 4th. And with Delia I have reached my goal of revitalising by repertoire. All of the dishes for my family will be entirely new and from Delia's excellent book. I am a picky so-and-so - so this outcome proves how much I like this book!

christmas planning

2009-12-22T22:12:00.003Z

This year I have been very bad at organising for Christmas. I was going to be off on leave from the 16th but work issues meant today - the 22nd - is in fact my first day off. I had thought I could do most of my food prep on leave and so because of the changes am now very behind. I am the sort of person that finds being organised quite hard but very necessary to keep my sanity! So I have felt in a bit of a panic. But Andy has made the mincemeat and we are going to my in-laws on Christmas Day - so a lot of the pressure is now off. I will be doing a Christmas Dinner for Andy and I on Christmas Eve and trialling on Boxing Day the menu I hope to do for all my folks coming over on the 4th January.

So, to get my menus together, I have bought Delia's new Christmas book, watched her programme and Jamie Oliver's on TV and written a bunch of lists! I wanted to update my repertoire and not just trot out the old menus I usually do so have been on the hunt for some new dishes.

I am going to try several new recipes:

Chicken Liver Pate
Amazing Garlic Bread
Irish Soda Bread
Red Cabbage
Beef en Croute
Queen of Puddings

I will update as I go along!

taking delight in life

2009-12-22T16:53:00.000Z

Today I Saw blog...

One of the things that sometimes Andy laughs at (but that I think everyone should try to do) is how much I still retain a childlike approach to life. I get very excited over things most would associate with being a kid - scrunching and kicking through Autumn leaves and splashing through puddles, licking the spoon after baking a cake, and being quite fascinated when I discover something new, running like a mad thing across a deserted beach being lashed by the wind and waves, skipping along a summer sun lined lane etc etc.

Part of this is enjoying all of the little stories that make up your day - the man on the train who has his flask of coffee with him each day that steams up the train window, the chat I share with the guy who I buy my morning cuppa from at the station, the sight of two older women walking down Sauchiehall Street arm in arm discussing where to go for a cuppa.

This is why I like this site - it captures what the blogger sees each day on a postcard and they send it to someone they are friends with. It reminds you of how many small moments make up your day and your life and that you can find something interesting every day. I think it is important to keep that excitement about the world around you - I don't think that being adult should be about being jaded and failing to notice anymore how cool the world can be. In fact, if anything, adults who eschew such a world view to my mind aren't adult at all - they are still stuck in that teenage stage of figuring anything that is fun is 'not cool'. Imagine being stuck there for the next 50 years!!

books

2009-12-11T21:05:00.002Z

I love books. I think they are more than just static objects - they get passed down, sold, written in, studied and shared. And there is a blog I found called forgotten bookmarks where a guy posts up the scraps and notes and other ephemera found in the second hand books that find their way to his shop.

marimekko

2009-12-06T19:37:00.003Z

I love bold, graphic and colourful patterns and marimekko do some of the best.

They do amazing fabrics but they also do ceramics. And they don't stick to one design motif - except high quality excellence - and so you can always find a design that is different and funky. Here are my favourites.

In Good Company

When I did art at school I stuck to a lot of ink line drawings with maybe a dash of one bold colour. This was mainly because I am colour blind and I found dealing with too many colours confusing. But while it started off as being about practicality I discovered I like the precision of a clear black line and how versatile it could be. Which is why I love this design.

Pikku Bo Boo

You can get lots of cool kids ceramics these days but I tend to prefer designs that are not 'brands' such as Disney characters etc. This design is bold and unisex - and stands apart from the usual gender specific or latest movie or cartoon character and therefore is timeless too.

Serpentine

From kids fun to serious sophistication, this black and white graphic woudl look great against my dark wood table. Usually I would steer clear of corckery where the dominant colour is black but I think this works.

Fishes [umi]

This is ace - Andy and I do diving so this appeals. This would make a good daily set - fun but still good enough if you get someone dropping by.

And, if all of that wasn't enough, they also do clothes! This dress steers well away from the usual bold use of colour but I think is really beautiful - it is silk and the draping looks exquisite. I can see myself wearing this and floating around the house serving afternoon tea on a set of Serpentine perhaps with the dotty teapot breaking up the Serpentine swirl.

Some other sites that you can get marimekko and other designs from are skandium and funktionalley along with lots of other cool stuff.