I have been thinking for ages about doing a course in wild foraging as I think it would be really useful and interesting to know more about easily accessible wild foods all around us …how to identify…cook and so on. However, then lockdown happened and one day when checking out my emails I read an email from www.pebblemag.com  

They recommended a book by Tiffany Frances called ‘Food you can Forage’ so I thought I would treat myself.

https://www.instagram.com/tiffany.francis/

The book is divided into different countryside areas to forage in, plants to identify and in what seasons. At the back of the book there are some recipe suggestions.

I took my book and a bag into the woods with a friend and collected some wild garlic leaves and that evening made a wild garlic pesto – I have to say that it was delicious and so much nicer than bought pesto. I thought I would share the recipe from the book for you with some added ideas of mine.

Pesto Primavera

wild garlic leaves 100g

nettle or garlic mustard

10 fresh basil leaves

old winchester cheese (vegan) or cornish quartz cheddar grated 60g (actually I used fresh parmesan)

pine nuts 50g toasted and chopped (I used cashew nuts as they are cheaper and work just as well)

olive oil 140ml (cold pressed is the best)

sea or rock salt

Wash leaves and set aside. When dry pop leaves, basil, cheese, nuts and salt into a processor and blend until coarsely chopped. Add glugs of oil one at a time to the processor and whizz until you are happy with the consistency. Enjoy with your freshly cooked pasta!

Alternatively transfer the mix into a sterilised jar and when full, cover the top with a layer of oil to seal it in. Use fresh or within a few weeks.

We  had a great day playing with techniques shared by the amazing and inspiring Anne Kelly, BFA, ATC.

Textile and mixed media artist Anne creates unique works of art incorporating treasured personal and found objects, ephemera, stitchery, lettering, motifs and more…into exquisite pieces.

Here are some pictures of her work..no doubt she will be back to visit sometime so keep your eyes and ears open if you fancy an indulgent day at Mad Hatters Studio.

Anne has co-written ‘Connected Cloth’, also solo written ‘Textile Nature’ and ‘Textile Folk Art’ and I hear there is a rumour of another book. So here are some pictures of Anne’s work;

And here are some pictures of work created on the day…much of which, for those participating will be an ongoing project with further stitch and embellishment- we were all delighted with our outcomes…

http://www.annekellyartist.net/anne-kelly-artist

http://www.annekellytextiles.com

Canadian Wacky Cake

I thought I would share a recipe with you as everybody always loves it – it is like a cross between a between a brownie and a sponge, has been in my family for years and is sooo easy to make! When I make this cake I use an Aga roasting pan and make x3 times the recipe. If you use a standard roasting pan you could use x2 times the recipe.

Ingredients:

200g SR Flour

150g Soft brown sugar

3 Tbs Cocoa Powder

1 Level Tsp Bicarb (this is optional -it makes the cake more airy but I prefer the cake more dense so I don’t use it)

1 Tbs Vinegar

125 g Melted Butter

1 Tsp Vanilla

1 Cup Tepid Water (hand hot)

1 Large Bar Dairy Milk

Method:

1. Sieve dry flour, cocoa and bicarb (if using)  into the roasting pan and sprinkle over sugar.

2. Make 3 dents in the mixture and in one pour in melted butter, in one place the vanilla and in the final one put in the vinegar.

3. Pour over the tepid water and mix well together with a whisk.

4. Bake at 180C or 350F for 30-40mins until only just cooked – still slightly sticky is good.

5. Gently melt the chocolate and pour over the top. Use a palette knife to swirl around and make a patterned effect. You could also add other decorations e.g. sprinkles or spun white chocolate.

6. Cut into chunky squares when cold. It maybe served as it is or warmed and served with custard, ice cream or clotted cream or anything you fancy! YUM!