Cumbria Floods rock the world.

What a difference a month makes, from Halloween through November we have seen rain just about every day, the Ducks are very happy but it all went horribly wrong on the 19th November when the rain over the previous two days just never let up, overnight the watercourses and rivers filled and by the morning of the 19th it was clear that disaster was looming. But like any parent of teenagers who are preparing for GSCE's we battled through to get them to school come hell or HIGH WATER ! - only to find that by lunchtime they were actually stranded now at school, still its all part of life's rich tapestry and adventure.

For us in Hawkshead the drama continued as we battled to save the shop from being flooded - resorting to huge sacks of sugar in place of sand bags to stop the flow, it worked and only a small puddle appeared in the shop - we were very lucky, many houses in the village saw the levels rising up through their cellars with no way of stopping the tide.

The village was cut off for the best part of 3 days, certainly to trucks and deliveries - I managed to get through to retrieve the children on the Friday with a journey that took me 3 hours - (normally 20 mins at the most!) We also played host to two members of staff who were stuck in Hawkshead overnight.

This week - 10 days on, there are skips everywhere with carpets and furniture beyond redemption, it is a sad sight, but we are all thankful that it wasn't any worse, sadly as we think of the PC Barker who was not so lucky and his family mourning his loss it puts it all into perspective.

We received calls from all round the world as news of the floods hit the news channels, yet some people just a few miles away rang to question where there orders had got too!

For businesses around the area the message is clear to everyone who loves and enjoys the Lakes, we are back to normal (ish) and the county is very much open for business, I have heard tales of folks cancelling their Christmas bookings at hotels that were not even flooded for fear of the scenes of devastation that they think they will see and impassable roads, this is not the case, there are still some closed bridges in places, some walls are down, but all areas are accessible and now more than ever the businesses need the support of visitors to come and enjoy the area.

Today - the skies are blue, the mountains white with snow and the valleys filled with frost. One of those clear beautiful cold and crispy days, as I drove the children to school Windermere was steaming giving an ethereal and beautiful glow as the sun started to show through a bright orange and red sunrise, how I wished that I had my camera with me ! it's always the way.

Anyway - come to the Lakes - we are all open and will welcome visitors with open arms and tales of how they escaped or coped with the Great Flood of 2009 !

Its Halloween and to celebrate the season of autumn and the coming of winter what could be better than a recipe for Hubble Bubble Hash.

Take some left over sunday roast, ideally beef, lamb or pork, cube up the meat that you have left over.

Take some Bacon and chop into pieces, an onion roughly chopped, fry these off in a little olive oil, take out and set aside, fry some cubed par boiled potatoes until crispy, return the onion and bacon to the pan with the cubed meat, you can add some left over cabbage greens or some fozen peas if you wish, a good splash of Hawkshead Relish and a handful of chopped parsley. Stir until all cooked through and good and hot. Serve with a lightly fried egg and a hunk of freshly baked bread.

Yum Yum.

October Fest in Hawkshead

Already it is the 1st of October - time is speeding along, October is a lovely month in the Lake District as the trees turn through all the colours and the weather is often suprisingly good, we chose to get married in October (25 years ago!) and I have been looking through a newspaper from then that I have kept, my goodness how times have changed. Saturday night TV consisted of 3.2.1 and Noels House Party - no wonder we went out alot. Plus there were only 4 channels still even then. House prices were amazing with a 4 bedroom house in the Lakes with views for around £85,000 - put another 0 on it now! Yet I noticed also an advert for a new Maestro car which was £6,400 which seems alot even by todays standards !

The leaves are turning here now and the sun is shining, we are all sitting outside for lunch enjoying the late summer, the shop is busy but less frantic than the height of the season, so if you are thinking of a trip to the Lakes, come now it is absolutely fantastic.

On the 24th we will be having a fabulous Great Tasting Day at the Hawkshead Relish shop with lots of producers to chat to and lots of goodies to taste, plus we will be making up hampers for Christmas so you can select your products and have them made up whilst you wait. Go on make a weekend of it.

London Speciality Fine Food Fair

Its all go here at Hawkshead at the moment as we prepare for our annual trip to the London Speciality Fine Food Fair, where we showcase our products to the wholesale and retail buyers across the country. It is a great event that co-incides with the kids going back to school so for the first time in several years - I get to go this year, in the past three years I have stayed at home sorting out sewing name tapes and gathering children and sorting out who is doing what, where and when, the show should be a breeze !

August Bank Holiday looms large

As the August Bank Holiday looms large we are busy making chutney and jam for Christmas, I know but it is the way of the world that we like many other industries have to be ahead of the rest of the "normal" world.

So like fashion designers working on the next season and already now we are thinking about the new year and what tastes and delights will be in food fashion next year.

Another thought that came home to me this week, with the tip of Hurricance Billy currently filling the garden with rainwater was that already the swallows are lining up in readiness to head south. I love the English seasons, the fact that the nights draw in as Autumn approaches, from the long sultry days of June when the sun set after 10pm across the hills of the Lake District to now the almost complete blackness of the sky at 9pm. It makes for putting the chicken and ducks to bed easier as they head on in around 8pm. I seem to remember long hot lazy August days of my youth, but maybe not, as the nights draw in and certainly the weather this year in August has been far from long and hot. My mother in law stayed with us last week and just once we were able to venture outdoors for a meal, but only with blankets, the fire and a few glasses for medicinal purposes to keep us warm. Since she went we have eaten outside each night....but that may not last looking at the skies of today.

On the school run again from next week, and on Saturday we head south with the swallows, but only as far as London as we attend the Speciality Fine Food Fair a trade fair for our wholesale customers which is hard work but fun.

Recipe for a rainy day

It's pouring with rain today, no surprise really, but we have had a lovely weekend and on the whole the summer of 2009 has been a good weather one, judging by the number of days we have sat out to eat in the evenings anyway.

But to brighten the rainy mood of a Monday morning I thought I would share with you a recipe of the day.

Simply our favourite Chicken & Apricot Curry - Serves 4

8 Chicken Thighs or drumsticks (skin removed)
1 Large Onion - chopped
1 Tin of tomatoes - chopped
8-10 Ready to eat Apricots halved
Cooking Oil
teacup of Frozen Peas
Salt & Pepper
pinch of sugar
Splash of Cider or White Wine Vinegar
Hawkshead Relish Hot Garlic Pickle
Hawkshead Relish Mango Chutney

Take 2 - 3 heaped teaspoons of the Hot Garlic Pickle (more if you like a stronger hotter flavour) Mash the garlic with the back of a spoon to break them down, add 2 -3 teaspoons of cooking oil, Pop in a heavy based frying pan on a med heat and allow to cook through, add the chopped onion and soften for about 5 minutes, add the chicken and coat with the garlic and onions, add the tomatoes and season with a little salt & pepper. Add a little water if required.
Reduce the heat and allow to simmer slowly with a lid on for about 20 - 30 minutes, check the meat is cooked by putting a sharp knife into the centre and checking that the juices run clear.
When the chicken is cooked, stir in the apricots and the peas, a teaspoon of vinegar and a pinch of sugar, check the seasoning and adjust where needed, cook for a further 5 minutes to ensure the peas are cooked.

Serve with fluffy Basmati Rice, naan bread and a generous helping of Hawkshead Relish Mango Chutney.

You can vary this dish very easily, add a tin of coconut milk towards the end of the cooking process and if you have them a few curry leaves. This dish with the coconut milk also works really well using Prawns instead of chicken, the method is much the same, except don't put the prawns in until the very end and just give them 5 minutes cooking time in total, or just till they turn pink and set.

For another alternative, using the chicken recipe, cook in the same way, but add some chopped carrots and sliced green beans, and some chopped preserved Lemon (also available from Hawkshead Relish) Serve with Couscous for a quick easy Morrocan chicken

Happy Cooking

Maria

August - or Chistmas at Relish !

A strange couple of weeks, we are busy making Christmas orders for people whilst the sun is shining outside and although not quite the 42 degree heat in the kitchen of a few weeks back it is still a lovely summer, the news is full of people complaining about the lack of the BBQ summer, but here in the Lake District we have eaten outside more often than inside this summer, so for once we are having a good summer, yes we have had some torrential downpours, I even struggled to get through the floods in my mini last week, but it lasted a day, made the news and then returned to the sunshine and showers that we are getting used to. Jingle Bells

Hawkshead Show will return in a couple of weeks, (18th August) having been rained off for the last two years, fingers are crossed that this will be OK. Children and adults all around the area are busy planning their entries in readiness for the big event. We will be having our usual stand (no5) and as it is 10 years this year since we rolled out our very first jar, we will have a special hamper prize draw on offer, no purchase necessary, just come along and add your name to the box for a chance to win it. It's a great day out so if you are out and about in the Lakes on the 18th please come and say hello.

Maria

Long day driving

It's funny how you get so used to only coming across the odd sheep, lamb or deer in the road, the only hold ups are the blessed road works (re-surfacing -don't get me started) or the odd tractor pulling out of the field with much spreader dripping from the back - note to self don't get too close!

But today I went on the motorway - no big deal but I don't do it very often these days and I remembered my dad saying to me about the speed of driving on the motorway and it all felt very relevant today. At some points I admit to driving a touch over the limit (actually about 75mph) and I was the fastest thing on the road, at other points I was doing 70 and quite honestly the slowest with everything zooming past, it's weird. Then I recalled my dad saying that you have to bear in mind that if everyone is driving at the same or similar speed then the 5mph difference can make all the difference. I forgot how agressive some drivers are in cities, where four or five lanes of traffic converge and you have to negociate yourself from one side to the other, working out what is going on in front, behind and both sides, whilst listening to the Sat Nav wittering along about turning when there is no turn just an amalgamation of lanes.

Driving along country lanes is a delight in comparison, but I guess it's what you are used to, I like the lanes, I like the dark at night driving, I know the width of my car and where I can pull in safely to allow someone to pass, and where not too because the road falls away but is hidden from view. It comes down to what is comfortable what you are used to I know. But I wouldn't swap my green narrow country lanes for the four lane highway to hell that delivers so many irate and hot people into the cities every day. I like it calm, I like it quiet and I don't get road rage, I do get rabbits, squirrels, deer, pheasants and the odd owl sitting watching me tootal long on my merry little way.

Countryside or motorway - no choice for me....

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Well, it's been a funny old day here in Hawkshead, sun, rain, cool then warm. Everything really. We have been thinking Christmas - yes I know but we have to be ready for you all.