Aylsham Show 2012

The sun was dutifully shining on the morning of the show and there was an air of excitement in the house-mainly from me. We always try to dress up a bit for this eminent rural occasion so it took me a while to choose the right hat. It was frustrating having to queue up for tickets for so long and we made a mental note to try and and buy them in advance next year; the prospect of breezing through the entrance whilst others impatiently queue seems like a better option.


We made some purchases from our favourite bucolic second hand book stall to add to our collection of old local country and recipe books.



After immediately spending money at our favourite book stall that we encounter several times each year at various country events, we headed towards the animals and small judging rings.

These handsome goats caught our eye. They have such naughty faces! I could peruse the animal pens for hours because of my interest and respect for the amount of work that their owners put into rearing, caring and preparing their creatures for the judging rings; a real demonstration of their dedication to animal husbandry.

Such a photogenic face.

These sheep have been washed, clipped, pampered, trimmed and buffed to perfection and their handlers anxiously await the judge's decision. Small, subtle body language; a nod, a raise of the eyebrow and an all-knowing glance sum up the adjudicator's thoughts. Handlers as young as five years old assertively clutch hold of their Longwools and Suffolks alongside more experienced exhibitors. This is exciting stuff to watch!

The poultry tent never fails to impress us and, aside from the many rosettes deservedly won, the signs that read 'For Sale' are such a draw. We have long coveted the idea of keeping Silkies, Buff Orpingtons and Bantams, but our own rather tired flock of aged Speckled and Light Sussex has been decimated by a fox twice in one year and we just cannot outlay the initial expense on these desirable birds.

The appearance of Jelly the Jersey cow helps to raise awareness about the plight of the British dairy farmers.

It should make us all really angry that large supermarkets care more about competing with each other on the price of milk than actually paying our dairy farmers a fair price. Who cares if milk is a few pence more expensive if it means our cows have a happy home?

Speaking of food producers, our hungry bellies led us to the food tent in search of late-breakfast sustinance.

This sign lured us into the food tent like a Siren to the rocks.

We consider ourselves to be very aware of our local food producers, but it never ceases to amaze me how many newly successful suppliers we discover at Aylsham Show. I am going to start with our old favourites who we return to all year round for mouthwatering products.



The carrot that drew us in is the promise of the best pork pie in Norfolk-probably wider afield too but we rarely venture out of East Anglia!

Brays Cottage  pork pies (http://www.perfectpie.co.uk/) come in a variety of delicious flavours and sizes and are sold in all the food outlets in Norfolk that we love. The fillings taste of real, 'happy' pork and a uniquely homely herb mix. Reassuringly, there is no nasty jelly or pinkness and the hotwater crust pastry is satisfying, but not too rich. This fabulous purveyor of pies provided evening snacks for our wedding last summer and many guests complimented us on our find. We bagged two of 'The Naked' pork pies and two of my own personal favourites: 'Onion Marmalade' and moved onto Mrs Temple's cheeses.

My favourite of Mrs Temple's cheeses-a delicate blue cheese that is as delicious young as it is mature.



Some more of Mrs Temple's beautifully packaged cheeses.



We come away with Binham Blue and Smoked Walsingham before exploring newer stalls.

The Norfolk Deli Company specialises in cured meats, designer sausages and other lip-smacking treats that go well with a beverage or two.

This is the first time we have come across the Norfolk Deli Company and we will definitely go back and buy more. All of their meat is supplied from a local award-winning farm and they seem to use traditional and Mediterranean curing methods to flavour their aray of meaty deli products. A generous handful of thinly sliced Lomo (cured tenderloin) and a packet of their hot and spicy Chilli Fried Beans promise us a tasty accompaniment to a relaxed evening with an old film.

This ingenious conversion of the humble broad bean is the perfect addition to a pint of Woodforde's Wherry.

Clutching my savoury delights, I turned towards something sweeter and discovered the wonderful 'Sponge' (http://www.sponge.co.uk/). I have no idea how this amazing company has passed me by since I have scoffed the sponge cake at Byfords several times. Next to Graves' butchers, this was our second most local food producer at the show and I was really wowed by their marketing and packaging of this exquisite range of homemade sponge cakes.   

Even though I am an avid home baker and would always, given the time, make my own Victoria sponge, I was instantly compelled to buy these cakes for my family and friends. The bright, vintagey Union Jack packaging, strings of bunting and the strong sense that this is a genuinely friendly family business is all the more alluring and I will definitely be ordering cakes from their easy to navigate website. I purchased several of their 'Baby Sponges' at £1.00 each. Neat little boxes containing a moist mini-sponge cake with a topping that matches its flavour was money well-spent and our family's collective favourites were Apple Crumble and Bakewell Tart. 

Other foodie favourites included Norfolk Apple Juice.

The first apples of the season: Discovery apples from Norfolk apple juice.

Delicious local cold-pressed rapeseed oil from Crush- www.crush-foods.com -available by the can-love it!

Tearing myself away from the foodie delights on offer, we spent some time admiring the vintage cars and old military vehicles.

I wouldn't mind pulling up at Fakenham market in this beauty!



As a self-confessed tractor lover, I enjoyed the fantasy of having enough pennies to purchase a modest smallholder's tractor for around £15,000. Oh well-maybe one day I will have a smallholding to use one of these on!

We also spent a lot of time lazily sitting on benches around the main arena watching the Devils' Horsemen, the sheepdog demonstrations and the North Norfolk Harriers.

Little Miss DB was captivated by the North Norfolk Harriers and really enjoyed the opportunity to go in the main arena and meet the dogs.

The beautiful white North Norfolk Harrier dogs that have been allegedly mistaken for pale golden labaradors or flocks of seagulls from a distance.

The day was rounded off by the increadibly moving Battle of Britain fly past. The roar of the Lancaster Bomber with a Spitfire at its tail was spine tingling. To think that this was a sound that was familiar to our grandparents' generation is almost alien now-thankfully. However, what a wonderful way to pay respect to the pilots of the Second World War and the engineering behind our victory.



I'm afraid the camera on my phone cannot quite recapture the drama of this scene, but seeing these planes banking over Blickling park with their reflections on the lake was truely amazing.

Much as I don't want the summer to end or to go back to work, this was such an amazing day. Aylsham Show seemed better than ever this year. The autumn holds so much promise, mainly food-related, and I can't wait for mushroom picking, roast pheasant and plums.

In a bit of a pickle



There are few things in life that make me feel as rapturous as a row of freshly preserved produce in my pantry. These jars of pickled cucumber catch the light, exposing the secretive spices and emerald-tinged fruits.



It is with mixed emotion that I greet the moment when I fill the house with the smell of pickling vinegar. It signifies the end of summer and bids farewell to that heady relaxation that all teachers fall into once a year. Having said this, I am an 'autumn person' and the warmth and comfort that one feels when pickling and preserving fruit and vegetables for the winter months is unmatchable. Today, on the eve of August Bank Holiday Monday, I am dealing with over 16lb of outdoor-grown cucumbers presented to me by my father who had a major glut, as well as a look of desperation in his eyes. In spite of having our own cucumbers, I couldn't resist the notion of making oodles of cucumber pickle so I was all too happy to take them off his hands.

'Bread and Butter Pickle' in its early stages.

The cucumber pickle I made today is given the delightfully prosaic name of 'Bread and Butter Pickle' in an old vintage collection of preserve recipes. My husband discovered this pickle and was making it before we were married. It is a sweet pickle, not unlike the sort of pickle that accompanies Thai food, and full of mustardy, vinegary oomph. After this pickled cucumber has been left to infuse for the obligatory three months, I confess to literally scoffing it straight from the jar late at night with a fork! We have come to the conclusion that the reason it is called 'Bread and Butter Pickle' is because it is so scrumptious you can eat it 'neat' or simply with the the nakedness of bread and butter. I have made masses of it to give as presents as well as for our own midnight feasts; with or without some local Norfolk Dapple Cheddar cheese or a Brays Cottage Pork Pie. I apologise for the in-exactness of this recipe-it's one of those you just need to 'feel' based on quantity of cucumbers and preference of sweetness.

Bread and Butter Pickle

Distilled Vinegar (Comes in pint bottles and depends on how many cucumbers you have!)

Cucumbers-sliced

Yellow mustard seeds-plenty

Dried chilli flakes (optional)

White sugar

1 teaspoon turmeric

Clean and sterilise your jar/jars based upon the fact you want to really pack these pickles in. Better to have two jars of packed perfection than four jars of random floating cucumbers. In a large pan, heat up the vinegar, mustard seeds, chilli flakes and turmeric. Then add the sugar until dissolved. Lots of tasting comes in here and depends on how sweet you like it. Trust me, sweeter is better. I reckon four heaped tablespoons per pint at least. Throw in the cucumbers and bring to the boil. Basically, you want the cucumbers to go from green to yellow and soften until starting to look vaguely transparent. Spoon the soft, sweet cucumbers into the jar and top with enough vinegar to cover the fruits. Put the lid on immediately so that it forms a seal.



The cucumbers beginning to take on a turmeric tinge, but not quite transparent enough to jar. At least five more minutes of boiling from this point.

 

Forget custard, this is real Ambrosia-food of the gods!

I have recently resurrected some ancient Kilner jars with the old screw top and glass lid. A friend of ours gave us stacks of these, but we couldn't use them because the rubber seals were either missing or useless. I have since discovered http://www.preservingjarparts.co.uk/ who sell all the spare bits to get your old pre-1960 preserving jars up and running again. Whilst we may just give our regular jam jars away, we will be holding on to these beauties. The website was so helpful in identifying the four different types of preserving jar that had been gathering dust in the barn.

 

The jar on the right made in green glass was manufactured between 1919 and 1932. The one on the left is a 'new improved Kilner jar' and was manufactured between 1948 and 1969.



I have filled these jars with a simple layering of raw cucumber slices and topped them with a hot sour dill pickle mixture. The green-ness of these old jars deserve a cleaner and more 'pure' vinegar-not much sugar and no yellow turmeric!

The annual gluttonous mountain of courgettes

I have had so many new posts up my sleeve and so little time. I have stacks of updates including new turkey pictures, pantry storage ideas and what's happening in the vegetable garden. In addition, on Monday it is one of my favourite days out of the year: Aylsham Show; a fabulous agricultural show set in the grounds of Blickling Hall that also showcases everything that is wonderful about Norfolk. I will being creating a separate post on this wonderful day out so keep an eye out next week for that.

Right....courgettes!

This is an annual conundrum that we never learn from. Literally every year, in the depth of winter when we are eating game pies, roast pheasant and root vegetable stews, we dream of hot weather, ratatouille, warm courgette tart and stuffed marrow. We put in a seed order for several varieties and when April comes around we sow about twelve plants-which in fairness doesn't sound many-but, at the height of the season, ie now, you can harvest approximately three courgettes per plant each week: yes, thirty six courgettes every week!

I will endeavour to include as many of our favourite courgette recipes as possible and will try to update when I create something new.

Firstly I am going to turn to Elizabeth David, one of my food writing idols from the late 40s and early 50s.

Elizabeth David (Picture stolen from Wikipedia)

She was almost single-handedly responsible for the introduction of Mediterranean food to English cookery due to her extensive travelling and interest in the French and Italian cuisine. Elizabeth David made Britain aware of the French name, 'courgette' and the Italian name, 'zucchini'. Prior to this, what English housewives had been growing and cooking for years and is referred to in many of my vintage cookery books, was the 'vegetable marrow', which is essentially the same thing, give or take origins of the different varieties. If I had been a young woman in the 1950s, I am certain we would have been good friends! The following recipe could be a light meal by itself or alternatively, if you have a lot of mouths to feed, marry it with a Spanish omelette and some salad. This was very popular with my children, who are not especially fussy, but do get rather sick of courgettes as a side dish.

Courgette au Jambon (courgettes with ham)

4 medium courgettes
3/4 cloves of garlic
olive oil
Ham shredded or chopped cooked bacon
Seasonal garden herbs

Chop the courgettes into 'rustic' sized cubes. Put the olive oil in a large heavy frying pan and fry the courgettes until brown all over.
Add the sliced ham/chopped bacon and simmer for 15 minutes with chopped garlic and a generous sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper.

The liquid from the courgettes should disappear and they should be all soft and smooshy. 

When simmered sprinkle with some seasonal garden herbs such as basil, oregano, parsley or chives. Serve with the Spanish omelette below. It also occurred to me that a generous scattering of grated Parmesan would be lovely on top, particularly if you were just having it with a few new potatoes.

 

Rainbow Chard, which is a type of leaf beet related to the humble beetroot. It acts like spinach, has a lovely earthy, leafy flavour and you can eat the stalks as well as the leaves.

 We often have a glut of eggs when the hens are feeling happy and industrious and the new salad potatoes are perfectly waxy to make omelettes.

Spanish omelette with chorizo and Swiss chard

Chorizo sausage cut into cubes
1 Medium red onion
1lb waxy salad potatoes (Pink fir apples, Ratte or Nicola) thinly sliced
Olive oil
3 cloves garlic sliced
2 big handfuls of Swiss chard including stems
8 free range eggs
Grated mature Chedder

Using a reliable, non-stick frying pan, fry the cubes of chorizo in a little olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Add chopped onion and garlic and fry for 5 more minutes until onion softens a bit and browns at the edges. Add the sliced potato and give everything a good stir so that the potatoes are not all stuck together and everything gets that gorgeous red tinge imparted by the chorizo. Fry for about 10 minutes stirring continuously until the potatoes start to soften.

 .



Then slice the stalks of the Swiss chard and add to the potato mixture. Stir and fry for 5 more minutes. 

Once the potatoes and stalks are nicely soft, add the roughly chopped chard leaves. These need to be stirred in well. It looks like there is too much to begin with, but as with spinach, the leaves cook down very quickly.



The chard leaves really fill the pan to begin with but soon cook down. See picture below.

 Once your mixture looks like this and the potatoes are firm, but soft to the knife, whisk the eggs in a large jug with a sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper. Pour eggs over the potato mixture and incorporate well. Pre-heat your grill. For the first minute stir well, taking the egg off the bottom of the pan like scrambled eggs.

After a minute, stop stirring and smooth everything down in the pan, turning the heat on the hob down to low. Cook very gently without stirring for 4 minutes. Then stick the pan under the grill for a minute or two. This heats and cooks the omelette from the top. Once it starts to firm up on top and go brown, place back on the hob on a low heat. Cook very gently on the lowest setting until the mixture is completely firm. Grate some mature cheese on top and melt under the grill. Slice in half down the middle and cut each half equally into three. Serve with Courgettes aux Jambon and some salad or green beans.

Divide the finished omelette into six wedges and remove carefully onto the waiting plate with a spatula

The cheesy, firm potatoes incorporated with wholesome chard and chorizo sausage is a winner in our family and the children loved courgettes with meat!

These ingredients can only mean one thing: RATATOUILLE !

The afore mentioned ratatouille is also in Elizabeth David's copy of 'Mediterranean Food' but it is such a staple in our house there is no need for a recipe. Essentially, you just shove peppers, courgettes, onions, aubergines, tomatoes and garlic all in a big pan with a slug of olive oil. This is a traditional Provencal stew, so it must stew not fry! Allow all the vegetables to stew down in the oil and tomato juice with plenty of salt and pepper for about an hour. In terms of herbs, I always add bay leaves and rosemary. This is because my dad has always been the producer of huge vats of ratatouille in my parents' house and he always adds these two herbs. The flavour is wonderful and requires absolutely no tomato puree (you just need lots of fresh, chopped tomatoes). This is a meal for gluts of tomatoes, courgettes and other greenhouse fayre and is the reason why my father, an enthusiastic vegetable gardener, has always made this himself; my mother is too busy for gluts.

Do not add tomato puree. Lots of fresh tomatoes, or several cans if you have to, give the sauce a much more subtle and tomatoey flavour that the bright red, mouth assault that you will create with a tube of puree.

Homemade bunting, flowery food and happy holidays

I feel ashamed that nothing has been written down for a while. The fault is entirely my own; I have spent far too much time doing and not enough time writing. The holidays are blissful and whilst cooking and making things are on my agenda, so are visits to the beach, garden parties and spending time with the family.

Homemade Bunting

With a new baby in the family it is always a pleasure to make some homemade personalised bunting as a gift. The first time I made these quirky country decorations was for my own summer wedding last year but since then, I have made many more personalised messages for friends and loved ones.



Where it all started; our wedding. Personalised bunting to celebrate in country-ish rustic style.



I have been an obsessive collector of vintage fabric for many years and have made much of it into patchwork quilts, curtains and cushions. Personalised bunting is the perfect use for those odd scraps that you can't quite get a square out of or offcuts from vintage curtains, aprons or tea towels.

Last month my sister hatched a girl baby so I collected together my favourite offcuts and planned a bunting banner for her little nest.

You need to make a load of hemmed rectangle flags in a white or creamy-coloured cotton according to how many letters in your message. My new niece has a very short, sweet, old fashioned name, so I'm going to throw in a couple of hearts as well.



As you can see, my stitching isn't super neat but I'm not entering any competitions and the overall effect can be very charming.



To make personalised bunting:

Make hemmed flags like the photograph

Draw and cut out the letters you need (use pinking shears to avoid fraying)

Pin letter right side up onto the white, hemmed flag

Sew around the letter with zigzag stitch

Attach some lace or ribbon to the bottom of the flag

Join the flags together at the top with bias binding or bunting tape and cover up the raw edge in the process (see below).



The joy of bias binding is that it will fold over a raw edge so there is no need for a hem. I fell in love with this floral bias binding from our local haberdashery. It comes in many patterns and takes ric-rac to a whole new level.



I was really pleased with the end result.

Flowery Food

When my mother asked me to bring some edible offerings to her birthday garden party I spent a while planning various breads, cakes and salads. It was on a dusky evening stroll around the vegetable garden that I struck inspiration. The courgette plants that have been extremely late in making courgettes this summer were sporting golden, trumpet-like flowers with the promise of tiny, finger-sized fruit at the base. Italians famously deep fry the flowers stuffed with various cheeses and I too, was determined to incorporate these yellow bells into a summery dish.

A seasonal vegetable and cheese tart seemed the perfect antidote to all the meat on offer at a barbecue and this would lend itself ideally to an edible floral display.

Broad bean, courgette and feta cheese tart was the perfect filling to be adorned with these exotic-looking courgette flowers.

I knew full well that the flowers would wilt in the oven but I hoped the pattern and colour of them would endure the heat.

I love the painterly style of the cooked yellow flowers against the white of the crumbly feta and fresh green of the beans and baby courgettes.

To make this tart:

Make an 8oz flour/4oz butter shortcrust pastry

Line a buttered flan dish with the pastry and bake blind at around 180C for approx 15 mins or until golden

Remove from oven while you prepare the filling

Boil 1/2 lb broad beans for 10 mins and then peel the tough grey skins off them

Place the beans in the pastry case

Cut up some feta cheese into cubes and scatter in with the beans

Taking a potato peeler, transform the baby courgettes into a pile of ribbons by continuing to peel the fruit in the same place over and over

Place the courgette ribbons into the pastry case

Add 2 tbsp of freshly chopped summer garden herbs (eg. parsley, basil, oregano, sorrel, tarragon)

Pour over 6 free range eggs, beaten with salt and pepper

Mix around the egg with the other ingredients to ensure even dispersal of filling

Place several washed courgette flowers in a pretty pattern on top of the contents of the tart

Brush the flowers with extra virgin olive oil to stop from burning

Bake the tart for approx 30mins or until the filling feels firm to the touch

With the rest of the courgette flowers, I threw them in a green salad for sweetness and colour variation. I really urge those of you who grow your own courgettes to try cooking and eating the flowers and I would welcome any other suggestions for their use.