‘During cold spells your supply of food can save the lives of birds. Make sure you put out food and water on a regular basis. In severe weather, feed twice daily if possible, in the morning and in the early afternoon.

Bird cake and food bars are very good because of their high-fat content, as are peanuts. Bird seed mixtures are also high in oils. You can also feed kitchen scraps, such as fat and suet, mild grated cheese, cooked potatoes, pastry and dried fruit.’

We have also put out some water as this won’t be easy to find when everything is frozen.

Last week we had a visit from Janet Williams a crafts lady  from Suffolk who gave us a few hints on refreshing and revitalising curtains. Janet makes home made accessories for the home but has extensive knowledge of materials and in particular curtains. She suggested that instead of attempting to wash curtains a really good shake (possible hoover carefully) and then hanging them on the line on a good day works wonders. When they come in all fresh and windblown you can choose to iron them before hanging. Having a tie back can also help to keep curtains tidy and less likely to pick up so much daily dirt during the day.

If you have found your way to our website and are thinking about ordering a product then perhaps you might like to know a little more about what goes on here at Kitchen Irons.

My name is Richard Fishenden and I am a qualified Farrier and skilled Blacksmith. We have been in business for over 12 years. We still shoe horses on a daily basis as part of our business and still use the traditional methods for forging pieces of iron work.

In order to heat up the iron to a forging heat we generally use a gas forge now rather than a coal/coke forge simply because it is quicker and a more consistant heat. We still hand forge all of our products with a large hammer, tongs and a huge anvil. This is fairly unique because most other companies selling ironwork today will buy their stock from China or Europe. Look closely at the images of our ironwork and then compare them to the rest available and you will see that ours are really ‘handmade’.

As we hand forge all of our products to order we can offer you a very personal service. We can make bespoke sizes that are not available off the peg. Please email or phone me if you have something in mind.

Check for ripeness. The nuts are falling fast now here in Suffolk and the nuts have split hulls. Break open a few sample nuts to check for ripeness. English walnuts are ready for harvest when the tissue between the kernel and the shell turns brown.

You can then harvest the nuts by gathering them off the ground as they fall or by shaking them off the tree.

When collect the hulls need to be removed to reveal the shelled nuts. The hulls should come off easily if you are collecting the nuts at the right time. You might want to wear gloves to keep your hands clean.

Allow the nuts to air dry for a few weeks and then test again. If you remove the nuts from their shell and try and break them in half if they break cleanly the nuts are ready to eat. The nuts are best stored in an airtight container. The will keep in the shell for several months if kept cool and dry. The shelled nuts can be kept in the fridge for up to 6 months and in the freezer for well over a year.

The taste of the fresh juice takes some beating and it’s a great day for the whole family. My 2 sons love getting involved and drinking copious amounts of juice.

Here is a sneek preview of one of the chopping boards that is in the range…

I read a lovely recipe in Hugh FW’s Preserving book about Raspberry Vinegar. Needless to say that it is absolutely delicious and I can’t see it lasting as long as I had hoped! The whole family enjoy it as an addition to their meal.

Here is the recipe from The River Cottage Handbook No2- Preserves:

Makes 1.5L

1Kg Raspberries

600 ml Cider Vinegar

Granulated Sugar

Put the raspberry’s in a bowl and crush them lightly with a wooden spoon. Add the vinegar. Cover the bowl and leave for 4-5 days stirring occasionally.

Pour the fruit vinegar in to a scalded jelly bag or muslin and leave to drain over night. You can squeeze a little if you like.

Measure the liquid and pour in to a saucepan. For every 600 ml of fruit vinegar, add 450g sugar. Place over a low heat and bring to the boil. Boil for 8-10 mins removing and scum as it rises.

Remove from the heat and bottle when cool. Use within 12 months.

Use it on salads-either neat or mixed with olive oil. Also nice trickled over goats cheese , pancakes and even ice-cream. You will also find that a spoonful adds a lovely piquancy to savoury sauces.

For a revitalising summer drink, mix a couple of tablespoons of raspberry vinegar with soda or tonic water then add ice.