It is now over 2 months since we had our chickens and I never realised how many eggs we would have !We have had over 100 eggs of which 4 have been double yolks.

We were told when they came to us that it could take a few weeks before they settled down and started laying . Low and behold we had our first egg after 5 days.

It was tiny only 41 grams …But it was an egg…We have only had one day since when we have had no eggs. Most days it is 2 out of 3 and then we have a run of 3 a day. Now the average egg weighs about 55 grams and the double yolkers 70 plus.

People I meet in the shop I work in always say “hmm I will have your eggs off you” NO WAY ! my girls take a lot of time and effort to produce those lovely deep yellow yolked eggs , no one but family are having those. I think I will have to start again making recipes to ring the changes. Although you can’t beat soft boiled eggs and soldiers made from home made wholemeal bread.

We got our chickens from a company called Omlet who are based in Oxford but they will deliver within a certain distance.They have a great forum also as all the people on it will help with any problems you may have. .

I would never have thought 2 months ago that things would have changed in my priorities so much.

The three girls and I  have become confident between us and they know exactly when I’m due home from work I am sure as they are waiting to be let out from their walk in run to forrage around in the garden as they wish.Their eggs have got bigger , the smallest chicken poppy , her eggs were the smallest at first at about 48 grams they are now on average 56 grams.I must be doing something right as this is a great learning curve.

Photo time I reckon, so here goes

Florrie being a poser

Florrie again with Clover otherwise known as madam.

A small leap , Poppy on the kitchen windowsill using a box as a springboard.

I have never had a pet in my life but after growing our own vegetables and trying to live a “good life” chickens seemed the next step.It was after a few glasses of wine one Sunday evening that my husband said “If we don’t do it now we never know if we could have “…Before I knew what had happened I had ordered a coup.

So where did we go from there? Our garden is not big at all and none of our close neighbours had chickens  (but they all had barking dogs). Down we went to our local DIY store and made a 12 ft x 8ft cage with a gate fitted over 2 weekends under a nice shady spot under a pear tree. The coup arrived and fitted and in the coup  went ready for our girls to arrive.

I was so nervous , it was like waiting for exam results. My Granddaughter Hannah came to the house  the morning of their arrival to hold my hand and to help me settle them in . I need not have worried the lovely man from Omlet helped us all the way explaing how to hold them etc., The girls now have me tied round there little fingers (claws) and I fret if it rains and they get wet.

Strawberry and rose petal conserve

This is a strawberry conserve with a slight twist , ideal served with summer teas . Rose water compliments the strawberries beautifully but only add a few drops as it can become over powering.

Ingredients

1.300kg  / 3lb strawberries

2 dark pink rose buds petals only

juice of 2 lemons

1.3kg / 3lb granulated sugar warmed

a few drops of rose water.

 Method

1. Put all the strawberries in a non metallic bowl with the rose petals , lemon juice and warmed sugar. Cover and leave overnight.

2. The next day , tip the fruit into a preserving pan and heat gently , stirring , until all the sugar has dissolved. Boil for 10 – 15 minutes or to setting point (105c/220f)

3. Stir the rose water into the jam, then remove the pan from the heat.

4. Skim off any scum and leave to cool for 5 minutes , then stir and pour into sterilised jars.

5. Seal and label and store .

Strawberry rose ice cream

A very pretty pink ice cream using once again rose water ,again you can leave this out if you wish .

You can also make this ice cream with raspberries , blackberry and gooseberry.

Ingredients

serves 6

450/16 oz  strawberries rinsed and hulled.

2tbsp rose water (optional)

300ml /half a pint double cream

115g /4oz icing sugar

juice of 1 lemon

Method

1. Put the strawberries into a blender or food processor with the rose water if using and blend for a few seconds until smooth.Whip the cream until just peaking and sieve in the icing sugar.

2. Fold into the cream along with the strawberry mixture and lemon juice.

3. Taste and add more sugar if required.

4. Either churn the ice cream in a machine or transfer to a freezer container , cover and put in coldest part of the freezer for about 2 hours until slushy, then beat well.

5.Return to the freezer for a further hour before beating again,repeat this process twice more. Stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes to soften before serving.

Dried Strawberries.

Do you have a glut of strawberries? is this a great way of adding fruit to your muesli .

Ingredients

Strawberries halved

250g / 8oz honey

250g / 8oz sugar

250g / 8fl oz water.

Method

Preheat oven to 110c/225f/ gas qtr.

1. Halve the strawberries

 2.Dip in the honey and sugar mixture to retain the colour and stop from browning..

3. Spread out on wire racks on baking trays and dry in oven for about 12 – 18 hours or until dry and brittle.

After talking about it , rejecting the idea and then back and forth we decided last  Sunday evening to order a chicken coup.

OK I know it is a big step  for a couple who have never except for 4 children ever had pets before …and please don’t say it is because we need a replacement for the children who are now all adults and flown the nest .

We have a fairly small garden and after taking advice from a friend who have chickens  we have decided to have 3 of them , which after having cleared the space we have chosen will be ample for us. This weekend it is clearing the space and then  erecting the coup which is probably the hardest part. So from next week when we go and get the chickens it will be all hands on deck learning how to keep our chickens healthy and well cared for so any suggestions will be gratefully received.

As we both said if we don’t do it now we never will and we will regret not knowing if we could have…Watch this space.

May 20th

After a very hard task the ground is nearly cleared and it is amazing how much space we have in the garden , I did not realise how overgrown some of our shrubs had got , certainly needed doing and getting chickens has done us a favour We have a very good dump in our town to dispose of our green waste and we will load the car again Saturday evening and off load half of our garden Sunday morning .

 Saturday afternoon we are erecting the coup. The instructions look very scarce so I reckon it will take us most of Saturday and half of Sunday. We are so looking forward to this , we are not concerned about the looking after thewm and cleaning etc., but a little scared about the feeding…Can they have too much, what can’t they have ?

Most of my life is enjoyed by sharing it with family and  gardening on my allotments which are set in the most beautiful countryside .This time of year I am at my best as it is light enough and warm enough to go to the allotments 10 minutes by bike from my house and water and weed for England! Trotting around are pheasants and partridge with their young ,rabbits  (too many) small deer and others.I go around about 6 . 30 – 7 and stay until 8.15 when I have to go to work in my local shop .

The weekends again are spent most mornings weather permitting watering,weeding and planting. It is now mid April and everything is late this year , but nature always has a way of catching up.

I am nearly into my mid 60s and since having the allotments and losing loads of weight I have changed my life for the better.I grow all our vegetables , I don’t eat much meat as I can’t see the point (the occasional sausage or chicken )and eat a lot of wonderful fish which we get delivered from a company in Grimsby .The more vegetables I grow the less meat I eat as believe it or not vegetable cooked properly are wonderful. The less rubbish I can put in my body the better..”You are what you eat” they say and I believe this to be true.

This weekend being Easter weekend and a little more time, we have dug an asparagus patch , I should have done it years ago as not only one of my favourite vegetables but it takes 2 years at least top establish itself,another small challenge.Any advice would be gratefully received.

My next project is to get some chickens…I have been thinking about them for years,  I have had a lot of advice on this from a friend who has some, I shall keep you all posted!

An egg is also a very good source of protein and unless you are a vegan very suitable for vegetarians.Below are a few recipes that you probably know about but have forgotten , or maybe I might just jog your memory  for meals you have not cooked in a while.

Eggy bread .

Eggy bread is also called French bread and can be savoury or sweet. Kids love this. So quick and easy to with many variations. When I was young my mum used to make this and then dip it sugar and cinnamen .

Ingredients

• 4 slices white or wholemeal  bread .
• 2 eggs beaten with a little milk.
• oil .
• salt and pepper.

Method

1. Beat the eggs with a little milk and add seasoning of salt and pepper.
2. Heat a small coating of oil in a shallow frying pan
3. dip bread in the egg mixture on both siodes and add to the pan cook on both sides until golden brown.
4. You can make a sandwich first of ham or cheese and then dip…Yummy.
5. For a sweet one you could have jam , honey or even fruit.

Really nice inside is crispy bacon , but drain first when cooked before adding to sandwich.You don’t need the fat.

Caramelised onion Frittata

Although the onion takes a little time to caramelise but it can be done in advance , which means the final dish can be done in a jiffy.This is lovely cold and taken as a packed lunch.

Ingredients

Serves two.

• 1 large onion sliced.
• 4 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 teaspooon caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3 tablespoon grated parmesan
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon parsley

• salt and pepper.

Method

1. Fry the onions very gently in half the oil until soft and golden brown – about 30 minutes in all so don’t rush it.Sprinkle over the sugar and cook for a further 3 – 5 minutes until caramelised. Leave to cool.
2. Beat the eggs with the parmesan , thyme , parsley , salt and pepper and stir in the onion. Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan .
3. Pour in the mixture making sure it gets its share of the onion spread about ..
4. Reduce the heat to moderate and let it cook until almost set right through.
5. Lift out onto a plate and then invert the frittata back into the pan , uncooked side down.
6. Cook for a further 2 minutes or so until the underneath is slightly brown.

Lift out and cut into wedges and serve with a lovely salad.

Baked eggs in spiced pepper and tomato stew

This mixture of fried peppers, tomatoes and eggs , flavoured with cumin we had when we went to Crete , it would be great as a lunch but in Crete we had it for breakfast. This should serve 6 as a starter or 2 hungry people for lunch.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions sliced
• 2 garlic cloves (if liked)
• 1 small green pepper 1 small red pepper seeded and cut into strips.
• 1 heaped teaspoon of ground cumin
• 500g ripe tomatoes , skinned and roughly chopped.
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 6 eggs
• cayenne pepper or paprika
• salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil in a heavy based frying pan  over a moderate heat.
2. add the onions,garlic and peppers and fry stirring often ,until soft (this will take about 10 minutes)
3. stir in the cumin and fry for another minute.
4. Next add the tomatoes with any juice that has oozed out of them ,the tomato puree ,salt and pepper, and a touch of sugar if the tomatoes are very sharp.
5. Allow the mixture to cook to a thick  , but wettish sauce , taste and adjust seasoning.
6. Make a dip in the mixture with the back of a spoon ,then break an egg into it.Repoeat with the other eggs.When all the eggs are in  ,cover the pan with a lid and keep cooking foe a further 8 – 10 minutes  , until the eggs are set.
7. Sprinkle the eggs with a little more salt , a light dusting of cumin and cayenne or paprika.

Below are a few recipes that will not only help you to use up any thing left over but also save you money .

Shepherd’s pie.

I know this seems like an easy recipe and common sense but it is one that never seems to date… . and it is so cheap.If you have no left over cooked meat you can gently fry fresh uncooked minced meat and treat the same.

Ingredients

• 1lb / 500 g  left over mashed potato.
• 1lb /500g minced or chopped cooked meat (usually beef or lamb but chicken is ok)
• 1 large onion chopped .
• any herbs that you have hanging around.
• any spices you fancy (even curry powder for a nice change.)
• teaspoon tomato puree.
• 1 stock cube.

Method

1. Gently fry onion on a low heat  until it is soft (try not to burn it)

2. Add the meat ,the stock cube mixed with a little water (not too much just enough to moisten the meat)

3. Cook gently until warmed through thoroughly and add your herbs or spices.

4. Put in   an ovenproofdish and cool.

5. Spread  the mashed potato over the meat mixture and rough up with a fork.This helps to give your mash a nice crispy finish.

6.Put in a pre heated oven at about gas marked 6 or 7 for about half an hour or until the meal is piping hot.

7. Serve with any vegetables you have available and extra gravy .

We have all at sometime carved out a pumpkin for the kids on Halloween and thrown away the insides ! Pumpkin or butternut squash soup is just delicious.

Quick pumpkin soup .

Ingredients.

• 1 onion .
• 1lb / 500g pumpkin flesh cut into cubes.
• 1 carrot
• 1 stick celery
• 1pint / half a litre chicken or veg stock fresh or from a cube.
• sprinkle of chilli flakes
• rosemary sprigs.
• salt and pepper.

1.Gently saute chopped onion in a small amount of oil, add chopped carrot and celery.

2.cook  slowly for about 5 mins until vegetables are getting soft.

3.add chilli flakes , salt , pepper and rosemary sprigs ,then the pumpkin.

4.Add stock and simmer for about half an hour until vegetables are soft .

5.Ladle into a food processor or blender and whizz until smooth.

6.Serve in bowls with crusty bread.

Frittata

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 small onion chopped finely.
• Any vegetables you happen to have
• salt and pepper.
• herbs

1. Saute the onion until transparent in a little oil.

2 Add the vegetables , the best ones I find are mushrooms, chopped peppers , tomatoes ,cooked potato.

3 Cook gently in the frying pan .

4.crank up the heat under the pan and add the beaten eggs.

5. Cook until the eggs are firm underneath.

6. Put a plate on top and reverse the fritatta onto plate and then back into the pan.

7. Make sure the egg mixture is sealed on both sides.

8. Cut into wedges and serve with a salad.

9.This is also lovely cold with a dollop of mayo.

10. You can also add grated cheese at the very last moment.

Vegetable curry

This is so easy to make ,you don’t even have to use left over veg and you could add some prawns or cooked chicken to this at the last minute but make sure it is heated through.

Ingredients

• 2tbs veg oil
• 1 onion finely chopped
• small piece ginger
• 4 tbs curry paste
• half tsp tumeric
• 1lb mixed vegetables like pumpkin,sweet potato
• 300 ml vegetable stock
• 300ml coconut milk

1. Heat the oil in the pan and fry the onion , ginger over a low heat for about 5 minutes until the onion is softened.Stir in the curry paste and tumeric.

2.Add the vegetables and stir to coat in the spices.Leave to cook on a low heat for 2 – 3 minutes to allow the vegetables to absorb the spices.

3. Pour in the vegetable stock and coconut milk.Bring to the boil ,lower the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes. until the vegetables are tender.

4.Season with salt and pepper  , remove from the heat  and serve.

Hotch Potch soup

This soup is so varied , you could add just anything…How about some tinned harricot or butter beans?

Ingredients

• Any vegetables chopped finely.
• 2 leeks chopped .
• shredded cabbage or spinach.
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 litre stock , chicken or vegetable
• half a teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper
• good pinch chilli flakes
• Tomato puree.
• left over cooked pasta chopped .

1. Cook onion till soft in a little oil.

2. Add vegetables except leeks and cabbage and cook until soft on a low heat .

3.Add stock and cook for 20 minutes .

4.Add chilli flakes , basil and seasoning.

5. Add leeks, cabbage and pasta and cook for further 10 minutes.

6. stir in tablespoon of tomato puree.

Serve with sprinkled parmesan.

Muesli

I know this seems simple and common sense , but so often in the larder we have a small amount of every thing left and not enough of one ingredient to make a whole breakfast or snack…This fills the bill and so easy to do and store.

Ingredients.

• 3 cups oats
• 1 cup mixed nuts including macadamia if possible
• ½ cup sesame seeds
• ½ cup sunflower seeds
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• dried apricots chopped.

Mix all ingredients together and store in a tight container.You can add or take away any ingredient you like , use what ever you seem to have at hand .Serve with milk or yogurt.

Vegetable Burgers

The only ingredient in this that can be  left overs ….  the egg used to bind and coat the burger !

Ingredients

• 1lb /500g mashed potato
• 8oz/250g left over cooked vegetables, could be anything …Peas,cabbage,grated carrot
• breadcrumbs to coat
• 1 oz flour
• spices of your choice or herbs.
• egg and a little milk mixed  to bind and coat.

1. Mix the mash , vegetables , half the egg mixture  , chopped herbs or spices together .

2. Make into rounded cakes and leave in fridge for about an hour to firm up .

3. take small plates or dishes and put some flour , egg and breadcrumbs on each one.

4.dip the burgers in first the flour then the egg and then the breadcrumbs.

5. fry in shallow fat until golden and heated right through.

6. You could add grated cheese to the mixture before cooking as well.

A few quick tips for using scraps.

• A scrap of parmesan rind left in the fridge going dry? put it in a saucepan of soup ,it will give a great flavour.
• A couple of slices of bread ..grate and freeze , every time you get a slice left over grate and add to same bag or box.
• We all know about freezing wine if left over but if you freeze in small old yogurt cartons you will have just enough each time to add to one sauce. The other way of course is in an ice-cube tray if you only need a small amount.
• Egg whites left over from separating eggs after using the yolks can be frozen and then defrosted and used in meringues etc.
• Fresh chilli left over can be frozen also or why not dry them?

Summer seems such a busy time with not only both the allotments but  the reaping the rewards and cooking all the     produce rather than let any go to waste.

It has been a great year with a shaky start due to the hot dry weather earlier in  the year. Rains later revived every thing and it has been a great year in all with about an 80% success rate. The main successes were the bollotti and haricot beans , beetroot , potatoes , savoy cabbages and almost every thing else.The big failure I reckon were the onions which although were fine , were not as big as usual or as juicy but hung in our garage though in onions sacks they look quite impressive. The other Failure was our early purple sprouting broccoli it just fried in the early hot weather and was only a couple of meals … oh well !

This year for the first time we grew late potatoes.Planted in late August the advert said the late Charlotte  and Bambino potatoes would be ready to pick in October and you could still be digging them up Christmas day! As we had space to spare we thought we would give them a go….What a great crop! we have new potatoes now and I reckon we could still be digging them at Christmas….Where there are potatoes there are fewer weeds..A result. These were ordered from  www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk

The next entry will be … what do I do with it all ?

Our apartment had two balconies one overlooking the mountains and the other the swimming pool area and in the distance the sea. The apartment was spacious , clean with everything we could have asked for. The only moan if I had one would have been that the apartment being on 2 floors the stairs were very steep and if you needed to come down stairs especially in the night it could have been dodgy ( especially after a few drinks ).

About 100 metres from the sea and a lovely stroll down old country lanes to the beach.The other way was all lemon , olive and orange trees and small vegetables patches from which I learnt a few new ideas. At night coming back from eating out , the hedgerows would sparkle and glitter with fire flies.

The meals in the places to eat around were of a great quality and we did not have one  bad meal.We tried to eat Greek meals when ever possible and came back home 4 lb heavier.

spinach And Feta pie

One of my favourite recipes, I would buy a slice of this pie for my lunch nearly every day from the bakery

• 200g spinach leaves
• 175g jar sundried tomatoes in oil
• 100g feta cheese
• 2 eggs
• ½ 250g pack filo pastry

1. 1 Put the spinach into a large pan. Pour over a couple tbsp water, then cook until just wilted. Tip into a sieve, leave to cool a little, then squeeze out any excess water and roughly chop. Roughly chop the tomatoes and put into a bowl along with the spinach, feta and eggs. Mix well.
2. Carefully unroll the filo pastry. Cover with some damp sheets of kitchen paper to stop it drying out. Take a sheet of pastry and brush liberally with some of the sundried tomato oil. Drape oil-side down in a 22cm loosebottomed cake tin so that some of the pastry hangs over the side. Brush oil on another piece of pastry and place in the tin, just a little further round. Keep placing the pastry pieces in the tin until you have roughly three layers, then spoon over the filling. Pull the sides into the middle, scrunch up and make sure the filling is covered. Brush with a little more oil.
3. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Cook the pie for 30 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Remove from the cake tin, slice into wedges and serve with salad.