FLOWER POT KITCHEN: FESTIVE CHRISTMAS EVE PREPERATION FOR THE BIG DAY

30 Dec 2011

FESTIVE CHRISTMAS EVE PREPERATION FOR THE BIG DAY

GLORIOUS 27lb LOCAL HEN BIRD

TRIPLE GIBLETS PAN FRIED WITH CARROTS, ONION, CELERY & LEEKS FOR THE BASE TO THE DEEPEST FLAVOURED GRAVY

GENTLY SIMMERING & REDUCING AWAY TO INTENSIFY THE FLAVOUR IN THE STOCK GRAVY

PORK CHIPOLATA'S WRAPPED IN PANCETTA

SAUSAGE AND SAGE ONION STUFFING WRAPPED IN PANCETTA

CHRISTMAS EVENING
This is a magical evening for my family, we take our time to loosen the skin off the hen bird and stuff two packs of butter under the skin of the turkey, this is and has always been my fathers job, mother & I peel the potato's and trim the brussel sprouts, my husband is in charge of helping Santa fill our son's stocking and to keep the wine flowing, carrots and parsnips are peeled and trimmed ready to cook and cauliflower cheese is made ready for the big day.

Once everyone is settled for the evening I start on the best gravy ever, I pan fry the giblets, I always ask my butcher or game keeper for extra giblets as my husband insists on pints of gravy, in a little ooil and butter, add in some diced carrots, onions, leeks and celery, sweat off for approx 30 minutes and then add 450ml of white wine and reduce, top up with 4.5ltrs of home made turkey or chicken stock from the wings and legs of the turkey or chicken roasted off in a oven with stock veg and water for 1hr. Add some bay leaves from the tree in the garden and a few whole black peppercorns and leave to simmer away till reduced by half. Strain and reserve for the turkey cooking juices tomorrow.

The last job is to sprinkle MAGIC ELF AND OAT DUST on our lawn so that Santa's reindeer's can find our home and fill our son's stocking with lots of pirate goodies.

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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.