Discovering new campsites in Dorset

The first weekend of the holidays Maria suggested we all get away for the weekend and go camping. I never need much encouragement so we all set of in convoy to a quiet little patch in the middle of the Purbecks. During the drive I was directed down a very narrow road and was convinced we were going the wrong way. It was far too pretty not to believe it, so we followed the road we missed this little sign and and had to do a U turn, for others this would be a bad sign, for us It was just what we wanted to see, Simplicity!

The campsite was recommended on Junkaholique  . Artemis is absolutely right,  Jims Place is the perfect campsite. Like walking back into my childhood; A small summer field a few tents, the sounds of a handful of happy children. No kids club, shop, smell of a chip fryer in sight. Only a meadow of wild flowers, some free roaming guinea fowl and a big open space to just 'be'.

We enjoyed walking around the little village and were delighted by the bunches of sweet peas for sale and the free courgettes on offer.

We will definitely be going again!

Yes the courgette was hot and needed to cool down! 

This Cottage!! Swoooooooon

This little one really loved his first camping trip! 

We had courgettes and chorizo for starters! Yum

Morning Coffee - Enamel ware at the ready! 

 A three year old is very useful for jumping/rolling on things, when it is time to pack up camp

We would love to hear of your Dorset Campsite recommendations 

Gem & Maria 

Inspired by Spring Recipes

In recent days the sun has been shining and my mind has been distracted on summer; hazy long days, BBQ's on the beach and afternoon picnics that venture into long evenings chatting around a home thrown fire. Some how that same feeling is reaching my belly and it is craving delicious salads, new potatoes slathered in butter and fresh, colourful produce.

So I thought I'd use this new sense of energy to hunt down some new delicious recipes. I like most foods I can cook quickly preferable eaten from a bowl! So you will see a pattern here. I am also going to cut down on the amount of meat I eat and will try and buy local and eat as fresh as possible. Here are my favourites so far! Click on Images for Recipes



1. From the amazing  A Beautiful Mess Blog - Emma's Quinoa Burrito in a Bowl recipe

 

Image - A Beautiful Mess

 



 2. This is one of my favourite quick and easy spring Squid salad, Oh and Sophie Dahl's cook book is stunning! If however verging on Utopian! I wish I had more time on my hands to sit and watch Squirrels! (Skip to 1min in if you can't bare to watch Sophie looking whimsical on a park bench)

 



 

 

3. I love writing this blog, as I am always falling upon other great bloggers who are endless sources of inspiration. Like this one - 101cookbooks This Roasted Squash Chile Salad from the Kinfolk Table book looks the bees knees!

 

 

Image property of 101cookbooks

 

 

4. I can't wait to try out Kinfolks Hobo Meals - All I need is a warm evening, a few logs, some jumper cladded friends and a roaring camp  fire.  



 



 

 

 Images & Recipes co Kinfolk

 

Recipe: Herbed Butter

Ingredients 1 stick of butter, room temperature
1 bunch of chives, finely chopped
1 bunch of garlic scapes, finely chopped
1 lime
Salt, to taste

Method Place butter in a bowl and add chopped herbs and the juice of 1 lime. Mash with a fork until the herbs are incorporated. Season to taste and serve on top of sweet potatoes.

Serves 4

Recipe: Fireside Quinoa

Ingredients 1 cup quinoa
1 3/4 cup vegetable stock
1 cup toasted pepitas, chopped
Salt, to taste

*2 large pieces of tin foil

Method Rinse quinoa thoroughly. Make a pouch out of the tin foil and place rinsed quinoa within. Pour vegetable stock over the quinoa and securely seal the edges of the tin foil. Leave space within the pouch for the quinoa to expand and double in size. Wait for the fire to die down and place on coals. Check after 15 to 20 minutes, making sure the quinoa is cooked through. Fold in pepitas and season to taste. Serve on top of sweet potatoes.

Serves 4

 

 

My belly is now rumbling like mad,

Happy Spring Cooking!

 

Gem x

 

 

 





Weekend fun with The Tickled Pig and Quinns Quinney

After a really stressful week (Ofsted) It was great to forget our woes and eat lots of amazing fresh organic food care of The Tickled Pig restaurant in Wimborne, at their anniversary party at Pamphill Farm. The food was amazing and well worth the entry fee (I can't wait for someone to generously take me for a meal at their restaurant one day) The evening got even better with the arrival of my friends the well known  skifflers of;  Quinns Quinney. The event was lovely and reinforced why I love Dorset so much; kids running around chucking hay and families munching into local food and cider. This is what life is all about! An excellent tonic to a gruelling week!

This was just half of it! 

My friends little boy loved the hay pit! 

 Daisy - I wanted this dog so badly! 

Hope you had a great weekend! 

Get in touch if you know of any other Dorset events 

that just can't be missed! 

Gem x

...enjoying the start of the summer (or have I spoken too soon?!)

Wow. It has been a particularly hectic few months here, that I feel I am only just managing to catch my breath. The couple of lazy sunny days we have had recently have helped to recharge my tired old batteries, and I feel inspired to 'blog on' with renewed energy and vigour (!)
So, I am going to start with another little catch up on what we have been doing lately. It involves lots of eating and lazing in the sun; my two favourite past times.

 Sunbathing in my parents' garden (ours is a bit of a building site at the moment-but more on that soon). This magnolia tree has been looking particularly lovely these last few days.

 More flowers! We are trying to teach the little fella some of their names.

Hanging out and eating delicious home cooked food with good friends at supper club.

Paddling pool fun.

More eating! I have been experimenting a lot lately with homemade burgers. They are so easy to make. I just use good quality minced meat, add a bit of salt and pepper, mould into small patties with my hands, and grill on the BBQ. Easy peasy.

Listening to this summery song on repeat in the car. The little guy has just discovered it. He says 'I love this bit' when it gets to the chorus. I couldn't agree more.

What have you been up to lately? Let's hope the sunshine continues!

Maria x

.... Pre Good Friday Fun

Hooray for holidays!! Maria and I have fulfilled our wish for a light hearted lazy start to the hols, by going to the cinema to watch a chick flick (Identity Theif) We have eaten our body weight and yearly salt intake of popcorn. Here is a little something to get us into the Easter Spirit. More Easter ideas to follow!

Gem x

...making the perfect chocolate Easter nests

Well, to be truthful, eating the perfect chocolate nests-made by my mother-in-law. We went to stay with the grandparents at the weekend, and the boy and his Granny got baking these goodies. The husband and I insist on a batch of these every year, as they are without doubt, the best chocolate Easter nests ever. You must give this recipe a try!

Chocolate Easter Nests

85g Shredded Wheat

75g milk chocolate

75g plain chocolate

50g butter

2tbsp golden syrup

Mini-eggs

Method
1. Break the chocolate into pieces and put into a saucepan together with the butter and golden syrup and melt over a gentle heat until smooth.
2. Stir broken-up Shredded Wheat into chocolate mixture and spoon into cake cases. Shape a dip into the centre.
3. Chill in the fridge for a few hours. Fill with eggs.

Enjoy!

Maria x

...making (a sort of) minestrone soup

It would appear that Gem and I are all about food that makes us feel cosy at the moment. It is so freaking cold outside! So I decided that there was only one thing for it; make soup.
I had the pleasure of tasting my sister-in-law's delicious minestrone soup recently. She followed and adapted the recipe from this website. As the husband has given up meat (and chocolate-much tougher apparently  for lent, I left the sausages that sis-in-law added and just stuck to the veggies. The end result was delicious-and so simple to make. I followed the recipe pretty much, only I substituted the spaghetti for macaroni, and forgot to add the cabbage. Oh well, it was still pretty tasty, and it warmed us up a treat! Plus, I have leftovers that will sort us for lunch this week. Happytimes!

What are your favourite Winter-Warmers for March?!

Maria x

.....making waffles

My love for waffles happened at university when I would travel home and get off at Bristol Temple Meads train station, I would be welcomed into my home town with the waft off the sweet smell, my uni friends and I would talk each other into buying one, I would always resist the cream and chocolate, these waffles were fine just as they were. As it's the new year and I am on a saving spree, up to this point I have resisted on Lidls middle Aisle,(you know the aisle of miscellaneous things that you don't really need) But last week I fell for the waffle machine. After careful inspection of it's specification and learning it was made in Sweden (they must know a thing or two about Waffle machines) I decided it would be money well spent. And that I would cut down my weekend trips to cafes for breakfast! So here are the results, I'll stop waffling now! (eeeek! Sorry)

ingredients;
2 Cups of plain flour
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 tablespoon of salt
1 3/4 cups of milk
6 tablespoons of veg oil
2 large eggs
&
A large bowl for the mix
spoon 
spatula 
Waffle Maker

Add your 2 cups of flour, Salt and baking powder into your mixing bowl, mix all your dried ingredients up! 

Then add all your wet ingredients - Milk and eggs and 6 table spoons of oil - Whisk into a nice 

looking batter and rest for 5 mins

As neatly as you can place batter in the heated waffle maker (I'm so messy) 

Then cook for a few minutes (until brown & crispy) 

They should be puffy and golden! 

Drizzle over your favourite topping and EAT! YumYum 

I have just googled alternatives - Some people add 1/2 evaporated milk for plain milk, I bet this is delicious, and like pancakes you can add blueberries, and cream and strawberries, whatever 

tickles your taste buds! 

I'll be ok just as long as I don't eat one everyday! 

Have a great week! 

gem x

...making our favourite cosy evening snack

The husband is good at making cosy evening snacks. He made me my favourite tonight; grilled halloumi and avocado stuffed pittas with hot sauce. Mmmmmmm. I tried to take some photos but it just ended up looking like a kebab! Not very appetising. The avocado looks pretty though...



The recipe is very simple; slice your halloumi quite thickly, and then griddle it on both sides. Toast your pitta, and then stuff it with the halloumi and avocado, and then add the hot sauce to finish.

We have a little obsession with hot sauce in this house. Our collection has grown significantly recently. So tonight I decided to line them all up and take a photo of our little army.

Love the hot sauce.

Maria x