I’d like to ditch the mummy stuff, cyberspace is saturated with it, even the bits about me have started to bore me! So I’ve spent a while (few minutes or so) thinking about things, what I’m doing, where I’m going and what I [...]]]> As this is my blog I shall do with it what I like…

I’d like to ditch the mummy stuff, cyberspace is saturated with it, even the bits about me have started to bore me! So I’ve spent a while (few minutes or so) thinking about things, what I’m doing, where I’m going and what I like and when all is said and done and thought about and a cup of tea has been imbibed, well then it’s like this.

• no more mummy blurb
• plenty of whimsical life and gorgeousness in the form of food, gardens, beautiful places I visit, the odd photo of a child may slip into the mix but merely because I’ve taken them with me rather than placed them centre stage in a PR/freebie frenzy
• a bit more about food
• probably a bit of ramble about growing vegetables
• a lot of drinking of tea, the odd glass of wine (homebrew I’ll wager)
• a few more visits to delectable places
• interesting little tales of life
• and whatever else takes my fancy

So to conclude I’ll be doing exactly what I like and writing about some of it.

Basil perfect for lush tomato pasta [...]]]> A few little essentials I couldn’t live without and herbs are so pretty I surround my outdoor table with herbs in just about every pretty container I can get my hands on and not only are they great to have at hand for cooking but also make for happy bees.

Basil perfect for lush tomato pasta sauces, essential for pesto, tasty addition to soup especially the stalks finely chopped and no tomato salad would be complete without freshly torn basil adorning the fatly sliced red discs.

Chamomile this is a pretty feathery herb, its flowers can be dried and used in tea, I’m never that patient but what I do like is chopped chamomile sprinkled onto freshly boiled and dripping with butter new potatoes….

Marjoram this is a lovely delicate taste and nearly always finds its way into my pizza sauces and is also lovely mixed into olive oil and smothered on fish prior to oven cooking

Rosemary a whimsical kitchen favourite, beautiful roasted with potatoes, gorgeous finely chopped and added to a risotto especially a mushroom and red wine based one. But most of all rosemary is very finely chopped, mixed with finely chopped garlic and lemon zest and dished up as gremolata sprinkled liberally onto slow cooked stews.

Lavender this has to be one of my all time favourite plants, I have loads of lavenders, I adore the smell when it rains or I brush past it as I walk, I love the way it keeps the bees happy. But most of all I love the flowers dried and pounded using pestle and mortar and mixed into whipped double cream lavishly sandwiched with lemon curd in the centre of a victoria sponge cake.

Gorgeous, quick to make and a great dish for letting the children lend a hand. Ideally it’s cooked on a BBQ but…. I live in Manchester so mainly it’s cooked in a pan…

This recipe serves 2 big people and 2 little people – adjust as you will

What you need: – taco

I’m the Innocent Queen of V soooooo after sitting with the children who obviously wanted me to stick the V magnet onto the [...]]]> The lovely Innocent Smoothie making people are celebrating the launch of their new alphabet magnets with a little alphabet photograph game to play along visit their website you can of course win prizes!

I’m the Innocent Queen of V soooooo after sitting with the children who obviously wanted me to stick the V magnet onto the side of a volcano…. we came up with this

Vegetables….. because they begin with a v….

See more photographs by following @InnocentDrinks on Twitter.

Innocent Drinks sent me a basket of smoothies and magnets and tomatoes and vegetable seeds in exchange for this post

What you need:

What you do:

I must insist you all rush out straight away (well alright at least click onto Amazon) and buy this brilliant book!

It’s all about a rather sophisticated and I like to think a little uber cultured small dog Claude and his very best friend in the world Sir Bobblysock and their little adventure to the city [...]]]>

I must insist you all rush out straight away (well alright at least click onto Amazon) and buy this brilliant book!

It’s all about a rather sophisticated and I like to think a little uber cultured small dog Claude and his very best friend in the world Sir Bobblysock and their little adventure to the city for cafe and art gallery visiting of course, throw in a quick robbery foiling and lunch with the mayor and home to bed at the home he shares with Mr and Mrs Shinyshoes, and that’s just the first day.

The following day see’s poor Sir Bobblysock ailing and a visit to the hospital. Where Dr Ivan Achinbum is in charge, there’s also a mass case of eleven-o’clock-itis which requires Claude’s attention when he inadvertently is mistaken as a doctor… what can I say?  This book is brilliant!

Girly just loved it, she laughed just so much at Dr Ivan Achinbum and falls around laughing at it every time she thinks about it since!  And obviously any book which includes the phrase eleven-o’clock-itis is a big hit with me merely because I now feel my medical condition is finally recognised, albeit by a small fictional dog but none-the-less, biscuits and tea will be applied liberally from now on under the illusion of treating my condition. How pleasing.

If you have littlies, boys or girls aged around 5-10 you simply must get this book they will love it!

And I’ve already got Claude on Holiday on pre-order and all I can say is Alex T Smith hurry up and write more!

After reading a blog post by the very lovely Kitchen Witch about her taking her husband for tea at Mrs Bridges’s Pantry those lemon & poppy seed scones have been playing on my mind ever since. I’m only disappointed that it had never occurred to me to make them before… just think of all those [...]]]>

After reading a blog post by the very lovely Kitchen Witch about her taking her husband for tea at Mrs Bridges’s Pantry those lemon & poppy seed scones have been playing on my mind ever since. I’m only disappointed that it had never occurred to me to make them before… just think of all those un-made lemon scones which have passed me by…

I’m pleased to say this has now been rectified and I can confirm these scones are just delicious and should be made straight away and eaten with a leisurely cup of tea.. of course.

What you need:

• 2 oz butter (unsalted)
• 8oz self raising flour
• 2oz caster sugar
• zest of a lemon
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 tbs poppy seeds
• small amount of milk to bind

What you do:

• Preheat oven to 210C
• Rub the butter into the flour using your fingers – until it has a breadcrumb texture
• Add the caster sugar, lemon zest & juice and poppy seeds and stir through using a knife
• Pour in the milk a little at a time and mix with a knife to form a stiff dough
• Using floured hands, divide the dough into 8 on a floured surface using hand & knife, pat into a scone shape.
• Place on a greased baking tray, brush the tops with milk
• Bake for approx, 8 – 10 minutes until  just browning

To Serve:

Break the scones in half, generously spread with lemon curd, dollop with clotted cream and eat with a cup of tea obviously.

I’ve spent the last couple of days tucked up on the sofa recovering nicely from having Elliot and watching the entire series of Jamie at Home.  Now as you probably already know I am a HUGE Jamie Oliver fan and he makes several appearances a week at our table. I’ve been given the Jamie at [...]]]>

I’ve spent the last couple of days tucked up on the sofa recovering nicely from having Elliot and watching the entire series of Jamie at Home.  Now as you probably already know I am a HUGE Jamie Oliver fan and he makes several appearances a week at our table. I’ve been given the Jamie at Home DVD’s to review as part of a promotion with the Sun newspaper.

This is a truly lovely series to watch and I have to say it’s my favourite one so far. The recipes are homely and rustic including dishes such as lamb kofta kebabs, egg ribbons with bresaola served with a fennel and spring leaf salad and of course my personal favourite pies! Beautiful apple and blackberry and a fabulous steak and guinness….

This series has obviously left me drooling and hastily listing the alterations I need to make to the garden in order to cram in even more vegetables and fruit than last year, I obviously need to add one of those outdoorsy type ovens/kitchens which I so covet (and really cannot squeeze in… *ponders if BBQ will do the same job…*)

The series consists of 6 DVDs which you can get hold of from 5th – 11th February by collecting the vouchers from the Sun newspaper, the vouchers are instantly redeemable on the day of print in Tesco. The series starts in the Sun Buzz magazine on the 5th and continues for the remainder of the week in the Sun newspaper.

The DVDs cover – furred game, pastry, leeks, winter veg, eggs, lamb, asparagus, peas and beans, strawberries, summer brassicas, summer salad and rhubarb.

I have one complete set of DVDs to give away courtesy of The Sun Buzz magazine – to be in with a chance of winning, just leave a comment below. I will choose a winner at random on 12th February 2011. Offer open to UK residents only.

And with thanks to The Sun Buzz I’m off now to write lists and make plans on how to have my own little Jamie Oliver ‘good life’ at home.

*these DVDs were provided free by The Sun Buzz*

Using random number generator – Jaydubblah was selected as the winner of the DVDs

Muddling Along Mummy

Jordan

Well done lovelies – do email me your addresses and Pedlars will send the items direct