Sunday 17 August 2014

Food notes from a gusty weekend


It's been a weekend of weather extremes (although not quite Channel 5 worthy - no hurricanes or ice storms). Lots of threatening leaden skies, high winds and bright sun interspersed with heavy rain showers. We've managed a few (hurried) walks but on Friday evening we went and picked more blackberries.

I apologise if you're getting blackberry fatigue. I've written about them and photographed them a lot during the past week or two but it's because I've never known such a good year for them. It seems that each time we go for an amble we discover patches full of the fattest, blackest fruits you could imagine. I have plans for all those currently taking over the freezer, but for Friday night's haul I opted for a crumble cake. A pretty simple recipe courtesy of Nigel Slater (of course). It's from Volume Two of his Kitchen Diaries and I just swapped the gooseberries for blackberries.


Jay's mum brought us some more seasonal eatings: onions from her garden. I love the papery leaves you don't often get when buying neatly-trimmed versions from the shops. Wonder how much they'll make my eyes water? By the way, I once read that wearing glasses whilst chopping onions prevents the whole crying thing. It doesn't work.



I picked up a few Victoria plums from the market yesterday. There weren't many left as we got there late. I may add them to some jam. Then again I think I'll just eat them as they are and enjoy them while they're available. I also noticed damsons for sale.

We're enjoying simple, keep-the-cold-out meals at the moment: soups, jacket potatoes, risotto. And cake, of course. Here it is with its crumble topping, awaiting a big spoon of clotted cream.


Hope you had a good weekend with plenty of good eating.

18 comments:

  1. Your crumble cake looks delicious!! (All cakes look delicious because I'm on a low cholesterol diet, no cakes or nice food). Sarah

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  2. Oh that does look like a good cake. The children tell me that wearing swimming goggles works if you're chopping onions. It all depends on how ridiculous you want to look I guess. I never have a problem looking ridiculous... I'm off to the allotment tomorrow, so hopefully there will be lots of blackberries to pick, you're right it seems to be a good year for them. I'll have to try and find as good a recipe as yours. I hope you have a good week. CJ xx

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  3. I really want to go blackberrying this week but am trying to work out how to fit it in to an impossibly busy week :). All your food looks yummy can I come over for tea!

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  4. Oh Sarah, your crumble cake looks divine! We're back to cold weather eating too. Roast chicken dinner today. The wee ones are delighted! It is a definite favourite. The weather has turned so blustery. As for the onion, when I wore contacts I never had a problem with tears but always do now. A chef once told me to use a really sharp knife and don't cut through the root end to minimise vapours. Bee xx

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  5. Your food all looks delicious. Those plums are such a pretty color.

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  6. I'm going to have to make that crumble cake. It looks divine!

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  7. I'm looking forward to baking with our plums, apples and blackberries. They should soon be ready.

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  8. That crumble cake looks delicious. I have a pie on my list of things to bake this week, but we had more luck finding blackberries on holiday last week than around here. I need to go searching out all the best spots I think!

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  9. Chopping onions with a spoon in your mouth doesn't work, either. I love adding fruit to a cake and that crumble cake looks so very good.

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  10. I really like the look of the crumble cake. I have bookmarked it for future reference. Last year our wonderful summer ended quite abruptly as I recall. I wonder if the same will happen this year.
    Leanne xx

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  11. Wow, that blackberry cake: totally my thing! xxx

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  12. Mmmm - that cake looks delicious, Yes, I've noticed a lot of blackberries around but haven't picked any yet. Much to my delight I found two field mushrooms which I had for breakfast one morning.

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  13. Damson jam is delicious!!! The cake looks delicious as well, sounds as though you have been having some lovely things to eat lately. xx

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  14. That crumble cake looks fab. I do love a bit of Nigel!!

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  15. And I refuse to wear goggles to chop them... Turns out these were nice and mild after all. I'm looking forward to butternut squash but am the only one around here who'll eat it.

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  16. No, glasses offer no protection, but: I wear contacts daily and rarely suffer with watery onion eyes and on the odd occasion I prepare onions with my glasses on they water loads. So I can only conclude that contact lenses must offer some kind of protection, or barrier. Anyway, what a lovely, foody post. I agree, the blackberries have been incredibly abundant - and early - this year. x

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  17. How lovely to find such a lovely blog - I found you via Laura as we both were mentioned in her growforagecook round up. That cake looks delicious x

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    1. Hello! Nice to meet you.
      The cake was delicious but the blackberries were incredibly sharp - I ended up sprinkling on extra sugar each time I had a slice. Not much puts me off cake, I can tell you :)

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