Holiday and a new challenge

Freshwater East (View from Garden)

I've been busy... and lazy, there are the two main reasons I haven't written in a while.  Well, we did go on our Summer holiday to the glorious Pembroke for a week, so that's a really good excuse in my book.  My Aunt has a bungalow very near the lovely beach at Freshwater East and I've have to add, its my most favourite place in the whole world.  We didn't go to any theme parks, or castles, or parks.  We had a good old fashioned holiday.  Picnics on the beach, lots of walking, rock pooling and even campfire cook out.  The children have made memories, without spending a penny and I don't feel they missed out in any way, shape or form.

Lots of Bullaces!

Still, that is a distant memory, as holidays generally seem to be a week after coming home.  Since being home, I have sat in post-holiday blues, washed the same load of washing 3 times and decided to get my act together to write about something!  During the last two days,  I have made a successful batch of home-made bagels, knocked up a 7-a-day Curry for the slugs, picked some fennel from Bullaces (wild plums) and picked up the new kitten!
my allotment for tea, picked 2kg of

I think my 7-a-day Curry was a success with the slugs, and I completely made it up so here is the recipe:


7-a-day Curry

1 Sweet Potato
1 Onion
1 Carrot
1 Small Courgette
1/2 Pepper (any colour)
Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
Handful of Peas
Good Handful of spinach/some frozen Spinach
100ml or so of Coconut milk (optional)
1 tsp Curry Powder (or more if the slugs like it more spicy)
oil

Chop all the vegetables, except the spinach and peas, to approximately the same size, small cubes is

ideal.  Wop the lot in the pan with a drop of oil.  Fry for 5 or so minutes on  a low to medium heat.  Add the curry powder and cook for about a minute - stirring.  Chuck in the contents of the tinned tomatoes with about half a can full of water along with the coconut milk, if using.  Bring to the boil and simmer until the vegetables are tender.  Add the peas and spinach.  Serve with some plain boiled rice. 

I served the leftover curry in a bowl of tomato soup for the slugs the next day, Georgie's two weren't impressed, bits in soup seems to be sacrilege!  My two ate the lot, in fact Ava inhaled hers.

After our little Bullace foraging effort, I was given a book by my mum and dad called 'All the good things around us' and it is totally fantastic!  Its a collection of old recipes using over 90 wild plants and herbs.  I am not sure that this book is still in print, but Richard Mabey's book (here) is also excellent, especially for first time foragers...So I am going to challenge myself to try and have a go at the recipes in this book and hopefully learn something along the way!  Yarrow is the first chapter in the book, so watch this space!

So excited :)

Love Melissa x