Big Apple Autumn 2009

Another wonderful Big Apple Festival this year! We supped cider and perry at Gregg’s Pit orchard…..

…whilst watching Morris Men dance.

We admired the vast variety of apples on show…

..and watched fruit being pressed ready to make next year’s cider.

My husband also managed to fit in a spot of cider and perry-making so we have our own little batch to look forward to – although I’m not very good at the whole waiting thing….. especially where cider is involved

A Farewell to Autumn

I know that winter doesn’t officially begin for a while yet but it’s beginning to feel decidedly wintery here. Many of the trees are now bare, there’s been snow, the christmas lights have gone on in town and it’s suddenly got very, very cold – hmmm, all signs that winter is on the way in my opinion! Anyhow, before autumn is fully over, I wanted to share a few more autumnal pictures with you. I hope you enjoy them.

A Pleasant Surprise…

Some of you may remember my failed attempt to collect enough blackberries to make my blackberry gin this year. Instead I ended up bulking up the fruit content with some apples from the fruit bowl and a punnet of raspberries from the freezer. I must confess, I didn’t entertain much hope of the end product being very nice. However, I’m pleased to say that as I decanted the gin into bottles this weekend and took the opportunity to sample some, I was pleasantly surprised. Although not as intensely fruity as my usual blackberry gin, my ‘Desperate Measures’ gin is rather nice. It’s much lighter and fresher tasting than the blackberry gin and, although it has a very slight bitter aftertaste, I’m fairly confident that this will mellow as the gin matures over the next year or so.

I think any fruit gin improves with age. I recently found a dusty bottle of sloe gin in the larder which I recall was not terribly nice after it’s first year of maturing. However, since being forgotten about for a couple more years, it now tastes delicious – some of the best sloe gin I’ve tasted and definitely something to warm the cockles as the nights draw in. Many recipes I’ve seen for sloe or blackberry gin (including my own) recommend leaving for at least a year to mature but if you can wait even longer, I think your patience will be amply rewarded.

Cheers!

More Autumn colours

I couldn’t resist putting up a few more pictures from my trip to Westonbirt. The colours were just so glorious. I hope you enjoy.

A Bonfireless Bonfire Night

Last night we took the baby to see the main fireworks display in town. It was very different to the bonfire nights of my youth and I must confess I was a little disappointed. The main reason for this was the fact that there was no bonfire. For me, the bonfire is the best part of bonfire night (and the whole point!) – yes, fireworks are pretty and the kids seem to love them but I’ve always loved standing close to the bonfire, listening to the roar of the fire and  feeling my cheeks glow with warmth. I guess it appeals to my more primitive side! 

Also lacking were sparklers – instead every child I saw seemed to be waving a huge plastic glowstick. I know bonfires are not exactly environmentally friendly but I dread to think how the glowsticks are made! I don’t want to sound like a total killjoy. We did have a very nice time and the display was very impressive. The baby seemed to enjoy it too – well, by enjoy, I mean she didn’t cry! She did jump when the first few fireworks went off but she soon became transfixed by all the sparkliness! Next year, however, I will be seeking out a more traditional bonfire event with sparklers, hot potatoes, a Guy and, most importantly of all, a bonfire!

Westonbirt in Autumn

This weekend was my birthday and for a special birthday treat we hired a car and took a meandering drive down the Wye Valley and across the River Severn to Westonbirt Arboretum. It’s becoming something of a tradition, but I don’t think I’ll ever fail to be dazzled by all the stunning autumnal colours on display. Each year I am amazed anew.  The trees are ablaze with colour and when the sunlight catches the leaves, they seem to glow like embers. We were blessed with some good weather and, although incredibly cold, the sun regularly broke through the clouds to work its magic.

All in all, we had a wonderful day and someone small seemed to enjoy herself very much!

The littlest witch

I’m not sure she’ll thank us for this photo (and the other 70 or so we took) in the years to come…. she did look cute though!

Happy Halloween!

Recipe: Seasonal Squash Soup

I must confess, I bought these squash from my local Farmers Market simply because I thought they looked pretty. However, after several days of admiring them perched in an alcove in my kitchen (the squash – not me), I decided it was time to do something a bit more useful with them. I wanted something we could enjoy as a family and decided to make a nice, warming, seasonal soup. This is what I came up with:

Ingredients

1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 plump clove of garlic, crushed

2 medium sized leeks, sliced

2 medium sized winter squashes or 1 large butternut squash, peeled and chopped

2 potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

700ml homemade vegetable stock or water

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp coriander

generous knob of butter

olive oil

Method

Melt the butter in the saucepan, adding a dash of olive oil. Fry the onion and leeks gently until softened. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute then stir in the spices and cook for a further minute. Add the carrots and the squash then pour over the stock and add the potatoes. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Blend to a smooth consistency and serve.

For a spicier soup, use 1/2 tsp each of the coriander and cumin and grate in some root ginger with the garlic.

Brownies – yum!

As my previous two posts have been rants, I thought it was about time I injected some sweetness into the blogosphere – so here you go – brownies!

But these are no ordinary brownies, oh no – these are Beetroot Brownies. We had a really good beetroot crop this year which I have roasted, pickled and made into soup. I was wondering what to do with my remaining few beetroot when, as if on cue (thanks Hugh!), River Cottage Autumn featured some unusual Beetroot recipes – including one for Beetroot Brownies which I knew I would have to try.

So, they look fairly yummy but what do they taste like? Well, pretty much like chocolate brownies to be honest! I gave some to my parents-in-law without telling them what the ‘added’ ingredient was and they were unable to guess. I do think they have a slightly earthier taste to normal brownies, however, and combined with the fact that I used very bitter dark chocolate, this makes them more of a ‘grown-up’ treat. Yum!