Girl about town... and men (and women) in lycra!

Totally off the food and craft thread I’m afraid... I need to ramble on about my other interests here and share my weekend experience with you all.

Firstly, however, there is good news from the Pengelly Belly Kitchen! The new oven has been installed! Say hello my double fan oven! I can’t tell you how delighted I am! I can now get back on track with cooking yummy creations which include a batch of cakes for the lovely boys from the Estates office who replaced it for us. My my, they do get spoilt. No wonder they like coming to our house.

Anyway way, back to the weekend. We were supposed to be climbing Snowdon and I was ready to make a stash of Pengelly Belly Granola Bars and Tiffin for the climb, however the walk on Sunday got cancelled because of the weather forecast – snow and high winds. Sorry, did you say snow!? Yes I did! And it did snow, so I’m glad we didn’t go. Snowdon will still be there for another day and I am determined to climb it again and get a good view from the top as last time it was foggy and I saw bugger all! As you can imagine, I was very disappointed. I’d been seeking myself up all week.

Then Mr P had a bright idea... careful now! He’d seen in his weekly edition of Cycling Weekly (here comes our shared passion along with food) that there was a premier cycling event taking place in London at night. It was the LG Markets London Nocturne Event which takes place around Smithfield Market. Since we now live within a sensible travelling time to London we thought that would make the weekend. So I packed a picnic, we hopped in the car and headed towards London. By 1230 we were sat in Hyde Park eating out picnic, watching the world go by. And of course the Trooping the Colour was taking place in London on Saturday as well and we saw the fly-by as we were sat in the park. Very impressive!

We walked over to Smithfield Market, via the Museum of London which was very interesting – worth a visit if you are ever in that area of the City, and then made our way to our spot in behind the railings to watch the cycling events.

It wasn’t all about professionals cycling – the event started off with Penny Farthing Races, Brompton Races, Time Trials and then the Pros. See photos here and here Very exciting! The crowds and the atmosphere was electric. The Pro race didn’t start until 0930 and the streets were packed. Everyone how cow bells that we rang out everytime they passed us and we were banging the boards on the side of the railings. The noise was deafening!

We also witnessed a spectacular crash which made me feel a bit ill. Ambulance please. Seeing a crash in real time vs. Seeing them on TV is quite a difference. After 10minutes or so, the guy did get up and walk over the finishing line (big respect) but he was a mess and was then carted off in an ambulance.

I must admit watching the pros was awesome. They went past us so fast that it actually took your breath away. Team Sky's Alex Dowsett was just amazing! He led from the front and lapped everyone...he even had time to cheer on the crowd! What a guy!

The whole event didn't finish till gone 11pm... and we didn't get home till 0130! A very long and exciting day! Just gearing up for Le Tour now!

Cheerio,

Nic xoxoxo

No oven and no water!

Hello everyone!

Sorry I've not posted for a week or two! We've been rather busy!

Last weekend we had some friends up from Cornwall and we went up to Sunderland to see Take That on their first night of their tour. Our friends had some spare tickets and Mr P and I thought we'd give it a go since we love live music. We weren't quite sure what to expect as we aren't avid TT fans... however.... (I  thought I'd never say this!)... the concert was AMAZING! The whole staging, singing, dancing, crowds etc was just electric. Robbie even did 20minutes of solo classics which was awesome! I'm really glad that we went!

When we returned from Sunderland, I just started to cook dinner and the oven kept tripping the electrics which is a nightmare! Luckily as we are currently renting our abode in Oxfordshire, the Estate that we rent from are obliged to fix the oven... but the suppliers haven't got the make or model nor have they got back to Estates, so I have spent a week cooking on the hob. However, good news is that since we still haven't got a working oven because the suppliers haven't come back to us yet, Estates are getting us a new one which is a double fan oven ... thank god for that! I can't cope cooking with a basic oven! So it's all worked out for the best. Roll on Tuesday when it comes!

And to make matters worse, there's been a burst water main locally and we've had no water since yesterday evening. It's back on now, but it's very grey and murky and they are still working on resolving the issue...

So no oven and no water makes life very interesting! Hopefully when life gets back to normal next week I'll be back cooking and back blogging on food!

Cheers for now!
Nic xoxox

A little bit of dough love!

PHOTOS TO FOLLOW!

There is nothing more comforting than coming into the kitchen and smelling freshly baked bread. A few years ago I attended a bread making course ran by a company call Blue Mango in Truro. Linda used to make and sell baked goodies in Truro Lemon Street Market and then turned her hand to teaching. Unfortunately she moved to Tavistock in Devon and opened up a restaurant. But you will be pleased to know that she still runs bread courses so it’s a good excuse for a weekend away! I was very lucky as Mr P brought me the course as a Valentines present and has since got a lot out of me attending it!

I like to make bread every now and then and I spied some Organic Spelt Flour in our local health food shop and thought I’d give it a go. You can also buy it in bigger supermarkets if you don’t have a health food shop nearby. Doves Farm Flour always comes with some recipes on the bag and I first tried the White Spelt Loaf which turned out lovely. The crust was a little bit crispy, but I think that was down to playing with the oven temperature and maybe reducing the cooking time a little. Anyway, it hasn’t failed me and creates a nice nutty flavoured loaf.

The second recipe that they have on the bag is a milk bread plait which is made with warm milk and melted butter instead of water. It’s a really simple recipe and produces great results every time. It’s one of my favourite breads to make. The bread tastes sweeter, possibly because of the milk, and the crust doesn’t go as firm. I have been sprinkling sesame seeds on the loaf as well as the recommended poppy seeds. I think next time I might even try some sunflower and pumpkin seeds! This bread keeps fresh for 4-5 days, makes lovely dipping bread (maybe with some Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil!), amazing toast and it also freezes very well. I really recommended having a go at making it. It also looks very pretty on the table before the hoards take to it with the bread knife!

I must admit that making bread is one of those things to do if you are at home pottering around.

Here’s a link to the milk bread plait recipe http://www.dovesfarm.co.uk/recipes/milk-bread-plait/

Go on, give it a go!

Nic xoxox

A trip to the Big City!

Wow! What an exciting day I've had today! I've been to the BIG CITY! Yes, London! I don't go to London very often, especially when we lived in Cornwall. When we went to London when we lived in Cornwall it used to be like planning a military operation and a long time in the car. However, this time around London is an hour from Oxford and it cost me £8.00 return! Bonus!

I thought I'd make the trip to London because Mr P spent last weekend and this weekend at the Grand Designs Show at the Excel Centre. I wanted to go and have a look and have a day out in London. I was up at 5am this morning, leaving the car at the Oxford Park and Ride and got into London Paddington by 8am.

First point of call was making my way to the Excel Centre. Luckily for me I'm a bit like a homing pigeon and have a really good memory. The last time I went to the Excel Centre was last year when I went to register for the London Marathon.

I spent the morning at the show. The food village / kitchen design / garden zone and design village was very good. I didn't go into the home build bit - I left that to Mr P!

I met a really interesting guy called Patch at the Fudge Kitchen stall. Mr P likes a bit of fudge and this stuff looked amazing. So when I was offered to try some I wasn't disappointed! It was amazing... the best fudge that I have ever had! It's not dry, hard or brittle, but soft and sensual. They do loads of flavours and I truly recommend that you order some as you won't be disappointed! It's worth every penny! It's that good that I had permission to run off with the "fudge man" from his mother.... not that I could ever leave Mr P!!!!

Patch with my box of fudge for Mr P and the boys on the stall, and on the wooden block is a slab of chocolate fudge!

Following the fudge experience, I brought some Rapeseed Oil that is actually from the Cotswolds. Mr P and I saw some at a farmers market not long ago and kicked ourselves for not buying any... well, they had a really good offer on at the show, so I came home with a bottle... I'll let you know how we get on with it! I did try their Dill Infused Oil and that was very good too, but I was mindful as not to buy a load of stuff as I had to carry it in my ruc-sac all day!

I also brought some lovely cupcake cases and some pots of edible glitter from a baking stall that were also on a good offer. So it looks like I will be doing some baking soon!

One of my highlights of the show was sitting down and watching the food demonstrations. I watched two of them, the final being delivered by John Burton-Race. I must admit he was very good and involved the audience. He also can around to the front of the stage and engaged with a family and their children which was nice to see. Inspiring the next generation of young chefs!

Sorry it's not a good photo, but I was sat at the back!

After the show, I decided to walk from Tower Hill along the Queen's Walk which goes along the side of the Thames to Westminster. First stop was passing the Tower of London and over the Tower Bridge...

Tower Bridge

The last time that I went over Tower Bridge was when I ran the London Marathon last year! It brought back some happy memories!

Tower Bridge last year!

Of course, a trip to London for me means a definite stop off at Borough Market also known as Food Mecca! I stopped off and brought lunch from Arabica Food and Spice who have a stall at Borough Market and Covent Garden. I went for their Falafel Wrap with Salad and Pickles...

Lovely selection of Eastern Mediterranean food

Mmmm falafel wrap!

I also brought some buffalo mozzarella cheese and some comte cheese which Mr P is also quite partial too...

Comte cheese

Here are some photos of the market just to tease you...

The biggest vat of paella ever! And it's really good!

Artisan bread

Everyone enjoying the sunshine and their food of course!

Hustle and bustle in the market

Refreshing organic lemon iced tea

The french stall

An amazing selection of tomatoes

And a little treat for me!

I also paid a visit to the Tate Modern and saw an exhibition on photos taken by Burke + Norfolk: Photographs From The War In Afghanistan and enjoyed the beach theme and stalls along the South Bank. They had beach huts, sand pits, bunting, street entertainers, craft stalls, ice cream and lots of music.

Art underneath oene of the tunnels

And again...

The London Eye

The day was rounded off with a trip to Covent Garden, Piccadilly, and a quick look around Fortnum and Mason where I spied a bottle of balsamic vinegar for £200.00!!!!! I love having a look around their food sections. It's amazing what they sell... and the price!

I can't wait for my next trip to London! But now I'm shattered and ready for bed!

Cheers for now,

Nic xoxox

What a right ole royal weekend!

Crikey! What a weekend! It's been all go here in Oxfordshire. We had the Royal Wedding on Friday. Our invite got lost in the post (obviously!). I didn't think that I would be too interested in the wedding however Mr P and I snuggled up on the sofa to watch the whole event. It must be something about a good wedding and two people in love getting married. I love a good wedding and it always brings back happy memories of ours. I don't know how Kate looked so calm - I would have been bricking myself! I thought the whole event was very natural and understated and I wish the couple a wonderful marriage ahead of them.

To celebrate the event, the village hosted a BBQ with games in the afternoon at the Cricket Pavilion. I volunteered to make some cakes and here they are, looking lovely on my new cake stand which my mum brought for me as a house warming gift...





Decorated with red, white and blue ribbon of course!

I made a Victoria Sponge Cake, Lemon Drizzle Buns and Mocha Cupcakes.... and in the tin was Apricot Crumble Slices. They went down a treat. So much so that I have had people stop by the house to thank me after the event!

Today, we went over to Blenheim Palace as they have had a Royal Jousting Festival on all weekend which was quite interesting!

Blenheim Estates was also out in full bloom, lots of lovely flowers and I snapped these bluebells, a lovely sight!



Hopefully I'll get some baking in tomorrow as well! Well, it is a Bank Holiday Weekend after all!

See you soon,

Nic xoxox