River's table

Some time ago, I sat with two friends around a table and we spoke of an idea.  A dream to create beautiful events, held outdoors, in the Huon Valley, showcasing the very best food of local producers.  Food grown by people passionate about what they do. 

On Thursday, this idea was launched aboard the good ship Yukon, a Danish yacht built in 1930.  A menu inspired by the river, and a little bit by Swallows & Amazons, we shared duck and duck eggs, fish and samphire, ginger cake & rhubarb.  Goats curd, cider and home made butter.  All grown or produced within cooee of the river.  

Twenty friends, good food, beautiful Huon river.  Heavenly.

 

 

You can read all the details on Jacinta's blog Pantree Produce 

A birthday weekend

It was my birthday on the weekend.  Time sure flies quickly and I can't really believe I am getting so old.   No matter, I can think of no finer way to celebrate getting old than running away to my favourite island, Bruny. The weather was windy and wet and sometimes sunny.  We walked along the beach, played games, read books and ate simple, delicious food.

We stayed at a stylish Hideaway, my kind of place, a white, modern rustic interior with tidy piles of food and interiors magazines dotted around the rooms.  The view out to sea was the best part though.  Nothing like an ocean view to recharge your batteries. Add to that time together with my family without any distractions and you have the ingredients for a perfect birthday celebration.

The cake, a chocolate Victoria sponge, of course is a bonus.

How to make Welsh Cakes

On a perfect day there will be some freshly baked treats to greet the children when they come home from school.  The reality is on most days I’ve been too busy to bake and, well, there is always a piece fruit to fill those hungry tummies. 

However on the days when an apple just won’t do, one of our favourite afternoon treats are these little Welsh cakes. A traditional snack in Wales, these warm buttery little cakes have the beauty of being cooked in a frypan. No waiting around for the oven to get hot.




Made with pantry staples, quick to mix and even quicker to cook, these little treats can be whipped up while the kettle boils.  And they are so easy you could even get the children to help while you have a cup of tea after your busy day.  Afternoon snack and activity all rolled into one? That sounds like a perfect day!

Welsh Cakes *

Makes about 18 cakes

225g self raising flour

110g butter, diced

75g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting

75g currants or sultanas, or a mixture of both

1 teaspoon cinnamon

a pinch of salt

1 egg, beaten

grated zest of half a lemon

a little milk, if needed

a little extra butter for greasing

Sift the flour, salt and cinnamon into a bowl and add the diced butter.

Rub with your finger tips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. It doesn’t have to be perfect.

Mix in the sugar, currants, lemon zest and beaten egg and stir to form a dough, add a splash of milk if too dry.  Try not to work it too much or your cakes will be tough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1.5cm.

Cut into rounds with a 6 or 7cm plain cutter.

Warm a heavy based frypan over a medium to low heat.

With a piece of kitchen paper, wipe some extra butter over the frypan until lightly coated.

Cook each cake for about 4 minutes each side or until golden brown – check them often to make sure do not burn.

Sprinkle with caster sugar and serve straight away, traditionally with a pot of tea. Or you can split them like a scone and top them with whipped cream to be fancy.  

Apparently they keep in an airtight container for up to four days, but honestly, they've never lasted long enough to test the theory. 

(* This post originally appeared on Just B, but it's such a great recipe, I thought I'd share it again.) 

Simple things

I think the next few months are going to be huge. I mean really amazing things are happening here in our little world.  This weekend felt a little like the calm before the storm.

One of the last free weekends for quite some time, with no place to be and no place to go except home. It was T - Minus 96 hours before crazy town blasts off.  

We spent time in the garden, ate delicious food, went for walks in the rain, then dried wet hair and warmed cold toes by the fire.  

But really, best of all was noticing simple things.  Like Elsa wearing a beanie she's had since she was two, raindrops clinging to saffron crocus leaves and a painting hung skew whiff above a favourite cupboard.  

Taking time to stop and observe the little things went a long way to soothe those crazy butterflies in my stomach.  I will be taking a lot of deep breaths and making sure I remember to stop and notice the simple over the next few months.

Do you notice simple things?  

What do you do to stay calm and grounded when you feel overwhelmed?