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Right it got a bit frizz , well cool last couple of days so it’s soup invention season.

Serves 4 Cooking time 45 minutes.

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 rashers of smokey dry cured bacon or lardon equivalent
2 small onions , finely chopped
1 small celeriac , peeled and finely chopped
1 small broccoli head , split into florets
700 ml veg stock
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon , fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
100 g of fresh baby leaf spinach : I use rainbow bright chard because i love the funky colours
Salt & fresh ground black pepper.

Heat oil in pan , fry bacon until crispy remove and set aside

Fry onions until soft , addd celeriac and broccoli , then cook for 5 minutes.

Add crispy bacon , stock and herbs bring to boil , cover and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Remove soup from heat , add spinach leaves , stirring in leaves to wilt them.

Blend until smooth , then return to pan .

Season to taste,

Consume

The fragrance of Chrimble: Orange Cloves & Exotic Myrrh in a bottle.

This Lush body oil makes use of the myrrhs anti-infammatory properties , apply liberally to moisturise and nourish your skin or use as a massage lotion.

Peel of 5 oranges or tangerines.
4 Tbsp cloves
400ml sunflower oil
1 tbsp myrrh

Put peel, cloves and oil into blender and blitz until smooth

Pour mixture into glass heatproof bowl and place in pan of boiling water.

Add myrrh , then cover and leave to simmer for 1 hour , making sure the pan does not boil dry.

Take off heat , leave to cool , strain and bottle off.
keeps for 3 months in dark , simply lush.

4oz Butter/Marg
8oz Caster Sugar
8oz Desiccated Coconut
4 eggs
4oz Plain Flour
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence
1/2 pint Fat Milk

Oven on 350F [ 180 C ] Gas Mk 4
Lightly grease 10” Pie or Flan Dish
Cream butter/marg with sugar
Add Coconut and eggs
Sieve flour with nutmeg
Add vanilla essence
Fold into coconut mixture , gradually whick in milk.
Pour into prepared dish and bake for 1 hour, when cooked , a knife inserted into the centre should come out clean.

Simples.

The mixture will have formed a pastry like shell , and egg custard like super moist filling and a coconut topping.

Consume.

I used creamed coconut and added hot water to it to make the milk , mainly due to the fact I don’t have milk in my house , never use enough of the stuff before it goes off.

And the pie still turned out awesome.

Tuscan Dish known as ‘ fagioli all’uccelleti ‘ which means beans made with the little birds way . Because they used to cook wee birds in the pot with them this way.

Try using dried rather than tinned the flavour is far superior.

Soak them overnight and cook them for about 1 hour for greater depth of flavour.

The recipe below uses precooked beans.

Serves 4

Prep & Cook Time 4 minutes

2 x 400g ( 14 oz tins of cannellini beans drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
bay leaf
2 fresh sprigs of thyme or winter savory
10 fresh sage leaves
1 medium sized onion , roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves , finely chopped
75 ml ( 3 fl oz ] dry white wine
salt & pepper

Garnish
1 table spoon fresh flat leaf parsley , chopped

Put beans in pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil , the bay leaf , thyme and 2 of the sage leaves , cover and warm gently until you need them.

Heat remaining oil and cook onion , gently for 5 minutes , without colouring , add remaining sage leaves and garlic and cook further for 1 minutes. add wine and cook gently for another minute or so .

Add the bean mixture taste for seasoning , cover and cook gently for further 2 minutes..

If necessary add some water to keep the mixture moist.

Serve sprinkled with flat leaf parsley.

Thats’ the posh way to do it , I just chuck my dried beans in overnight , boil up the soaking water and then chuck all the other bits and bobs in and boil for about 1 hour and the cooking liquor is ace , and if it’s not going to be served as a side , I serve it as a soup , using the cooking liquor , seems a shame to waste it after all.

Hope this helps Huge [ Our Man In Mumbai ]

If you’re pulling the last of your carrots out of the ground in March before they go to seed, this is a great way to use up any excess you have.

Just shy of 1 gallon of water
5lb Carrots
Juice and Zest of 3 oranges
Juice and Zest of 1 Lemon
3lb honey
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsp amylase
Yeast (champagne is good)

Quite an effort this one, but its worth it. Put the water on to simmer, adding in the honey, carrots (cleaned and chopped, not peeled), yeast nutrient, citrus juice and zest. Keep it close to a boil for 40 minutes or so, skimming off any scum that floats up.

Strain out the solids (the carrots are well overcooked, but sweet from the honey, eat if you like ’em mushy), get the liquid into a sterile bucket and cover tightly; when its cool add the amylase and activated yeast. Ferment out as normal.

This is a surprisingly rich brew, the honey adding some extra depth of flavour. If you prefer to make as a wine rather than a mead, use 2 1/2lb of sugar in place of the honey.