As the seasons change

 Hello again! 

It’s October! This year has flown by, I can’t believe we are already a month into autumn. The heat still seems to be unrelenting even on rainy days, the humidity is endless! 

As the seasons are moving on and my allotment is winding down into a slower, less productive time of year, I find myself with a couple hours extra to play with every day or so. This leads to indulging in some hobbies that I may write about in time but for today I will write about my primary source of fun and productivity while at home, cooking. 

I try to make as much of my food from scratch as I can. It’s relatively easy given that I grow all my favourite fruit and veg and am fond of making bread and cakes. Today was a day where I had extra free time so I used it to cook and bake! 

I was fortunate enough to have some help so it all got done far quicker than it sometimes does! A shortcrust pastry was made and a pie filling was created with parsnip, carrot, potato and leeks from the allotment. I made a creamy sauce to go with it and then tried my hardest to make it neat. As you can see I was not very successful! 

Cooking is something I have always loved, it brings me peace and purpose when not much else will. I complain the whole time I’m in the kitchen and I moan about everything I have to do on days like today but really I adore it.

Being able to make food for the people I live with or to bake a cake and take a slice to my mum brings me such a strong sense of fulfilment. I feel very lucky to be able to have people in my life that I can cook for. 

Once today’s pie was assembled a bread dough was made which took a good few hours to rise before being baked. I’ve just finished munching some down as a snack before bed and am happy to report it was delicious! 

Once all the cooking was done and the bread was rising I got to work sewing up some holes in my favourite dress. I have a habit of snagging it on thorns and bushes when I’m in the forests around my house so it was in quite the state of disrepair. 

Fortunately it’s now all fixed up and looks as good as new! 

It feels silly but fixing up my dress was really the cherry on top of a day that made me feel very happy! I feel so lucky that I got to spend my afternoon and evening baking and sewing. 

I hope you’re able to find some time to have moments to yourself this week, cooking or sewing or indulging in any hobby you have. You deserve rest. <3 

Take care <3 

Happiness in simplicity

 Hello again! 

I hope you’re doing well. Lately I have been quite under the weather, as have the people I live with! While we have been going out and making sure to get as much of the sun as we can it’s still lovely to come home at the end of the day and enjoy a home cooked meal while watching a movie or playing with the cats. 

This week I made pizza dough that Maiden then covered in tomato sauce (made with tomatoes from our allotment) and sprinkled on some yummy cheese,, it cooked perfectly and we munched it all down. I haven’t made pizza in the longest time so it was such a treat!

Yesterday I made focaccia bread and a little loaf of white bread,, all but two slices of the loaf have been eaten…

Currently I have a stew cooking, filled with turnip, potato, courgette, leek, carrot that were all picked today! I just took a chocolate cake out of the oven which I’m incredibly excited for. 

It’s fun, enjoying the simple things in life and chugging through the week. Despite being sick I really am so grateful to be able to grow and cook yummy food and live with people who I care about and who care about me.

I hope you’re able to find time to take care of yourself this week and enjoy some of the simpler things in your day-to-day life. 

Take care!

Staring at the blue

 Hello again! 

I hope you’re having a wonderful week, this weekend I was lucky enough to go to the beach! I love the ocean, the smell, watching tides come and go, feeling the water against my skin. It’s where I feel so at home. I grew up in a rather remote seaside village so going to a beach always feels like returning home.

This weekend I went somewhere I’ve never been to before, it was rather small and is known mostly for dog walking but it was beyond perfect. The shore slopes into the sea very slowly, there is a small island about 20 feet out from low tide that you can wade/swim to depending on your height! Sadly I was unprepared and didn’t wear a swimsuit but I waded nonetheless and splashed around with Maiden. :’) 

Once done at the beach we went for a lovely walk around a forest and drove home. It was a wonderful day that was very much needed for the soul! Sometimes it’s easy to get bogged down in day to day life and the struggles that come with it, health, family, friends. There’s often if not always something to be worried about but being in the ocean, hearing gulls and eating ice cream is a wonderful way to give your body and mind a break from anything that ails you. 

Having said all that, I relaxed a bit too hard and dozed off in the sun, resulting in a rather nasty sunburn!

I hope that you’re able to find some time in the coming week to allow yourself to full relax, to feel the ocean on your skin or grass under your feet. You deserve rest and peace. 

Take care! 

Summer veg prep

 Hi there! 

If you’re reading this it’s likely because you follow me on social media or because you stumbled across this blog, either way thank you for being here. 

Today I thought I would tell you about the harvest I’ve had from the allotment this week. 

I am lucky enough to be able to have an allotment with my mum and this year it has been incredibly fruitful. Today I’ve prepped and cooked over a kilo of tomatoes for sauce, onions for freezing, courgettes & squashes to freeze for sauces over the winter and Maiden was very kind and shucked a load of mini corns for freezing to add to noodles over the winter! Today my mum picked pears to ripen for jams and desserts so I will have to wait a little while before being able to cook those! 

I hope you can see the photo of the veg n fruit that I had to make my way through,, it was good fun! I was able to do it all while listening to some YouTube videos and talking with the ppl I live with. 

The tomato sauce was left to slowly cook until all the fruit was fully softened and ready to be reduced down into a sauce. 

The onions were caramelised and portioned up for pastas, soups n stews over the winter. 

The courgettes and squashes were chopped up and par cooked for sauces over the winter months also! 

I plan to make a courgette cake soon with the next crop that we pick, I can’t wait! 

If anyone reading this has any recipes for courgettes, summer squashes and tomatoes please send them my way! I’m always looking for more ways to use up my veggies :’)