Quiche Police

This was in today's paper, one of the funniest things I've read for a while.



Buying a quiche? Prove you are 21

By Nick Britten

A TESCO checkout assistant refused to sell a slice of quiche to a shopper until she showed identification proving that she was over 21.

Christine Cuddihy, 24, was stunned when the assistant at a store in Cannons Park, Coventry, refused to sell her the 51p piece of cheese and onion tart because "she looked under 21".

In the end, Miss Cuddihy produced her driving licence in order to make the purchase.

"The girl told me, 'You don't look over 21. I need to see some proof of age'," she said.

"I told her I was certain the proof of age laws did not apply to quiche but she just said, 'We have to be really strict now and this applies to quiche bought over the counter.'

"At first I thought she was joking but her face was deadly serious. I didn't quite know what to say. It was very embarrassing. What on earth is dangerous about a slice of quiche?

"It's not even like I was buying a whole quiche to binge on."

Miss Cuddihy, from Leamington Spa, said' she spent several minutes arguing with the cashier, a woman in her mid-thirties, but hunger got the better of her.


I put the emphasis on the sentence with the bold type because I sometimes think that this could happen in the not too distant future.

While Snowbound

My first ever bagels

While the snow and ice was on the ground I was in baking (and regrettably eating) mode, and thought I'd have a go at baking bagels. I'm pleased with them, thought the crust was a little tough but they tasted good. I'm not sure that I would make them regularly as they have to be poached before baking and we don't eat a very large number of them but it kept me busy on a snowy afternoon!

BAGELS


INGREDIENTS

2 tsp dried yeast (or15g/½ oz fresh yeast)

1½ tbsp granulated sugar

300ml (½ pint) water

500 g (1 lb) strong white flour,

plus extra for kneading

1 ½ tsp salt

1 Sprinkle the yeast and sugar into 100ml (3½ fl oz) of the water in
a bowl. Leave for 5 minutes; stir to dissolve. Mix the flour and salt
together in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in
the yeasted water.

2 Pour the remaining water, holding back about half, into the well. Mix in the flour. Stir in the reserved water, as needed, to form a firm, moist dough.

3 Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface.
Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. As you knead
the dough, gradually work in as much additional flour as you can
comfortably knead - this dough should be very stiff and firm.

4 Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning it to coat, and cover with a tea towel. Leave to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Knock back the dough, then leave to rest for 10 minutes.


5. Cut the dough into eight equal-sized pieces. Shape each piece
into a ball. Form each ball into a ring by inserting a floured
finger into the centre of each one.

6 Work the finger in a circle to stretch and widen the hole.
Then twirl the ring around the index finger of one hand and the thumb
of the other hand until the hole is about a third of the bagel's diameter.

7 Place the bagels on a lightly oiled baking sheet, then cover
with a damp tea towel and leave to rest for 10 minutes.

8 Bring a large pan of water to the boil, then reduce the heat
to allow the water to simmer. Use a perforated skimmer to carefully lower
the bagels into the water in batches of two or three at a time. Simmer for one minute.

9 Transfer the drained bagels to a lightly oiled baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven 220c/425f/gas7 for
20 minutes or until golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

From Bread, Eric Treuille and Ursula Ferrigno

I also finished the quilt for our newest granddaughter, she was born three weeks early and I like to kid myself that it would have been finished in time had we not had to rush off unexpectedly!

A detail from the quilt, horses being their livelihood.

Christmas Stocking

I've been watching Kirstie's Homemade Christmas, and although I didn't have time to blow a few baubles or make any soap in time for the festive season I was inspired to make a Christmas Stocking for our newest granddaughter. Luckily I have more than enough fabrics, buttons and ribbons in store to get going the minute the enthusiasm strikes, and it is far from the first Christmas Stocking I have made, but what I really liked was the idea of making the lining and top all in one operation. I have to admit getting the placing wrong at the first attempt but it is a really neat idea. If you didn't watch the programmes you can look it up on the Channel 4 website.

The Little Chef

We have passed the Little Chef at Popham (made famous by Heston Blumenthal) many times in the last 12 months, and finally made it inside last week. There has never been space for us in the car park before!

I had the ox cheek in a red wine sauce with mashed potato and Chris had what looked like a warm roast pork salad, which he said was excellent, along with the chunky chips as an extra. I loved the ox cheek and creamy mash, but was unimpressed by the vegetables I ordered, most peculiar taste.

Certainly the best roadside meal we have ever had, and we'll be more than pleased to find a parking space again soon.

Grumbles

This is how I'm feeling today, burned out, fed up etc. No, it's not quite the end of the road for me, but today we have the builder in and although I want the work done, and he's a lovely bloke and all that, he is working just outside my kitchen door, it's noisy and messy the outside door is wide open so it's quite chilly as well.

I've brought my coffee to my little office to escape for a while but I know it's only a temporary respite. I can't even go out because I waiting for a delivery from Dell, (my first order with the company) another fed-up making episode. One month ago I thought it might be a good idea to treat myself to a lap-top and it looked as though I had got myself a good deal. It arrived a week later, but with a most peculiar electrical plug, certainly not one I'd ever seen before. So I got in touch. Three weeks to the day of the lap-top being delivered, and four communications later I am waiting for my UK compatible mains lead. Am I holding my breath, not I am not. Will I deal with them again, no 'fraid not. I feel a bit better now I've shared that! It's still a good photo though, surprising what you find in the woods.

Eat Dorset - Food Fair

Yesterday Chris and I went to the Eat Dorset Food Fair at Parnham House, Beaminster. A lovely bright and sunny day, with quite a frost early on, we thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent there. Quite a small affair compared with other events we've been to this year it was so friendly and with a wide spectrum of food producers.

We arrived a little too late to hear Lesley Waters in the demonstration kitchen, and Tamasin Day-Lewis was half an hour late starting her demo so we missed the end of that. Today there were more well known speakers but the Brazilian Grand Prix is on at 5 and my husband is a keen follower so we are staying closer to home!!

We bought some Hungarian Hot Wax chilli pepper seeds from a lovely lady from Sea Spring Seeds who was quite happy to talk about the failure of our butternut squash crop this year, as well as various items to be consumed more immediately.

From Bunnies Love we bought a jar of Carrot, Almond and Chilli Chutney, tasted delicious and it was something I had not seen before, but have now discovered it is call Angel's Hair Chutney!

From Townhill Bakery we got a sourdough loaf and the most amazing Eccles cakes.

Like everyone else Bridport Gourmet Pies was giving away generous samples of their produce. We bought a pork, cranberry and brie pie.

Every county in the west of England seems to have their own version of Apple Cake.

We succumbed to more fantastic cheese, this time from North Wootton Dairy.

I almost forgot the kippers and smoked trout pate we bought, I had the pate on sourdough toast for breakfast this morning, and a hessian bag containing 7 varieties of Fudges Crackers and Biscuits. I didn't know they did sweet biscuits as well, I love their Walnut Crackers.

Apples

Traditions have to begin somewhere, and Apple Day (introduced by Common Ground) came into being on October 21st 1990. Now I see that many National Trust properties have their own Apple Day, as do Allotment Associations up and down the land. For information about Apple Days and the excellent Apple Source Book go to http://www.commonground.org.uk/



Imogen has given me the beautiful apples in the photo, from the tree in her garden. I am truly grateful for them, and today have used three of them in my beetroot chutney! Recipe here.

Here is a Somerset wassail rhyme, (although I know that wassailing does not take place until the New Year) found in the Apple Source Book.



Old apple tree, we wassail thee, and hoping thou wilt bear,
For the Lord doth know where we shall be, till apples come another year,
To bear well and bloom well so merry let us be,
Let every man take off his hat and shout to the old apple tree.

Old apple tree, we wassail thee, and hoping thou wilt bear,
Hat-fulls, cap-fulls, three-bushel-bagfuls,
And a little heap under the stairs.
Hip! Hip! Hooray!