Toddler Friendly Holidays at Eco-Gites

Posted by Rosie

We are the parents of 2 boys very close in age so we have done the whole "holidays with two tiny children malarkey" and to be honest they were not always as stress free as we would have liked them to be. There was the damp gite where we were met with the owners mopping a soaking wet and very slippery floor. There was the gite where there were no comfy sofas to relax on once the children had gone to bed and to be honest there was rarely a gite that provided many of the things toddlers need, so we had to pack travel cots, booster seats, potties, changing mats, toys etc etc. It was a long list and we therefore needed a roof rack to get everything in, promptly lining the pockets of the ferry companies who charge extra for cars with roof racks.

When we set up our gite we were able to draw long and hard on our experiences and provide you and your family with a perfect toddler-friendly holiday. Here's just some of the things we think will make your holiday here pass without some of the stress we have previously suffered:

1. The gite is kitted out with all the stuff that you need for your toddlers. From high chairs to children's crockery and cutlery and a large outdoor play area to toys and books we hope we have covered just about everything.

2. We know you are likely to want to eat out during your week. French restaurants welcome children and we can advise on those with the best children's menus and will even ring to make a reservation if you want.

3. There are 3 local swimming pools with 10 miles of here all with baby and shallow pools and all indoor so if the sun decides to hide away one day you won't be stuck wondering what to do.

4. We are your only neighbours and the walls between us are very thick so don't panic if your little ones decide to have the screaming heebie-geebies at bedtime. We won't be disturbed.

5. We supply and use eco-friendly cleaning products in the gite that are safe for everyone and safely stored away in a toddler-proof cupboard.

6. Heaven forbid you or you children are ill or hurt whilst on holiday but it can happen. We can direct you to the nearest doctor or hospital and are here to help you in the best way we can with any eventuality that may cross your path during your stay with us.

7. There is a large play area with equipment and toys for all ages and just a few metres away from your private garden. Mum and Dad can relax with a glass of wine whilst the children wear themselves out on the trampoline, in the sand pit or on the swings. This area also includes a hard-standing area, great for learning how to ride a bike or playing boules.

8. Our front drive is over 300m long and the road it joins is incredibly quiet. Traffic noise is most definitely not going to be an issue on your stay here.

9. We can hopefully provide memories of a holiday that your children will remember forever - collecting eggs, seeing newborn animals, cuddling a piglet or eating fresh fruit and veg freshly harvested from the garden are just some of the things that stay with children a long time.

10. Finally, as I said earlier, we have done the holidays in France and at their youngest Ben was 3 months and Tom was 19 months. We had some great holidays but we also had problems and emergencies so we've used this experience to give you the perfect base for a French holiday to remember long after the time when you thought you'd need a roof rack and a trailer to get away to France with your toddlers.

For further details on toddler friendly holidays please have a look at our website Eco-Gites of Lenault

When I were a Lass .....

Posted by Rosie

.... on my birthday I got one birthday cake. Usually it was a triple layered Victoria Sponge and sometimes if you were lucky, each layer was a different colour. Sometimes, if you were unlucky one layer had been stolen from the table by the dog and taken up the yard in his mouth only to be placed gently on the floor when your Mother screamed at the offending dog. This said layer was then placed in the middle of the birthday cake, tooth marks were iced over and the cake eaten in ignorance by the birthday revellers. Actually, thinking about it, I have no recollection of Mum eating cake that year!! Anyway, I mention this because today is Tom's birthday and today I have cooked three birthday cakes. Yes, THREE!!

First of all there's the cake for school. I don't know if it's typical in all French primary schools but at ours the children always take in a cake to celebrate with their classmates. As Tom's birthday is today and there is no school on Wednesdays he'll take it in tomorrow. Cake number one for 18 pupils plus staff. On Wednesdays he does however have athletics and asked if he could take a cake for his fellow athletes to share - usually between 20 and 30 of them. Cake number 2. And cake number three was the one he was supposed to have eaten with us as a birthday celebration pudding after athletics, only there proved to be a slight hitch. No, it's OK, the cake was well out of reach of the dogs. No this was a problem of translation. Half way through baking the third cake (I think I was cracking something like the 15th egg of the day) I remembered that I didn't have enough icing sugar or butter for the icing. Luck was at hand in the form of Simon who was out and had the mobile. One quick phone call later (actually 7 calls to the answerphone before he finally picked up the phone) and the shopping list was given.

Quick question. Hands up if you know what the French for icing sugar is. Would sucre en poudre be a possibility? Powdered sugar sounds like it should be Icing Sugar doesn't it? Wrong. That's fine caster sugar where as what Simon really needed to have got me was Sucre Glace.

So that is why Tom, like me, has only actually had one birthday cake on his birthday. I had enough icing sugar in the cupboard to ice the cake for athletics and Simon bought sucre glace on the way home for the other two. The cake for school is now iced and ready to go and at some point tomorrow I'll work out how to turn the final rectangular cake I made into a number 10 and Tom can have his family birthday cake a day late.

Next year it's going to be one cake and I'll check the supplies cupboards before I start cooking!

Tracks in the Snow

Posted by Rosie

When I took the dogs for a walk yesterday I walked down a path that was, until I got there, untouched by human footfall since the snow had fallen. However, it was clear that I was not the first to pass this way as the tracks in the fresh snow revealed that both a fox and a hare had taken the route before me. What was also clear was the fact that this particular hare was not the intended prey for M. Renard as the style of tracks showed neither animal was in a hurry and they were also going in opposite directions! I have no idea who passed by first or where they went afterwards but I did feel rather pleased to have been witness to the often invisible wildlife of this area.

Normandy has plenty of wildlife including red squirrels, wild boar, coypu and deer to name but a few. I have never seen a wild boar in the flesh but have seen their tracks where-as squirrels are a relatively common sighting. Being in France these are the native red squirrels and one of my favourite local creatures. I do just wish Saari would work out that they have evolved to climb trees and she hasn't!

This page gives information on many animals found in France although not all in Normandy ... which may be just as well considering the list includes bears and wolves. However with patience,a pair of binoculars and maybe just a bit of luck you should  be able to spot at least some species in the area around the gite.

Snow School Today

Two happy boys are already out playing in the snow this morning, having just been told there is no school today.  The piglets are not impressed and are not venturing out - keeping snuggled somewhere in a pile of hay bedding.  I'm supposed to be out felling more trees but have put that on hold.

Yesterday morning we woke up to snow (and very cold temperatures).  Ben was out sledging before 8 o'clock (unimpressed parents), and both he and Tom played outside most of the day. And it looks like it will be much the same today.  Poppy had a great time trying to catch snowballs, whilst Saari looked on with a 'what's all this about expression?'.

A little more snow is forecast for today and then the temperature is supposed to plummet.  Great! Well at least it is not muddy!  And I'm sure I can find plenty of jobs to do around here - or enjoy the company of a book in front of the wood burner.

Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud!

I know I haven't posted for a time, but I have been quite busy (ish) in one form or another.  Since my hand is now back in use, I have been trying to get a few of the jobs done that needed to be done. Plus, although I had given the dogs some good long walks and done some exercises to keep fit whilst the hand was incarcerated  I had lost work fitness, so I have been out for cycle rides.  This has definitely helped in getting me fitter and I've explored quite a lot of the area - taking those lanes I wouldn't normally use.  I must admit if you like off road cycling it's a great area for tracks.

Actually there is an ulterior motive for getting fit and that is skiing - I'm taking the boys again in a couple of weeks time.  Also, whilst my hand was in the cast I took to following a Davina McCall fitness DVD, or as Rosie called it, 'A Sweaty Session with Davina'! And no I was not wearing a leotard and pink fluffy legging as one friend suggested - it was just a rumour!

Stuck!

So what's all this to do with mud?  Well apart from having a great time cycling along muddy tracks getting the bike and myself covered in mud, everything else I've been doing seems to end up with me being covered with mud and it ain't as fun when working in it.

I helped out some people with some fencing and all went quite well.  I had driven around their fields with no problems.  Then in the last hour the heavens opened and that was that - Stuck! Why always at home time? And the people I was helping had gone out to get more materials and were going on else where.  After searching around I found some metal ramps in the stables. Four of these did the trick - once I had dragged them one at a time 100 metres to the field, then rolled on to the first set.  Drove along those onto the next set, got out of the car , moved the 1st set along, got back into the car and moved up on to this set before getting out, pulling the ramps out and dragging them in front, before getting back in the car and moving forward again (I'm sure you get the picture) and so on and so forth, for 100 metres - the ramps getting progressively heavier with MUD and it would have been helpful if the ramps had been anywhere near the same size.  I had to go all the way back to the stables in this fashion and by the end of it I was covered in MUD and soaking wet. Fortunately I had a set of dry clothes. And as always the people turned up just as I got on solid ground and said I could have used the tractor to pull myself out - yes but the keys to the tractor and the car parked in front of it were in your locked house - aaaargh.

Mud , Mud and More Mud

And I've been in more mud for the last couple of weeks - well three days of the week.  With friends, Ian and Marie, we have managed to get ourselves a good supply of future firewood, very cheaply.  The only drawback is we have to cut the trees down, then chop them to length and split the lengths up for logs and get them home.

So day one is a cold, frosty day - with solid ground - perfect.  Since then it has rained and with the rain comes MUD.  So a hard enough task of getting firewood has now become an exhausting trudge wading in MUD and of course the more we walk through it the boggier it gets.  Some very weary bodies are going home at the end of the day.  Tools and clothes are covered in MUD. But at least I haven't got the 4x4 stuck in the field, yet!


I don't think I've ever felled trees in so much MUD and water, plus I never had a bonfire in the middle of a pond before.  But looking on the bright side - we are getting a good supply of firewood and it's getting me fitter, although it doesn't feel like it at times. And there are more, rather large, trees still to come down.  Perhaps next winter when this firewood is keeping us warm I'll look back at these muddy moments with nostalgia. Or perhaps not!

Bye Bye Buffy Boys

Posted by Rosie

I've had on my list for a while, one of those jobs that I really do not like doing but has to be done if we are to eat our own home-reared roast chicken for dinner. Today was the day I finally could not put it off any longer and I slaughtered our 6 remaining cockerels - 3 white meat birds and 3 Buff Orpingtons. 

Adult Buff Orpingtons

Last summer I had a broody hen who had accidentally let her eggs go cold and not wanting to lose her broodiness I bought 4 day old chicks from the market and popped them under her to rear ... which she did very well. Sadly one later died but the others flourished and all turned out to be cockerels. The Buffies were raised by the same broody hen earlier in the year and from 9 fertile eggs I put under her, she hatched 6; three boys and three girls. (The eggs incidentally were "bought" in exchange for a joint of pork - we do like a bit of bartering here when-ever possible).  That was Easter and we have watched as over the months they have grown from adorably cute chicks to large and very handsome birds. 

Large to look at maybe, but when-ever I have caught them for a weight check their size has been revealed as mostly feathers and not a huge amount of potential roast dinner underneath. Here in Calvados, despite what I wrote yesterday about Spring being in the air, we are in fact still in the middle of Winter with plenty of time for some spells of hard weather when birds use all their food to stay warm and rarely put on too much weight. Even now, with the milder weather we've been having, none of the 6 birds was putting on much weight yet they have still been eating comparatively large amounts of grain. I carried out in my head a cost benefit analysis based on these factors and decided they would be better off in the freezer, what-ever size they killed out at.

As yet I have not weighted them but I can say, just by looking that the Buffies, that they were not big boys. I also found that they had a lot of fat in their body cavities so they were converting grain to fat rather than what we wanted, namely meat for that roast dinner. Despite being almost half the age of the Buffies, the white birds are definitely bigger and much less fatty.

I suppose ultimately, the final test will be in that roast dinner and what the Buffies taste like. Will the meat be much better tasting than the bred-for-meat white birds for sale at every market throughout France? The Buffies are certainly handsome boys but for us as a smallholder they will have to taste MASSIVELY better than the white chickens for us to consider rearing them again for meat.

In the meantime we are not without Buffies and we do have the 3 girls. They may not lay as many eggs as the bred-to-lay-egg girls I get from the market but I can forgive them this as they are such beautiful birds to look at. They may all feathers and few eggs but I reckon we can manage to hang on to these three beauties just for beauties sake, don't you?

Spring is in the Air?

Posted by Rosie

Despite only being January 23rd there is a definite air of Spring about things here in Calvados. Out walking with the dogs today I saw a lot of plants gearing up for Spring. There were the first of the wild garlic leaves peeping through, although maybe not enough as yet for my wild garlic and leek risotto, as well as bluebell and early purple orchid  leaves and lots on impossible to identify seedlings.  A couple of weeks ago I counted 13 different flowers in bloom. Some of these were hangers on from last year but more and more, like the primroses (and even a solitary cowslip) and beacons of Spring 2012. And it's not just the ground plants; on the trees there are buds-a-plenty swelling and I saw both elder and hawthorn sporting new leaves this afternoon.

It's not just me and the plants who are feeling a bit Springlike, the birds are too. There were 2 male chaffinches have a right shindig in the hedge today vying no doubt for the attention of the local females. I couldn't see any around but I'm sure there was at least one nearby, taking notes on the performance of each male. Our chickens have been happily laying all winter and the ducks came back into lay recently. One Muscovy, Hilda, even decided to go broody. That would mean mid February ducklings. Sorry Hilda but that is just too early so I removed the eggs and after a day of extreme huffiness she became "unbroody". However, I was talking to my neighbour today and she announced that one of her Muscovies hatched out 10 ducklings today. Ducklings? In January? Remind me again what the date is? Oh and Simon has just added that he saw tadpoles on Friday. TADPOLES??!!

Other than a short cold snap last week it has been a very mild Winter here in Calvados, following on the back of a very warm and dry Autumn. Admittedly the last few weeks have been very wet and at times extremely windy but all in all 2011/12 has been the winter that so far hasn't really happened. When I was a child, Dad was however always the first to remind anyone who felt vaguely springlike in January the that harsh winter of either '47 or '63 (I can never remember which one) didn't start until mid February. Will that be the case with this winter? My neighbour with the ducklings who has lived in Lénault for many years told me that 2 cold winters in a row like the last 2 winters is unusual and she reckons this winter will continue pretty much as it is now, with maybe a couple of short cold spells before Spring proper arrives.

Only time will tell if she is right. Only time will tell if the ducklings, tadpoles, spring plants and chaffinches are right or completely mad getting things going so early in the year. Me? I don't know but I did start a few seeds off today (Summer Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Lettuce and Summer Cabbage) because I am of the opinion that if you sow and the weather is kind you get the joys of an early harvest but if you don't sow it doesn't matter what the weather is, your vegetables won't be any earlier.

Piglets Feb 2011

Finally, and with nothing to do with Spring in January here is a picture of some of our piglets from last year. This is specially for Chez-Hippo who I "met" on Twitter last night and who has a bit of a soft spot for pigs.  

"Oink, Oink!!"

Family Friendly Holidays in Normandy

Posted by Rosie

With 2 boys of our own we always appreciated finding a holiday cottage that made life for us frazzled parents just that little bit easier. With that in mind, when we set up Eco-Gites of Lénault we took this on board and tried to plan for families in the way others had done for us when Tom and Ben were much smaller.

So, what makes ours such a family-friendly holiday cottage? Let's start inside. We try and provide all those things that make holidays with toddlers so much easier but would mean you'd need a trailer AND roof box if you wanted to bring them all yourself. In the gite you will find:- a travel cot, high chair, booster seat, changing mat, potty, toilet trainer seat, stair gates, fire-guard, waterproof mattress covers, children's crockery and cutlery, a night light and on request a bottle steriliser and stick blender. There is also the large selection of children's toys, games, puzzles and books (plus a good number for the adults too).

TV - many of our visiting families have said how they have loved not having the TV and the accompanying nagging to watch the box when the weather outside is glorious. However, youngsters, and possibly even more so adults, do sometimes need to flop and for that reason we offer the TV as an optional extra. You can even request it part way through he week if needs be. And free of charge for all guests is unlimited Internet access. Just don't tell the kids of you won't want them to know ;-)

Play area and Boules Pitch

Moving outside our situation is ideal - the front drive is 300m long and even then the roads are incredibly quiet around here making family walks a pleasure. There are also miles of local footpaths that start right at our back gate. We even have a spare toddler buggy if you thought your little one didn't need it but they think otherwise once here! The gite has it's own patio garden with large shady parasol and garden furniture but the real treat is just a few metres away, the play area. In case you are NOT thinking about booking you may not want your children to read the next bit. Our play area comprises a large hard-surfaced play/boules pitch (boules supplied) and a grassy play area where you'll find the double play towers, covered sand-pit, swings (including a baby swing), rope-ladders, slide, mini climbing wall and connecting bridge. If there is one wail we hear from children staying with us, it's "Do we HAVE to go out, we're having such FUN here!" But I haven't finished - there's the covered barn in case you need shade or shelter, table football, bikes and other outdoor toys and the large netted trampoline (although you do sometimes have to ask the cats to get off before you can go on!). 

Baa

Situated on a smallholding, guests can get the chance to live like a farmer without once having to muck out the pigs! Everyone can collect the eggs, feed the chickens and stroke a lamb. Time it right and you'll get to see newborn piglets or just hatched chicks! Our dogs never tire of having a stick thrown for them and at least one of the cats was put on this earth simply to have his tummy tickled.

Once you've chilled all day and the children have worn themselves out in the play area, why not give yourself a night or two off from cooking. We can supply a simple cooked supper, salad and pudding brought to your door ready to serve up and eat. Or if you prefer, why not try our BBQ pack where you can pick and chose exactly how many sausages etc you want and what ready-made salads you'd like, finishing the whole thing off with a pudding or cake. And for a bit of luxury - well you are on holiday - why not order our luxury afternoon tea. Click on the link for more details. 

No-one expects the worse, but sometimes things do go wrong on holiday and you suddenly find yourself in a foreign country with a crisis on your hands. Living next door we are there to help in what-ever way we can. My French is just about good enough to help you through most hiccups you might encounter and there's no problem if you want us to make a restaurant reservation for you or ring the garage.

I think with all this to offer it is not inaccurate for us to say that we really do offer Family Friendly Holidays that don't cost the Earth. For further details including how to book please visit our website http://www.eco-gites.eu/

The rest of the 52 in 2011

Posted by Rosie

OK, technically the rest of the 47 in 2011.

26. Moroccan Shoulder of Lamb - a shoulder of lamb smeared with Moroccan spices and lots of garlic then slow roasted. Delicious.

27. Moroccan Stuffed Courgettes - left-over lamb from the roast with added Moroccan spiced rice and stuffed into round and long courgettes. Even a confirmed courgette hater said this wasn't all that bad!

28. Hummous - easy to make and cheaper than buying it, especially as it seems hard to track down here in France. (Now if only I could also make Cottage Cheese)

29. Courgette and Lemon Drizzle Cake - having made a wonderful chocolate courgette cake I decided I must be able to make something similar on the lemon front and so my courgette and lemon drizzle cake was born. Using yellow courgettes left no obvious sign of the addition of these often reviled vegetables and many an unsuspecting courgette hater munched their way happily through a slice or two.

30. Pear and Dandelion Syrup Sponge - another made-up recipe when I found a rather ancient half eaten jar of dandelion jam at the back of the food cupboard.

31. Chinese Style Roast Duck - from Morocco with the lamb to China with the duck but it's another of those recipes I can't find again.

32. Sweetcorn Fritters - we saw these on a celebrity chef programme where they were eaten on Brighton beach. We were a bit less adventurous with our venue but they still tasted as good cooked in the kitchen.

33. Oeuf Cocotte with Pumpkin - successfully cooked from a recipe card I picked up in a French supermarket. Cream, pumpkin and egg. Wonderful and rich so despite it's small size it was very filling. 

34. Savoury Pumpkin Pie - pumpkin, cream cheese, eggs, breadcrumbs and lardons under a few layers of filo pastry. Another made-up recipe success.

35. Pumpkin and Lardon Risotto - I'm guessing this was about the time my humongous pumpkin harvest was wheelbarrowed back to the house!

36. Crabapple and Rosehip Jelly - after struggling to find enough rosehips to make sufficient bottles of rosehip syrup to see off my Winter colds I noticed a promising looking hedgerow on the way back from Vassy. An hour and many scratches later I had enough rosehips to combine with the first crab-apple harvest from our new tree to make this delicate jelly.

37. Apple Amber - from this great basic cookbook - apple and egg yolks under a meringue base.

38. Duck Liver and Leek Soup - I would never have thought about putting duck liver in  a soup, or any liver for that matter, but I can assure you, it works!

39. Nasturtium "Capers" - a substitute for capers made from nasturtium seed pods. Still not tried them yet to comment though.

40. Ants Climbing Trees (Chinese Pork Mince) - mince cooked with Chinese type spices. Not bad but a bit salty and possibly needed a couple of veg side dishes.

41. Moroccan Lamb and Lentils - noooooo, not again. I know this was good and it wasn't that long ago that I cooked it and I know I even got lentil-disliking Ben to eat it but that's all I can remember about it.

42. Mini Christmas Puddings - OK, so a bit of a cheat recipe if the truth be said but the end of the year was looming ever closer and I needed to boost recipe numbers. Plus I did have to try and work out how long tiny puds would have to cook for without spoiling and adapt the recipe a bit as I had ingredients missing. Would I be let off adding these if I also said I served them as part of our Christmas Café Gourmand and topped them with Cointreau (as opposed to brandy) butter ... which went down very well with all concerned and will be made every Christmas now until that mega bottle of Cointreau is finished!

43. Mini Filo Mincemeat Tarts - also part of our Christmas Café Gourmand and made with the rather odd product that the French sell in lieu of filo pastry.

44. Filo Chestnut and Bacon Tarts - made from more of the odd pastry and left-over Christmas day chestnut stuffing. They were rather good if I say so myself!

45. Cassis (unfinished) - I started this back in the summer when the blackcurrant harvest was at it's peak. Now all I need to do is search through my bookmarks to find what I am supposed to do in order to finish it. If Simon gets me a white wine kit next time he's over in the UK we could have the closest thing to our own home-made Kir.

46. Gooseberry Wine (unfinished) - this is my first foray into the making of fruit wine but I've a horrible feeling I've messed it up as the airlock somehow got knocked off for an unknown length of time. I will investigate soon and report back.

47. Lamb and Pumpkin Curry - still working through that humongous pumpkin harvest and this was a scrummy combination.

 

So - 47 new kitchen delights, most successful and more than a few made more that once. Do let me know if you would like any of the recipes and I'll do my best to track them down for you. In the meantime if anyone has any excellent ideas of what to do with pumpkins please also let me know. I've still got more that a wheelbarrow full to get through. The pigs however, will get what we don't eat so no doubt they would prefer you not to let me have your recipes!!

52 in 2011

Posted by Rosie

Well I almost managed to make 52 new edible things in 2011 ( I say edible things rather than meals or dishes as I do notice rather a lot of drinks on the list!). So, what did I manage? 


1. Green Lentil Soup - delicious and perfect for foul January weather. I think I might make some for lunch today ;-)
2. Cavolo Nero with chilli and garlic - again another warming dish from this kale that I successfully grew for the first time in 2011 
3. Italian Liver - Well I know we liked it but I can't for the life of me remember where the recipe was to be able to make it again!
4. Egg Fried Rice - I always seem to cook too much rice and since the hens have been laying so well all through 2011 this was a recipe bound to happen sooner or later - and it was so much nicer than the take-away ones if I remember correctly.
5. Butter - several failed attempts shaking a jar of cream for hours on end until Simon cracked this one with the food mixer. We need to get back into making butter as it is so satisfying having butter made from the milk of cows that graze on our neighbour's farm. Should I make that a resolution for 2012?
6. Ham and Sweetcorn Croustade - simple and effective comfort food - creamy ham and sweetcorn on a crispy bread and nut base. Yummy.
7. Cheddar Pasta Frittata - an unlikely sounding recipe where potatoes in a Spanish Frittata are replaced with pasta, but it works well (and uses left over pasta and that egg mountain!)
8. Lentil and Bacon Stew - Um - totally cannot remember this one!
9. Smoked Salmon, Spinach, Egg and Creme Fraiche Pancakes - A marriage of flavours made in heaven.
10. Turkieleekie soup - cockaleekie with turkey and just as nice.
11. Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry - a nice mild and creamy korma type curry
12. Beer  - made from the kit I bought Simon for Christmas. There's none left so I assume it was good!
13. Rowan and Redcurrant Jelly - This was actually born out of an accident. I defrosted several bags of redcurrants all together in a bowl and then realised some of them were in fact rowan berries. No matter, the resulting jelly was perfect with lamb and duck.
14. Calvados Turkey -  oh 'eck - another one I can't remember. I blame the Calvados in it!
15. Mint and Apple Jelly  - just in case anyone doesn't like No 13 on the list there's always this one!
16. Wine (from a kit)  - a very nice rosé. I just hope Simon can remember where he got the kit from so he can get a couple more when he is back in the UK again soon.
17. Mushrooms a la Greque  - mushrooms in a tomato/marjoram sauce and served cold. To be honest I think they would be nicer hot.
18. Nettle Beer - Link to earlier post
19. Satay Turkey - Sort of like Satay chicken but with turkey!! Delicious, but there were complaints as apparently I used the last of the peanut butter to make this one.
20. Moussaka - yay, for the first time ever I grew enough aubergines to be able to make this classic lamb dish!
21. Strawberry and Rhubarb Trifle - with an excellent crop of both these fruits this turned out to be a marriage made on heaven, even for me who generally hates trifle. 
22. Turkey with Spicy Onion Sauce - another chicken-in-disguise recipe. 
23. Chocolate Brownies - I really do think this is the best ever brownie recipe (link) and I bake them as one of the cakes in the luxury afternoon teas I offer visitors.
24. Gooseberry Meringue Pie - a variation on the classic lemon meringue pie brought about because I can't grow lemons but I had an excellent crop of gooseberries. 
25. Honey-Roasted Beetroot - a perfect accompaniment for a summer roast - just don't overcook them as I did the first time or they become stick to your teeth chewy!


To be continued ...