Both our cats are huntresses of note, and give a whole new meaning to food-on-the-run! Our week started in the wee hours of Monday morning. Simultaneous with a scrabbling around behind the headboard, a cat launched herself off a rather soft spot on my abdomen and into mid-air. Tom could sleep on a washing line, … Continue reading There’s a mouse in the house…
Category: Earth Matters
The garden is another place where I get soul food – it’s possibly in my genes. I love growing vegetables and I love flowers and arranging them….
Eating to Live
Friday, 18 July 2014, in McGregor dawned: a cold, blustery morning. It was also the first Mandela Day since his death in December 2013; he would have been 95. Later that day I was heading down to our local community service centre (aka the police station) to join a sandwich drive. This, juxtaposed with my my … Continue reading Eating to Live
A lovely bunch of….
....parsley! I love parsley. I’m not happy until my garden grows herbs, especially parsley. And the challenge of parsley is that it's a slow grower and it can be temperamental. My mum also always had parsley in her garden - some of my earliest culinary memories are of being sent to pick parsley – usually … Continue reading A lovely bunch of….
Waste not, want not – I
Both my parents grew up in the UK in the Second World War: Mum in Oxford, where her mother took in evacuees and then later also billeted soldiers. Dad grew up in Glasgow, and with his sister, Belle, evacuated to a poultry farm . Consequently, we grew up constantly hearing, "waste not, want not". Little was thrown … Continue reading Waste not, want not – I
The beginning – revisited
When I started this blog, it was on a whim: the initial thought had been to share ideas about what I cook and/or how we entertain and how, we’re in the process of developing our home and garden in McGregor. Over the last six or so months, I have realised that Fiona’s Favourites is allowing … Continue reading The beginning – revisited
Beetroot: it’s beautiful – and delicious
We have a bumper beetroot crop at the moment and although it's easy to bottle, it's also great doing new things with it. Freshly pulled, beetroot cooks more quickly than when shop bought, and is beautifully tender and sweet - another reason not to just pickle it. Besides being delicious roasted or simply added to a leafy green salad, … Continue reading Beetroot: it’s beautiful – and delicious
Autumn – preparing for spring (and winter!)
Although the grape harvest in our valley seems to be later this year, autumn seems to have arrived early. Along with this, we have had a wonderful experience: a pair of swallows building a nest in preparation for the spring. Jack and Jill are Greater Striped Swallows, indigenous to Africa, and they summer south of Namibia, … Continue reading Autumn – preparing for spring (and winter!)
A twisted Vicheysoisse, among other things…
For the last year or so, I have been making and selling seasonal soups at our local pop-up market. A soup that I made on a whim, and which we enjoyed, didn't take off, so I didn't make it again. In my recollection, there had been no sales. Then, imagine my surprise, two Saturdays' ago, … Continue reading A twisted Vicheysoisse, among other things…