Take Stock Magazine – May/June Edition

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take stock magazine

Its been an exciting few weeks! The latest edition of Take Stock magazine has been delivered 25,000 of Britain’s pubs, cafés, bars and restaurants, with my pic on the front cover! Its my first front cover and to say I’m delighted would be an understatement!

To add to my joy even more the publishers of the magazine, the fabl, also asked me to take the images for the Marmalade, Whiskey, Bread and Butter pudding (see below).

Next Sunday I’m off to the Fantastic Food Show with camera in hand and pencils sharpened. Then, on Tuesday, I’m boarding a train to London with my good friend Charlotte of LottieDesigns , visiting the Chelsea Flower Show. So its a food and flower extravaganza for the next few weeks!

Marmalade & Whiskey Bread and Butter Pudding

ingredients whiskey, marmalade bread and butter pudding

marmalade whiskey bread and butter pudding

Ingredients

  • 8 slices day-old crusty white bread, crusts removed
  • 50g of very soft butter
  • 4 tbsp Seville orange marmalade, plus 4 tsp to add to the top before cooking
  • 300ml full fat milk
  • 248ml pot double cream
  • 3 large eggs
  • Seeds of 1 vanilla pod
  • 4 tbsp golden caster sugar
  • 1tbsp whisky
  • Icing sugar for dusting

Method

  1. Butter each slice of bread on both sides then spread 4 with 1 tbsp of marmalade each.
  2. Pop the remaining bread on top to make 4 marmalade sandwiches. Cut the sandwiches into triangles and nestle in rows in a large baking dish. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
  3. Beat the milk, cream, eggs, vanilla, sugar and whisky together then pour over bread. Lave to soak for 30 mins.
  4. Dot the remaining marmalade all over the top of the pud and dust with icing sugar. Bake for 45 mins to one hour or until puffy and starting to caramelise where the bread breaks out of the custard. Serve hot or warm.

…..So after I had taken the shots (and as I had all the ingredients for the recipe) it seemed rude not to make it and do my very own taste test! I have to say it was delicious! It is warming, rich and a great alternative to traditional Bread and Butter pudding. My husband loved it, the Whiskey is a very soft background flavour and the sharpness of the orange Marmalade cuts through the creamy custard beautifully.

Enjoy!

Kat

Original recipe from the Take Stock Magazine.

All images © Kat Weatherill 2013

Apple & Blackberry Crumble

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blackberries blackberries apple and blackberry crumbleapple and blackberry crumble vanilla ice creamempty dessert plate

Apple and Blackberry Crumble…..

This is a quick and easy dessert that’s perfect for a sunday lunch or mid week treat. Apples and ripe juicy blackberries are perfect partners. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients 
Filling:
900g mixed apple varieties, peeled, cored and chopped
450g blackberries
50g caster sugar
Crumble topping:
80g porridge oats
140g plain flour
80g light soft brown sugar
80g ground almonds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
150g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
Medium oven proof dish or 4-6 individual dishes, well buttered.

Pre Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6

Put the apples, blackberries and caster sugar into a large bowl and using your hands mix well. Transfer to prepared baking dish.

To prepare the crumble topping, combine the oats, flour, sugar, almonds and cinnamon in a bowl and mix well. Add the cubed butter. Using your finger tips, ‘Rub in’ the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Alternatively, use a food processor, taking care not to over process to avoid grinding the oats to finely.

Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the apple mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, until the crumble is golden and the fruit is bubbling. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

If there are any left overs (doubtful!) its delicious cold with greek yoghurt for breakfast.

Enjoy!

Kat

Original recipe from the book  ’Cinnamon, spice and warm apple pie’.

All images © Kat Weatherill 2013

Gresgarth Hall & Gardens

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herbaceous border summer gresgarth hall cumbriagresgarth hallgarden furniture gresgarth hall french greyDahliabunting summer garden party agastache herbaceous border tea on the terrace summer garden gate and hydrangea gresgarth hall grow your own kitchen garden gresgarth hallphlox and calamgrostisvintage garden bench gresgarth hall caton lancashiregresgarth hall front door

Gresgarth Hall is owned by Chelsea Flower Show Gold medal winning garden designer Arabella Lennox Boyd. The garden is in Caton, Lancashire and is open once a month between February and November.

The garden consists of 12 acres of beautifully planted terraces leading to the house and lake with its own rowing boat. There are lavishly planted deep herbaceous borders, in colour palettes of cool blues, pastel pink and white and hidden beds of hot fiery reds and yellows. Theres a vast walled kitchen garden that any ‘allotmenteer’ would go pea green with jealousy on visiting. As you walk around you can discover a pebble mosaic by artist Maggie Howarth, also hidden folly’s and sculpture.

Depending on the time of year of your visit you can see drifts of Hellebores, walk through a Rhododendron and Magnolia filled hillside or the bluebell walk. No matter what month you visit there is always something looking spectacular out of the 6000 varieties of plants and trees in this vast, beautifully maintained garden. Its is the garden of dreams, with a small army of gardeners to care for it, it is an immaculate mixture of Italianate style and the best of British planting.

kind regards

kat

p.s  Remember you can keep in touch with me between blog posts on Facebook & Twitter

(image credits – all images by Kat Weatherill – if you use any of these images please add a link back to this site – thank you)

Sunshine and Snowdrops…..

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Snowdrops galathus nivalis

Snowdrops galathus nivalis

Snowdrops galathus nivalis

Here in East Lancashire its a balmy 8 degrees C, the last day of February and the sun is shining. Theres a sense of hope, optimism and longing in the air for the start of Spring.

For many gardeners the sight of Snowdrops heralds the end of Winter. So I couldn’t resist sharing these beautiful flowers from my own garden with you today. These is the most common species of Snowdrops (Galathus nivalis) they are extraordinarily hardy and easy to grow. They thrive in most soils and particularly love heavy, moist soil and if possible a little light shade. Flowering in February to March they are always a delight to see, you can lift and divide them whilst they are ‘in the green’ or plant as dry bulbs in Autumn (although these can take longer to become established and it may be a couple of seasons before you see any flowers). If you have a little space in your garden they are defiantly worth adding or plant a few bulbs in a terracotta pot to appreciate these small delicate flowers up close next year.

Hope the sun is shining where you are today…..

kind regards

kat

p.s  Remember you can keep in touch with me between blog posts on Facebook & Twitter

(image credits – all images by Kat Weatherill – if you use any of these images please add a link back to this site – thank you)

February colours…..

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A quick post to brighten a February day. In flower in the garden now, the bright cerise pink of  hardy Cyclamen coum growing between the evergreen ferns in a shady part of the garden…..

Cyclamen coum

Galanthus - snowdrop

Delightful Snowdrops in warm terracotta pots at eye level so you can appreciate their delicate beauty and the rich velvet purple tones of dwarf iris…..

iris

Go on venture outside and have a peek, Mother Nature is tempting us with glimpse of a summer of beautiful flowers and glorious colour.

For more information on growing Cyclamen in your own garden visit Sarah Ravens website.

kind regards

kat

p.s  Remember you can keep in touch with me between blog posts on Facebook and Twitter

(image credits – all images by Kat Weatherill – if you use any of these images please add a link back to this site – thank you)