Why This Is Hell

There comes a point when you have to acknowledge that you have all the food you can possible eat in the house, and since the corner shop on Wincheap is open 7am-2pm on Saturday it's unlikely I'll starve. I have a surplus of brussels and potatoes and, it turns out, mushrooms, so that will make life interesting. I'v e got some stuff to make pies with, so mushrooms will go in there. I think brussel curry, sweet and sour brussel and brussel and cobnut (nutcrackers to be purchased) are on the cards.


On the other hand, I don't have gallons of bottled water, bleach and a roll of osamas, nor frankly enough pickles, as I'd planned an online Tesco shop and the weather put paid to that. If I get my ass in gear, pickled onions tomorrow. Have chutneys. Need eggeseses, but as cheap in corner shop.

I have, incredibly, spend a large amount of money on cheese (Colston Bassett Stilton - accept no substitute - Ashmore, Flower Marie, Billy Goats Gruff [Appear to have left this behind or not been sold it.], Double Gloucster, Mature Gouda, and I hope one more, in the cheddar family) and meat (Basque ham, chorizo and a sliced beef, which I can't remember the name of). But not above three figures.

I'm low on fruit and eggs, but I think I may go for a rice pudding for the Christmas meal afters itself.

Pickled brussel sprouts?
Roasted?
In Lemon Cream?

Yumster.

It turns out that it's harder to get pureed cherries into a bottle of brandy than whole ones - who knew? Perhaps I should have dug out the liquidizer. Anyway, that needs to macerate for another month before being strained and becoming drinkable.

The rain was a blessing - the wearing of a leather jacket in August protected me from the worst of the bramble thorns and nettles, and I came away unscathed. Poor timing of buses meant I walked about two miles to my secret spot, where about half of the crop was ripe. There were also various haws or hips, and what looked like blackcurrants. I managed to pick 800 grams before it looked like I was running short of time and energy, then plodded back via Morrisons, where I bought double cream.

To jump ahead of myself, I tried to turn half of this into jam, but it looks like I boiled for too long and it has gone very thick. Need jam thermometer.

I turned a goodly part of the elderberry syrup into ice cream - basically syrup, sugar and double cream, whizzed and frozen. It is a pleasing purple. I have yet to taste. I will defrost the rest of the elderberries - and will find a pair of scissors in the process - to make more syrup, to add to vodka. It turns out that mashing the lemon and berries makes a thicker syrup.

This morning I made cheese and bacon scones, which seemed to go down well with their intended audience.

I have 4 lb of elderberries promised. This needs more thought.

Turns out the maceration should end today, and I need to decant a litre of brandy and cherries into the blender. Of course, the cherries were squeezed into the bottle, so the neck is going to be somewhat of a, ahem, bottleneck.

Slice the top of the bottle off, I'm guessing.

This is why it's being done in plastic.


Elderberries to be picked latter.

The recipes for lamb noisette - such as http://www.bigoven.com/138029-Lamb-Noisette-recipe.html - have you sear for 3 minutes and then roast for 10. I've done that and it still looks raw inside. I'm all for rare, but the meat didn't even feel warm. Gas 8 is surely "very hot"?

I'm missing something, clearly.