FLOWER POT KITCHEN: FABULOUS CREAM TEA WITH THE GIRLS

8 Nov 2011

FABULOUS CREAM TEA WITH THE GIRLS

HANDMADE CHOCOLATE & ORANGE CREAM ECLAIR'S

INDIVIDUAL MISSISSIPPI MUD PIE CHOCOLATE TARTS

VICTORIA SPONGE EACH LAYER WITH BUTTER CREAM, THICK WHIPPED CREAM & STRAWBERRY JAM

WILD ALASKAN SMOKED SALMON WITH CUCUMBER

LOCAL BAKED HAM WITH DIJON MUSTARD

TRADITIONAL CUCUMBER

PLAIN SCONES READY FOR LASHINGS OF CORNISH CLOTTED CREAM & STRAWBERRY JAM, WHICH GOES FIRST?

ALL TO DO NOW IS TO ENJOY WITH MY GREAT FRIENDS

ECLAIR'S
90g butter
60ml milk
65ml water
150g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
4 med eggs
whipped cream
melted chocolate
some icing sugar

Basic wet and dry method, melt the butter in the milk & water, bring to the boil, take off heat and beat in the flour, salt & sugar with a wooden spoon, beat well till you have a smooth dough. One at a time beat in the eggs fast, don't over beat.

Place the choux pastry into a piping bag and on a greased tray pipe out a thick line approx 6" long. Bake 30 minutes at 200 degrees. Cool on a wire rack and when cooled stuff with cream and top with chocolate or icing.

MISSISSIPPI MUD PIE CHOCOLATE CAKE
PASTRY
8 oz plain flour
140g butter
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp cocoa powder
Rub the butter into the cocoa and plain flour, add the sugar and water and bring to a dough gently, chill for 30 minutes, then roll out and line a greased tin or muffin tins.
Blind bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees, then with out the baking beans for another 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 150 degrees.
FILLING
8oz soft brown sugar
175g butter
150 g chocolate melted
300ml single cream
4 eggs beaten
4 tbsp cocoa powder
Cream the butter and sugar together, add the beaten eggs, one at a time, add the cocoa powder, add the cream and then the melted chocolate, pour into your pastry cases and bake for 30 minutes approx, there should be just a hint of movement still, adjust the cooking time if you are making individual tarts.

VICTORIA SPONGE
4 eggs
8oz stork
8oz self raising flour
8oz caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Strawberry jam
Thick whipped cream
Icing sugar and butter creamed

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and pale, add the vanilla and then one egg at a time, then fold in the flour gently to incorporate air, line and grease your sponge tins and bake for approx 30 minutes at 180 degrees. Cool and cut in half and fill each layer with butter icing then cream and top with jam, repeat on all layers.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.