Welcome!


This is where I note my efforts as I try to recreate some old recipes. Most are taken from my small collection of handwritten recipe books which date from the late 1700's to around 1922. I also have a collection of old tatty old recipe books, well thumbed and heavily splashed from years of use. I love all of them.

The old-fashioned very stylised handwriting writing is sometimes difficult to decipher, measurements and cooking instructions are minimal, no tin sizes given. Luckily I enjoy a challenge. Just to complicate things I cook and bake on my wood-fired Rayburn, which can be... unpredictable.

I suspect this blog is less about the food and more about my passion for these lovely old books and the wonderful women who wrote them.


Saturday, 23 December 2017

Parsonage Cottage Kitchen at Christmas


The older I get, the more I seem to enjoy Christmas.    Simple things, like getting out the Christmas china,  baubles and decorations for the tree, and some of my mother's favourite old cake decorations.




My helpful Kitchen Angel - a rather large, golden, papier mache cherub - also makes an appearance.  She has been watching over my festive kitchen cooking for almost twenty years and has more or less ensured that everyone is well fed and happy.

Today has been a happy, pottering kind of day and I have made mince pies, shortbread, tomato and garlic bread, regular white bread, English muffins,  and I have a large pan of red cabbage with cranberries and apple gently cooking in the Rayburn.

I had fairy lights a-twinkling, carols and Christmas hits playing on the radio.   Bah humbug! you may say, but I enjoyed it.

These days we host a Christmas Day breakfast party for the family, which means that by around midday peace descends upon Parsonage Cottage.   We could go out to eat with the family, but we enjoy this small oasis of peace and quiet, after years of hosting enormous Christmas Day lunches.     

We'll settle down in front of the fire for a quiet afternoon


 
punctuated only by the demands of the cats or the need to walk the dog.   My husband will tuck into his very favourite Christmas food - turkey and piccalilli sandwiches and I will indulge in a smoked salmon sandwich - as we watch the Queen's Speech and then dip into our new books.    Bliss!

Merry Christmas, however you celebrate it.
xxx
Posted by at

2 comments:

  1. Melody A.10 September 2018 at 16:57

    It sounds lovely, reading back through some of your posts on this blog after reading your other one, would love the recipe for the cabbage with cranberries and apples, I have never heard of that. Is it a traditional English Dish? Happy Home keeping from Iowa Take care

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elaine16 September 2018 at 18:02

      Hello Melody A, I will be happy to let you have the recipe - it is simply shredded red cabbage with diced cooking apples and fresh cranberries, a few tbsp of balsamic vinegar, plus star anise and a cinnamon stick (if you want a little spice in there) stir in 2-3 tbsp brown sugar. Cook it in a covered casserole dish, slow oven, for about 2 hours, dot with a little butter and stir. It may be eaten hot or cold. There are lots of variations - you could use onion instead of the apple, wine instead of the vinegar, or use cider vinegar... I hope you enjoy it.

      Delete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)