I've just heard that all RHS gardens have free entry next Friday, 
.

Free Day Friday - 7 November

All four RHS Gardens offer free entry to all today. Come and enjoy the autumn colours, enjoy a warming coffee or lunch, and perhaps make an early start on your Christmas shopping. Already a member? Why not bring along friends and family and share with them the benefits of RHS membership.

RHS Wisley, Surrey: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley

RHS Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr

RHS Hyde Hall, Essex: https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/viewevent?EFID=10858&ESRC=CRM

RHS Rosemoor in Devon: https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/viewevent?EFID=11294&ESRC=CRM

Wisley in Autumn

Cornish Pasties (like mother used to make - and grandmother)

makes about 8

Pastry: 
2 lb SR flour
8 oz margarine
8 oz lard

Filling:
4 or 5 onions, chopped finely
potatoes, peeled
half a swede, peeled (or turnip if you're Cornish)
1 lb beef skirt, chopped

milk for glazing

1. Make pastry by gently rubbing the fat into the flour, add a little water to make a fine dough.  Leave it to rest in a cool place for about half an hour.
2. Grate or chop potatoes and swede finely
3. Roll out pastry into rounds of about 9" diameter, cutting around a small dinner plate.
4. Wet the outer inch or so of each circle with the milk.
5. Into the middle of each piece of pastry put a handful of the potato and swede mixture
6. Top that with the chopped onions, then the meat.
7. Season very well.
8. Finally put on some more of the potato and swede mixture
9. Gather the pasty together and crimp (see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sS3Iz9E5O4).  Brush with the milk.
10. Leave to rest before putting in a hot oven (220/200/7) for about 10 minutes, turn oven down (180/160/4) and cook about another half an hour or so.
11. Turn out onto a wire tray to cool.
12. These freeze well and can then be reheated for about 10 minutes in a hot oven (more if heating from frozen).

No bread in the house?

How about making drop scones? - also can be called pikelets, girdle cakes or Scotch pancakes

4 oz SR flour
1 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
1/8 pt milk

1. Whizz all ingredients together.
2. Heat pan until very hot.
3. Add spoonfuls of the mixture, encouraging them to make circles.
4. When bubbles appear underneath the surface turn over.
5. Serve with butter or jam, syrup, honey.

Or 

Spicy Corn Muffins

140g fine corn meal

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp ghee (or oil, I used coconut)

70g grated cheese

chilli powder and salt, to taste

1 egg

225ml natural yoghurt

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander (or 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped)

Makes 10 (5 in Yorkshire pudding tins)

1. Preheat oven to 200/425/7.
2. Grease muffin tins (I used Yorkshire pudding tins) and put tin in oven to heat
3. Put dry ingredients in bowl add rest of ingredients and mix until smooth.
4. Pour into muffin tins
5. Bake for 20 mins.

OR
Cornmeal Pancakes

http://glutenfreemommy.com/cornmeal-pancakes/

10 perfect lesser-known cookery books 

(from Stella magazine)

Looking to buy a recipe book for someone for Christmas?  This list of lesser known cookery books will have something for everyone - but on the other hand I'd love to buy them all!

The Scandinavian Kitchen by Camilla Plum (appropriate name):  Horseradish and rhubarb, herring and crab-apples - Britain shares so many ingredients with Scandinavia, and Camilla Plum's book brims with seasonal recipes showing how to use them in a simple, family-friendly way. Everything you nedd to know about Nordic cooking is here (kylebooks.com, £25)

Good Things to Eat by Lucas Hollweg:  There is nothing revolutionary here, but when you own this book you find yourself turning to it more and more, for a family supper, or lunch for friends.  Lucas Hollweg writes with self-deprecating charm about  the food that makes him feel hungry and happy. (harpercollins.co.uk, £20)

Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison: The latest and best book by America's vegetarian queen, with 400 pages of wonderful recipes, divided by botanical families, and with interchangeable ingredients.  You could cook from this all your life - and need never look at another vegetable cookery book (randomhouse.com, £23.50).

The Real Taste of Spain by Jenny Chandler:  Jenny Chandler trawled the markets of Spain for classic recipes from the country.  This is home cooking, plus useful advice on how to choose produce or the right pan.   Perfect for anyone cooking in Spain, but all easily doable here too (anovabooks.com, £14.99).

A Platter of Figs by David Tanis:  A great book on entertaining friends.  David Tanis was head chef at the legendary Chez Panisse in California for half the year; the other half he cooked in his tiny home kitchen.  He organises each menu so you are not too exhausted to talk to your guests, with delectable fail-safe recipes (workman.com, £20.57).

Lulu's Provencal Table by Richard Olney:  Lulu Peyraud, Olney's Provencal neighbour, was a brilliant intuitive cook of traditional dishes from the region.  He vividly records her easy-to-follow recipes (with her assertive comments) for bourride and aioli, though few can grill fish, as she does, over vine embers (grubstreet.co.uk, £16.99)


A Little Table of ... China by Deh-Ta Hsiung and Nina Simonds: If you've never pleated a dumpling wrapper, the step-by-step instructions and photographs here act like a reassuring hand on the shoulder.  Family meals are covered in depth, and you'll learn about the history of the Peking duck and how to perfect dipping sauces (murdochbooks.co.uk, £8.99).

The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert:  Paula Wolfert has loved Morocco for 50 years, says she finally understand its varied cooking:  this book is the result.  Authentic tagines and pastillas not prettied up for the photographer (though the images are beautiful) are simply explained and utterly delicious (bloomsbury.com/uk, £35).

Memories of Gascony by Pierre Koffmann:  Britain's finest French chef tenderly evokes the coking and peasant family of his creative grandmother and cantankerous grandfather in deepest Gascony, when oxen still did the heavy work.  A moving read and glorious recipes.  (octopusbooks.co.uk, £30).

You're All Invited by Margot Henderson: When art-world grandees or fashion and bohemian celebrities throw a reception, they call in Henderson's catering firm.  This is the only book on cooking for a cool drinks party for 50 or a wedding.  There are also great dinner parties, and picnics that survive a journey (penguin.co.uk, £25).

What a wonderful selection of ideas, many thanks to Stella Magazine for doing all the work and bringing these books to our attention.

Yesterday we bought a sack (yes, a sack!) of potatoes for £2.00!  They look pretty good, but I'm not sure how long they'll keep, so we're likely to be eating potatoes every day for the next couple of weeks.

The first thought is jacket potatoes.  My favourite way of eating jacket potatoes is with home-made coleslaw, although there are lots of lovely combinations - what about scrambled egg with chopped up crispy bacon - or one of the many ideas given below? but before that here's one idea:

Bonfire Jackets

4 large Maris Piper potatoes

6 rashers lean back bacon

75g mature Cheddar cheese, grated

400g tin of kidney beans, drained

4 spring onions, chopped

½-1tsp smoked paprika

75g sweetcorn (optional)

When cooked, remove the potato from the skins and mix with cooked bacon, plus half the cheese and the other ingredients.

Put rest of cheese on top and grill for a few minutes.

From: https://www.lovepotatoes.co.uk/recipes/jo-pratts-bonfire-jackets

Also good with jacket potatoes are the following combinations of fillings:

• Lunchtime special: chopped lambs kidneys and sliced onions, sauted in butter, add s&p, garnish with chopped parsley.
• Walcott Potatoes: scrambled egg, quartered tomatoes, sliced blanched red and green peppers (optional), chopped rashers of grilled bacon. Garnish with rings of green pepper and onions.
• Potato and Kidney Lyonnaise: one small lamb's kidney, cored and sliced, 2 oz onion finely chopped, simmer in two tablespoons stock until cooked and stock has evaporated.
• Cheese and haddock bake: smoked haddock, steamed and some grated cheese.
• Chicken and mushrooms: diced cooked chicken, sliced mushroom, chopped onions, simmered together in some stock.
• Slimmer's delight: cottage cheese, chopped chives, chopped red pepper.
• Crisp and sweet: butter, sweet corn, cooked bacon, cream, s&p, garnish with crisp grilled bacon.
• Fisherman's supper: cheese sauce with flaked smoked haddock, pepper. Garnish with lemon slices.
• Ploughman's potato: butter, mix together pickle or chutney, grated cheese and pepper. Top with grated cheese and brown under grill. Garnish with watercress.
• Liver and onion: one small sliced and fried onion, sliced and sauted mushrooms, sliced sauted liver, pepper.
• A la bolognese: minced beef cooked with tomatoes and onions, garnish with sliced tomato.
• Norfolk special: butter, diced turkey or chicken and ham, cooked peas. Garnish with rolled up ham and some watercress.
• Stroganoff: finely chopped onions, sliced mushrooms, cooked in butter, mixed with matchsticks of fried steak in sour cream sauce, s&p. Garnish with mushrooms and parsley.
• Hawaiian: butter, chopped pineapple, diced ham, chopped celery stick. Garnish with pineapple and celery leaves.

Other ideas for potatoes:

Salmon, Prawn and Leek Hotpots: https://www.lovepotatoes.co.uk/recipes/jo-pratts-salmon-prawn-leek-hotpot

Low calorie potato recipes: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/low_calorie_potato_recipes?slide=1#leaderboardad

Also my (wonderful though I say so myself) Leek and Potato Soup: http://edvisgardening.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/leeks

Just home from work (or long day looking after toddler grand daughter) and no time?

Easy quick fish recipe

1 small Onion
Basil stalks and leaves
1 tin Tomatoes
Fish

1. In an oven tray, fry chopped onion with the basil stalks.
2. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and the basil leaves, season.
3. Lay fish on top and add a glug of olive oil
4. Cook in oven until fish turns white
5. Serve with lots of creamy mashed potatoes