Anyone for a Welsh cake?

As I may have mentioned (!! - sorry - it's been all consuming for about the past 4 months) we've just had an extension built  - and we got a new cooker for the kitchen. It came with a griddle you can put on the top - ideal for Welsh cakes (diet? what diet?) so I made some yesterday  - yum, yum -

You've probably got the recipe?  If not -

Welsh cakes

·         225g/8oz self-raising flour, sieved

·         110g/4oz salted butter (I used marg)

·         1 egg

·         handful of sultanas

·         milk, if needed

·         85g/3oz caster sugar

·         extra butter, for greasing

Preparation method

1.    Rub the fat into the sieved flour to make breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, dried fruit and then the egg. Mix to combine, then form a ball of dough, using a splash of milk if needed.

2.    Roll out the pastry until it is a 5mm/¼in thick and cut into rounds with a 7.5-10cm/3-4in fluted cutter.

3.    You now need a bakestone or a heavy iron griddle. Rub it with butter and wipe the excess away. Put it on to a direct heat and wait until it heats up, place the Welsh cakes on the griddle, turning once. They need about 2-3 minutes each side. Each side needs to be caramel brown before turning although some people like them almost burnt.

4.    Remove from the pan and dust with caster sugar while still warm. Some people leave out the dried fruit, and split them when cool and sandwich them together with jam.

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The river locally (River Wye) is really high - nearly up to the bridge -



I sometimes walk home along the river on the path, but I didn't this time!! -

Got a sweet little case from a charity shop -

 

and some cloths, which are being boil washed.

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AND we've got some more shelves!!  (see last post - I'm a bit shelf-mad at the mo!) Got some up in the sitting room part now too -

Just on one side of the fireplace at the moment, not sure if to have them on the other side too (apart from aesthetic choices, Mr Bank balance is not keen!)



The little birdcage is sweet, isn't it?  I got it from Julie at The Cloth Shed - http://theclothshed.blogspot.com/ (a lovely blog). Not sure whether to keep it there, or put it in the front room - here -

 or here -

Very pleased with the shelves though - they balance the high ceilings out - AND I love playing around putting stuff on them!  I'm just a frustrated shopkeeper really!

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And Ruby seems to like her new Baby gym playmat -



On the shelf.........................

Finally got some shelves in the corner of the kitchen that was a bit bare - I've been having fun playing with things to put there! -

(It won't look this tidy for long!!)             And in case I forget which room I'm in -

Horrible day here - really grey and rainy.  But I've got some beautiful stargazer lilies - they smell amazing - 

and the 1/2 price evergreen stuff I got the other day from the garden centre helps a bit outside too -

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And what can I make with these scraps of material? -

Suggestions on a postcard please.................. ;)





Blue sky thinking...................

Now that's better, whoever it is who organises the weather - more days like today, please!  It was beautiful here today - still cold, but sunny and bright -

Really uplifting! 

I went to our local garden centre and they had 50% off all plants - I got various evergreens to provide a bit of colour. The garden centre's one of those that sells gifts too - and I got this pretty necklace in the sale -

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Scoured a few charity shops yesterday and got some lovely old cups and saucers / jug and bowl - only 2 cups sadly -



And these lovely rose cups -

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Been 'playing'with new extension. Pretty paper birds from Baileys http://www.baileyshomeandgarden.com/index.php/ - :)



And I've painted my little herb cupboard -

Have a good week!

Tick, tock, new clock.........and busking......

Visited lots of charity (thrift) shops today, but came away virtually empty-handed - very unusual for me!! Got some pretty old cloths -

and lots of toys, but not much else.  BUT, got a lovely, ceramic clock (in a shop in a sale) that I think looks good in our new kitchen / dining /sitting room extension -

- seems to blend in well -

 I also got an embroidered picture that I think will please a friend of mine whose birthday's coming up - she loves India - and this is like a henna-ed hand (it looks shiny, as it's shrink-wrapped - it's a slub-silk type material) -

AND - it was in the sale at Dunelm and was only £1.99!!!!!!

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Went to Habitat in Cheltenham recently - they had this wonderful cascading display inside! -

And this chap was busking - brr - cold knees! -

Do you have buskers in your city, town, village...?    Do you give them anything?

Saw this chap a while ago - at one point, his mobile phone went off, he stopped playing the guitar and answered it, while the mechanical character played on!! -

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When I went past the duckpond earlier, collecting a grandson from school, there were a lot of ducks gathered in one small area (it's a very big pond).  As I got nearer, they flew off and I realised they'd all been sitting on this! -

And is there honey still for tea?

Been sorting through more of the stuff in our cellar, now the extension's done - and I found one box of my honey pots.  I used to collect honey pots at our old house (we moved just over a year ago). Previous place was a beautiful Grade 11 listed cottage -

(You'd have liked it Susy!!) - but we sold and downsized / moved to the edge of town - it's brilliant, as we can easily walk into town, but our garden overlooks meadows

Anyway, I had dozens of honey pots!  Found just some of them -

 

Cute, aren't they?

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Made a very tasty quiche the other day - looks a bit flat in the pic, but it was very nice! -

Recipe? -

Leek, Stilton and walnut flan  (serves 8)

Pastry:

175g plain flour

50g finely chopped walnuts

100g chilled butter, cubed

Filling:

225g leeks, washed and sliced

25g butter

4 eggs, lightly beaten

300ml single cream

150ml semi-skimmed milk

225g Stilton cheese, crumbled (or ½ and ½ Stilton and cheddar)

1.     Place flour and walnuts in a processor with a pinch of salt. Add butter and blend until mixture forms crumbs. Stir in 3 tablespoons ice-cold water and blend until mix forms a dough. Wrap and chill for about 15 mins.

2.     On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry and use to line a greased and floured 10in / 25 cm flan tin. Prick pastry base with a fork and line with greaseproof paper and baking beans. Chill while pre-heating oven to 400F, 200C, gas 6. Bake flan case for 10 mins, remove paper and beans and cook for 5 more mins.

3.     Gently fry leeks in butter til softened (about 5 mins). Mix together eggs, cream and milk / season.

4.     Put leeks into pastry case and sprinkle Stilton on top. Pour over the egg mix and cook for 40-45 mins, until filling is set and turning brown.

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Feels good to be slowly getting back to normal now, after Christmas :)

And Ruby agrees :)