tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post1555614123493948201..comments2024-03-19T14:28:03.565+00:00Comments on welsh hills again: Christmas cakeElizabeth Musgravehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09473705107636868753noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-16387445722580729792009-12-10T10:42:47.747+00:002009-12-10T10:42:47.747+00:00Ps: do you ever miss New Zealand? Everyone I know...Ps: do you ever miss New Zealand? Everyone I know at the moment seems to be emigrating there.Carah Bodenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11429666157453439321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-5561090757417989212009-12-10T10:42:08.377+00:002009-12-10T10:42:08.377+00:00Sounds like a perfect day - and I can just smell t...Sounds like a perfect day - and I can just smell the smells from the kitchen! Am impressed by your son. Fantastic.Carah Bodenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11429666157453439321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-35810704694693784682009-11-26T16:38:05.304+00:002009-11-26T16:38:05.304+00:00a lovely post, and how strange that my xmas puddin...a lovely post, and how strange that my xmas pudding is steaming as we speak. I'm a bit of a novice tho, and I'm a bit concerned I'm doing it all wrong. wish i could give you a quick call too! Your day sounds idyllic...<br />PigxPig in the Kitchenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525119816074013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-86570652605585651982009-11-25T20:54:09.626+00:002009-11-25T20:54:09.626+00:00Our hens are just the same - no matter how wet or ...Our hens are just the same - no matter how wet or windy they just want to get outside, although if it is very wet I will often keep them in the extension run, to prevent them from getting really soaked.<br /><br />My husband is the head chef in our house - he had a catering training originally, and cooked in London, so I am happy to take a back seat, although I do most of the baking, that being my favourite. He is a good example to the boys though - cooking is not a gendered occupation in their eyes.<br /><br />Pomona xPomonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18399181139470676975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-11859604021778343512009-11-24T14:11:21.373+00:002009-11-24T14:11:21.373+00:00What a dear boy!
Do you have to worry about losi...What a dear boy! <br />Do you have to worry about losing electricity when the wind blows hard like that? We've just recently bought a generator for our freezer because the power goes out on this windy hill too often.Nanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15547916206007733970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-83334981270486989912009-11-24T08:30:10.470+00:002009-11-24T08:30:10.470+00:00One of my son's favourite adventures - now he ...One of my son's favourite adventures - now he is in his early twenties - is cooking. My Dad couldn't boil an egg. I have always cooked (and enjoyed it) but was considered a bit weird. No one bats an eyelid that my son cooks. Things are changing!Scriptor Senexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17795521284516432520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-2557956225620163092009-11-23T22:35:49.888+00:002009-11-23T22:35:49.888+00:00Twiglet - quite right, what else makes so much sen...Twiglet - quite right, what else makes so much sense?<br />LBD - well clearly my son is wonderful (like his brother and sisters!) not sure about the teaching though, more just happened.<br />Anna - you are so right about Cumbria. I lived in Cockermouth for a year and a half and all those photos of the devastation are shocking. It is a lovely place with great people.<br /><br />Weaver - yes the smell is wonderful. It would almost be worth doing even if you couldn't eat it, only almost.<br />Kitty - love the idea of your doing this with H. It must communicate to them via osmosis I think!<br />Martyn - nothing beats a fire. When I stay somewhere without one now I miss the noise and the look and the attention it needs (and the mess!)<br />Marcheline - well you see very clearly, or shee verr shlearly. Smells good too! sorry, shmells good.<br />Maddie - the hens do look odd with their feathers all awry but they really want to be outside! We should remember this when we get out there in Tescos.<br />Laurie - these cakes bake at a very low temperature and are moist and totally yummy if you like fruit like raisins and sultanas. The pudding takes 6 hours of steaming! no wonder we have stoppe doing these things. It is not an effort at all but most of us aren't at home for six hours together unless we are asleep!<br />Tattie - I don't think it matters whether they are sons or daughters, if you love something you will either pass it on or, if you overdo it, put them off for life!<br />Fennie - yes, we definitely go for the kind of cakes which would keep you alive for years if shut into a cave over here.<br />Hah - it is lovely to think of your boys enjoying their cooking. Clearly if you got your interest from your father it is not necessarily something which goes down the female line!<br />Edge House - thank you and welcome. I suspect it depends whether you love Christmas food or not! I love the cake and the pud and have to make sure to cater for those who are not so keen on dried fruit, not a hardship really as they like chocolate!Elizabeth Musgravehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09473705107636868753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-59354979124300086792009-11-23T22:04:14.071+00:002009-11-23T22:04:14.071+00:00Hello Elizabeth; nice blog - your cake description...Hello Elizabeth; nice blog - your cake description has my mouth watering!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-77207697026655793772009-11-23T20:39:19.013+00:002009-11-23T20:39:19.013+00:00My father was an excellant and inventive cook my m...My father was an excellant and inventive cook my mother was hopeless so I have few culiniry memories . My aunt however was a eral domestic Godeess, whcih horrified my motherI love cooking and do lots with the boys who are very interested.her at homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553181592011484686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-16433026702358840222009-11-23T16:39:00.803+00:002009-11-23T16:39:00.803+00:00Well done you! I am sure it will be the kind of ca...Well done you! I am sure it will be the kind of cake that everyone wants a piece of. I came across an interesting recipe for a light fruit cake the other day. Something that you might just nibble at and feel hungry afterwards, rather than something that, with a couple of dates, would be enough to keep you sustained in crossing the Sahara.Fenniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02377814681496294457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-9936614888332504242009-11-23T14:19:54.154+00:002009-11-23T14:19:54.154+00:00How wonderfulthat your son phoned up busy making h...How wonderfulthat your son phoned up busy making his - I hope that my cooking inspires our boys later in life! A perfect way to spend a wet weekend.Tattieweaslehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10723634612274763884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-18913306483593792852009-11-23T12:55:29.413+00:002009-11-23T12:55:29.413+00:00what a lovely and evocative post! especially the n...what a lovely and evocative post! especially the new zealand tidbit; i could just see it.<br /><br />you really bake the cake for three hours? doens't it come out as hard as a rock?lauriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18055442432266567561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-56541629986092366702009-11-23T10:51:11.484+00:002009-11-23T10:51:11.484+00:00A perfect winter day, methinks. I love the image o...A perfect winter day, methinks. I love the image of your poor wind-blown hens!maddiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03479893496291590397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-75844673867277607432009-11-23T00:44:15.940+00:002009-11-23T00:44:15.940+00:00Elizabeth,
A funny thing happened while I was rea...Elizabeth,<br /><br />A funny thing happened while I was reading this blog post. When I got to the second half of the second paragraph, this is how it looked in my mind's eye:<br /><br />"...so all day the raisins, sultanas, chopped apricots and currants have been soaking in rum and orange juice for the cake. At five o' clock I shtirred myself shufficiently to get up from my chair and lease and lime a goose-bottomed cake thingy, cream th' butr and brown shuggr, whishk in the eggsh and then add the flour, shpices and fruit mix... mixt... mixcher. Then the whole thing shits in a lo-o-o-o-w oven fer 'bout three arrrs. Itsh shtunningly shimple. Th' kitchen shmells like sump'n sump'n, and - oh yeah... rum! Wheeeeeee!"<br /><br /><br />8-)<br /><br />MMarchelinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11201825708442679157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-60426304881428407892009-11-22T22:55:22.869+00:002009-11-22T22:55:22.869+00:00What a snug place to be when it's foul outside...What a snug place to be when it's foul outside. I had my chimney swept about 10 days ago and had my second real fire on Saturday night - nothing beats it when the weather is cold, went and windy.Martyn Coxhttp://martyncox.biz/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-19132829456861481102009-11-22T20:59:48.193+00:002009-11-22T20:59:48.193+00:00Lovely - I did mine this week while H was off scho...Lovely - I did mine this week while H was off school poorly, and he helped me make jam tarts and mince pies this afternoon while it rained and howled outside... baking is such a comforting thing to do.Kittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05378174162151683519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-58889008748947333802009-11-22T18:11:56.599+00:002009-11-22T18:11:56.599+00:00Well, it is stir up sunday today - I too have made...Well, it is stir up sunday today - I too have made my puds and they will go in the Aga tonight before we go to bed. Cakes tomorrow all being well - at least it makes the house smell lovely doesn't it.The Weaver of Grasshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13947971556343746883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-81389821394716367142009-11-22T18:04:50.431+00:002009-11-22T18:04:50.431+00:00Mmmmmmm - I can smell that Christmas cake from her...Mmmmmmm - I can smell that Christmas cake from here Elizabeth. Good to hear that your son is carrying on with family baking traditions and at such a tender age :) The wind has died down here today but it is still so wet and dreary. Mind you compared to those poor folk in Cumbria we are most fortunate.Annahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10794392333038962798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-39040578495232222492009-11-22T17:31:02.620+00:002009-11-22T17:31:02.620+00:00Love the idea of being trapped in a warm fuggy kit...Love the idea of being trapped in a warm fuggy kitchen with plenty of Christmas cake ingredients to hand. Your son sounds to me like the perfect son-in-law - you've obviously taught him well.LITTLE BROWN DOGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09752176955139690523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-70000244479174929982009-11-22T15:20:50.459+00:002009-11-22T15:20:50.459+00:00My cakes are baking nicely this afternoon too - wh...My cakes are baking nicely this afternoon too - what else do you do in this gloomy weather?!Twiglethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04851717329658611598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-89688092067578693142009-11-22T14:58:10.239+00:002009-11-22T14:58:10.239+00:00Mountainear - your boys too! I think that's g...Mountainear - your boys too! I think that's great.<br />Mark - you are so right. One of the great smells is baking bread. I can't beat your gritstone rock but I am also pretty fond of the smell of good compost!<br />Pondside - it is quite a change in a generation isn't it? My son in law cooks quite a bit too and it is one of the ways to even up the domestic balance a bit.<br />QMM - another one with cooking husband and sons! My father's generation had no idea of what to do in the kitchen. He is very proud of the fact that he can make delicious flapjack though which is one up on many men in their seventies!<br />Nell Jean - hi and welcome. I am just about to make my own mincemeat so it hasn't entirely died out!<br />Frances - the hens are fascinating. Seeing how much they want to free range has made me absolutely determined never to buy a battery egg or a battery chicken again. These birds are so clearly not meant to live in cages.<br />Kim - ah Chritmas pudding making son was like that. He was quite a good cook when he was about 16 too but kept it quiet then!<br />Karen - yes, more wind and rain here too. The wind is better today but the rain is steady.<br />Chris - it is funny how clearly I can see that New Zealand blue sky in my head. We never get quite the same vividness in the UK but even a Welsh blue would go down well!<br />Rachel - it is fascinating isn't it, how different our sons are from our fathers? So easy to take it for granted and so astonishing when you really think about it.<br />Dawn - I am a big fan of baking and of baking with children! This is partly a reflection of a deep love of cake. Children adore doing it with you and if you start small they can be eating it within 20 minutes which always goes down well.Elizabeth Musgravehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09473705107636868753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-16565852055551558462009-11-22T13:52:43.797+00:002009-11-22T13:52:43.797+00:00I feel so useless as I never make cakes or pudding...I feel so useless as I never make cakes or puddings. I'm beginning to feel I'm missing out on something here and so are my children.<br /><br />I shall make amends! Next year...Dawn/LittleGreenFingershttp://www.littlegreenfingers.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-36864246994092803752009-11-22T13:07:46.863+00:002009-11-22T13:07:46.863+00:00That sounded like a lovely day you spent, thanks t...That sounded like a lovely day you spent, thanks to the weather. <br /><br />Our boys are so different from our dads, aren't they - I was rung up at work one day, the secretaries taking the call for me, by my son needing urgently to know exactly how I did my roast potatoes! He got about 5 different loads of advice,a fair bit of teasing, and said that everything turned out well.rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00474723200653576051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-47589316694126162212009-11-22T12:10:37.882+00:002009-11-22T12:10:37.882+00:00How I would love to see some vivid blue sky at the...How I would love to see some vivid blue sky at the moment. Don't mind watching the rain... but it's high time we had a change!Chris Stovellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03741359642268813093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028290314714419963.post-16212339478298412902009-11-22T09:30:51.847+00:002009-11-22T09:30:51.847+00:00The wind has been dire - and it looks like we are ...The wind has been dire - and it looks like we are in for another dose of high winds and wet rain to-day.<br /><br />Lovely images you have painted with words.<br />KKaren - An Artist's Gardenhttp://www.artistsgarden.co.uk/noreply@blogger.com