Not the prettiest

Not the prettiest dinner ever, but hunger pangs drove us to eat without pausing to prettify. A Festive Five Hundred kilocalories, more or less. Chicken breast, cooked in a parcel with herbs and a mirepoix of veg, served with braised red cabbage and sprouts roasted with pancetta, chestnuts, sage and leeks. Actually very tasty and …

Figs and Feta

It’s not often that I see something as exciting as fresh figs at the island’s shops, so I just had to buy some – but whatever was I going to do with them? I couldn’t buy any goat cheese so I used some Feta, a drizzle of thyme, honey and pistachio, and in the absence …

Extra goodies

Spinning group was feeling a little festive today – hence the arrival of this jug of mulled wine, provided by Norma. I brought along a Maple Pecan Pie and Gill contributed Mince Pies. Despite all this, I managed to niddy noddy a skein of yarn and also knit some sock. Denise spun steadily at her …

Accidental selfie

I was so taken by the candlelight reflecting in my new “piano-black” refrigerator at birthday dinner that I totally failed to realise that there would be a selfie in there too… These very excellent breadsticks were  for dunking in a delightfully gooey Baked Camembert. We followed with Haggis-stuffed Beef Olives, slowly braised in red wine …

Christmas came early this year

My hens are usually highly predictable and go off-lay when they moult. We then have along “dry” period with the first eggs turning up usually on Christmas Day. Rather than buy commerical eggs, I go without if I can’t source good eggs. I have some cooking to do over the next couple of weeks and …

Beans Means Lunch

The Shepherd is just about over the moon

Snapped from on board the Varagen on the way home from Kirkwall this afternoon

Backblip: Bagels

My Firts Bagels. There will be more.

Backblip: Fluffy FO

About time too – it has only been waiting 18 months for washing and blocking! “Ladies Circular Cape in Shell Pattern” from Victorian Lace Tody, knitted in a kid mohair and silk blend laceweight yarn.

Baclblip: 500 calories

We are embarked on the 5:2 Fast Diet and just learning what we can fit into 500 calories on our Fast days. This Persian Chicken Curry racked up about 250 kCals and the accompanying dahl used up another 200 or so. The Cabbage Thoran comes practically free…