April

Who ate my Easter egg..?

You know, Easter used to be all about hard-boiling eggs and sitting at the kitchen table to decorate them with paint and glitter-glue, so that on Sunday we could all climb the nearest hill and roll them. It used to be about a giant bunny with a basket who would hop invisibly to our doorstep and leave his chocolate treasures for the children to find. It was about lazy days lounging in the garden after an alfresco lunch. Now, it’s about number one son arriving back from university with all his washing, using every electrical socket in the house to recharge his phone, his iPod, his laptop, and every other mode of necessary communication. Number two son being around all weekend means that the cottage rocks to ‘house music’ through his giant speakers, mixer desks, and turntables. Vinyl records, apparently, are the new old thing to come back in – a bit like me wearing the new Spring hippy look - only louder. Number three son, prefers sport and the outdoors, so it’s likely that he and his dad will be practicing axe-throwing (the latter being a Scottish Champion, no less) at the target in the middle of the lawn all weekend. So from the safety of the hen house – a belated happy Easter everyone!

This month, I noticed that one of three hens is behaving a little strangely, but I’m not quite sure which one? When I open the henhouse in the morning, I have come to expect our usual quota of three eggs, laid by Kylie, Britney, and Beyonce, but on occasion over the past few weeks, I have been presented with either two eggs only, or two normal sized eggs and one enormous double-yoker, or two normal sized and one teeny-tiny one. Or incredibly – a wobbly egg without a shell around it at all! What’s happening here…?

Perhaps the lambs playing in the field behind the cottage, who sometimes find their way through the fence and the hen’s pop-hole, are worrying our feathered slacker? Although, as you can see, they seem to get on fine with each other otherwise.

The weather has been so good here during the whole of April and I have managed to get out in the garden quite a bit. I did some much needed clearing up in the herbaceous border and have mowed the lawn a couple of times too. I planted out my ‘Pentland Javelin’ potatoes in the raised bed. I also sowed some spinach and spring onion seeds directly into the soil, and in my new herb garden sink, I sowed basil and coriander seeds. I also potted up some basil seeds for the kitchen window ledge, as I think it might have to wait awhile for the outdoor plants to appear. Everything else will have to wait for May, when the threat of night time frost might be over.

Last month, I mentioned I was on the look out for a greenhouse. I wanted to buy second hand rather than new and I scoured eBay and the local newspapers for a bargain. Then, a dear friend pointed me in the direction of our local Freecycle group. Freecycle groups match people who have things they want to get rid of with people who can use them. The goal is to keep usable items out of landfills. By using what we already have on this earth, we reduce consumerism, manufacture fewer goods, and lessen the impact on the earth. Another benefit of using Freecycle is that it encourages us to get rid of junk that we no longer need and promote community involvement in the process. Everything posted must be free, legal and appropriate for all ages. When you want to OFFER something - whether it's a chair, fax machine, piano or an old door, simply send an email to your group. Maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself? Post a WANTED message and a group member may just have what you're looking for. Alert the group with a follow-up RECEIVED email. After that it is up to the giver to decide who receives the gift from the responses only they receive and to set up a collection time, and finally post an item TAKEN message. What a FANTASTIC scheme - so why don’t you subscribe to your local group? In just one week I had an OFFER email from someone in the same region who has an old 8’ x 6’ greenhouse frame that they don’t need anymore. I’m collecting my new-to-me greenhouse at the weekend – so more about that next month!

http://www.uk.freecycle.org/

Some very dear friends of ours have a lovely cottage next to a riverbank and, during mid-April, they invited us to a barbeque night. The very first of the season. It was a clear and star-filled night at the bottom of their garden and wild garlic infused the air as we all sat round a huge bonfire to eat some fantastic food and drink lots of delicious wine. It was a fabulous night – I do hope we all do it again soon!

Before we go onto this month’s recipe, I’d like to tell you that today, the last day of April, is darling Polly’s 5th birthday.

Polly is 5 today

Recipe for April.
I waited right to the end of this deliciously warm month in the hope of seeing some locally produced Food Of The Gods available and I wasn’t disappointed. Asparagus is one of my favourite of all things and I like it served simply or extravagantly. This week, I have eaten it for breakfast, steamed and dipped into a poached egg, I have eaten it for lunch in a creamed soup, and I have had it for dinner in a quiche with ricotta cheese. This recipe is the best of all ways to serve early spring asparagus and it is simply delicious.

Oven Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan.
Ingredients:
A bunch of the seasons best asparagus spears.
Olive oil.
Shaved or grated Parmesan Cheese.
Salt and Pepper.

Method:
Wash and snap the hard ends off your asparagus storks. Put them aside to make a soup.

Dry the spears with a clean tea towel and place in a metal oven dish.
Sprinkle with olive oil, shaved or grated parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper and toss together. Place in a hot oven (at least 200 degrees or gas 6) for 7-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your spears. You don’t want to overcook them.
Toss with extra shaved parmesan and serve with hollandaise sauce. Enjoy.

Next month, in May, I’m hoping to blog from my new-to-me greenhouse where I will be sowing tomatoes and peppers (hopefully!) - so why don’t you join me? Meanwhile, please do leave a comment. I’d love to know your thoughts on the things I’ve blogged about this month or to answer any questions. It’s easier now to leave a comment than it was before – so what are you waiting for?

Love,
Janice

March

I LOVE March. It means longer days, and even though the weather here in Scotland can still be on the shivery side, there are daffodils flowering and lambs are being born all around us. In the field behind the cottage, this ewe and her newborn lamb are just out from the birthing shed and into the brisk March air – but junior, you will see, if you take a close look – has a little plastic coat on to protect him from the elements. Bless!

The beginning of the month heralds my birthday, and this year, as usual, I have been spoiled rotten by family and friends. First, I enjoyed a few luxurious and romantic days away with my darling husband and then I was treated to a party organised by our dear friends, with a cake and candles and dancing and Margaritas. Okay, so you might think girls in the countryside don’t DO cocktails - but you’d be wrong – we can be very cosmopolitan!


In mid-March, and in anticipation of Springtime in the garden, we put a new fence and gate around the vegetable garden and lined it with chicken wire. This is primarily to protect the raised beds from the pesky puppy but it also defines the ‘working patch’ from the rest of the garden. I can’t wait to start growing our own vegetables and salads again but, unfortunately, it’s still far to cold up here in the hills to begin work outside. To compensate, I have my ‘Pentland Javelin’ early potatoes ‘chitting’ inside on a kitchen windowsill.

A very generous friend gave me two old butlers sinks and I have sited these outside the kitchen door. They are just waiting for the herbs I hope to grow from seed!


You’ll be sad to hear that this month we lost one of our hens. By lost, you know I don’t mean that she took a stroll and forgot to come home, don’t you? Our poor feathered friend met a violent end, I’m afraid, but I take some comfort in knowing that her short life was a happy one. R.I.P. Madonna. I miss you.

The dogs have been to get their springtime haircuts, and now that the puppy has lost her puppy-fluff and has grown so much, I can hardly tell Polly and Ruby apart in looks - although in personalities - they are still SO different!


The month end was very special as I launched my recently published romance novel entitled ‘Beneath Apricot Skies’. The event took place at a fabulous village venue called Thomas Tosh. It’s a bookshop, an antiques centre, an art gallery, and an absolute treasure in Dumfries and Galloway. Courtesy of owners Paul and David, we had apricot themed nibbles and drank pink bubbly, while I signed and sold lots of books. It was a fabulous event and my heartfelt thanks go out to all of those who supported it and made it a very special, and for me a never to be forgotten, occasion.

Available to order online and from all highstreet bookshops

Recipe of the month:
My recipe this month is a warming spicy parsnip soup. I can’t take all the credit for it because a friend made this soup for a supper dish recently - and we loved it – so much so that I experimented in the kitchen the following day until I had managed to recreate the exact exquisite blend of flavours. Parsnips are so much sweeter and tastier after the frosts of January and February have bitten them - and if, like me, you don’t have any parsnips still tucked up in your vegetable beds – you’ll notice that the shops are selling them at very good prices just now.

Spicy Parsnip Soup.
6 Parsnips, peeled and chopped.
2 carrots, peeled and chopped,
2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped.
1 leek, washed and chopped.
1 small onion, peeled and chopped.
Dash of olive oil/butter.
2pts/approx 1 litre of chicken stock (I use stock made with Knorr Stock Cubes).
1 teaspoon of curry powder.
1 teaspoon of curry paste (I used Madras as I like it hot!).
1 tablespoon of tomato puree.
Good handful of fresh coriander (the secret ingredient!)

Method:
Wash peel and chop the vegetables into small pieces. Add to a large pot with the olive oil/butter. Fry for a few minutes until soft. Prepare the chicken stock cubes (2 or 3) by adding 2pts/ 1 litre of boiling water and then adding the curry powder, curry paste, and tomato puree, to the stock. This gives the soup a lovely colour as well as a lots of flavour. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Puree the soup with a hand blender or in smaller quantities using a food processor until smooth. Wash a good handful of fresh coriander leaves, chop, and stir into the soup. Bring back to a simmer. Serve up with your favourite crusty bread.

Next month, in April, I’m on the lookout for a greenhouse as I suddenly have a longing to grow chillies and other peppers and to protect my precious crop of summertime tomatoes. I am also looking forward to warmer weather, particularly over the Easter weekend, when our eldest son is home from university and lots of family are coming to stay. We will be rolling decorated hard-boiled eggs down the hill behind the cottage – an annual and traditional event. I can’t wait..!

Janice


NB All rights reserved. Extracts and photographs may not be reproduced in any form except with the permission of the author.

February

February

Snowy Snowdrops

Despite it having been the coldest and snowiest February for many years, the snowdrops in the grass-banking have somehow managed to show themselves. The rest of the garden though, is still sleeping, and it will be a while yet before I’m outside doing anything about the holes which have suddenly appeared in the middle of the lawn. It’s not the moles digging but our wee west-highland puppy, Ruby, who looks far too cute to be so very naughty!

Wee Ruby

During early February, three of our dear friends decided to celebrate their birthdays together with one big joint party. It was wonderful to socialise again after our ‘flu ridden exile over Christmas and January. A great night out was had by all!

Mid-month, we went along to an Old Time Musical Evening held in the village hall. The entertainment was truly fabulous. There were lots of talented local people, poets, and singers, dance troupes and pipers, all performing alongside world-class opera singers, accordion players and stand-up comedians, some of whom had travelled home to Scotland from far-flung places to support this important local charity event. All the money raised (in excess of £1500) was in aid of The Crossroads Orphanage in Matatiele, South Africa, a children’s home regularly supported by our village.

While coping with the cold and icy weather, I have been keeping a careful eye on the hens and watching for any signs of a chill. (If you have ever heard a hen sneeze it’s a funny wee sound!). The ‘girls’ have needed an extra feed around midday this month to keep their body temperatures up in these sub-zero conditions, and a generous daub of Vaseline on each of their little combs, (that’s the red wobbly bit on their heads) has helped to prevent frostbite. Unlike the dogs, Polly and Ruby, the hens don’t get to spend their evenings sitting next to the log fire!

The ‘girls’ need an extra feed…


While Polly and Ruby keep warm by the fire…

The landscape around the cottage in February has been so white with snow and the trees and branches so dark, that each morning, it has appeared as if the world has been presented to us in black and white. Beautiful in its contrast.

A snowy scene from the cottage in February

My recipe for February was inspired by the glut of eggs being laid by our industrious hens and the presence of several boxes of Ferrero Rocher chocolates left over from Christmas! I took this easy to make sweet dessert along as my contribution to the joint birthday party buffet table early on in the month (but not before I took a photo to show you the result) and everyone said it was both unusual and delicious.

Ferrero Rocher Roulade

Ingredients:
6 eggs whites, whipped until stiff but not dry.
6 oz caster sugar
A handful of flaked almonds
8 Ferrero Rocher chocolates melted in a bowl over a pan of simmering water
Double cream or whipping cream, whipped.
Method:
Lightly grease a baking tray with baking parchment or use bako-glide.
Whisk the eggs until stiff but not dry. Add the sugar. Continue to whisk until all the sugar had been incorporated and the mixture is stiff and glossy.
Spoon the meringue into the lined tin and spread out.
Sprinkle the surface with the flaked almonds. This will be the outside of the roulade.
Bake in a preheated oven at 220 degrees C (425 degrees F, Gas 7) for about 8 minutes until the top is golden brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 160 degrees C (325 degrees F, Gas 3, or use the warming oven on an Aga) and continue baking until the meringue is firm to the touch.
Remove the meringue from the oven and turn out onto a baking sheet with lining paper. Peel away the baking parchment/bako-glide from the meringue and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
During this time, take the Ferrero Rocher chocolates out of their wrappers and put into a small bowl over a pan of simmering water. Beat with a fork until melted.
Add the melted chocolate mix to the double whipped cream and beat together.
Spread the chocolate cream mix over the meringue and roll up carefully from the long end, using the lining paper to help lift it. Wrap the roulade up and leave to chill and firm up in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Next month, in March, the days will be much longer. I’m hoping to see daffodils and some early springtime sunshine in the garden. I’ll be chitting potatoes ready for planting out and making plans about what else might grow in the vegetable patch this summer.

Outside the cottage, which is over two hundred years old, it is clear to us that the winter has ravaged the stone and paintwork rather more than previous years - so there will be much to do once the weather allows. Well, let’s see what March brings us…

Janice

NB All rights reserved. Extracts and photographs may not be reproduced in any form except with the permission of the author.

January 2009

New Year - or Hogmanay - as we call it in Scotland, came in with a sneeze this year. The family and I all had ‘flu and a very nasty version of it too. Thank goodness we had a plentiful supply of remedies in the medicine cabinet, soup in the freezer, and split logs in the woodshed. Unfortunately, family and friends scheduled to visit over the holiday season had to be put off for their own protection. We missed them dearly but hope to see them all soon for some serious catching up.

The snow on the hills and the short days of January don't seem to faze my hens, who to everyone’s delight, are all still laying! The ‘girls’ can be seen trooping off across the fields behind the cottage like arctic explorers, returning only for their corn at lunchtime and their cosy beds at sundown. Despite the bitterly cold weather, they seem very happy and carefree in their environment - as all hens should. If, like me, you care about how chickens live in the commercial meat and egg producing world, you might like to consider joining Hugh F-W’s Chicken Out Campaign, at www.chickenout.tv/sign-up

'Kylie enjoys being free-range'

I don’t shoot, but January is still part of the shooting season for pheasant, partridge, woodcock, ducks and geese, and as we live on a shooting estate, I am often offered and gratefully receive a brace of birds for the family table. Last week, unusually, I was offered a goose which had been shot off the Solway Estuary. I have not prepared one before but I was up for the challenge. I must admit to having felt a little sad every time I saw this once graceful bird dead and hanging in my outbuilding, but we do eat meat, and therefore I must accept and respect where our food comes from. It was a Pinkfoot, an Icelandic migrant, and not a large goose compared to some breeds and so, after a couple of days, I plucked it and prepared it for the oven. The family are in for a treat!

Me holding up a Pinkfoot Goose shot on The Solway Estuary

The 25th of January heralds Burns Night. This year it is the 250th anniversary of The Bard’s birth. Burns Suppers are held all over Scotland and indeed the world. Traditionally, a cooked and steaming haggis is addressed in Burns style with the poem, ‘Fair fa' your honest sonsie face, Great Chieftan o' the Puddin-race,’ and then ripped open with a dirk or a dagger before being served up with mashed tatties (potato) and neeps (turnips). During the supper, Burns’ poetry is read out by tartan draped laddies, who comment on the lassies present, while lots of whisky is consumed to the tune of the bagpipes. The customary reply from the lassies, you’ll be pleased to hear, often takes the form of a retaliatory strike before the dancing commences. Oh, I do love a good Burns Supper!

With regard to the presentation of the humble haggis for our family table, I tried to be a little less traditional and a lot more adventurous this year. I have devised a haggis recipe based on the good old-fashioned cottage pie. The ingredients and method are listed below - and, just so you know my ‘Haggis Bake’ really has been tried and tested, I took a photograph (see below) of the finished result. I would urge you to try it. It’s an easy and substantial January dish and everyone in the family said it was absolutely delicious!

Haggis Bake.
You will need:
One medium haggis (I’m using a traditional Macsween of Edinburgh haggis).
800 gms lean Scottish steak mince.
One large onion.
Two tbsp plain flour.
Tin of chopped tomatoes.
One and a half pints of beef stock ( I used OXO cubes x 3)

Potatoes (peel as many as you think you will need to cover a large shallow oven dish) then slice lengthways into medium thick slices and part boil.

Method:
Brown the minced beef in a large pan with the chopped onion. Add the flour. Stir and cook until the flour is absorbed. Add the tinned chopped tomatoes and the beef stock. Turn down the heat to a simmer and cover.
Cook the haggis by following the instructions on the wrapper. For this recipe I used the microwave method. Chop up the cooked haggis and add to the minced beef and gravy. Stir and add boiling water if more liquid is required. The oats in the haggis will absorb a lot of the liquid and you should allow for this. You probably won’t want to season the mixture as the haggis is well seasoned.
In a separate pan, parboil the sliced potatoes for about 5 minutes. You want them half-cooked and still firm. Drain in a colander. Transfer the beef mince and haggis mixture to a large shallow oven dish and arrange the slices of potato on top.
Brush with melted butter and pop into a moderately hot oven. This would be the middle shelf of the roasting oven for an range cooker or 190 degrees/ gas mark 5 for a conventional oven. Bake until bubbling and golden brown for approx 30-40 minutes. Serves 6 generously. Enjoy with seasonal vegetables like ‘neeps’ and carrots.

Haggis Bake

Thanks for reading my January blog. Please feel free to leave a comment, as I’d love to know your thoughts on it. I’ll be back on the last day of February with more cottage chat and hopefully another bespoke recipe. During February, I’ll be watching out for snowdrops and other signs of spring in the garden and looking forward to the ever-so slightly-lighter evenings. I always notice a big difference after Burns Night has passed.

Janice

NB All rights reserved. Extracts and photographs may not be reproduced in any form except with the permission of the author.

Welcome - Blog Intro

Welcome to A Year In A Country Cottage. ©Copyright

This is a personal blog created to record a year living in a small stone cottage deep in the Scottish countryside. My family and I (husband and three teenage sons) have lived in this once derelict cottage, which used to be a shepherd's bothy, for almost twenty years now - and having moved here from the city – we love it. The views from the cottage are breathtaking, no matter the weather or the time of year. In the summertime, the garden produces flowers and vegetables. In the wintertime, we can be snowed in and it is important for us to be as self-sufficient as possible. As well as our teenagers, we keep four hens, Madonna, Kylie, Beyonce and Britney, and two West Highland doggies, Polly and Ruby.

My plan is to update this blog on the last day of every month.

As a keen cook, I'll tell you what's cooking on my Aga and I'll share with you my own exclusively developed recipes. I’ll talk about the weather, my hens, and my dogs, and note the progress of whatever I’m managing to grow in the garden. I'll include lots of photos and blog about all the joys and achievements, the trials and the tribulations, of living a country lifestyle.

So, if you’d like to drop in now and again, I’d be delighted - and even more so if you decided to leave a comment!

Janice

These photos are of the Nith valley on a bright day and also on a bitterly cold day, in January 2009, as viewed from the dirt-track outside our cottage and from the hillside behind it: First photo by Janice - the second photo taken by #3 son, while out sledging.

See you on the 31st January...?

Janice

NB All rights reserved. Extracts or photographs may not be reproduced in any form except with the permission of the author.