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