Free and fruity

After a lovely Sunday lunch with friends in Edinburgh I was getting ready to journey home when I spotted a heavily laden apple tree in my friends garden. Quick as you like I was out there filling a bag and seeing visions of my pudding future. I was not only going home with apples but also a generous haul of fresh vegetables from my other lovely friend's allotment. I in turn had bought them each half a dozen eggs from my two lovely hens and a homemade pudding. I think there's something so satisfying and heartwarming about sharing something of your own creation, be it food, drink or something a little more long lasting.

This evening I set to work peeling apples and collected another crop of blackberries from my garden. Being a good Kiwi girl at heart I turned of course to the Edmonds cookbook for the sponge recipe that would perfectly complement my stewed fruit. I'm sorry to say I don't have a snap of the finished product since I forgot to take one in my haste to tuck in.

As autumn rolls on I am still hoping to enjoy a few more crops of berries, basil and cherry tomatoes from the garden before the weather starts to turn. I'm also hoping to try my hand at crab apple liqueur and I'm already thinking of what next summer will bring.
 

Summer harvest

Is there anything more satisfying than growing your own food?
This summer I've grown strawberries, rhubarb, basil and for the first time, cherry tomatoes. I'm wearing a rather big smug grin as I sit down to dinner tonight!

Merry Christmas from the Bissums!

Hello one and all,
with only a few days until Christmas I hope you're not running around like headless chooks, frantic with last minute tasks. This time of year can bring a lot of pressure and expectation but ultimately it should be about the people you're with, not the things you give or receive.

I read an interesting story in the Guardian recently about whether home made or shop bought gifts were better. It's an interesting question because from the mania I've seen from a distance at local shops, people certainly seem to be tending towards the shop bought. Who can blame them though when most people work right up until Christmas day and time is in short supply.

Something I decided to have a crack at this year was truffles. I have a few people to see over Christmas and thought no one would seriously turn their nose up at chocolate honey truffles. Maybe part of me secretly hopes they will though - more for me!

So have a great time over the next week fellow crafters and the Bissums will be back in the new year.
xx