Sunday 20th July 2008

Woke up today with a slight niggle to the front of my head. Due in part, I think to that fourth bottle of wine we enjoyed enormously last night. I fear it is also as a result of bringing out the home-made elderflower vodka and four year old sloe gin – never again...not for a while at least!

Four idiotic friends, competing for the title of ‘best slipper shuffler’ in the morning.

This is my yardstick for a good night – do your slippers shuffle around the Aga as you gently put the kettle to boil? Or do they step up (excuse the pun) to the task of elegant morning person?

I shuffled badly and won the title for the fourth year running.

Daisy was due back at nine with eleven university friends from a party in a field. I don’t do fields/camping since last year when I tented up at Cornbury music festival. I’m far too high maintenance now. I actually took a hairdryer and straighteners along....need I say more? I’m still traumatised.

I can’t believe how much they ate. Luckily I had the other slipper shufflers around to help me. Twenty fried eggs, half a pig (I’m not kidding!), forty or so blueberry pancakes, four loaves of stunning bread I’d pilfered from my QVC cake baker AND four pounds of Musks sausages from my favourite sausage maker in Norfolk.

Recipe for Blueberry Pancakes and Maple Syrup sauce - Available Soon.

Now, just when I thought it was safe to retire to my hammock in the garden, I remembered that my brisket simmering away in my slow cooker was ready. All weekend, in between cooking for lovely girls and strapping young rowing men (wahey!) I have been testing recipes for a magazine photo shoot next Friday. Luckily they regained their appetites and I pressure cooked some potatoes (I love my pressure cooker - not scary at all) and made some butter and chive mash to go with the pot roasted brisket.

Not really perfect fare for a hot July afternoon. But what can you? It needed eating, and not by me. My bottom and thighs don’t need butter and brisket in their life.

Recipe for Pot Roasted Brisket in Ale with Mash - Available Soon.

Last night, Doddie (weird name, long story, read on) Sian, Gilly and I ate chicken and mushroom pie, mash, peas and steamed chocolate and almond pudding – again remnants from my recipe testing. The recipes are good...my cooking after the above bottles of wine not quite so good.
But that is to be expected.

Recipes for Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Pie and Steamed Chocolate and Almond Pudding - Available Soon.

Mowed lawn. Stared at two new roses I’ve bought and not planted yet. I’ll do it tomorrow. Bed early, after Top Gear fix and large jacket potato. Daisy at work. Honeybear, hairy and enormous on my bed. (long story, read on).