Some of my favourite Pubs.....

..... please let me know some of your favourites!


The Bell - Ramsbury, Wiltshire
The Bladebone Inn - Bucklebury, Berkshire
The Dundas Arms - Kintbury, Berkshire
The Kingham Plough - Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
The Pot Kiln - Frilsham, West Berkshire
The Rose & Crown - Shilton
The Rising Sun - Stockcross, West Berkshire
The Shears - Collingbourne Ducis, Wiltshire
The Swan - Wilton, Wiltshire
The Three Tuns - Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire
The White Horse - Brancaster Straithe, Norfolk



Spotted this one on Emma Bradshaw's blog - it's next on the list to try.
 The Woolpack - Slad, Gloucestershire



along with these:

The Anchor Inn - Lower Froyle, Hampshire
The Beckford Arms - Fonthill Gifford, Wiltshire
The  Felin Fach Griffin - Powys, Wales
The Gurnard's Head - nr Zennor, Cornwall
The Lord Poulett Arms - Hinton-St-George, Somerset
The Old Coastguard - Mousehole, Cornwall

We All Scream for Ice Cream

Well in this household we most certainly do & today for the first time ever I attempted home-made ice cream.  I felt very inspired after I stumbled across this little gem.

How could you not give this one a try.  The recipe is on the wonderful Always with Butter blog.   However the credit appears to go to this amazing lady Heather Christo.

So, armed with the ingredients & an ice-cream machine on loan from a friend, I spent a very happy afternoon in the kitchen.

Here's the machine in action.  It's not very large - I'm considering asking Santa for one of these.

Here's the finished ice cream topped with a bit of hokey pokey I made earlier in the day.  The ice cream didn't really need the topping but the kids thought it was great.

So, I've managed to successfully make ice cream, my kids think I'm amazing & I have 6 egg whites waiting to be turned into meringues!!!

I Love Autumn

I absolutely love this time of year.  I love seasons, which is probably why I love this country so much but I particularly love Autumn.  So, in honour of Autumn I am going to write a list of how I'm going to appreciate the season.

Autumn

1. Autumnal walks & picnics (kicking leaves & making fairy houses in the woods!)
2. Wear (& maybe invest in new) cosy jumpers - I've got my eye on this one
3. Socks - wellie socks, bed socks, walking socks
4. Pots of tea & homemade shortbread (see recipe below), whilst snuggled up in a blanket on the sofa in front of Downton

I love this shortbread mold found here

Shortbread

140g plain flour
25g rice flour
50g caster sugar
100g soft butter
1 tbsp sugar (for sprinkling)

Preheat oven to 140*C
Mix the flours together.  Add the sugar.  Then mix in the butter until the mixture comes together.  I use my electric mixer but you could use your hands.
I then empty the contents into a round loose bottom 7"cake tin & press it down until it's smooth.  You could go around the edges with a fork & prick it with holes.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until firm & pale golden in colour.
Leave in the tin to cool but cut it into slices & sprinkle with sugar before it cools.

I think this is a Rachel Allen recipe.


5. Pubs & log fires (find a new cosy pub - any recommendations for child & dog friendly ones?)
6. Halloween - decorate the house, make some treat jars for the kids & try some new pumpkin recipes
7. Bonfire Night - enjoy mulled cider & sparklers outside in the cold with friends
8. Do something creative - although realistically this may not happen, pottering in the kitchen usually takes over
9. Sausages & homemade chutney
10. Visit Westonbirt Arboretum - autumn is the best time
11. Home baked bread (my husband bought me a bread maker for my birthday & I love it!)
12. Make a new compote for my morning porridge