A bit of a repeating theme, I know, and sorry to be a bore but……………..

Last night we tried our bolotti beans for the first time, cooking them with rosemary, leek and chicken stock and topping them with garlic croutons.

The rosemary, leek, garlic and beans were all from the garden and what a treat.  Just before we were due to serve, one of our guests came into the kitchen and wistfully said they wished they could stay for supper instead of walking into Wells as it smelt so good.

Happy to share the recipe if anyone would like to give it a try

We had a productive day on Saturday, harvesting 22 lbs of our Victoria plums from the vegetable garden.  I made Plum jam with 6 lbs, the remaining going into that delicious nectar called Plum Brandy.  I won’t share the cost of the amount of brandy we needed but suffice to say we, and our friends and neighbours, can expect a very merry Christmas this year!

The trees are still laden with fruit but too high to reach and so we’ll have to think of a more inventive way of taking them.  Ideas welcome…..

Last weekend my husband Rod was involved in the organisation of an event at Bishop’s Palace “Meet the Sikhs”.

The event was run by a group from Khalsa Aid and as well as dancing and drumming, with lots of audience participation, the group also cooked wonderful finger food which was freely distributed to the crowd.  For the children there was turban winding and it was a fantastic way to find out more about the Sikh culture, which is focused strongly on equality and giving.

Crowds were large and the event was such a success, it will be repeated again next year, with the  Bishop’s Palace being tentatively booked for 9th September 2017.

Everyone really enjoyed the day, so please put it in your diaries now and plan to bring everyone you know

Somerset is famous for its apples and cider and in the spring we decided that just one more tree would make all the difference.  Of course, we had to choose Katie, which is my favourite Thatchers Cider…

Although our first crop was small, only five apples in total, (minus the one on the bottom that Bob kept munching, and the two that were knocked off the tree while I was mowing the lawn)they were absolutely delicious and we’re looking forward to many more next year.

We had a full weekend at The White House, and one of the highlights was the annual Dulcote and Dinder Flower and Produce Show.

We enjoyed the show so much last year, we decided to enter again and once again were delighted with the results:

1st Prize – Blackberry Jam – an absolute surprise, my own favourite is my Plum Jam which didn’t make a certificate this year

1st Prize – Marmalade

1st Prize – Knitted item – my one and only purple suit of armour that took me a whole year to make…..

3rd Prize – Plum Brandy – I was robbed!

3rd Prize – Kneedlecraft

3rd Prize – Onions – very disappointing since there were only two entries 🙁

Highly Commended – Victoria Sandwich Cake – to the delight of my hairdresser, who came in at 3rd this year 😉  – phew I can now go back and get my hair cut

It was great fun, with lots of friendly banter, heckles and competition – roll on next year!

Everyone knows about the Glastonbury Festival that takes place in June every year at Worthy Farm but I wonder how many people know about the Pilton Party that takes place at the same venue.

The event is also organised by Micheal Eavis and its focus is Glastonbury Festival’s annual “thank you” fundraising gig for villagers, workers and local people.

This year, the party returns to Worthy Farm on Friday September 2 and topping the bill this year is Fatboy Slim.  Also on the line up are indie band Blossoms, plus two winners from the long running Pilton Working Men’s Club “Battle of the Bands” competition, The Activators and King Eider.

Unfortunately tickets are already sold out but we’ve already put the date in our diary to try to get some for next year……

The swallows have started to mass, which is an early sign of the end of summer here in Somerset.

While the weather is set fair for the remainder of the week, its sad to think we are at the end of August already….

I’ve blogged in the past about a new Micropub that opened in Wells earlier this year.  Well, a couple of nights ago, I finally tried it and we weren’t disappointed.

While the outlook wasn’t great, it didn’t really matter – the landlord was fantastic, the beer was superb, and the locals who now frequent the pub were extremely friendly.

There was so much choice that I really couldn’t decide what to try and so the landlord suggested a tasting platter, with three small beers, one third of a pint each, served on a lovely wooden platter.  Rod decided to try the award winning pork pie, which lasted all of 30 seconds, and it won’t be our last visit.

And for those of you who need a babysitter, just take a look at the chalk board notive outside……

We had a very emotional weekend, with a visit from relatives that we hadn’t seen in 14 years.    In Sunday I cooked a huge Sunday roast and thought I would impress them by including as many home grown vegetables on the table as I could.

Those who know me will understand just how proud I am of my spinach, and I was so disappointed to see such a mountain left on the plate at the end of the meal but…..  never mind……. Bob would have a real treat……………….

Well, we all choked on our desert when my daughter shouted “Oh no, look what Bob’s done”.  He had picked off every bit of spinach from his bowl and discarded it on the floor, to get to the meaty treats below.

Exit a deflated Mary……………………………