Home Baking, Gardening and Work
My Pyracantha bushes trained against our outbuildings
Since my return from France I have a new project: finding the perfect Shortbread recipe. This cooking quest began innocently enough last weekend after Nigel and I had polished off a batch of my mince-pies and again remarked how utterly delicious the pastry was – sort of melt-in-your-mouth like Shortbread.
Naturally, this got me thinking about making my own Shortbread. After delving into my cookbooks and trying out a number of recipes (all unsatisfactory I might add), I then did a Google search and found a super article in The Guardian written by Felicity Cloake entitled: How to make perfect shortbread. So tomorrow I’m going to try out her recipe and will keep you posted (with photograph) of my (hopefully) edible results.
Still in cooking mode, this morning I baked my third Dundee Cake – we ate the other two some time ago (sigh). However, I have a sneaky feeling that I may have to bake another one before Christmas lands on our doorstep as this Dundee Cake will be crying out to be eaten too!
Like any good tradesperson, I believe in using the right tool for the right job and, where cooking is concerned, I’m in 7th heaven. As luck would have it, Norfolk has the largest independent cookshop (The Kitchenary Limited) located in Taverham – which is not quite down the road from us – but nearly. This shop is jam-packed with wonderful utensils, pots & pans I never knew I needed. Thankfully our chimney is nice and wide so Santa won’t have too much of a hard time coming down, laden with a sack-load of cooking paraphernalia for yours truly!
Lest you may think I’m spending most of my waking hours in the kitchen, think again. I’ve also set myself the task of working one hour every day in the garden. How else am I going to work off all my cooking calories? Today I battled with a very thorny and dense Pyracantha bush which grows along the side wall of our outbuildings. Tomorrow I have the pleasure of doing battle again but, knowing how great it is for wildlife, I don’t begrudge the few scars I get while clipping him.
And of course, sandwiched between my cooking and gardening I try and work! Never a dull moment, I can tell you!
