The Fabulous Baker Brothers

It is sometimes nice to boast and when the producer for a new cookery show asked if I could supply a traditional and rustic pan rack I was able to say yes. They bought 2 wall racks both Blackthorn rails with Thumper finials and finished in beeswax. One can clearly be seen to the right [...]

Harvesting Walnuts

What a fantastic year we have had for walnuts! I have never seen so many hanging off the trees. Here is some information on how to get the best from your harvest: Check for ripeness. The nuts are falling fast now here in Suffolk and the nuts have split hulls. Break open a few sample [...]

Cider making

We have already made one batch of cider this year and tomorrow (after the rugby) we will head to the orchards again to gather and press some more apples. We have a large Vigo cider press which is the real deal. The taste of the fresh juice takes some beating and it’s a great day [...]

Raspberry Vinegar

Having had a rather large glut of raspberry’s this year I was looking for ways to store that wonderful flavor so that we could keep on enjoying them long after the end of the season. I read a lovely recipe in Hugh FW’s Preserving book about Raspberry Vinegar. Needless to say that it is absolutely [...]

Something for nothing.

It seems that spring is well and truly here does it not? I love this time of the year. The trees I have planted as part of our eco pledge are showing signs of life which is great. One of my favorite trees that we plant each year is Hawthorn or sometimes known as Quickthorn. [...]

Lucky find

Amazingly I found these crab apples today when out walking with my family. They are all really firm and just perfect to make in to jelly! What is amazing is that they have withstood weather as cold as minus 15 and have remained unscathed. I picked these up and will have enough for one or [...]

Eat food in season

My brother in law came for a brief visit to Suffolk last weekend. He has been living abroad for 8 years and I felt like treating him to some country fare. I cooked a turkey and dug up some parsnips which have successfully thrived the complete winter without any tending from me! The experts say [...]

Going green in the mornings

How green are you? My wife began incorporating green smoothies into her daily life a month before Christmas. The look of them just puts me off but she has convinced me that they have such health boosting properties and regeneration results that I felt I wanted to have a taste finally! I was absolutely amazed [...]

Home grown fun!

Cider making is great fun and involves all the family!

Sun dried tomatoes

Making you own Sun-dried tomatoes with out the sun!