More Tea Vicar?

No self respecting open garden would be complete with lots of tea, coffee and cakes. I do hope you've settled down with your own 'cuppa' whilst reading this. Unfortunately my arms won't reach far enough to serve you from here! If you do find yourselves in Chippenham however, rest assured there's plenty of:

• Tea - Earl Grey, Keemun, Nilgiri, Yunnan, tea bag builders tea, herbal or fruit teas
• Coffee - Fairtrade or Columbian for your cafetiere or Gold Blend instant
• Squash - orange, blackcurrant or dandelion & burdock - all no sugar added
• Water - our finest cold on tap, courtesy of Wessex Water

Alcoholic beverages are also available for those in attendance at a suitable hour - beer and wine are our main tipples (plus whisky or Bailey's), but we thought we'd pop a few corks off the bottles of Elderflower Champagne to celebrate our gala opening. Zoe gave me the recipe earlier in the year if you're feeling more adventurous next spring and would like to try it, or if you're hedgerow harvesting this autumn, a drop of the old favourite, Elderberry Wine won't go amiss.

Tea Time Treats

What's better than a home-made slice of cake to go with your cup of tea? It's a traditional accompaniment to an Open Garden and many a good visit is won or lost by the standard and range of the cake the hostess (or host of course) has on offer. This garden is no exception and I have a number of family favourites to set before you on a dainty dish fit for a queen. It's a virtual dish, but if you like the look of what you see, the links will take you to my recipe book at the end of this blog.

The best part about my tea time treats is they're totally calorie free and you can have as much as you want! Go on - why stop at one helping when you can have three?

Being a very traditional British household of course we have a cream tea to offer you - Fresh Scones warm from the oven, lashings of clotted cream topped with home made jam. The jam's usually strawberry, but I would like to offer you an alternative today. It's an extremely good year for blackberries and the hedgerows are bursting with them. So I've picked Bramble Jam instead, to give my cream tea a twist.

From the cake stand I have some very tempting treats. Chocolate Cake is many people's favourite. I have one with a very unusual ingredient that gives mine an irresistible flavour and melting texture. The cake is usually iced (frosted for those of you across the pond), but NAH and I have found it so good without it, I've only managed to ice my cakes once. I've given you the full recipe, so you can choose for yourself.

My family has always been a sucker for a good home-made fruit cake. My cousins sigh with relief when they see one posing proudly on the teatime table. So it felt like a homecoming when I first met NAH's parents and found fruit cake was also their family staple. Theirs is called Halifax Building Society Cake .

VP's Recipe Book

Today's menu:

Tea Time Treats

• Scones
• Chocolate Cake
• Halifax Building Society Fruit Cake
• Bramble Jam

Glut Buster

• Roasted Tomato Sauce
• Allotment soup
• Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's Glutney
• Courgette Cake
• Courgette, Tarragon and Lemon Bread
• Courgette Fritters
• Baked Courgette Omlette
• Butternut Squash Risotto

A Stronger Tipple

• Elderflower Champagne
• Elderberry wine

Do you have a favourite recipe you'd like to add? Do tell me about it in the Comments section below...

Scones

Until I left home, we went to my nan and grandad's (dad's parents) for tea every Tuesday. My nan's baking was legendary and she always had her little Bero (brand of baking flour) recipe book to hand. When I bought my house in 1981, it seemed only natural to have my own copy. As you can see they'd been going for a 100 years at the time, so they must have been doing something right.

Traditionally plain scones are served with a cream tea, but my dad always liked a fruit scone with his, so here's both versions. Note the fruit scones are to the definitive R Pete Free Standard - absolutely no mixed peel allowed.

For Plain Scones:

8oz (200g) self-raising flour
0.5 teaspoon (2.5ml) salt
1.5 oz (50g) lard (or margarine if you'd like your scone a little richer)
Milk to make a soft dough

For Fruit Scones:

8oz (200g) self-raising flour
0.5 teaspoon (2.5ml) salt
1.5 oz (50g) margarine
1 oz (25g) sugar
2oz (50g) currants, raisins or sultanas
1 egg beaten with enough milk to make 0.25 pint liquid (1 egg + 75ml milk)

Method:

1. Mix flour and salt, rub in the margarine or lard
2. Stir in the sugar and fruit if making fruit scones
3. Add liquid, reserving a little for brushing the tops
4. Knead lightly on a floured surface and roll out just over 1cm in thickness
5. Cut into rounds using a fluted cutter, re-roll the trimmings and cut more rounds
6. Place on a greased baking tray and brush the tops with the remaining liquid
7. Bake in a hot oven (220 centrigrade, 425 Fahrenheit, Gas mark 7) for about 10 minutes

Makes approximately 10 scones.

Our local garden centre has a 2 for 1 offer on cream teas during August - Yippee!

Measure converter - for ounces, cups, grammes etc.

Chocolate Cake

This cake has a secret ingredient and is absolutely scrummy. Get your friends and family to guess what it is after they've tasted it - mine have always failed, yet it makes sense once you're in the know and can see what it replaces. I've only managed to get as far as icing the cake just once because NAH and I can't wait to eat it! Makes 1 seven inch cake.

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces (oz) self-raising flour, sifted
• 8 oz sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 7 oz mayonnaise (not the low fat kind)
• 4 tablespoons cocoa
• 8 fluid oz boiling water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Icing aka Frosting (optional):

• 2 teaspoons instant coffee
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 3 oz soft margarine
• 8 oz icing sugar, sifted

Method:

1. Mix together the flour sugar, baking powder and mayonnaise
2. Dissolve the cocoa in the boiling water
3. Gently stir this into the mixture with the vanilla essence until thoroughly blended
4. Turn into a greased and lined 7 inch deep, round cake tin
5. Bake at Mark 4 (180 centrigrade/350 fahrenheit - for fan-assisted ovens the centrigrade equivalent is 160) for 1 to one and a quarter hours.
6. Cool in the tin before removing

For the icing:

1. Dissolve the coffee and cocoa in the hot water
2. Cream together the margarine and icing sugar and beat in the cocoa liquid
3. Spread over the top of the cake

Enjoy!

Measure converter - for ounces, cups, grammes etc.

Halifax Building Society Fruit Cake

I'm now the proud possessor of my mother-in-law's (MIL) cookery book. It wasn't until I opened it that I realised it contains recipes from three generations of NAH's family. Open it and the smell instantly transports me back to the house in Darlington that I've known for 25 years. Sadly we won't be able to go there much longer; NAH is in the process of selling the house as my MIL is now in a care home. However, this recipe takes me back to much happier times and is a family institution. It was taken from the Halifax Building Society Homeowner magazine number 160, Autumn 1982.

Ingredients:

• 100 grammes (4 ounces) margarine
• 1 cup sugar (4 ounces)
• 2 cups mixed dried fruit (8 ounces)
• 1 cup milk
• 1 heaped teaspoon black treacle
• 225 grammes (8 ounces) plain flour
• 1 level teaspoon mixed spice
• 0.5 level teaspoon baking powder
• 0.5 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 egg, beaten

MIL's notes also has salt (a pinch if wanted) and additional ginger - I suggest 1 level teaspoon for starters, more if you like your cake a bit spicier.

Method:

1. Melt the margarine, sugar and treacle in the milk in a large pan
2. Add the dried fruit and bring the mixture to the boil
3. Simmer for 2-3 minutes and remove from the heat and allow to go almost cold
4. Turn into a greased and lined oblong 2lb cake tin
5. Bake at 325 fahrenheit for three quarters of an hour
6. Cool, turn the cake out of the tin and serve sliced

Unbelievably NAH found one of these in the freezer in Darlington a few weeks ago dated 2001 - we've just enjoyed it immensely. It was probably one of the last cakes my MIL made.

Measure converter - for ounces, cups, grammes etc.

Bramble Jam

Threadspider gave me this recipe for Bramble Jam (aka Jelly!) and we had a lot of fun recently at her place setting up the above photograph of her bounty from last year. It's sieved, so there's no pips to stick in your teeth. It's a great recipe for using some of your hedgerow harvest combined with any windfall apples you may have from your trees.

To make 3- 5 jars.

Ingredients

• 1.3kg/3lb blackberries, washed and bits of stalk etc. removed.
• 2 large cooking apples, washed and diced
• 450ml/¾ pint water
• 1 lemon, juice only
• Preserving or granulated sugar
• 2-3 tbsp crème de cassis or other blackberry or blackcurrant liqueur.(Optional but very very nice!)

You will also need:

• Muslin, tea towel or jelly bag
• Sterilized jam jars and jam pot covers

Method

1. Prepare a jelly bag or tea towel or muslin by boiling in water for 2-3 minutes. Wring well and leave to cool. Arrange the jelly bag on a stand or up-turned stool or chair with a large bowl beneath, ready for the fruit juice to drip through.
2. Place the blackberries, apple, water and lemon juice in a preserving or large, heavy based saucepan.
3. Bring to the boil, then simmer over a low heat for 20-25 minutes or until the fruit is completely soft. I have the muslin simmering in a pan in the background at the same time.
4. Tip the soft fruit and juice into the jelly bag and leave to drip for 8 hours or until all the juice has been released.
5. Prepare the jam jars by washing in hot soapy water and leaving to dry and warm in a cool oven - 130C/250F/Gas ½ for 10-15 minutes.
6. Measure the juice. For every 600ml/1 pint weigh 450g/1lb sugar. Put the juice and sugar back into the clean preserving pan, heat over a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved, add the liqueur, if using. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until setting point is reached. Setting point is 112 degrees on a sugar thermometer, if you have one.
7. Skim away any scum from the top of the jelly and fill the jam jars to the brim. Cover, seal and label. Store in a cool, dark place until required.

VP's notes:

1. If you don't have a sugar thermometer you can test the setting point in step 6 as follows: Put 2 plates in the refridgerator to cool. After 10-15 minutes, take one of the plates out of the fridge and spoon a little of the jam onto it. If you can wrinkle the surface with a finger after a couple of minutes, setting point has been reached. If not, return the plate to the fridge (in case you have to use it again) and simmer the jam for a few more minutes. Use the second plate for the next testing. And so on until setting point's been reached.

Measure converter - for ounces, cups, grammes etc.

Roasted Tomato Sauce

The first combined food growing and cookbook I ever bought was Fork to Fork by Monty and Sarah Don. It was also the first book I bought on Amazon second-hand as it was out of print at the time. I believe an updated version is now available. The book brightened up my train commute to Bristol for quite a while during a bleak and dismal November when I couldn't get to grips with my new allotment. I'd just acquired it (in October 2003) and was dreaming about all the wonderful fresh, seasonal food I would soon be growing. This book fueled my dreams. That first allotment summer I grew an abundance of tomatoes that stayed for weeks after I'd actually composted the plants. Once again I turned to Fork to Fork for inspiration and found this marvellously rich tomato sauce. I use it as a basis for soups and pasta sauce (it can also be used for pizzas), the latter often contains the ever present courgette too!

Ingredients:

• 5lb (2.25kg) fresh tomatoes (single variety, or mixed according to what's in abundance at the time)
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced (I often use more, especially if there's been a good crop)
• Sea salt
• Sugar
• Olive oil (I use extra virgin as I love its fruitiness)

Method:

1. Cut the tomatoes in half and place cut side down in a large roasting tin
2. Sprinkle with the garlic, sea salt and a little sugar; drizzle with olive oil
3. Roast in a pre-heated hot oven (gas Mark 8, 230 degrees centigrade, 450 degrees fahrenheit) for 40-60 minutes. Don't worry if the tomatoes start to bubble - this is the water evaporating out of them, which means a much more concentrated flavour
4. To make the sauce, scrape off every last bit of tomato into a food processor and process until smooth
5. The sauce will keep for up to a week in the fridge with a little olive oil floated on top, or it can be put in small containers for the freezer (about a quarter of the sauce to 1 container)

Measure converter - for ounces, cups, grammes etc.

Allotment Soup/ Courgette & Brie Soup

Most weekends NAH and I have 'Allotment Soup' ('Assortment Soup' for those of you who don't have an allotment) for lunch. This tends to be whatever is in abundance at the time (seasonal and therefore cheapest if you're buying), so naturally at this time of the year courgettes (zucchini) form a major component. The onions, garlic, and herbs fresh from the garden are constants. I use potato if the soup will need a thickener (for example you won't need potato if you're making a parsnip centric version) and the courgette component will be whatever glut vegetables you have to hand - 1 vegetable or a mixture, it's up to you. Note I don't use salt in my cooking, so you may want to add your own to taste. This quantity will generously serve 4-6.

Ingredients

• 2lb courgettes or other vegetables of your choice
• 1 large onion
• 8oz potato (washed, but not peeled)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch fresh herbs - type and amount to your taste. I've used sage this time - mixed herbs, thyme, oregano or rosemary also work well, or powdered coriander (cilantro) seed
• 4 bay leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pints vegetable stock (either home made or a stock cube made up to the amount needed with hot water)

Method

• Peel and chop the onion into rough slices
• Pour the olive oil into a large pan and set on the stove
• Add the onion and set the pan to a medium heat
• Peel and chop the garlic and add to the pan
• Gently soften the onion and garlic until they are transparent
• Add the vegetable stock and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Roughly chop the remaining vegetables and add to the pan
• Destalk the herbs and add to the pan along with the bay leaves
• Bring the pan to a rolling boil, then cover and turn down the heat and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning about half way through
• Allow to cool, then remove the bay leaves with a spoon (you can leave them in if liked - this makes for a spicier version, but you may get the odd fragment of stalk)
• Process the soup using a blender until smooth
• Reheat and serve with fresh crusty bread

Variation: For courgette gluts, my neighbour makes a delicious courgette and brie soup taken from the New Covent Garden's soup recipe book. And here's the recipe - I've only been able to find a metric version, so you may need to use the measure converter below.

Courgette and Brie Soup (serves 6)

Ingredients

450g courgettes - chopped
350g potatoes - peeled and chopped (I leave the skins on as I prefer them that way)
225g Brie - ripe with rind removed
1 large onion - chopped
1.2 litres vegetable stock (home made, or 1 stock cube made up to the required amount)
Seasoning to taste

Method

• Put all the vegetables in a large pan, add the stock and seasoning to taste
• Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender
• Cool slightly, then process the soup using a blender until smooth
• Add the brie, bring back to near boiling point, stirring constantly so the brie is combined with the liquid
• Taste and adjust seasoning if needed

Measure converter - for ounces, cups, grammes etc.