Apparently, the early Christian kings interpreted the story of the Magi and their gifts as meaning their subjects should give them gifts at Christmas, and demanded tributes and tithes. Later the story of King Wenceslaus gained popularity (probably promoted by the subjects), and the gift-giving process was reversed! In the 17th century it had become […]
Spring
It’s Spring at last! This does seem to have been a long, wet. cold winter. The Cherry Plum trees in the garden started flowering weeks ago, even when nothing else seemed alive, and now they’re nearly over, having been a good stopgap for the bees that were out early. In the summer their small pinky-red […]
Veganuary
(image via The Guardian – Horsemeat scandal: the ABP and Comigel connections) This is the map that made me a vegetarian in 2013, and I guess many other people were similarly motivated. It wasn’t the thought of horsemeat as such – if you’re prepared to eat a cow or pig, I don’t see why you […]
The Christmas Turkey
My Mum’s ancient AGA cookery book – I used to spend hours looking through this when I was a little girl. Even then I thought the little line drawings at chapter headings, and the tailpieces finishing each section, were elegant and clever. As an adult I still do. […]
What kind of knives do you use for your cooking?
What kind of knives do you use for your cooking? Some people swear by Japanese ones and some love Sabatier. I’m cutting and chopping all the time, and having a range of really sharp and handy knives is very important. A knife that can’t cut fast and accurately is a […]
My First Blog
Welcome to my first ever blog posting! I’ve had a look at many other blogs, mostly around food, and poultry keeping, and they all seem to have so much to say. And they all seem very confident. Maybe that comes with time….I’m still experimenting with my preserving; I think I always will be, and I […]
