The Elms, Suffolk

Brunch: English Breakfast (Egg, Bacon, Black Pudding) Lunch: Cheese & Tomato/Onion Sandwich Dinner: Xinjiang Lamb Skewers, Garlic Potatoes, Garlic & Lemon Courgettes A lazy day really, we did potter in the garden a little, but the weather is typical July for the UK, CRAP! Xinjiang Lamb Grilled Courgettes Dinner: Lovely courgettes from Terry yesterday.  Thick slices, in a little oil, garlic and lemon zest then on the bbq so they are charred on the outside and soft like marshmallow on the inside.  Looking forward to ours in a week or so direct from the garden.  Maggie has done well with most of her vegetables this year Xinjiang Lamb, leftover from our dinner yesterday. Thinly sliced and skewered, a little oil, sprinkled with salt, ground and whole cumin, ground Szechuan pepper and grilled over very hot coals, turning until crispy

Breakfast: Cereal & Muesli Lunch: Mortadella & Salami Appetiser: Madagascan Tiger Prawns in Garlic Oil, Malted Brown Bread & Garlic Butter Dinner: Butterflied Leg of Lamb, Roasted Fennel with Cheese, Garlic Courgettes, Suffolk New Potatoes Dessert: Apple Cake & Custard Trisha & Terry Prawns on the barbie Dinner: We had a long-standing reservation for dinner with Trisha & Terry.  Nearly had to cancel this morning as the weather has turned (again). As it turned out we managed to get most of the way through dinner before it started to drizzle.  Good to catch up after such a long time We found the prawns at Morrisons, works out to about £2.50 for 3 prawns. They turned out really well.  Trimmed, deveined, and skewered then sprinkled with plenty of sea salt for about 30 minutes before cooking so that the salt penetrates through the shell.  A quick brush with olive oil with grated garlic added and then 2 minutes per side on a really h...

Breakfast: Egg & Bacon Sandwich Lunch: Ham & Coleslaw Aperitivo:  Jerusalem Artichoke Crisps. Aperol Spritz Appetiser: Hot Smoked Salmon, Salad Leaves, Beetroot & Horseradish Relish, Lemon Mayonaisse Dinner: Butterflied Leg of Lamb, Balsamic, Garlic & Rosemary, Dauphinoise Potatoes, Baked Fennel with Cheeses, Grilled Asparagus Dessert:  Toffee Popcorn Ice Cream Cornets 99 / Orange & Lemon Cake with Creme Fraiche Dinner Guests We had a 'proper' garden dinner party.  Socially distanced with our maximum gathering of 6 people.  Georgina & Ron, Rachail, Ingrid and ourselves.  Lovely evening weather-wise. We sat and chatted, ate and drank until late in the night.  I only have a couple of photographs of the food and the event, it just seems too rude to take pictures like we normally do, when you have guests. Just a little planning, serving the social groups with individual bowls and spoons etc Jerusalem Artichoke Crisps Ap...

Breakfast: Muesli & Cereal Lunch: Cheese & Tomato / Chicken Sandwich Dinner: BBQ Lamb Ribs/Lamb Chops, Grilled Garlic Courgettes, Minted New Potatoes Today started with heavy rain and thought the day was going to be a washout. But it brightened enough for Maggie to get back into her painting mode.  A nice shade of grey this time! BBQ Lamb Ribs & Courgettes Dinner: The Lamb Ribs were good, cooked mostly the same as last time, but perhaps a lower temperature and for slightly longer for the first cook, just coated in olive oil and sprinkled with an Italian meat seasoning (salt/fennel/rosemary/thyme). I also trimmed the outside skin from the ribs and this made them tender, once the fat had rendered away.  A regular for summer I think Courgettes thickly sliced and into garlic and olive oil marinade then toasted over hot coals. Simple food is sometimes the best.

Breakfast: Sausage Sandwich / Bacon Sandwich Lunch: Curried Lamb & Cauliflower Soup Dinner: Southern Fried Chicken (KFC Recipe), Skinny Fries & Coleslaw Breakfast: Leftover sausage from yesterday for me, Maggie bought streaky local bacon from the corner shop in Otley.  It is tasty but too salty. Lunch: The last of the leg of lamb from last week made into a soup.  Still cool outside so soup seemed the most suitable lunch Southern Fried KFC Chicken Curried Lamb Soup Dinner: Shortly after lockdown I saw a Facebook post about the secret KFC formula.  KFC would be close to the bottom of our list of convenience food but we do like Southern Fried Chicken. So I tried the online recipe I found here but changed it do the final coating with breadcrumbs.  KFC deep fry their chicken in a pressure cooker and so I wanted to protect the meat a little whilst cooking, and Panko crumbs are always good.  Give the recipe a try, there is a 'healthy' ...

Breakfast: Bacon Sandwiches Lunch: Gammon Ham, Tomato & Mustard/Onion Dinner: Pappadum with Minted Onion Relish, Yoghurt with Chilli Jam followed by Lamb Rogan Josh, Bomaby Potato with Brocolli, Onion Bhaji, Flatbreads Lunch: Is it just me or is it something that comes with age?  Mustard and Horseradish just seem to have lost their bite.  What happened to that sinus tingling pleasure that you used to get from mustard? Mustard with Ham This was a fresh jar and was a bit stronger, perhaps it becomes less strong if it is opened for a while? Curry Night Dinner: This was the last of the leg of lamb we prepared earlier in the week.  From a whole leg we had Dinner for 4, 2 rounds of cold Lamb sandwiches, Lamb Rogan Gosh and there is enough left over to make  a Lamb Soup tomorrow.  Not bad for £18.00 Onion Bhaji full recipe here - so easy to make.  Gram (Chickpea) Flour, Indian Spices (Garam Masala/Cumin/Turmeric/Salt & Pepper/...

Breakfast: Bacon Sandwiches Lunch: Ham & Mustard Dinner: Coppa Ham & Honeydew Melon, Cold Meats (Lamb & Pork), Sweet Potato Fries, Cauliflower Hash, Minted Broad Beans A quiet day with food.  The weather was a bit cool and grey, and, well a little uninspiring.  We are trying to use up what seems to be a fridge full of food.  We had planned for fish (Turbot, Scallops) but they have now been frozen Melon, Ham & Beautiful Flowers from Alison's Garden Cold Meats Dinner:  The coppa and melon were a nice appetiser.  A simple dinner.  The Cauliflower Hash & Sweet Potatoes are also an easy addition We are also looking forward to our vegetable garden.  It is looking good at the moment.  The next thing we will be harvesting is Salad Leaves and Globe Artichokes Raised Vegetable Beds Globe Artichokes Almost Ready

Breakfast: Toast & Marmalade Lunch: Cold Lamb Sandwich, Branston Pickle Dinner: Baby Back Ribs, Baked Potato Lunch: Something about Lamb and Branston Pickle. Baby Back Ribs Dinner:  Maggie was feeling a little under the weather today, but much better now. But it meant that we had to cancel a visit from Lynn & Millie for a sicially distance aware bbq.  The weather was a little indifferent and rain in the air, so it may have been awkward.  Soon though Baby back ribs, cooked 3-2-1.  Sprinkled with bbq rub, into the bbq at 95c for 3 hours, Oak chunks for smoking.  Then double wrap in foil, and add about 75ml of liquid (Apple Juice, Wine, Dr Pepper etc) and continue cooking for 2 hours.  Unwrap  and slather in bbq sauce of your choice on both sides and cook for a further 1 hour  (  3-2-1 )

Breakfast: Boiled Egg and Soldiers Lunch: GI Bread rolls and Corned Beef Dinner: Lamb Chops, Hummus, Chick Pea Salad, New Potatoes Dessert: Local Strawberries & Clotted Cream Breakfast: We have personalised Alexa to give a more personal message as an egg timer. We have been using Alexa as a timer but this seems to make it more interactive Lamb Chop Dinner in the garden Dinner: Local Lamb cooked on the Baby Grill ( perhaps not the best name for it ), seared and seerved medium. Dessert: Perhaps a little early for strawberries, they are from Bedingfield. Perhaps another week, just tasted a little fresh Strawberries & Clotted Cream Coffee:  We ordered 'Chit Chat' coffee from Paddy & Scott  in April. It was not in stock at the time and so they sent a replacement of their flagship coffee 'Jerry Can'. The taste is good but we can't get it to the strength we like. A quick email to Paddy & Scott and they are happy to replace it with ...

Brunch:  Fried Egg Sandwich, Home made Malted Brown Bread Dinner: Grilled Lamb, Hummus, Tzatziki, Courgette and Char Grilled Pepper Lamb, Courgette & Char Grilled Peppers Brunch: A late breakfast really.  An egg sandwich is an odd thing I suppose, works well with freshly baked bread Dinner: A use up of the lamb from last night.  One of those days, the weather had turned a bit chilly

Breakfast: Muesli & Cornflakes Lunch: Tzatztiki, Hummus, Pitta Bread Dinner: Butterflied Leg of Lamb in Balsamic Marinade, Roasted Garlic Potatoes, Chargrilled Asparagus Lunch: Lunch on the run today, lots of jobs in the garden we wanted to finish, and also some cooking for next week.  Maggie made Shepherds Pie for our neighbour which will do a few dinners, and I made terrines for ourselve for this week.  Details coming soon Butterflied Leg of Lamb & Asparagus Dinner: Half a lef of lamb, boned and butterflied.  Marinade in a bag with Balsamic Vinegar and a splash of Sherry Vinegar, Rosemary, Bay, Garlic & Olive oil for a few hours.  Cooked indirect on the bbq at a medium heat, then directly over the coals to finish (known as reverse sear). Served medium rare Dinner by the Fire Pit This recipe is mastered by our dear friends Paul & Sue Heaver.  Sadly, Paul gave us some bad news last night, King the owner of the Palm Trees Chi...

Breakfast: Sausage Sandwich, Bacon Sandwich Lunch: Pork Tortilla Soup Dinner: Lamb Chops/Steak, Baked Potato, Sweet Corn Tortilla soup Preparing Soup Lunch: We never see this soup in the UK. It is such a good soup, Winter or Summer. Usually made with Chicken but leftover pork worked well. See here for the recipe , it may seem lengthy but worth the try. Full of options to add. We usually make stock from chicken and freeze it if not using immediately, but works well with stock packs Maggie would certainly have this soup at any opportunity, and I will always order it if I see it on a menu. One of our favourite choices on the menu at Armadillo Willy's Dinner: Lamb Chop/Steak - on the Monolith - seared and served rare, and a simple baked potato Lamb & Steak

Breakfast: Bacon Sandwiches Lunch: Ham & Cheese Dinner: Rack of Lamb (Maggie), Sirloin Steak (Steve), Saute Potatoes, Baked Fennel with Cheese, Garlic Mushrooms Breakfast: That was the last of the Old English Home Cured Bacon. I have Smokey and Sweet curing now and ready in a few days. Lunch: Another working lunch whilst we gather the fallen branches in the woods.  I say we but I mean Maggie Rack of Lamb Dinner: A quick rub of garlic and herbs, and a little oil and salt, Same for the Sirloin Steak (NY Strip) and on the bbq to be quickly seared. Searing on the BBQ Potatoes sauteed in a little butter, Fennel bulbs sliced and blanched quickly then baked with a sprinkling of cheddar and parmesan Fennel with Cheese

Breakfast: Boiled Egg, Toast Soldiers Lunch: Ham Hock Terrine, Pickled Onions, Cornichon Dinner: Lamb Rogan Josh, Cauliflower & Brocolli Bhaji, Onion Bhaji, Garlic & Tomato Flatbreads Breakfast: Maggie has bought me a variety of egg cups and I never know which one I am going to get! Boiled Egg & Toast Sodliers Lunch: The end of the Ham Hock Terrine is in sight. This time served with Cornichons, which is traditional and Pickled Onions Dinner: Curry night, cooked on the Monolith Ceramic Grill.  The lamb was leftovers in the freezer from Roast Leg of Lamb a few weeks ago.  I usually have a few  Bhaji Man  kits in the larder.  They are very conveniently packed spices.  We rarely cook curry and so this works out best for us, and are easily adaptable. It is also a great way to learn to spice for Indian food. Curry on the Monolith & The Secret Sauce This evening I used the Rogan Josh pack and the Bombay Potato pack to make...