Cluckerty Cluck

I'm think I'm going to get some chickens. Been on my mind for a while now.
I've cleared away an area full of scrappy shrubs. It's still shaded and nicely tucked away by my patio. I think they'll be happy there.

I used to have a pet chicken called Matilda. She was rescued from a battery farm in the seventies and came to live with us in the country. Matilda survived for a long time after, was quite the character and when she finally passed away, received an obituary in our village newspaper.
She was often seen trotting along the pavement and on occasion she found her way into the back of the post office van. The postman oblivious, only realised he had a stowaway when her head popped up in his rear view mirror. She never caused an accident, but I think it was close once or twice!

Now..what to get.

I've always had a thing about Buff Orpingtons. They are matronly fluffy ginger coloured chickens and I know they would stand up to my cats. Very feisty old birds!

In fact, bit worried now...have a feeling I'm going for a Buff only because they resemble so closely, Honey - my Labrador sized cat with an appetite to match.

What do you think?

I shall call them Mary, Mabel and Martha!

Oh Happy Day!

This is what life's all about.

The sun is shining, you have friends and neighbours in your garden with plenty of wine. The roses; just starting to bloom, parade themselves and their scent in a rather provocative way and there is just enough dappled shade to protect you from one of the hottest days this year...so far!

We even had a garden fairy.

Sigh.

What a happy day it was. We lit the fire pit or should I say, Simon 'chief fire starter' lit the fire. I watched. Man's work.

We drank wine, ate nibbles and waited for our meat to cook. We had a shoulder of lamb marinated in all my garden herbs (and a few of Carolines), we had a pork and chorizo meat shape. Both baked on the embers of the fire.

Phoebe, Dodds and Robyn bought salads and pud. Nicky bought nibbles and drink. Julia, just when we didn't think we could fit another morsel in our mouths, produced a stunning cheeseboard and plonked it on the rug.

'Okay, just one more little bit of cheese, then I'll stop' was the chosen mantra of the early evening.

Then out came some coffee and Caroline's famous white chocolate, almond and cherry nibbles.

Oh, it was glorious.
Scrumptious food, wonderful friends and the perfect early English summer's day.

All scented; magical, twinkly and pink with roses and fresh young flowers.
Sunny and friendly and just what we all needed.

A time to relax and just be.


AND JUST BEFORE I GO - I HAVE ADDED TWO MORE DATES TO MY SUMMER ENGLISH COUNTRY COOKERY DEMONSTRATIONS. HELD IN MY COTTAGE AND GARDEN. JULY 9TH AND
JULY 16TH. PLEASE GO TO MY WEBSITE www.lotteduncan.com for more details.

A Little Tease.....

.... From my book...
'Lotte's Country Kitchen' out in June.
Published by Absolute Press.

MAY

What a truly glorious month May is. Late spring is a truly beautiful time. The air is warming up, the leaves on the bushes and trees are still that lovely bright acid green, and all of my blue and purple herbaceous plants are doing their thing.

OK, better get this on the record. My name is Lotte Duncan and I am an herbaceous plant addict. There I’ve said it. It’s good to get it off my chest.

I can’t help myself. I walk past one in a garden centre and I buy it. I see one in a magazine and it becomes a mission to hunt it down. I have two extra flower beds in my garden because of my addiction. I’m well on my way to a third.

I’ve tried, really tried to get my problem under control. But I can’t. I buy them mail order; I purchase them at farmer’s markets. I virtually mug old ladies who might be stretching their hand towards the one I want.

My name is Lotte Duncan and I’m not clean of my addiction. I never will be. As long as there is a pretty herbaceous plant winking at me and tempting me in their direction, I’ll succumb. I’m weak and I’m feeble and I’m not entirely sure I care…

Pink meringues with clotted cream and strawberries
Makes about 12 meringues

2 large egg whites
110g/4oz caster sugar
a few drops of red food colouring
clotted cream and fresh strawberries, to serve
icing sugar and pink edible glitter, to decorate (optional)

Preheat the oven to 120˚C/fan oven 110˚C/gas mark ½.
AGA 4/3/2 dr Simmering oven,

Line a baking sheet with baking parchment or a non-stick liner.

Place the egg whites in a medium mixing bowl and whisk them until they are very stiff (see Lotte’s tips), not floppy or runny, but really stiff!

Whisk 2 teaspoons of the sugar in and whisk again until the egg whites are really stiff.

Now your meringue is stable enough to fold in the rest of the sugar and a few drops of the colouring, with a large metal spoon. Add enough colouring to make your meringues a candy pink the colour fades a little once they are cooked so be brave with the colouring. Do this gently so you don’t knock any air out – you’ve just spent a long time whisking it in!

Next use a piping bag, fitted with a plain nozzle, to pipe an even number of tablespoon-sized mounds of meringue, spaced well apart, on the baking sheet or you can simply use a tablespoon to plop some down.

Bake the meringues for about 2 hours. After 1½ hours, gently pick each meringue up and turn it on its side, then return them to the oven. This will dry out your meringues nicely. Transfer the cooked meringues to a wire rack to cool completely.

No more than an hour before you are ready to serve the meringues, pair them up and sandwich them together with a spoonful of clotted cream and a couple of sliced strawberries. Dust with a little icing sugar or even some pink edible glitter and eat enthusiastically.

Lotte’s tips
You can use a balloon whisk for making meringues, but life really is a little easier if you have an electric one, because the most important thing about making meringues is to initially whisk the egg whites until they are very stiff indeed before you add any sugar. This is where so many people fall down. They don’t whisk enough to begin with. As soon as you add sugar to whisked egg white it loosens and loses some of its bulk, so you need to make sure they are really stiff before you do.

The meringues can be made well in advance as they will keep for 10-14 days in an airtight container.

Prop me up then Scrum me down!!

I'm going to go out on a limb here. I may lose all dignity and I fear you may think less of me as a result.
But I'm going to say it anyway.

The person who made the decision at The Rugby World Cup a few years ago that the players should wear new tight tops and slightly tighter shorts, should, in my opinion receive a Knighthood.

There. Said it.

I was at Twickenham last weekend at the St George's Day Match between the lovely London Wasps (whom I support) and Bath.

We lost.
Well, actually we were somewhat trounced.

That aside, I have to say the whole thing went by me in a haze of muscular shoulders, pert bottoms, firm thighs and 2 pints of cider. (It's the law to drink that at a match... Lotte's law).

I became all unnecessary when the reserve team warmed up in readiness in front of me.
My distraction was at a peak as they stretched and bent over (somewhat knowingly I like to think) in front of my face.
I thought I stood a chance - yes really. Until I realised that the chances of pulling a twenty year old rugby ace might actually be a little out of my reach nowadays!.

Help was at hand however as the couple of chaps sitting behind me (late forties I think... ) tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I was 'that lady who cooks on the tv'. More my age. And fans. Cheered me up.

So, please can we start a campaign to honour the inspired man or woman who decided to clothe these gorgeous young men in tight, tight tops.
Can we write to the government and start a petition to put this person in front of the Queen for a thoroughly good Knighting.

I, obviously will be the first to sign.

Are you with me?

Lotte's Country Kitchen - My Book!! Available now for Pre-Order on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lottes-Country-Kitchen-Lotte-Duncan/dp/1906650284/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270165704&sr=1-1

A slightly different riff on the country kitchen format, "Lotte's Country Kitchen" oozes tied-with-a-pink-bow charm and wonder. Honest, home-cooked food this might be, but it is sprinkled all over with edible silvery glitter, writing that is peppered with verve and wit and recipes that link together via sweet and saucy anecdote and the occasional gin and tonic. From days spent level with the sway of her mother's apron strings through to a career in catering and presenting on many TV programmes and networks, Lotte's life has evolved around food. Her country kitchen cookbook is filled with gorgeous and ever-so-slightly naughty recipes and stunning photography which capture the very special, very magical, pink, and twinkling world of a genuine cooking talent.


About the Author
Lotte Duncan has presented and starred in numerous TV programmes, including Countryfile, Cooking the Books and ITV's Dial A Mum. some alongside such stellar names as James Martin, and was for many years the face of UKTV Food's Great Food Live. She is professional cook with many years' experience. Her beautiful cottage and garden - where this book was photographed - have featured in many interiors and gardening periodicals. She lives in Buckinghamshire.

Saucy Spring

It's all getting a bit frisky in my garden. Mr Blackbird is chasing the Mrs and becoming all unnecessary as the weather warms, the sun shines and we all say a farewell to what has been a long and nippy winter.
He's building the nest, flapping around and fluffing his feathers in anticipation of a bit of hanky panky.

I know how he feels.

I'm definitely feeling a bit more chipper now that I don't need to leave the house with scarf, gloves, boots and lipsalve. I may not have taken to chasing young men down the road,(just give me time) but I certainly have a lighter spring in my step!

I did a bit of cutting back and primrose planting yesterday. I started off a few plants in seed trays and embalmed myself with the warm sun and a southerly wind in the late afternoon. Sigh.

Today, I'm about to start the food prep for the last photography shoot of my book. Yes, nearly there.
I'm being edited as we speak.

I've seen a taster of the style and am overwhelmed by the beauty of the photography from Lara and the skill of the Art Director Matt, in turning my words and a bit of food into something truly fabulous.

I just can't wait to see the finished book and hold it in my hands.
Many tears of joy will be shed and I may just become a bit of a bore - 'Have you read my book?'...'Have you seen my book?'..... 'Oi, have you bought my book!?'

I'm sure I'll be walking into bookshops and rearranging their shelves to show my baby off to it's best advantage! Perhaps I'll remove Nigella, Delia and friends off, and plonk my book in their place. Or perhaps this is bad sport.

Nah, every woman for herself!

So, I'd better fly and finish the food. In the meantime, have a look at the photos above - all taken over the last few months whilst shooting the food in my cottage.
I hasten to add that they are my photographs (with dodgy lighting and technique!) and not the lovely Lara's.

My book Lotte's Country Kitchen is available to pre-order on Amazon.
Just tap in Lotte Duncan - and low and behold, it comes up!

Snowy Snow...

In Britain we really do like to talk about the weather. It's one of our funny little nuances. It's what brings us together and how we pass the time of day when we meet.

Britain is now in a 'Big Freeze'! The media are having a field day with it. We've had news specials about the snow on practically every channel. Scaremongering about gas running dangerously low, traffic chaos and hospitals running out of beds is rife.
'Don't panic chaps, but salt is in short supply for our roads, we may never drive again! Oh, and don't forget to pack a shovel and flask of tea.'

Oh...but we love it.

We love a crisis, we love the fact that the weather is once more front page news. The Met Office love the fact that they are centre of attention. Severe weather warnings are the new black.
Weather men and women dressed top to toe in fleece, standing to camera, under snow flurries are our heroes. For us, they face the wrath of Jack Frost to bring us news of 'The Biiigggg Freeze'! They are so terribly brave...

We are getting stranded on the roads, abandoning our cars and digging them out with spades.
We are all a bit pathetic really. We've spent too much time under a nanny state and now take absolutely no responsibility for ourselves. We expect everyone else to sort our problems out for us.
Or maybe I'm being harsh. As a nation we are lucky to have such a strong infrastructure of health and rescue. So I suppose there's no real surprise that we rely on them so heavily.

I remember the advice from years ago to take a shovel, warm clothes, hot tea and something to eat with you when driving in adverse weather.
This was/is commonsense.
Nowadays, under the warm and cosy influence of mobile phones and breakdown cover, we think we can venture out in subzero temperatures wearing nothing more than a light coat - and when caught out by mother nature's very best blizzard, we're surprised!

Still, it's pretty. I've not managed to get out at all really. Except for a small excursion to Waitrose. I don't like my car as a rule, (it's a knackered Suzuki Vitara and apparently a dizzy blond's car.) I may be blond and at times dizzy, but this daring little 4x4 has been a Godsend. I picked up a few things for my neighbours and felt quite the hero delivering them. Wartime spirit don't you know!

We've had the best time in the lane as you can see by the pictures. We live at the bottom of a steep hill, so getting out by car is virtually impossible. However tobogganing and skiing is an option - as we've all found out.
Once again, on our now annual snowy day we all lobbed snowballs at each other then retired inside for bacon sarnies and hot chocolate. Marvellous.

Every day, as neighbours we've all been chatting whilst we clear the road or defrost our car. Conversation has been entirely about when the next snow is coming, if anyone needs milk or bread, if the corner shop has run out or how the local coffee shop is thriving in this weather. Our community has never been stronger.

The snow is fabulous really. A little debilitating perhaps and a tad chilly.
But as with all the weather on our kooky island - it gives us something to talk about!

And we love that.....