Update

Well Nigella and I have gone off track somewhat. It took me weeks to get up the courage to make the 'steak and kidney steamed pudding'. And once I actually got started I couldn't bring myself to use kidneys and added extra mushroom instead. The pudding was nice, but by God it took some work! First you have to make the steak filling which gets slow cooked and all up takes about 2 hours. Then you let it get cold (read: wait till next day), before making the VERY fattening lard based pastry and boiling it for two hours.

The end result was very tasty, but it wasn't so tasty that I would go to all that effort every again. Next onto Cornish pasties, which I've actually been looking forward to making. I've got the next two days off, so if I'm doing OK I'll see if I can make some. Must buy turnips though, which is annoying as I can't get them in my organic veggies box right now. I might substitute for parsnip or something.

In garden news, the snowpeas are coming along well, as are the broad beans. I'm dying to try and recreate what I made with broad beans at Al and Renee's a few weeks back. Broad beans just cooked lightly in butter and garlic. Absolute heaven! They were so good, it was even worth the terrible wind they gave me. Poor Tony! :)

I planted tomato seeds a few weeks back which I'm yet to see sprout. I have an awful feeling they won't germinate for some reason, which will be very disappointing because you can't buy seedlings of the Heirloom varieties I'm trying to grow.

All in all though the garden looks lovely right now, and I find myself popping outside just to make sure it's all still there every time I have a quiet moment at home.