Inntravel the Slow holiday people
Sponsored post: Creative cooking by the campfire
Warming, comforting and incredibly satisfying, sausages may be the ultimate campfire food. Read on for a simple recipe.
For summer road trips, family barbecues or camping in the garden with your little ones this is a particularly sumptuous way to cook them, and it looks fantastic. If you’re making this at home, try serving it with a pile of creamy mash.
Ingredients
600g cumberland sausage ring 1 tsp oil 1 onion, finely sliced 2 tsp wholegrain mustard 1 tbsp honey 150ml cider 100ml Yeo Valley Single Cream
Method
1. Insert 2 wooden skewers in a cross shape into the sausage to pin it into a spiral. Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan, large enough to take the sausage wheel. 2. Cook the sausage on a medium-low heat for 10 mins until browned, then turn it over and cook for a further 5 mins. 3. Lift the sausage out, spread the onions into the pan, stir into the pan juices then replace the sausage on top. Continue to cook gently for a further 5-10 mins until the onions are soft and the sausage is cooked through. 4. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. Spoon off any excess fat then stir the mustard and honey into the pan. Pour in the cider and bubble for 2 mins before stirring in the cream and seasoning to taste. 5. Divide the sausage into 4 and pour over the cider sauce.
Sponsored post: May’s cut flower patch planting diary
Louise Curley, author of The Cut Flower Patch, shares this month’s planting diary. 'For most places in the UK May is the month when the danger of frost eases and planting out on to the cut flower patch can begin in earnest. The transition from sunny, protected windowsill or greenhouse to the great outdoors can be quite a shock to young plants. The best way to ease this impact is to harden off any plants for a few weeks by gradually acclimatising them to cooler temperatures, wind and rain. Cold frames are perfect for this job but grouping pots together in a sheltered spot near your house and covering them with a layer of horticultural fleece at night will work just as well.
'Hardy annuals are the first plants to be planted out on to the cut flower patch this month and they will keep me supplied in flowers right through until the first frosts in October or November. There are sunflowers such as ‘Vanilla Ice’, the pincushion-like flowers of Scabiosa atropurpurea, ammi, cornflowers and, for climbing up hazel wigwams, I couldn’t be without fragrant sweet peas. And if spring has caught up with you a little this year and you feel like you’ve missed the boat when it comes to seed sowing don’t despair. Garden centres and some mail order plant nurseries have small cut flower plants which are perfect for planting in May.
'Spring bulbs may be fading but summer flowering varieties are perfect for planting this month. Bulbs take up very little room so are fantastic for maximising your cut flower growing potential – plant in blocks or in between low growing flowers such as statice and Anemone coronaria. Plant acidantheras and freesias for scented flowers in August and September, and forget the old fashioned, frumpy reputation of gladioli; there are some fabulous varieties to choose from. Grow the sumptuous crimson coloured ‘Espresso’, the rich velvety ‘Purple Flora’ or the zingy ‘Green Star’. Sometimes arranging a traditional cut flower in a more contemporary way is all it takes to update an image. Try putting single stems of gladioli in a massed collection of simple milk bottle vases for a modern take on these exotic blooms.'
Louise Curley is the author of The Cut Flower Patch, published by Frances Lincoln.
Sponsored post: April's cut flower patch planting diary
Louise Curley, author of The Cut Flower Patch, shares this month's planting diary.
'Another season on my cut flower patch is starting to come together. After months of poring over seed catalogues and making wish lists of the plants I want for cutting I can actually get started on the best bit – the growing. April is a month of frantic activity with every available surface that gets enough light covered with seed trays and pots. Early sowings in March tend to be indoors to protect them from the fickle nature of spring weather but by now the ground should be warm enough to sow hardy annuals directly into the soil. Country lore used to suggest testing the temperature of the soil by sitting on it with a bare bottom. An easier and less embarrassing way is to see if weed seeds are germinating. If it’s warm enough for them then it’s perfect for your hardy annuals too.
'Sowing directly is an option if you don’t have much space to start off seeds indoors and is the best way to grow certain plants which dislike the root disturbance involved in sowing into trays and then transplanting them. Hardy annuals to sow direct include nigella, cornflowers, ammi, dill, calendula and sunflowers. Direct sown seedlings are vulnerable to slug attack and, as their roots have yet to develop fully, they will suffer in a dry spell, so check over your cut flower patch regularly. Water if necessary and use organic slug pellets to protect your young plants.
'Now is also the time to start off your half-hardy flowers. These are plants which originate from countries such as Mexico. They need warmth to germinate and grow, any hint of frost and they’ll be wiped out. Sow now into seed trays, place on a sunny windowsill and they will be the perfect size to plant out by the end of May when any danger of frost should have passed. Half-hardies perfect for your cut flower patch include zinnias, cosmos, rudbeckia and ten week stocks.'
Louise Curley is the author of The Cut Flower Patch, published by Frances Lincoln.
Wordless Wednesday
Inntravel the Slow holiday people
Kirstie Allsopp presents The Handmade Fair
We are delighted to announce that we’ve teamed up with Kirstie Allsopp and Hobbycraft to bring you The Handmade Fair, coming this September to Hampton Court Palace!
Join The Handmade Fair mailing list to get all the latest updates and for access to the ticket pre-sale.
Wordless Wednesday
Inntravel the Slow holiday people
Sponsored post: From Dawn Till Dusk
Yeo Valley’s Dairy Herd Manager Richard starts work at 4.30am to ensure that the family farm’s cows are in tip top condition. Click here to read more about life on the farm.
Sponsored post: Anyone for scones?
The Great British Bake Off has really brought baking to the forefront. My cousin sends me the link to the entry form every year and I shudder with horror. I love baking but I like making a mess in my kitchen, covering surfaces in flour and yelling for the kids to come down quick…”they’re just out the oven!” The thought of having to produce perfect cakes makes me fill with dread. I like imperfection, huge portions, messy dollops - and excess! I love the baking adulation my children provide me with. It isn’t true that you can’t buy love - in my experience you can if your currency is baking smells and cakes that make your mouth water..
The favourite cakes in our house at the moment are scones, not neat little circular affairs but great mountainous creations piled high with clotted cream, jam and butter. Salted butter…served warm. Utter bliss!
(Not so) Perfect Scones
Ingredients:
450g (1lb) self-raising flour
1 heaped tsp. baking powder
75g (3oz) salted butter
2 large free range eggs
About 225ml (8fl oz) milk
Preheat the oven: Conventional oven 220C/425F/ gas mark 7.
AGA – Roasting oven, second set of runners from the top.
1. Rub the fat into the flour with light finger tips, stir in the sugar and add the beaten eggs and milk (adjust the milk for a more or less sticky mixture) handle as little as possible.
2. With floured hands, form into rough rounded clumps and place onto a lined baking sheet. I use bake o glide. Brush with a beaten egg and bake for about 15-20 minutes, depending on how big you like to make them.
3. Go on, tuck in!
Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
High on the hill. Photograph: Linda Lashford
Inntravel the Slow holiday people
Sponsored post: A day to remember
Gone are the days of cheesy and cringeworthy wedding videos. The London Wedding Film Co. create wedding films which are unique and beautiful, telling the story from start to finish, capturing the energy and essence of the day so that it can be relived forever. We film weddings across the UK so don't hesitate to enquire. www.thelondonweddingfilmco.com
Sponsored post: Cooking made easy with Gousto
Our mission at Gousto is to make it easy for you to cook quick and delicious meals at home with quality ingredients. Our chefs devise the recipes which you choose from online and then we deliver all the ingredients to you in exact portions with step-by-step instructions. That way you can enjoy restaurant-standard meals in your own home with no food waste.
To ensure you get the freshest and healthiest produce, we source our ingredients from a carefully selected network of British suppliers. Our meat comes from a farm in Devon and most of our fish is Scottish. Our chefs regularly devise new menus taking advantage of the best British harvest has to offer.
All this means that when you enjoy your Gousto meals, you can trust that you're getting high quality, seasonal ingredients that are sustainably sourced. Our organic produce has been awarded the Soil Association organic standard and we work closely with Love Food Hate Waste to cut back on food waste.
Gousto are offering The Simple Things readers £20 off your first box of delicious ingredients. Simply place your order at www.gousto.co.uk and enter the code SIMPLETHINGS at checkout.
Sponsored post: Found! The gift that goes straight to his heart
Struggling for gift ideas for the men in your life? The Man Box Collection from award-winning Ross & Ross Food could be the answer to your problems. The Cotswold-based fine food company specialises in handmade pates and terrines using the best British ingredients. Each Man Box has a combination of English craft beer, British charcuterie, chutney and Great British pork crackling to form the ultimate snack box. The products are either made in-house or from local artisan producers. What man wouldn't be happy with a box full of fine British beer and his favourite snacks?
Available in Original, Spicy and XL. Prices start from £20. The Man Box is available online at www.rossandrossfood.co.uk and NotontheHighStreet.com
Ross & Ross Food are recent winners of the Bursary Award and the Midland Street Food in the BBC Good Food Show and were Finalists in the Cotswold Life Best Local Producer. The pair currently supply their award winning pate and terrines to the likes of Harrods and Daylesford as well as number of quality fine food stores and delis.
Wordless Wednesday
Inntravel the Slow holiday people
Wordless Wednesday
Inntravel the Slow Holiday people.
Sponsored post: Time for some New Year TLC?
Do you need some wholesome, hearty food to get you through a cold and wintry January? This delicious soup, brought to you by Yeo Valley, is the ultimate comfort food to keep you warm and cosy. And, what's more, it’s super speedy to make and healthy to boot! Why not put that boot camp on hold for another few days and treat yourselves to a little soul food...?
Smoked Haddock and Leek Soup
Serves 4 / Prep Time 5 mins / Cooking Time 25 mins
Ingredients
2tsp oil
3 sticks of celery diced
400g potatoes cut into small cubes
1litre vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
2 leeks cut into disks
200g Sweetcorn, tinned or frozen
600g Smoked Haddock, skinned and cut into bite sized chunks
200ml 0% Yeo Valley Natural Yeogurt
Small bunch of parsley
What to do:
1. In a large saucepan gently heat the oil then add the celery, put the lid on a sweat for 5mins. Add the stock to the pan along with the potato and bay leaves and simmer for 10 mins until the potatoes are tender.
2. Add the leeks, sweetcorn and haddock and a good grind of black pepper. Bring back to a simmer and cook for a further 5mins until the fish is cooked through.
3. Remove from the heat, stir in the Yeogurt and check the seasoning then divide between 4 bowls and top with the parsley leaves.
Notes: For a change use half smoked haddock and half prawns.
Sponsored post: Wonderbag Perfection!
HOW VERY BETTY! This wonderful insulated Wonderbag is a real asset in your kitchen - use it to cook anything from stews or vegetable curries to simple rice and soups.
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS: You start the cooking process in your pot on your stove or Aga as normal and then place it in the Wonderbag to continue cooking without the use of additional energy. It's a bit like having the benefit of a simmering oven without the Aga - and all Aga owners will tell you the miracle of all-day cooking in that beloved oven. This means less time tending to food that's cooking on the stove – time that can be better spent looking after children, earning an income or doing essential chores!
The handy recipe book will get you started and you can be comforted with the knowledge that you are saving energy and that for every one purchased a free wonder bag is sent to a family in Africa. Visit http://bit.ly/1iJ9yu2 to buy yours.
Win £100 of Joy vouchers!
TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY and British fashion and lifestyle company Joy is helping to spread seasonal cheer by offering one lucky winner the chance to snag a £100 voucher - the perfect excuse for a shopping spree before Christmas! To enter, all you have to do is Like the Joy Facebook page here http://goo.gl/1tpojs
Get a pack of fresh coffee for £1!
Fresh coffee delivered to your door
LOVE COFFEE? Now's your chance to try Pact Coffee, a new London start-up which delivers fresh coffee to order the following day. The Simple Things have teamed up with Pact to give readers a bag of delicious fresh coffee for only £1 including free P&P (usual price £6.95). Pact source their coffee from some of the finest farmers in the world, hand-roast it in London and deliver next-day to ensure maximum freshness.
Simply visit www.pactcoffee.com and enter the code SIMPLETHINGS250 to claim your 250g bag for £1. All orders placed before 1pm are shipped the same day so you could be sipping outstanding coffee by this time tomorrow.
Pact is run by a group of friends on a mission to make sure customers never run out of great quality coffee again. Their carefully selected coffees are all roasted in small batches to ensure the very optimum quality, and sold no later than 7 days after roasting when they are at their best.
If customers like their beans ground, the Pact team will grind them minutes before they are sent, then seal in a special valve bag which keeps coffee fresher for longer. They also make sure to grind it to suit the coffee machine customers use at home (fine for espresso, coarse for cafetiere and everything in between).
There is no commitment or trickery, cancel anytime. Future bags are £6.95 with free P&P. For full terms and conditions go to www.pactcoffee.com/terms