BRITISH BREAKFAST

We knew we were really back in UK after a few years away when Granny served up this traditional farmhouse breakfast. The kids went to heaven after all the vegetarian nonsense I have been feeding them over the months. The eggs were free range from the neighbour, the bacon supplied by the organic butcher in Kington, the tomatoes were as small as marbles and sweet as cherries, fried potatoes from the garden and of course Heinz Baked Beans straight out of the tin.  If it wasn't for the fact that house prices are so high in th UK I'd be tempted to move back.

Meet Fried, scrambled, poached and boiled

Hens are up in price, the trader wanted 8 euros a bird this year, but I got a deal at 5 euros for babies. Being young, I hope they survive the unseasonably cold weather at the moment, and it may be a few weeks before they are old enough to lay. The fence is in reasonable condition after the sheep pulled it down repeatedly last year. I can't say it is fox proof until I have had a good look, the grass is very overgrown? But as it has rained for 7 days straight and looks like rain and hail for the next 7 days so I am confined to the house. This is good news for finishing the book which is a bit behind schedule as usual.

instant instant pot noodles

Hugh gave me the idea to make my own pot noodles

http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/chorizo-and-tomato-instant-noodles-recipe

but here are my extra tips from my varying experiments

1  Invest in a good sturdy tupperware pot noodle shaped cup with lid, about 2 euros
2 Limit the amount of salt and stock, it doesn't take much too make it too salty
3 Buy thin noodles if you want them to cook in the pot in the traditional pot noodle way
4 Use spring or dried onions rather than finely chopped normal onions
5 Be inventive and experimental until you find the perfect recipe

 It takes me about 3 minutes to prepare these asian delights, perfect for the kids supper or as a lunchtime snack

We exist in stasis during the Siberian winter. No water for 2 weeks and a kitchen full of empty 5 litre bottles of mineral water, rapidly running out of heating oil, no toilet, bath, running water of any kind. The ground is frozen and the machines in the yard are frozen in time and only the onset of some future thaw will reveal the damage ... if the tractor gives up, or the car, we are fucked !

The delivery of gravel with which to finish the cottage never arrived. All work on the guesthouse is on hold. Everything is on hold. We monitor the forecast daily in hope of a rise in temperature, just a few degrees would do it. Until then, we just keep warm by the fire, make kindling, survive ...

Nut Roast

This is my nut roast recipe that meant I could never go back to meat ... I'll put a pic on here shortly ...

2 big onions, chopped

cloves garlic loads

medium mushrooms, i use frozen, chop em up

spoon of flour

cup of vegetable stock (or water)

150 gms finely chopped nuts

3 cups breadcrumbs

soy sauce

dried herbs

any fresh herbs very important !!!

Salt and pepper

Method

fry the onion in the oil for about five minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and mushrooms. Cook for a few more minutes.

Sprinkle the flour on top. Stir well. Add the stock. simmer sfor a while. Stir in the nuts, breadcrumbs, soy sauce, herbs and seasoning etc and cook it a bit.

squash it into a tin

Bake for 30 - 40 minutes

leave to go cold in fridge, slice onto plate, heat up in microwave

If all else fails

If my personal economic crisis fails to resolve then I am moving into this photo that is pinned to the wall. If the farm and the sheds and the gardens and the meadow and the children and the dog and the plants and the trees and the space have to go ... then I'll be heading into this attic space, alone. No hassles, no worries, no lists of things to do, no machinery, woodchopping, children or animals, no clocks or compass or obligations of any kind.

I'll just perch on the old leather sofa with the laptop and work, enjoy the oak boards and painted brick, stoke the fire, bathe in the warmth of the skylight, meditate in the easy chair ...

the old stove

This stove came from the UK courtesy of the in-laws about 4 years ago and did good service. It's small but efficient in a small room, and you can see the flames dance through the glass doors. It has a sheen of rust on it but that can be cured with a good brush and some blackening paste ...

Renovating the lime fireplace

The limestone fireplace in the guesthouse is in a poor state, full of holes, chipped stone and discoloured with a black tarry substance. I decided to fill the holes with a homemade lime putty of lime and water. It worked OK for the small holes but in the larger holes the putty shrank and just fell out. It would have been better to make a stone substitute out of lime and water and silver sand. Silver sand is a very fine white sand, it's often used in kids sand pits, rather than the courser yellow builders sand. The sand bonds with the lime to make a better solution. Nevermind, after filling I gave the stones a limewash and now I just need to hand sand with a fine grade to remove the brushstrokes.