Category Archives: Food and Drink

The Artillery Arms, Ramsgate

02 Thursday Oct 2025

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The Artillery Arms in Ramsgate is Grade II Listed (8 October 1972), originally known as The Ash Arms. It stands on Artillery Row at 36 West Cliff Road, and was formerly listed as 36 Royal Road (East Side). A CAMRA Guide entry for many years, this local is worth seeking out and enjoys a considerable reputation as a real ale destination. It normally features five local beers and others from independent brewers elsewhere, such as Oakham and Thornbridge. Wednesday evenings are Gourmet Night.

This small early Victorian pub dated 1840 is laid out on three levels. It has a jukebox, is decorated throughout with militaria and boasts a striking set of old well-preserved and attractively painted and stained-glass windows depicting 19th century cavalry charges and battle scenes. It is believed that the windows were designed and made by French prisoners of war brought to Ramsgate following the Battle of Waterloo.(1)

The Grade II listing states:-

“GV II Public house. Circa 1840. Painted brick with slate roof. Three storeys and basement with parapet to hipped roof and stacks to left and to rear. Two storey bow with glazing bar sashes on first and second floors. Ground floor pub front wrapped around front and returned to side elevations, with panelled aprons to frosted and stained glass windows with pilaster piers to fascia and cornice, with pediments containing relief of cannons over panelled and glazed doors on left and right corners. Left return (to West Cliff Road) with sash above panelled front, glazing bar sash over half-glazed door with semi-circular fanlight, and glazing bar sashes on each floor to left and also in two storey end wing.“(2)

On Saturday 20 July 1889 a notice of sale of the pub appeared in the Thanet Advertiser newspaper and was earmarked for auction in one lot on Wednesday 7 August 1889:-

To Brewers, Innkeeper’s, Trustees & Others.

Compact and Safe Investment, important Freehold Property, the “Artillery Arms,” occupying a splendid position on the Westcliff, at the corner of the Royal Road, Ramsgate, and on the main thoroughfare from the town to Pegwell Bay, &c., with dwelling house, workshops, builders yard, and premises adjoining.

Mr. Woods has been favoured with instructions from the owner, to sell by auction, at the “Bull and George Hotel” Ramsgate, on Wednesday, August 7th, 1889, at 3 for 4 o’clock, in one lot.

That well-known and deservedly popular old established fully licensed freehold public house, well situated at the junction of the four important roads, and enjoying the patronage of the residents as well as the visitors of this favourite seaside resort.

The “Artillery Arms” is substantially built, of good elevation, conveniently arranged, has a pretty bar with three entrances, and good cellarage. It is at present leased to Messrs. Tomson and Wotton, the eminent Ramsgate Brewers, at the nominal rental of £50 per annum. The lease expires and about 2 years, when it will doubtless readily realise at the least £100 a year.

Also the valuable Freehold Workshops and Yard adjoining, let to Mr. Coleman at rental of £9 per annum; and the compact Dwelling House adjoining at side, No. 34, West Cliff Road, rental £14 a year.

May be viewed by permission of the various tenants, and Particulars with Conditions obtained one week prior to the sale of the premises, at the “Bull and George Hotel,” Ramsgate; of W. G. Esq., Solicitor, 33, Guilford Street, Russell Square, London; and of Mr. Woods, Auctioneer and Land Agent, Hounslow.(3)

Sketch of the Artillery Arms, date unknown.(3)

The Artillery Arms is said to be haunted by two apparitions. A resident gentleman appears, dressed in early Victorian-style military uniform (for example, a ghostly reminder of the Crimean War in 1854?) and leans against an external wall watching people go by. From the ground floor is a short flight of haunted steps and manifestations include a female ghost who sits on the top step, wearing a long white nightdress and cotton mop cap. Here is my YouTube short:-

In 1934 the Landlord and Licensee, 24-year-old Albert Drapper, formerly of the Navy, was shot in the head in a taxi-cab in Paris, just a few minutes after arriving at the Gare du Nord. He passed away three hours later at the St Louis Hospital without regaining consciousness. The unfortunate young gentleman had hailed the taxi-cab at the Gare du Nord and instructed the driver to take him to the Gare de Lyon, which was the main station for trains to the south of France. Presumably he was on vacation, but do we know for sure? The taxi-cab was traversing the Place de la Republique when the taxi driver heard a shot ring out. He turned around and saw Mr Drapper huddled in a corner with a revolver in his hand. The question is, was someone after him or did he pull the trigger?(4)

On 28 February 1973 the East Kent Times and Mail(5) reported that the Ramsgate Works Committee wanted to see the Artillery Arms demolished and were approaching the planning authorities to seek a Compulsory Purchase Order on the basis that the old pub, now a free house after being sold by Whitbread’s two years earlier, was a traffic hazard. However, because of its specific architectural interest with its stained glass windows, the pub was now a listed building. Thankfully the request failed and the Artillery Arms remains a vibrant part of the local community.

Catherine

Citations:-

(1) Artillery Arms, Ramsgate; Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA); https://camra.org.uk/pubs/artillery-arms-ramsgate-130354

(2) Kent County Council Historic Environment Record; Listed Building: THE ARTILLERY ARMS (1336327); date assigned: 8 October 1972; Listing NGR: TR3778664644

(3) Dover Kent Archives: Artillery Arms, 36 West Cliff Road, Ramsgate, 01843 853202; https://dover-kent.com/Artillery-Arms-Ramsgate.html

(4) Dover Express, Friday 10 August 1934

(5) They want to see the old pub demolished, East Kent Times and Mail, 28 February 1973

GERMAN APPLE CAKE

05 Wednesday Feb 2025

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Apfelkuchen Recipe

Apple cake is very popular in Germany and this is my variation on the celebrity chef Rick Stein’s classic Apfelkuchen from his “Long Weekends” series.

This yummy cake has a crunchy cinnamon sugar topping. Use any dessert apples you wish except for Bramleys as they ‘fall’ and do not keep their shape once cooked.

I have swapped out plain flour for gluten-free plain flour, golden granulated sugar for vanilla sugar and butter for Flora buttery spread.

The Apfelkuchen is nut-free, pregnancy-friendly and vegetarian making it suitable for most diets. It stays lovely and moist for a few days if kept in an airtight container – but it is so yummy it probably won’t last that long!

Ingredients

  • 2 dessert apples peeled, cored and sliced into thin wedges
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 125g (41/2 oz) Flora buttery, plus extra for greasing
  • 140g/5 oz vanilla caster sugar
  • 3 free-range eggs, at room temperature, beaten
  • 225g/8 oz plain gluten-free flour
  • 2 level tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 5 tbsp full-fat milk

For the topping

  • 11/2 tbsp demerara sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/340F/Gas 3. Butter and line a 23cm/9″ round cake tin with greaseproof baking paper.
  2. Coat the apple wedges in the lemon juice and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar, using an electric hand mixer, until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat until smooth. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix well. Slowly add the milk, mixing well after each addition until you have a smooth batter.
  4. Transfer the cake batter to the cake tin. Arrange the apple slices, flat-side down, on the batter in a spiral pattern. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect.
  5. For the topping, mix together the demerara sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the batter.
  6. Bake in the centre of the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean and the top is golden-brown. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the cake and turn it out of the tin onto a wire rack to cool completely (if wished).
  7. Serve this cake warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

Chef’s tips

If you prefer to use butter in this recipe, make sure it is softened before combining it with the sugar.

This cake is delicious warm or cold and makes a wonderful pudding. You can also serve it with vanilla custard, creme fraiche, clotted cream or even a dollop of vanilla ice cream (my personal favourite with warm puddings), whatever floats your boat!

Here is my step-by-step video on YouTube:-

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MORNING ROLLS

06 Monday Jan 2025

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Oven-fresh Morning Rolls on a cooling rack

Some years ago now, my mother, following one of her trips to Scotland (my parents were both of Scottish heritage) gifted me a Hale Pocket Guide “Traditional Scottish Cookery” by Margaret Fairlie which cost just 60 pence – this was in 1995.

This recipe for morning rolls is taken from that pocket book, which was first published way back in 1973. I have always enjoyed cooking up Scottish cuisine as it is part and parcel of my culture and bloodline. My father’s porridge was always the best (though my mum’s was a close second) and I taught my husband how to make it the traditional Scottish way, too.

Like my mother and her mother before me, I am very fond of baking and this Morning Roll recipe is so simple, made with only a few ingredients. If you cannot find fresh yeast then substitute with 12 g dried yeast or thereabouts – round up to 2 x 7 g sachets if you wish.

Very popular, particularly in Glasgow and Fife, Morning Rolls are well-fired, airy and chewy with a crispy crust. They are sold everywhere in petrol stations, bakeries, newsagents and corner shops and are best eaten on the day they are made before they go rock hard! In Fife, a Cabin Biscuit or Roll is a local variant. Originating in Buckhaven, a town on the Firth of Forth on the east coast of Fife, sugar was added to prolong the shelf life of the roll as they were often enjoyed by crews aboard fishing boats and have distinctive prick marks on top. However, the Morning Roll or Cabin Biscuit is a bread roll and not a biscuit in either the British or American sense.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb (450 g) plain flour
  • 1 level tsp salt
  • 2 oz (50 g) lard
  • 1 oz (25 g) fresh yeast (or up to 2 x 7 g sachets dried fast action yeast)
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 pt (300 ml) milk

Method

Sift the flour into a warm bowl with the salt and then lightly rub in the lard until fully combined.

In a separate bowl, cream the yeast and sugar until liquid (or if using yeast sachets, just mix them together). Strain (or tip) into flour mixture and make into a soft dough with the milk.

Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise. This will take about an hour.

Knead lightly, then form into 3 inch (7.5 cm) rounds. Brush lightly with milk taking care not to let the milk run down the sides of the rolls, and dust with flour – you can do this with the help of a sieve or even a tea strainer!

Place on a greased and floured tin and leave in a warm place for 15 minutes.

Bake in a moderately hot oven (400oF/ 200oC/Gas Mark 6) for 15 to 20 minutes.

Turn rolls out on to a wire rack and allow to cool before serving.

CHEF’S TIPS:

Morning rolls are also delicious served still slightly warm with lashings of butter.

A delicious accompaniment to a bowl of homemade soup or filled with smoked Ayrshire bacon, square sausage or perhaps some good cheese and pickle.

Suitable for home freezing. As soon as the rolls have cooled, wrap individually in cling film, place in a freezer bag and transfer to the freezer. They are so tasty though they may not get that far!

Bon appetit!

Catherine

BREAD ROLLS WITH POPPY SEEDS

09 Wednesday Oct 2024

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My husband Dan and I don’t eat burgers very often but when we do, I like to sandwich the patties between homemade bread rolls with all the fix-ins for us to enjoy. Dan certainly prefers my bread over shop-bought and often asks: “is it from Evans bakery?” to which I often reply: “yes” – although I am honest if the bread is shop-bought.

Below is my go-to recipe for bread rolls, enough for four people. If you have more mouths to feed, double the quantities. The recipe can be adapted to suit your own tastes, so for example you could knead in mixed seeds, chopped olives or sundried tomatoes or even herbs to the dough before its second proving.

Ingredients (makes 4)

  • 250g Strong bread flour (I like French flour)
  • 1 tsp fast action dried yeast
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 165 ml Lukewarm water

Method

1. Put bread flour in a large bowl. On one side put the dried yeast and on the other the salt (the two should not come into contact with one another initially or you will kill off the yeast). Stir together well with your fingers or the blade of a dessert knife.

2. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in about half the lukewarm water. Mix together with your fingers or the dessert knife. Gradually add more water  – you may not need all the water* until you can bring the dough together into a pliable ball. You do not want it to be sticky but if you overdo the water, just gradually mix in a little more flour.

3. Place the dough ball on a clean, floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough is smooth. Form it into a ball and place it in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place or with an ambient temperature for at least an hour or until the dough has doubled in size. Don’t panic if it takes longer than an hour. Just leave it to prove as long as you need to until the dough has doubled in size.

4. Sprinkle some more flour on a clean surface and ‘knock back’ the dough by kneading again. If I am using spelt flour which is lower in gluten,  I tend to only knead it gently to ensure a good second rise. At this point, weigh the dough and divide the weight into four balls. I always weigh each of these balls too, to make sure they are even in size.

5. Roll each ball between floured hands and flatten slightly. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, cover with a clean tea towel or oiled plastic wrap and leave for at least 20 minutes or until doubled in size. This may take up to 40 minutes to an hour.

6. Meanwhile, set your oven temperature to 230C/210C fan/450F/Gas 8. Brush the top of each roll with a little beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

7. Bake rolls in the oven for 25-30 minutes** until golden brown and hollow-sounding when you tap on the base.

8. Leave on a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

COOK’S NOTES

* The ideal flour-to-water ratio for bread is 65 ml water to 100 g bread flour though ratios can vary and can be between 58 ml and 62 ml depending on the type of flour/grain you use.

For 8 rolls, double the ingredient quantities. So, for example, 500 g flour instead of 250 g, 2 tsp yeast, 1 tsp Kosher salt, 325 ml water.

If you do not want to bake the rolls immediately, you can place them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours and then set aside to allow the dough to relax at room temperature and finish rising, before baking as normal. I find this method is also more tummy-kind.

** Remember oven temperatures vary and your bread rolls may take a little longer or shorter to bake so keep an eye on them in the last few minutes.

For floured rolls, omit the egg wash and poppy seeds and instead dust the tops with a little flour before baking. You can also vary the seed toppings with sesame seeds or multigrain seeds.

For savoury doughs, why not add some chopped olives, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped rosemary or mixed seeds at Step 4?!

For a baguette or small loaf of bread knock back at Step 4 and then form into your baguette or loaf and leave to prove for 40 minutes to an hour or until doubled in size. Bake at Steps 6 and 7 for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and hollow-sounding.

For a large loaf, double quantities and bake as above for 45-55 minutes until golden brown and hollow-sounding.

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COCONUT & LEMON FAIRY CAKES

26 Friday Jul 2024

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Fairy cakes, little treats baked in paper cases and decorated perhaps with buttercream or glace icing and sugar flowers or sprinkles, are perfect for either a tea party or children’s party. They are really very similar to cupcakes, though a bit smaller and perfect for little fingers and a not-too-sinful indulgence for grown-ups too!

This is my go-to recipe for fairy cakes and if the kids are bored on a cold and rainy day, it is an activity they can be involved in too and which I can guarantee they will enjoy. These cakes are made with one whole free-range egg, a few tablespoons of whole milk and a few basic store-cupboard ingredients. I am using gluten-free all-purpose flour and a teaspoon of baking powder but please swap for regular all-purpose flour.

Ingredients (makes 8):-

For the cakes

  • 85 g soft butter or baking spread
  • 85 g caster sugar
  • 1 large free-range egg, beaten
  • 65 g gluten-free all purpose flour
  • 20 g coconut flour (or dessicated coconut finely whizzed in the food processor)
  • 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3-4 tbsp whole milk
  • Grated zest of one unwaxed lemon

For the glace icing

  • Icing (powdered) sugar
  • Lemon juice
  • Water
  • Sprinkles or other sugar decorations of your choice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/350F/Gas Mark 4.

2. Place the butter or baking spread and caster sugar in a large bowl and either beat with an electric whisk or cream with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy.

3. Add a little of the beaten egg to the mixture and beat until fully combined. Sift in some of the flours and baking powder and beat, to prevent any curdling. Repeat with the remainder of the beaten egg and the flours and baking powder until everything is well-combined.

4. Carefully add 3-4 tablespoons of whole milk and stir into the cake batter slowly with a spatula until fully combined.

5. Add the grated lemon zest and the vanilla extract, carefully stirring until fully combined.

6. Place 8 standard cupcake cases in a 12-hole cupcake tin and divide the cake batter equally between them. Shake the tin to level out and place in the centre of the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes (oven temperatures vary). The cakes are ready when a skewer inserted comes out clean.

7. Remove the cakes from the oven and set the tin aside for 10 minutes or so and then remove the cakes from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

8. Meanwhile, make the glace icing. Sieve some icing sugar into a bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice and a few drops of filtered water and mix well with a tablespoon to a smooth consistency. You want it so you can trace a figure of eight in the bowl of icing when you hold the spoon above it. If the icing is too thick, add a little more liquid a few drops at a time. If the icing is too thick, add a little more sieved icing sugar.

9. Carefully spoon some icing sugar over the top of each fairy cake and decorate with sprinkles or other sugar decoration of your choice, such as sugared flowers, candied lemon zest, jelly beans or other dainty candies.

10. Place the fairy cakes on a platter and allow to the icing to set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so and then either transfer to the tea table or a cake tin to store if they are not being eaten immediately.

Cook’s notes:

1. If you like your cakes a little more generous, use a 6-hole cake tin and larger cupcake cases and divide the mixture between them. Allow up to 20 minutes baking time accordingly.

2. If your oven temperature tends to be hotter, try baking the cakes at 170C/150C fan/325F/Gas Mark 3 or whatever you find usually works for you.

3. These cakes can also be decorated with lemon or vanilla buttercream frosting and sugar decorations, or alternatively do them as old-fashioned butterfly cakes.

Bon appetit!

Catherine

Approved Food

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Every year in the UK, some 7 million tonnes of food and drink is thrown away, much of which is past their ‘best before’ date but would still be perfectly good to eat.

Approved Food is an online store in the UK owned by Morris & Son (Leeds) Ltd of Dodworth, South Yorkshire. With the tag line Waste less, save more, they specialise in food, drinks and a wide range of other items that are often near or past their ‘best before’ (not ‘use by’) dates by offering them at discounted prices, though they also sell many other products – for example, toiletries, pet food and household items – that are still comfortably in date but at lower prices than one might find at the supermarket. Nothing sold is past its USE BY date and they currently receive 4.66/5 in reviews.

Approved Food have over 2,000 products, many at huge discounts, including Big Brands such as Kellogg’s, Walkers and Hotel Chocolat; basic store cupboard essentials; and supermarket and department store products encompassing anything from food and alcoholic beverages to toiletries, gifts and more. Their regular customers typically save around £60 on their monthly shop compared to high street prices – a saving of over £700 per year. Stock on their website updates every day – all at heavily discounted prices – and there are often special daily promotions too.

Approved Food were featured on BBC Food Fighters in July 2011 and you can watch it here:-

In lab tests all food samples were clean and safe to eat.

However, I first discovered Approved Food in May 2023 following an article in the moneysavingexpert Martin Lewis weekly newsletter, which was offering free delivery on a first online order. The cheapest delivery is £3 via DX and upgrades are available at an extra cost, but £3 is still a saving, right?!

I personally have saved £321.63 since placing my first order based on one order every 4-6 weeks on average and tend to mostly buy cat food (which always has a USE BY between 2024 and 2026) and perhaps a few store cupboard top-ups. The website is quick and fairly easy to navigate and the daily bargains are prominently flagged up, meaning you can easily add any to your basket there right away. If a product is limited to a certain quantity per customer or if a very few of an item are remaining, then it will always say so. Products you add to your basket are reserved for an hour and if you take a while browsing and exceed this time frame then there may be items that you need to remove before proceeding to checkout, and it is at this stage when the site may occasionally become a little glitchy; with a little patience I have never had a problem proceeding to payment but generally these days my strategy is to have in my mind what I need before logging in, to avoid disappointment. Online orders received before 2pm will normally be delivered within 2-3 days by DX delivery and you will need to be at home to receive your order as they are not left at your address unattended. You will be notified by DX the day before your delivery and will be texted a two-hour slot the following morning, giving you the opportunity to change the day of your delivery if necessary to one more convenient for you.

Downsides? As with any site, a few minor niggles. Most notably, when browsing the categories or running a search the majority of items that usually first appear are crisps and candy and other sugar-laden things, and you may need to do some scrolling, but please don’t be discouraged by this. A little patience will be worth the effort and your wallet will thank you too!

We can all do more and I would score them 8/10.

Happy eating!

Catherine

BUDGET MEALS/EMERGENCY FOOD/PREPPING THE PANTRY

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As the global cost of living continues to bite, many of us find it increasingly important to have a supply of ingredients in our store cupboards that we can fall back on in case of any crisis, personal or more widespread, that may affect our ability to nourish and sustain ourselves and our loved ones (including our animals).

What would we do, for example, were there to be a sudden water contamination and our mains supply was unsuitable to drink? Are we concerned about the fluoridation of our water supply and its link to cognitive decline? What would we do were the water authority to turn off the supply in order to undertake essential mains works? This particular situation arose in our area in December last year and again in early 2023. When water is essential to our existence, I believe that having supplies of bottled water for everyday use and for emergencies is vitally important, as is maintaining a water butt or any other container outside to collect rainwater, if space allows.

If someone is suddenly coming to dinner and you don’t have an opportunity to hurry to the shops, or there is a more widespread supply problem for example, or the price of everything continues to escalate, how do you keep warm and put food on the table?

All these are questions we need to be thinking about and asking ourselves how we would deal with them and, indeed, anticipating them, not with the intention of inviting negativity to manifest itself but, in a more positive way, of being prepared for any eventuality and being in a position to provide for yourself and your household and loved ones, and perhaps being able to support your local community in some way, too, in the event of a crisis.

This is where budgeting, scratch cooking and emergency food prepping come into their own. There is a growing band of YouTubers such as myself focusing more on this area. As you may know, I have been sharing budget meals and self-sufficiency for a long while now, whether it be an inexpensive, wholesome lunch or supper, a 1940s-inspired recipe, or more recently fruit and vegetable gardening and the store cupboard. Here is one of my recent videos:-

Ocado Food Haul/Prepping the Pantry

Responding to the needs of my subscribers, I intend to focus more on budget meals and pantry prepping in the future as well as other areas of self-sustainability, such as gardening, foraging/free food, home-preserving, sprouting and fermenting, etc. One of my subscribers has asked me to feature more 1940s recipes as they feel that what we are all going through is akin to wartime living, as is the need to be ever more canny with what money we have, let alone put any aside for a rainy day which of course most of us aspire to.

Of course I will share some of my activities with you all, as well as my other content and trust that you might find it interesting and entertaining. However, if you don’t, no worries; it is a free world in my world!

I have started to participate in a couple of open collaborations with GrandmaSandy and others on YouTube, as well as seeking out other content creators who share my ideas and values and lifestyle choices. Grandma Sandy came across my @catevanscuisine channel some months ago and gave me a much-needed shout-out for which I am most grateful, and I am now paying it forward and giving a shout-out to a few of the wonderful YouTubers I subscribe to:-

https://www.youtube.com/@GrandmaSandy – Budget Meals, Pantry Prepping, Fairy Garden, Tea Tuesdays crafting and more

https://www.youtube.com/@Shortievaughn – “Crazy but not dangerous” (fab recipes and banter)

https://www.youtube.com/@thetomatolady – Grow Joyfully Homestead

https://www.youtube.com/@the.rural.tribeuk – rural living and veggie gardening

These are just a few of the wonderful people making a difference. Why not check them out?!

See you again soon and a big thanks to all my subscribers for your support.

Catherine

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The September Garden

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September started well with beautiful warm, sunny weather right into the second week of the month, right up until we left for a week’s holiday in south-west Scotland. In fact, the temperatures were high enough that it was like being in the South of France, albeit more humid.

The herbs were doing well being in part sun-part shade, and I treated us to a new pot of garden mint from our local garden centre and which Dan potted up into a larger, terracotta pot so it has plenty of room to grow. My late mother had several mint bushes at the end of her garden and one of my favourite culinary memories growing up is of her homemade mint sauce to accompany Sunday lunch or cheap, slow cooked cuts of lamb. These days I use fresh mint leaves in a wide variety of ways including steeped in hot water as a healthful drink, raw in salads and chopped finely in vegetarian Indian and Middle Eastern recipes; mint is delicious in falafels or mixed with yoghurt as a dressing or dip.

August’s land cress had been eaten, thus I sowed some spinach seeds in the trough of my growing table at the start of the month. The seedlings are now starting to thrive as long as we manage to keep the slugs and snails off them.

The nasturtiums were only leafing but since we returned from holiday at the weekend more new flowers have appeared and more plants have started growing in the troughs. It is now the last week of September and Dan has already enjoyed some nasturtium leaves and petals in his lunchtime salads, though growth is now slowing as we head into early autumn.

2023 has been an excellent year for salad leaves in particular and we have enjoyed a wide variety of homegrown in salads and sandwiches. As well as the spinach seeds, I also sowed some more lettuce seeds in the troughs wherever there were gaps. As long as I start to cover them with fleece for frost protection they should keep growing all winter.

The kale is also flourishing and we have had some of it chopped and lightly steamed with leftovers left to ‘fester’ for a couple of days in the refrigerator with cooked potatoes and then fried as bubble and squeak, which we enjoy with fried free range eggs for breakfast or a simple supper.

Before we went on holiday, Dan picked all the beetroot and weed potatoes and we stored them in a cool place in hessian sacks. To be honest, the beetroot didn’t last long; some we ate roasted or steamed and I sliced and pickled some of the steamed ones for later on in the year, and others I gave to my piano teacher, Jake, and our cleaner friend Val, along with kale, beetroot tops (which are a good substitute for spinach and Swiss chard in recipes), potatoes and rhubarb.

In fact, since we have returned from Scotland the rhubarb has once again expanded and we may need to cut it back yet again. Our gardener Lorraine will move the rose bush in November, and will plant the one currently in a plant pot on my great-uncle’s grave. My lovely cousin Agnes gave me a fragrant yellow rose bush for my special birthday called “Golden Memories”, and Dan is going to plant it in the new designated area. All our rose bushes are traditional, sweet-smelling ones and should make a breathtaking display next summer. Recently, we have enjoyed several vases from the rose bushes that are already well-established. We may still also ask Lorraine to split the rhubarb crowns and plant ones elsewhere, perhaps at the end of the garden near the greenhouse, or perhaps we will give away what we cannot easily accommodate.

The quinces are swelling nicely on the tree, though some of the fruits have grown rotten on the bough. However, I have picked a few lovely ones already, as well as a couple of windfalls and we should have another excellent crop this year. I usually enjoy making jars of membrillo (traditional Spanish quince paste), which goes well with cheese, nut roasts and charcuterie. Sometimes I add quince pulp just as it is to a homemade nut roast and this year I am going to try adding some to marrow chutney.

The courgettes are still thriving and most have not been devoured by garden ‘pests’; in the space of a week one of the courgettes had become an enormous vegetable marrow! I cut a small piece off the marrow last night to put in our suppertime vegetable pasta bake and Dan’s salad lunch box for today, and most of it is still sitting enormously in our ‘fridge; later in the week, most of it will become chutney.

The tomatoes have cropped incredibly well this year, with no sign of the tomato blight that spoiled last year’s crop. Before our holiday, I made a tasty tomato sauce for pasta and other dishes and we had most of that last night in the pasta bake and I am having the rest to accompany my beanburger this evening, as Dan is staying overnight at his mum’s due to his work schedule. After supper, I will be making a big batch of tomato chutney, which I prepared earlier this afternoon and takes about an hour to cook on the stove.

Needless to say, we are looking forward to more tasty pickings as the month draws to a close and it will be interesting to see what October brings.

Catherine (26 Sep 2023)

Creamy Spiced ‘Marigold’ Soup

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A bowlful of goodness

My Creamy Spiced ‘Marigold’ Soup isn’t made with any flowers at all but its attractive orange hue reminds me of the pretty African Marigolds growing in our front garden as a young girl growing up in Zambia. We lived there while my father carried out his two-year contract at the University of Lusaka and my mother was Secretary to the Bursar there. We returned to the UK in June 1971 when political and social unrest was beginning to make life increasingly difficult for the expatriate community.

This soup recipe is easy and packs a punch, taking around 15-20 minutes to prepare depending on how large or small you chop your root vegetables and using hot stock will also help things along. I have used carrots, turnip and sweet potato but you could substitute the sweet potato with squash or pumpkin, for example, as they belong to the same family of vegetables. If you avoid spicy food or are making it for people who have plainer tastes or who are unwell, you can still make this soup but omit the spices. For extra creaminess try adding a splash of coconut milk instead of cream and keep it vegan!

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 1 tbsp coconut or other oil
  • 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 small white turnip, peeled and chopped
  • 1 celery stick, diced
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped finely
  • 1 tsp curry powder (optional)
  • 1 tsp cumin (optional)
  • 1 tsp turmeric (optional)
  • 2 cm piece root ginger, chopped
  • a good pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
  • 1 litre vegetable stock, or vegetable water (eg left over from steamed vegetables)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Sea salt and pepper
  • Splash of single cream or coconut milk (optional)

Method

  1. Scoop one tablespoon of coconut oil into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat and when it has melted, turn the heat right down and add the diced onion and celery adding a little sea salt and sweat them down for a few minutes. Be careful not to let them brown, they only need to be softened. Add the chopped garlic and stir through to combine.
  2. Add the curry powder, chilli flakes and other spices (if using) and stir quickly through the softened onion, garlic and celery, then add the other vegetables, stirring everything together to thoroughly combine.
  3. Turn up the heat a little and pour in the hot vegetable stock or vegetable water and the bay leaf and bring to the boil, then simmer until all the vegetables are cooked through, adjusting the heat if necessary.
  4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool slightly, remove the bay leaf and then whizz with a stick blender until smooth.
  5. Return to a low heat, add a good splash of cream or coconut milk to your liking and check and adjust the seasoning with a sprinkle of salt and freshly ground pepper if necessary.
  6. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley or coriander and perhaps a small swirl of coconut milk or cream and serve with crusty bread.

Bon appetit!

COOK’S NOTES

  • Omit the garlic if you do not like it
  • You can make this soup with pre-cooked root vegetables or leftovers, which will speed up the cooking time.
  • If you love coriander, add a teaspoon of ground coriander seeds at stage 2.
  • If you do not have any root ginger, a teaspoon of ginger powder or dried galangal will work just as well.
  • If you do not like spicy soup, make it without some or all of the spices but try adding 1 tbsp tomato puree or tomato ketchup
  • If the soup is too thick, add a little water at stage 5.
  • For the stock, if you are not using homemade stock then it may be made with water and a stock cube or 1 teaspoon of vegan Vegetable Bouillon. Use no more than 1 tsp Buillon to 1 litre of water as it is very salty.

EASY CHICKEN SOUP

14 Tuesday Mar 2023

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I think it is fair to say that one of the things my husband Dan most enjoys eating is a big bowlful of my homemade chicken soup – “Jewish Penicillin”, as I often call it – especially during the colder months or if he’s feeling under the weather. Dan suffers from sinusitis so I often pep the soup up with warm spices and/or a hint of chilli, especially when his sinuses are blocked. He likes to take a flask of this soup with him to work, along with a protein-packed salad.

Chicken soup is made from chicken – traditionally a boiling fowl – simmered in water or stock with other ingredients such as vegetables and noodles, rice or barley, and perhaps some dumplings, and can take as long as two or three hours to prepare from scratch if you’re going for a crystal clear consomme. Chicken soup is extremely versatile and can be made with chicken wings or the carcass leftover from a roast chicken. It may be blended smoothly with a little cream or milk as a Cream of Chicken Soup; a thick broth with diced vegetables and barley or lentils; cooked with leeks and potatoes as the traditional Scottish favourite, Cock-a-Leekie soup; a warmly spiced Moroccan chicken soup rich with tomatoes, chickpeas, coriander and a little finely-sliced preserved lemon; in fact, there is a whole raft of chicken soup recipes from all over the world so the choice is yours. Be as adventurous as you dare!

The quick recipe I am sharing with you I have adapted from a Women’s Institute recipe from the post-war era. The WI recipe blends a little butter, plain (all purpose) flour, 600 ml water to which a stock cube has been added, together with 300 ml milk (if liked), an egg yolk and salt and pepper. My method is a little different as I prefer to use cornstarch, never add the egg yolk and whenever I make the soup I just go with the flow, so it usually has different flavours each time I make it. I often prepare the soup with poaching or steaming liquid from chicken or vegetables but if I do not have enough of it then I top it up with water and perhaps crumble in half a stock cube. The real beauty about this soup is that it takes only 15-20 minutes to prepare from start to finish.

This recipe can be easily modified for vegetarians and vegans. Simply swap the chicken stock with vegetable stock and use sunflower spread instead of butter – or neither (see recipe alternative below) – and in fact I often make a quick vegetable soup this way using water with either a Kallo yeast-free low-salt vegetable stock cube or a heaped teaspoon of Swiss Bouillon stock powde. Finish with a dash of plant-based ‘cream’ or a little coconut milk if you wish. If you need to feed a larger number of people, simply double the quantities and it will turn out fine. This basic soup recipe will provide 2 generous servings without the milk or 4 with it.

INGREDIENTS (serves 2 or 4)

  • 25 g (1 oz) butter or sunflower spread, if liked
  • 25 g (1 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour or cornflour (cornstarch)
  • 600 ml (1 pint) chicken stock
  • 300 ml (1/2 pint) milk or coconut milk, if liked
  • one bay leaf
  • finely chopped herbs of your choice – e.g. parsley, thyme, tarragon, rosemary, coriander
  • diced cooked chicken or vegetables of your choice (optional)

1. If you are using butter or sunflower spread, melt it in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until the flour has ‘cooked out’. Gradually stir in the stock and milk or coconut milk if using, and the bay leaf, bringing it to the boil and then simmer, still stirring, until thickened.

2. If you do not wish to use butter or sunflower spread, in a large jug mix 25 g cornflour with a little of the stock until smooth, add the rest of the liquid and bay leaf, stirring well and pour into a large saucepan over a medium heat, stirring until smooth and thickened.

3. When the soup has thickened, take off the heat and cool slightly and strain through a fine sieve, returning it to the cleaned pan along with the chopped herbs and the chicken or vegetable dice, if using, and cook very gently over a low heat, stirring, until it is piping hot.

4. Serve immediately in bowls with herbs, crispy bacon or croutons to garnish and some good bread.

COOK’S NOTES

For a vegan or vegetarian version substitute the chicken stock with vegetable stock and use coconut milk or plant’-based cream, if you wish, for a richer and creamier finish.

If you do not wish to add milk or coconut to the soup recipe, why not serve a dash of coconut milk or cream for a luxurious finish, upon serving.

If you do wish to add an egg yolk, do so at Step 3 once the soup has been strained and returned to the pan. Add the seasoning, herbs and diced chicken or vegetables if you wish and cook very gently, stirring, until the soup thickens.

Bon appetit!

Catherine

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