Category Archives: Kitchen

First batch off the production line

Posted on November 10, 2026 by james

Our own tomato paste, for topping pizzas, making pasta sauces and whatever else takes our fancy, really.

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Spiced pear chutney

Posted on November 7, 2026 by james

I woke up on Monday morning and came downstairs (not necessarily in that order) to the wonderful smell of spiced pear chutney being made. It’s a recipe that my wife found in a 1976 copy of the Good Housekeeping Cookbook. … Continue reading →

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No pilot’s licence yet

Posted on November 7, 2026 by james

The last two days have been a bit of a struggle, partly due to my BP issues and partly due to my abject failure at teaching myself to fly (that is, I completely failed to miss the ground) at the … Continue reading →

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An exercise in frustration

Posted on October 11, 2026 by james

I know we’re not the only ones, because if we were they wouldn’t exist, so we, err, wouldn’t be. Since about 5BC (before children) it’s been a loosely-followed tradition in our household that Friday night is curry night. Probably because … Continue reading →

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Tongs for the memory

Posted on October 11, 2026 by james

I’m not sure quite how we ended up with multiple sets of these tongs, especially as the pin that holds them together appears to be made of cheese and eventually fails to manage the one simple job that requires its … Continue reading →

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Holy hand grenades, Batman!

Posted on October 10, 2026 by james

This evening we took the pickled green jalapeños that I made last week for a test drive with chicken fajitas. Well, they’re rather more lively than I was expecting. I’ve never had my lips go numb from eating jalapeños before. … Continue reading →

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This Summer, oi ‘as mostly been eatin’ cabbage.

Posted on September 27, 2026 by james

Well, ok, tomatoes and cucumbers have featured quite a bit too, but to my surprise the cabbages have done particularly well despite the heat and lack of rain. Finding new and interesting ways to eat cabbage has been at least … Continue reading →

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The name’s Piper. Peter Piper

Posted on September 27, 2026 by james

Sadly I don’t have a peck of these. They might last the year if I did. A fair bit of today (at least as far as I’m concerned given that I’m not spending as much time alive these days) was … Continue reading →

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Last chance this year?

Posted on September 27, 2026 by james

Possibly a final run out for this year for the pizza oven, depending how the weather behaves. It’s absolutely no fun trying to cook pizza in the rain. Don’t ask me how I know. I just know, ok? I was … Continue reading →

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Tomorrow’s lunch

Posted on September 9, 2026 by james

Started like this. Sausage meat, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. All mixed together. Wrapped around some hard-boiled eggs and smothered in breadcrumbs. And finally cooked in the deep fat fryer. The front two I did last, and put some crushed … Continue reading →

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