I've had some requests for the recipe for the Steamed Pork Buns. I've just transcribed it from my scribbled notes from when I was making them yesterday. STEAMED PORK BUNS Makes 18 The Bun Dough 375g plain flour1¼ teaspoons instant dried yeast2 teaspoons salt35g sugar¾ teaspoon baking powder1 ½ tablespoons rice bran (or similar) oil½ … Continue reading Steamed Pork Buns

About this time last year we made one of our regular trips to the Bushy Park Market (love this place!). We bought a small packet of Jerusalem artichokes to enjoy as part of dinner that night. "I'll just plant a couple of those small ones. " said Robert, helping himself to a few crowns. Well … Continue reading Artichokes and Cider

Update on the cider making - after the proceedings were interrupted by power failure on Friday, an extra day was needed to finish the juicing. With the flood damage minimal to the cooking school this time round, we were able to go ahead on Saturday morning. Friends and family arrived early and by day's end … Continue reading Apple Juicing and Cider-ing at Molesworth

So the cider making day began well. Robert and Rob chopped apples for hours, the scratter worked a treat for Nat, and the press performed well as always. Robert's cat Rosie was not at all keen on the noise and commotion and sat at a distance on her seat on the ride-on mower. However, by … Continue reading Cider Making Day Gone Awry

It's juicing and cider making day here tomorrow, and just about everything is good to go. The apples we picked on Tuesday are standing at the ready, as is the old press, a gift from a friend, and a 'scratter' made this week by son-in-law Nat. Of course everyone who comes along to watch or … Continue reading There’s Cider to be Made

Apple Pie anyone? It was an idyllic morning for picking this bountiful crop of beauties with our friend Rob at Bushy Park. These Granny Smiths will be perfect for all sorts of desserts and preserves. Very soon we will have a big cider-making day here, with friends and family coming along to help, another fantastic … Continue reading And then there were Apples!

Great to spend time with family today. Granddaughter Freya loves muffins, so we took her some dairy-free banana and blueberry variety for her morning tea. Another batch, also cooked in the wood-fired Hester - this time toffee quince with blueberry, for family coming to visit later in the day. Two more of the families came … Continue reading Family Dinner in May

Just the usual here today really - a bit of cooking, a bit of outside work. There's the Ajvar ingredients to have their skins blackened, meatball mixture that needs cooking, and mushrooms to braise, not to mention the finishing off of the hot buttered quinces. Robert is never happier than when he's digging, so he … Continue reading Just Another Day on the Farm

I had some requests for the recipe for the microwave blueberry cheesecake granddaughter Charly and I made a few days ago. Here it is. We broke a few rules for the sake of its being made in less time - a notable one being that we only chilled the crumb crust for a few minutes … Continue reading Microwave Baked Blueberry Cheesecake

With a bit of a nip in the air, wood-fired Hester is hard at work, in fact there is a queue for her services. New carpet is at last being laid in the cooking school (after recent flooding), and so soon the school will be in full swing again. Scones for the carpet layers first … Continue reading The saga of the quinces continues