Cake! How can cake not make you smile? I love apples at this time of year and I’m fortunate to have a four-legged companion who likes to share them with me. I made this gorgeous apple cake based on a recipe I found on BBC Food by Rick Stein and it didn’t disappoint! The only thing I would do the next time I make it is add a few more apple segments, but otherwise, absolutely delicious.
And whilst we’re on the subject of apples, it’s also the season for toffee apples! HOWEVER, I think I’m getting old because after my first bite with the toffee stuck to my teeth, I started panicking that with every subsequent bite I was going to start losing teeth, so I think my days of eating toffee apples are unfortunately over.
Autumn walks are the best in my opinion regardless of the type or time of day. Due to the shorter days, you can be on your morning dog walk whilst the sun is breaking through the clouds, creating a golden hazy sunrise right before your eyes. If that’s not something worth getting out of bed for then I don’t know what is. You also never know who you might stumble upon…
Friday rituals. Every Friday the handsome one and I meet for a drink and celebrate the end of the week and to discuss whatever weekend plans we have. Sometimes it feels like it would be easier to just go home, walk through the door and take your bra off, but having some time after a long week with my favourite person in the world is just the perfect tonic and nothing makes me happier.
Now this one is quite an achievement, I *think* I’ve perfected the yorkshire pudding recipe and the secret is to make the mixture ahead of when you need it and to let it chill. Once you do that it results in this…
We all know that the oil needs to be hot before we put the batter in, that the oven needs to be hot and you should never, ever open the oven door, but I didn’t realise the importance of letting the mixture chill. My recipe is below and if you can chill it overnight, but a couple of hours in the fridge seems to do the trick and don’t forget to give it a stir through. To make about six yorkies you’ll need;
– 2 x medium organic free-range eggs
– 3.5 tablespoons / 100g of plain flour
100ml organic milk
– Pinch of sea salt
To save on washing up I put all of the ingredients in a measuring jug, starting with the milk then adding the rest of the ingredients and whisking up – that’s it! Pop in the fridge until you’re ready to batt-her up.
The countdown is on! 12 days until my first ever visit to The Royal Albert Hall to celebrate Ronnie Scott’s 60th Anniversary Gala – I cannot tell you how excited I am! I’ve only been to Ronnie Scott’s once, which was incredible, I love listening to jazz (the saxophone is my favourite instrument), so to see the likes of Van Morrison and Pee Wee Ellis in one of London’s most iconic venues gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. Another important consideration is, what the hell am I going to wear??
A x
Abi in the Garden 