For the last two weeks journalists and stylists have been viewing the new home and interior collections for Spring/Summer 2010. I popped along to the Sainsbury’s show on Tuesday to discover it has gone all country on us. Its lovely country-inspired and handpainted hen design and spots can be found on kitchenware from storage jars to jugs and also on textiles, such as oven mitts and tea towels. Look out for it in store and online from early next year…
Sainsbury's hen design
Our Deputy Chief Sub Editor Sarah has come back very excited from a weekend workshop at Rowan’s headquarters in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire. ‘I was like a child in a sweetie shop’, she says, ‘and the best thing was, I wasn’t the only one – there were lots of other knitters stroking yarns and exclaiming over shades! I’ve wanted to go on a Rowan weekend for ages and this one, Working with Colour, was just fab. The brilliant tutors, Sarah Hazell and Emma King, showed us with humour and patience how to work perfect, hole-free intarsia and smooth, even fairisle, as well as explaining colour theory while we made lots of little practice squares for our sketchbooks from yummy Rowan yarn. I had a lovely time – I learned so much from Sarah and Emma. There were plenty of knitters and crocheters who’d been at other workshops and it was fantastic to spend time with people who share my passion! Next year’s workshop schedule will be available soon – if you’re a crafty type and love the Rowan style you should put your name down as soon as possible. I can’t wait!’
Gorgeous Rowan yarns waiting for a project
This time of year is perfect for gathering sweet chestnuts. As the leaves fall so do the chestnuts and it will be a race between you and the squirrels, so act fast! Each year varies but you should find them anytime from October onwards. Our Shopping Editor, Alice, gathered these beauties whilst in Devon recently and decided to make our deliciously comforting Venison, Guinness and Chestnut Pie, as seen in our November’s seasonal food feature.
Foraging for chestnuts
Before you start it’s best to roast them. Make a small nick in the bottom of the nut. It will open up as they are cooking and make them much easier to open and peel. Then follow the recipe below. Enjoy!
VENISON, GUINNESS & CHESTNUT PIE Serves 6
Ask for stewing venison diced from the cheaper cuts such as the leg, shoulder or neck. Cooked slowly, the flavour is just as delicious as that of the more expensive cuts.
1.2kg stewing or pie venison, diced
3 tbsps plain flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
65g unsalted butter
225g smoked bacon, diced
1 leek, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Several sprigs of thyme
500ml bottle Guinness
300ml beef or game stock
250g mushrooms, sliced
200g cooked chestnuts
500g pack shortcrust pastry
1 beaten egg, to glaze
Sea salt, to sprinkle
1 Toss the venison in the flour and seasoning. Melt 50g of the butter in a frying pan and fry the meat, in batches, until deeply browned. Transfer to a large saucepan. Add the bacon, leek and carrots to the frying pan and fry gently for 5 minutes. Tip into the saucepan with the garlic and thyme.
2 Add the Guinness and stock to the frying pan and bring to the boil, scraping up the meat residue in the pan. Season lightly and pour over the meat. Cover with a lid and cook very gently for 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours until tender.
3 While cooking, heat the remaining butter in a clean frying pan and lightly fry the mushrooms. Once the meat is tender, stir in the mushrooms and chestnuts and check the seasoning. Leave to cool.
4 Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/Gas 5. Pour the filling into a pie dish that holds about 1.5 litres. If there’s too much liquid, reserve for heating through and serving in a gravy jug. Cover the pie with the pastry, using the trimmings to shape antlers to decorate the pie. Brush with beaten egg to glaze and bake for about 45 minutes until deep golden, covering with foil if the pastry starts to over-brown. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve with vegetables.
The winds and rains lashed the South coast on Saturday but thankfully abated for the annual Rye bonfire procession. Bonfire societies from Kent and Sussex marched through the medieval streets of Rye with their flaming torches and beating drums to the bonfire on Rye Salts. This is a fabulously ‘real’ occasion celebrating the ancient tradition of the bonfire and this year we went with friends, family and kids and loved it. Here are some photos…
Procession through the Rye streets
The dragon that breathes fire!
At the bonfire (I couldn't resist these ears!)
On wet days like today I think you need to lift the spirits with a make-me-smile umbrella. You can’t get much more perfect than one of these from Bombay Duck, one of our favourite online shops. Spotty, frilly and in feel-good elegant colours – it’s enough to make you forget the puddles, the mud, the rain…
Bombay Duck umbrellas, from £23
Adding you own finishing touches to readymade gifts is a quick-and-easy way to create personalised presents without having to start from scratch. Take a look at the Amoeba Handmade Intrigue blog by Emma from North Yorkshire. A mum of two, Emma takes time out from work as a project planner in the engineering industry to run up a few makes! One of my favourites is this lovely handmade fabric cover for a square Paperchase notebook…
Emma has used pretty fabrics, stitching, buttons and braids to transform a plain notebook.
… and the back.
Inspired by one of the stories in our November issue, I planted up garlic last weekend. Apparently, growing your own is easy. According to the packet each clove planted will produce one plant with a single bulb. There are lots of varieties of garlic as I discovered at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show this year where the The Garlic Farm based on the Isle Of Wight had the most amazing stand. Each type has its own unique taste and smell – I chose Wight Christo for its ‘elegant bouquet, ideal for a wide range of dishes’.
By the way, you can still order the Country Homes & Interiors garlic collection, made up of 6 large bulbs (all different varieties), including Wight Cristo shown here, plus 5 cloves of Elephant garlic, for £16.99, plus £1.99 p&p. Call 0844 573 1692* quoting code XCH358. Offer closes 23rd November 2009.
Our neighbours had their annual bonfire on Friday night which is always pretty spectacular as they make every effort to make it really big with the obligatory Guy on top. Despite the wind and the rain, we all enjoyed hot dogs and pork chops cooked by Doug and Richard washed down with a bottle of beer.
Jamie dressed top to toe in his Muddy Puddles waterproof looked rather startled by the whole thing (he’s only two) but Will and his friends ran wild in the darkness playing hide and seek and spelling their names in the darkness with sparklers. No photos I’m afraid it was too wet to get my camera out!
Next weekend we are going to the annual Rye bonfire. Can’t wait…
You may remember the vegetable dyed napkins featured in the Be inspired by… Modern Rustic shoot/October issue. It’s a very simple thing to do, so I thought I’d share it with you…
To begin, choose fabric to make your napkins or simply use napkins that need a new lease of life! Boil up some water, then add your desired vegetable for colour, we used the skin of 2 onions for 2 napkins & 1 chopped whole beetroot for 2 napkins. Add a heaped tablespoon of salt to deepen the natural color and help the material absorb the dye properly. Reduce the water to simmering & immerse the napkins in the water dye, and gently stir round with a spoon. Leave for roughly 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse the fabric in warm and then cool water until water runs clear. Leave to dry.
Result… rustic, natural napkins!
You'll get lovely natural colours from making your own vegetable dyes
Claire Dorey, our Assistant editor, has just been on a day trip to the new John Lewis at home store in Poole, Dorset. ‘It was a delightful experience,’ she says. ‘It’s a store with a simple layout that is easy to navigate, and was brimming with happy shoppers!’ Why so happy? Well John Lewis has the nack of making shopping for the ‘necessary’ – household objects such as a mattress, a lamp, some towels or a duvet – a real joy! ‘Little design twists here and there make every item appealing and it looks like people have voted with their feet by flocking to the store in its opening week in droves!’
New John Lewis store
