Ok, so the picture sort of blows what the significant age was and also the long held secret identity of “Allotment Girl” but she’s looking most fine for her age so I’m hoping she won’t mind?? Just wanted to document a lovely evening spent catching up with friends who I might have lost contact with had it not been for this very special friend who has lovingly made an effort to keep us all in touch over the years. She has been like a glue, bonding many disperate but interesting people together but somehow “Glue Girl” has less of a ring to it. Thanks anyway to you. Also wanted to shamelessly show off the miniature vegetables I made to decorate the top of the Nigella courgette birthday cake. Ok, so no-one could tell what the gardening trowel and fork were but it’s the thought that counts isn’t it?
I’m also very flattered that my friend J has linked to me on his blog, so am sending the love back over there…
I went to answer a knock at the front door yesterday. Miss R stood on the other side holding a red sandy bucket with 8 blackberries in the bottom. “Here we are Mama”. I think we’re going to enjoy eating and drinking our way through the autumn!
Well, I’ve not been around these parts for a few weeks. August all of a sudden got very social for us considering we’re in the middle of nowhere. Sleepovers, birthday parties, long lost friends visiting, anniversary country house hotel treat and still lots of friends round to play and another birthday party to come this weekend. Phew!
Shame there’s been little or no summer weather to speak of eh? I took this picture down our lane on a “glorious” summer evening last week. The tiny bit of blue sky, covered by menacing grey cloud sort of sums up most of the summer doesn’t it? You can just see our chimney on the left hand side. Feels like we might be using it again soon… (more…)
Mr. P is encouraging me to get more involved in the garden. I thought I could get away with just taking pictures, making encouraging noises and cooking the produce while he did all the graft but I’ve been rumbled! So, I started at the weekend by digging up some carrots. And how silly they are! Look! The result of too much manure I now gather.
But d’you know what? They taste amazing. When I took my first bite of one, I was transported back to being a little girl. My mum kept her horse at a friend’s house and I used to go with her to turn her out and muck out etc. Well, I wasn’t so much helping as loafing about and eating my way through a hessian sack full of carrots that were meant for the horse. When I bit into our carrot just now, that’s where it took me, back there, back when carrots really tasted of carrots?
I don’t know why any carrot should taste more carroty than another. But I do agree with an observation I found while looking at one of Delia’s books the other day. 
She quotes a 19th century French food writer as saying “cuisine is when things taste like themselves”. Quite. Well these carrots certainly taste like themselves despite what in the heck they look like!
We’ve got some new neighbours in the knee-high grassy field at the back. 6 big preggy cows. My friend the farmer is down several times a day to see if any of them are about to give birth (the belly changes shape apparently and is quite visible as the calf gets into position). No doubt I shall be glued to the back window checking for new arrivals. Ahhh the wonders of nature.
Speaking of which, a splendid harvest of courgettes n marrows. We’re v limited in the things we can grow here because our plot is so exposed and windy plus the rabbits etc munching anything that does survive. 
But we CAN grow courgettes and this year the addition of squash and pumpkin. Altho if truth be known, we’re not sure which is which. We thought we planted pumpkin but it’s squash that appear to be growing. Unless pumpkins start out looking like green squash and then turn orange later? Anyone? Yes, I am categorising this in the “twit in the country / veg plot” section. (update: yes, pumpkins do start out green)
A dear friend of mine gave me the recipe for Nigella’s courgette cake last year and I’m v excited to be making it in the next few days. A mutual friend of both of ours swears it’s the best cake she’s EVER eaten. I don’t want to get arrested by the intellectual property police so not sure about posting up the recipe but you can look at how to make it here:
I also found another great selection of courgette / marrow recipes here for anyone else who has a glut. If I get a chance to take a pic before the cake gets eaten, I’ll pop it up. xx
UPDATE! The courgette cake was a great success despite making way too much mixture (enough for 2 layer cakes so big they wouldn’t fit in my cake tin plus 42 courgette muffins!). Will definitely be making it again. It’ll prob freeze v well too (before icing) so that’s our Boxing Day frozen ready meal sorted – courgette cake and elderflower punch! Here’s how the cake looked (including a picture of it being cut up at our Doctor Who tea party) …
Ok, so the picture sort of blows what the significant age was and also the long held secret identity of “Allotment Girl” but she’s looking most fine for her age so I’m hoping she won’t mind?? Just wanted to document a lovely evening spent catching up with friends who I might have lost contact with had it not been for this very special friend who has lovingly made an effort to keep us all in touch over the years. She has been like a glue, bonding many disperate but interesting people together but somehow “Glue Girl” has less of a ring to it. Thanks anyway to you. Also wanted to shamelessly show off the miniature vegetables I made to decorate the top of the Nigella courgette birthday cake. Ok, so no-one could tell what the gardening trowel and fork were but it’s the thought that counts isn’t it?
