Chooksandroots

LATEST ARTICLES ( 235 )

• Artisan Bread

  

  This last couple of weeks, I’ve been making bread.Not your common or garden bloomer loaf, either. I’ve been experimenting and been making olive and sun-dried... Read more

  Posted on 25 June 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• Rhubarb Wine Part 3

  So… the wine has been blobbing away in the demijohn, turning all that yeast and sugar into lovely alcohol. It slowed down a bit, which I gather is normal, but a... Read more

  Posted on 04 June 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• Heritage Tomatoes

  

  Last year, we were lucky to whiz off to France to visit an old friend of mine. Well, she’s not old exactly… just we’ve known each other for ages. Read more

  Posted on 23 May 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• Rhubarb Wine Part 2

  

  After the rhubarb and sugar mixture had chance to stew for a couple of days in the fermenting bucket, it was time to work some magic on it, and start the proces... Read more

  Posted on 17 May 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• Rhubarb Wine Part 1

  I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted, but it’s all been mega busy here at Chook Cottage. What, with finishing the book, juggling work, training for my 5k... Read more

  Posted on 15 May 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• My Book

  I know, I know… I’ve been a bit quiet of late. Truth is, the garden is ticking along marvellously, and I’ve just been so busy… but more about that, later 🙂A... Read more

  Posted on 03 August 2017 GARDENING, HOME

• Three Years on

  

  Hard to believe that I’ve lived in my little house now for just over three years. Yesterday, on facebook memories, this photo popped up…Garden – May 2014This wa... Read more

  Posted on 15 May 2017 GARDENING, HOME

• Cheese and Parma Pastries

  

  Last weekend, lovely chap got out of bed, wandered off downstairs, and I lay there looking forward to tea being delivered very shortly.He was gone absolutely... Read more

  Posted on 26 April 2017 GARDENING, HOME

• Filo Cottage Pie with Grilled Polenta

  

  We had some leftover roast carrots and parsnips, a roll of cheap filo pastry we found in the reduced, and a slab of polenta… what can you do with that little... Read more

  Posted on 26 April 2017 GARDENING, HOME

• Rhubarb Vodka

  

  Flavoured vodka isn’t all that common in the UK, so with the first crop of rhubarb ready in the plot, I decided to make my own. I made some last year, and it’s... Read more

  Posted on 13 April 2017 GARDENING, HOME

• Chicken and Leek Pie

  

  We still had a handful of leftover chicken to use up… we throw NOTHING away food-wise!Today I decided to send it out in style, by transforming it into a... Read more

  Posted on 13 April 2017 GARDENING, HOME

• Sesame Chicken and Warm Salad

  

  The weather was blooming gorgeous this weekend, so as the garden is looking so good at the moment, we had an impromptu barbeque. Read more

  Posted on 12 April 2017 GARDENING, HOME

• Spinach and Water Chestnut Dip

  This is a really easy dish that goes down a storm at gatherings. The dip is made and served in a hollowed out bloomer loaf. Guests then eat the dip with the... Read more

  Posted on 12 April 2017 GARDENING, HOME

• Seabass and Leek Bake

  

  There’s a chap in our town who’s a keen allotment keeper. He grows so much stuff that often he will put a basket outside his house where you can buy vegetables. Read more

  Posted on 29 March 2017 GARDENING, HOME

• Supermarket Scavenging

  We all love a good bargain, right? Well, currently I’m taking this to another level. I’ve set myself a challenge on how much we can reduce our grocery bill. Read more

  Posted on 29 March 2017 GARDENING, HOME

• Turf Wars

  

  My lawn has been the topic of much discussion over the past couple of years. When I first moved to Chook Cottage, the garden was nothing but a scrappy bit of... Read more

  Posted on 17 March 2017 GARDENING, HOME

• The Cheat

  

  Remember a week or so ago… I dusted off the heated propagator from the shed, excitedly whizzed it upstairs, and planted my first crops of the year: Kale and... Read more

  Posted on 07 March 2017 GARDENING, HOME

• Curried Parsnip Soup

  Earlier this week, lovely man came striding home, clutching a rather large bag of parsnips. Waggling them under my nose, he announced, “20p… 20p!”. He... Read more

  Posted on 16 February 2017 GARDENING, HOME

• Kale

  

  Whoopee! Great news!The kale seeds only went in the propagator on Sunday, and THEY ARE GERMINATING! We absolutely love kale, and get through bags of the stuff…... Read more

  Posted on 14 February 2017 GARDENING, HOME

• Level Lawn

  

  The work has officially begun in the garden. Our chap came and built us a decked area earlier in the year, and I dutifully rescued the plants that were in its... Read more

  Posted on 13 February 2017 GARDENING, HOME