Spring gardening

We bought our house exactly a year ago. All the works since then were done mainly inside but even before we started our little renovation project we had to tidy up the back garden. Previous owners have left it in a sorry state. Or, should I say, in typical suburban South London state? I bet that many times you've seen gardens resembling rubbish skips or some sort of jungle-paradise for weeds... Well, here's a few pictures of our garden shortly after we bought the house, to illustrate what I actually mean:

Last year we only cleaned up all the junk but never had time to do actual gardening so this spring my inner gardener went absolutely mental. I watched all Allan Titchmarsh shows, bought several books, subscribed to few gardening magazines and spent hours browsing the web. All this effort only to find out that I actually don't have time or money to have a proper English garden... or certainly not this summer. 

After this short breakdown, the idea of sipping on cold cocktail while sitting in comfy chair surrounded by glorious, fragrant bloom proved to be irresistible and I embarked on my gardening adventure. Now, several trips to garden centres later and few hundred pound lighter, I have a small and neat garden-to-be: daffodils already proudly displaying yellow heads, flowering currant is buzzing with insects, camellias are covered with flowers, the lawn is mowed, the shed is painted and on the old (horrible!) table there sits a bunch of tiny beauties just waiting to be planed!

Rye

No, this post is not about a kind of grain, not about baking and only a little bit about food. This post is about a picturesque town in East Sussex. Not the first choice in any tourist guide about South Coast but, to my surprise, one of the most beautiful small towns I've seen.
Rye is a member of Cinque Ports Confederation and in medieval times played important role in the defence of South Coast of England. Back then it was almost entirely surrounded by the sea but during the centuries storms brought vast quantities of gravel and blocked the entrance to the port. These days Rye is no longer a port for warships but it is still a home to the local fishing fleet.

This rich history and medieval architecture makes Rye a perfect destination for one-day trip and also you will not only learn about the town's past but also have opportunity to chill out in one of the loveliest places in South England. Numerous tea rooms, pubs and shops selling all sorts of vintage & junk are scattered around historic centre so you can take a well-earned break from sightseeing.

 We went to the lovely Cobbles Tea Room, tucked in a small alley just off the main street. It offers  lively atmosphere, cosy interior and delicious homemade scones. My cream tea was simply divine! Rich and luxurious carrot cake is also a must.

St Mary's Church is worth seeing, and its tower is open to the public if you fancy some climbing and admiring  views of green, rolling hills around Rye. There is a house nearby where American novelist Henry James lived for few years.

If you are a fan of old English charm, tiny houses, secret passages and cobbled streets, Rye is the place for you. In addition numerous shops offering vintage furniture and other useful bits and bobs make it a nice shopping destination. I am still on the mission to find perfect armchair and lamps for my living room so will be definitely coming back to Rye very soon!

 

Toffee apple cake

Late night treat. Made only because I've found pack of toffee candies in my kitchen cupboard.

200g roughly chopped dates
200ml milk
250g butter , softened
280g self-raising flour
200g light soft brown sugar
½ tsp baking powder
4 large eggs
1 tbsp mixed spice
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 small red apples
squeeze lemon juice
handful of toffees
icing sugar , for dusting


Grease and line a 20 x 30cm baking tray with baking parchment and heat oven to 180C.
Put the dates and milk in a small pan and bring to a simmer. Set aside to cool.
Slice the apples quite thinly, toss in a little lemon juice.
Whizz the date mixture to a smooth purée in blender, then move into a large mixing bowl. Tip in the butter, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, eggs, mixed spice and vanilla.
Quickly beat together the cake ingredients with an electric whisk until smooth, then pour into the baking tray. Arrange the apple slices, overlapping in rows, on top of the cake. Bake for 45-50 mins, check with a skewer - if  it comes out clean the cake is ready. Cool in the tray.
Put the toffees in a small pan with a good splash of milk and gently melt, stirring, until runny. Dust your cake  with a little icing sugar, then drizzle sauce all over. Serve with a cup of warm milk and go to bed soon after. Sweet dreams.

New things to come and short digression about unusual drink

Long time no see. Winter is not the best time of year for being active, at least for me. I hibernate. Only half aware, constantly cold, only doing necessary things - eat, wash, sleep and go to work, that's it. What do I eat? Mainly soups. Do I make them? No, I buy them. So there is nothing to blog about..? Well, maybe there is. Interior design, decorating, painting, restoring old furniture. That's what keeps me busy all days recently. I still don't know if I should start blogging about it. Not sure if I am ready, if I want to. My lack of self-confidence prevents me from sharing anything with people. Am I good enough? What if not? Not that I am afraid to make a fool of myself, more that I waste time doing something that I am not go at. Will see.  For now I want to share with you some winter speciality - kompot prepared from a blend of dried fruits.

Take any dried fruits you want, but stick to European types. Nothing too fancy like papaya, mango or lychee. Just apples, plums, pears. So it is not really 'any' type of fruit. Choice is very limited. Anyway, put the fruits in a big pot. Proportion and quantities are not important, maybe take a handful of each type. But remember that i.e. plums have very strong taste so they my overpower any other ingredients. 

Pour water, add cinnamon stick, cloves and some sugar. Not too much as you will be able to check the taste later. Boil everything for few minutes and taste. Add more spices or sugar, depending how sweet you like your drink.

Best served lukewarm. Not everyone likes to eat the fruits so you can chuck them away and just drink it. But it is a waste so I say you should eat these bloody fruits as well!