If you Can't Stand the Heat...

...make a jug of Pimm's and a Chorizo and New Potato salad.



Wow, what a scorcher it was last week! Temperatures hit the 30s, official health warnings were issued due to the heatwave and the UK was declared hotter than the Mediterranean. It was fabulous at the weekends and even the brief shower we had on my birthday barbecue didn’t spoil things: we just made a dash for the house carrying plates of food and cutlery while a few of the boys picked up the garden parasol and brought it over the barbecue to shelter under while they finished cooking the sausages. Us Brits have become experts at dealing with rainy barbecues; you have to in this climate.

But despite the shower still the heat didn’t let up. The trains to and from work were roasting and even with the windows open it was hard to sleep at night; my poor dog was panting and drinking lots of water.

So meals were light and drinks were refreshing, with plenty of Pimm's on offer. I made a how-to video for you to take a look at, not that you need it, it's so simple to make:



And I enjoyed this Chorizo and New Potato Salad I cooked up for lunch one day, it was perfect for the Mediterranean heat.

Chorizo and New Potato Salad

Serves 2 as a main meal, 4 as a starter

400g new potatoes
120g uncooked chorizo, diced
1 red pepper, diced
150g cherry tomatoes, halved
A handful of rocket
Sea salt

Cut the potatoes into equal sizes, or keep whole if very small, and boil them until tender. Once they’re cooked drain them and set them aside.

Fry the chorizo over a medium heat until it releases its oil then turn up the heat a little and add the peppers, tomatoes and potatoes. Fry the mixture, turning it as it cooks, until the potatoes turn golden and the chorizo is cooked through.

Put the new potato and chorizo mixture onto plates then top with the rocket and sprinkle over some sea salt.


But as the good old British summertime goes, we’re now back to rain. And with the wind blowing up outside today you could be forgiven for thinking it was a sunny Autumn day. Anyone for hot chocolate?

Lay the Blanket on the Ground

Summer officially arrived today, for me at least. It wasn’t a scorcher but it was a fair day; the sun seemed rather shy at first, peeking in and out from behind the clouds all morning, but by mid-afternoon it was shining away in the blue sky. But it wasn’t the weather that marked the start of summer for me; it was my first picnic of the year. How I’ve been looking forward to this! Rob and I are taking a nice long break from work and I’ve been watching the weather forecast intently. Today was looking like the first of some increasingly warmer days so, come what may, I was determined that our picnic basket was going to be pulled out and dusted off. It’s a beautiful 4 person hamper, bought for us for our wedding by our friends Vivien and Antony, and I get a real sense of occasion when we use it. Forget warm, soggy sandwiches and plastic beakers, I like a ‘proper’ picnic, with china, glass and cotton napkins. Call me snobbish if you will, but I just love the whole idea of the traditional English picnic. To illustrate the point, one of my favourite literary pieces is not from Austin, Dickens or Bronte, but from Kenneth Grahame. I love the images this extract from ‘The Wind in the Willow’ conjures up:

“’Look here! If you've really nothing else on this morning, supposing we drop down the river together, and have a long day of it?'

The Mole waggled his toes from sheer happiness, spread his chest with a sigh of full contentment, and leaned back blissfully into the soft cushions. 'What a day I'm having!' he said. 'Let us start at once!'

'Hold hard a minute, then!' said the Rat. He looped the painter through a ring in his landing-stage, climbed up into his hole above, and reappeared staggering under a fat, wicker luncheon-basket.

'Shove that under your feet,' he observed to the Mole. Then he untied the painter and took the sculls again.

'What's inside it?' asked the Mole, wriggling with curiosity.

'There's cold chicken inside it,' replied the Rat briefly;
'coldtonguecoldhamcoldbeefpickledgherkinssaladfrenchrollscresssandwichespottedmeatgingerbeerlemonadesodawater-'”

For our own little excursion today, Rob and I visited the very picturesque Hever Castle:











After walking around the castle and the grounds we went back to the car for our picnic rug and basket and laid them out on the grass in front of the castle. Out came the little packages: the Parma ham, the cherry tomatoes, the cheeses, the French stick, the strawberries. We had food, we had wine, we had books, we had suntan lotion; we were happy!





We were temporarily joined by one of the inhabitants of the castle grounds, as you can see:



But finding nothing but a few crumbs to peck at off he waddled to the next group of picnic-ers.



We enjoyed the food in the sunshine, then I read while Rob nodded off for a while. Blissful, lazy days!

Think English Summer, Think Pimm's

After the snow in April we now have a heat wave in early May. It’s all very bizarre but I’m not complaining. For a start I’m enjoying lunching in the garden, slathered in sun cream; wearing sandles and strappy tops; and having every window in the house flung wide open. I’ve also enjoyed my first Pimm's of the season; a bottle picked up on my way home from work yesterday and poured into a tall glass with lemonade, ice, fruit and mint.

Pimm’s is surely the quintessential English summer drink and it’s not difficult to see why. It’s wonderfully refreshing with a hint of spiciness and is absolutely delicious laced with summer fruits and mint. And here’s a random fact for you; it was the very first alcoholic drink I had as a married woman! We said our vows on a gloriously hot summer’s day in June on the terrace of a beautiful Kentish house in front of our friends and family. We signed the register and then descended the steps onto the green lawns and were offered the most welcoming glass of Pimm’s I’ve ever had. I’m smiling now just thinking about it.

For the perfect summer Pimm’s fill a glass with ice and pour in 1 part Pimm’s No 1 with 3 parts lemonade (which I forgot in my haste and excitement last night, so my cocktail was a rather large 1 part Pimm’s to 2 parts lemonade...cheers!). Mix well with a stirrer and add a sprig or two of mint, some cucumber if you like (although I don't usually), and pieces of fruit such as lemon; apple; strawberries; orange. Or better still mix up a large jug-full and take it into the garden to enjoy with friends.

Courgette, Mint and Buffalo Mozzarella Salad

The lone courgette that I’d retrieved from the back of the fridge lay on the chopping board for some time this lunchtime before I finally decided what to make with it. I was determined that it wouldn’t end up in the bin and besides, I was hungry. I turned to Jamie Oliver for inspiration, flicking to the pages on courgettes in his ‘Jamie at home’ book, and sure enough there was the inspiration I was looking for; the suggestion of teaming courgette with mint. This was perfect as I have lots of mint in the kitchen at the moment - I'm currently going through a phase of experimenting with it. I’m finding that mint works very well with a whole array of ingredients, and that there’s much more mileage in this astonishingly fragrant herb than just lamb and new potatoes!

I also had a bag of green leaves and some buffalo mozzarella in the fridge so put together this salad, which of course had the benefit of being quick and easy to prepare. It all married together nicely and the courgettes were extremely flavoursome with the mint, sea salt and black pepper – be generous with the seasoning if you decide to try this.

Courgette, Mint and Buffalo Mozzarella Salad

Ingredients
1 courgette
1 ball of buffalo mozzarella
4 large handfuls of green salad leaves
6 mint leaves
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper

Dice the courgette and finely chop the mint leaves. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and add the courgette and mint leaves. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper and sauté over a medium heat until the courgette just starts to colour and soften, but still has a bite in the middle.

Tear the mozzarella into pieces and lay it over the salad leaves. Allow the courgette to cool a little and then scatter it over the salad. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Serves 2

Peas in a Pod

One of my earliest, and fondest, food memories is of sitting at the kitchen table with my sister in the summer as we shelled fresh garden peas while Mum prepared the meal. I remember the delight in prising open the pods and teasing the peas out into the big bowl, I remember their sweet taste and Mum gently telling us not to eat them all.

Summer peas fresh from their pods are delicately and sweetly flavoured, and the process of podding them can be immensely pleasurable and therapeutic. All the family can join in the fun, creating life-long memories like the one I’ve just described. I look forward to creating such memories with my own children when the time comes.

Sadly the rain and devastating floods the UK has seen this summer have destroyed vast amounts of the pea crops so there are fewer to go around. I was fortunate to pick some up at my local farm shop at the weekend and I value them all the more.

The peas were a lovely accompaniment to the fantastic pork, apple and cider sausages we bought at the weekend, which I cooked slowly until sticky. To finish the meal I boiled some halved new potatoes for a potato salad, made by smothering the potatoes with mayonnaise and mixing through flat leafed parsley. It was a very homely and very satisfying dinner.

Just a Perfect Day

The wash-out of the past few months was long forgotten today as I lounged in my garden on a true midsummer’s day. Doors and windows were thrown wide open to bring in the fresh summer air, washing was hung out to dry - which it did in no time in the heat of the sunshine flooding the garden - and elderflower cordial provided the refreshment.

This afternoon Rob and I took a trip to our local farm shop for the week’s provisions. Our seasonal hull included pak choi, peas, blueberries and what is likely to be the last of the strawberries. I also picked up a bunch of lily stems with a heady scent to adorn our living room.

We’re very fortunate indeed, as our farm shop is blessed with the presence of a mobile butcher and fishmonger on a saturday. The butcher travels up from his farm in the heart of Kent and the fish monger from the coast. We bought a large free-range chicken for sunday lunch, some lean mince and half a dozen irresistible-sounding pork, apple and cider sausages. From the fishmonger we bought two beautiful plaice, clown-like with their bright spots, which were filleted for us and wrapped in paper, ready for dinner tonight.

I teamed the fish with fresh spinach and new potatoes and a creamy white wine sauce with spring onions. It was quite delightful and the perfect end to a perfect summer’s day.



Plaice with Spring onion, white wine and cream sauce

Ingredients
2 plaice, filleted (1 per person)
4 spring onions
Wine glass-full of white wine and an equal amound of double cream
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Season the fillets with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then sauté them in a little olive oil until cooked through. In a separate pan make a sauce by sautéing 3 or 4 chopped spring onions in a knob of butter for a few minutes. Add the white wine and simmer until reduced by half. Next add the cream and simmer until the sauce thickens. Season and check the taste. Add more wine or cream as necessary and allow to thicken again, then serve spooned over the fish.

Serves 2.

Apple and Strawberry Ice Lollies

With the weather finally heating up over the weekend I had the opportunity to try out the ice lolly moulds I recently bought. Rob went off to the farm shop for berries and came back with a selection in varying shades of red - strawberries, redcurrants and raspberries.

I chose the strawberries for my first experiment and blended a punnet-full. Into the puree went a tablespoon of caster sugar then, after a tasting, another spoonful. It tasted good, but needed another flavour so I added a peeled, cored and chopped apple to blend in. The resulting puree was quite thick so I watered it down with half a litre of water then poured it into the moulds. Well that was the fun bit but then I had to wait. And wait. As I’d started the lolly-making in the evening I had to wait until the next day (today) before they were frozen and I could try them.

Now, I don’t know if it was these particular moulds that I’d bought or if they’re all sent to try us, but the fight I had trying to get the bloody lolly out of the mould was ridiculous. I certainly needed cooling off once I did eventually get it out! It was all worth the effort though; it tasted great and, despite the sugar, was a healthier and fresher alternative to any ice lolly you can buy in the shops. If I were to be critical I’d say the apple was a little overpowering so I’d be careful to balance out the flavours next time by using less of it, although I guess how much would be needed for flavour would depend on the type of apple. I’d also like to try it without the water, as there was some crystallisation of the ice. And finally I must remember to sieve the pips out next time!!

Summer’s Back...For Now at Least

After endless heavy rain and flooding I think the British public had just about given up all hope of any sunshine this summer. Shorts have been swapped for trousers, flip flops for trainers, vest tops for jumpers. All in all it’s been pretty miserable here in the UK.

Now let me be clear - I love rain. I love walking in it under a huge colourful umbrella; seeing it bounce up high as it hits the ground with force; hearing it drum on the windows as I curl up with a book, warm and dry inside. I even love summer rain, refreshing and welcoming after long, hot, dry days; feeling the raindrops on my skin, awaking my senses. But I don’t love it every damn day in the height of the summer; the rain clouds forming a permanent covering under which we must miserably go about our days wondering where all this freak weather has come from and if we’ll ever see sunshine again. I don’t love it when it causes the devastation the UK has seen in recent weeks; the homes wrecked, the lives lost.

Thankfully over the past few days we have seen a dramatic change with blazing hot sunshine. The weather seems to have realised it’s got the wrong time of year and the sun has chased the rain clouds away. For how long though, remains to be seen. If the weather forecasts are to be believed perhaps it will be a short-lived break. But for now I’m making the most of the sunshine while it's here.

The Taste of Summer

Rain is lashing down on this grey and miserable day in June but as far as my taste buds are concerned it’s a gloriously hot summer’s day. I’m eating ripe English strawberries; the epitome of the British summer. Think of English strawberries and you’ll think of strawberries and cream, Wimbledon, Eton mess, strawberry jam.

We may have a love-hate relationship with the British weather, but our climate is perfect for growing soft fruits and this is what makes our strawberries taste so good. Up there with asparagus, they put Britain on the culinary map. They are at their best when they come into season in June and through July, and they tell us summer has arrived - even if the weather doesn’t.

There are a few things you should not do to strawberries, to avoid spoiling their taste. As with mushrooms they should not be washed as they are porous and will absorb the water - so it’s best to buy organic - and they should be served at room temperature, not chilled.

Most often you will see strawberries served with cream and sprinkled with sugar. I personally love them with thick clotted cream, or simply as they are so that I can pick them out of the bag or bowl and bite into their red juiciness. Oranges bring out their flavour, so orange liquor or orange flower water is good to sprinkle over them. As, perhaps surprisingly, is balsamic vinegar. Just a little though. I made the mistake of using too much when serving them to my family once and their screwed-up faces told me what words didn’t need to. They remain unconvinced to this day of how balsamic vinegar brings out the flavour of strawberries. But I have something that may change their minds.

On the Borough Market Tour I attended a week ago we tried some white balsamic vinegar which was deliciously sweet, almost syrupy so. My first thought was that it would be perfect with strawberries and I wasn’t wrong. Use just a dash, along with a sprinkling of sugar, over the strawberries and leave them to marinade until you can’t smell the vinegar anymore. The taste is heavenly.

Asparagus, Avocado and Parma Ham Salad

Simplicity at its best.