Kitchen and garden

What a perfectly lovely day it has been, I am so very glad that my son is enjoying it instead of having to try and sleep through the heat in order to go to work tonight. He went caving this morning and in the afternoon climbed Mam Tor. From Castleton village it's a good seven miles through Cavedale, and a very steep climb, luckily there is always a good breeze up there and it makes the climb much easier and the view is spectacular. It is all as he remembers it and I am so glad, the beautiful village I lived in as a child has been trashed by the barn conversion brigade!

This morning I made some buck wheat pancakes, these with a tabuleh, sausage and bacon skewers, a rich tomato and garlic sauce and salad will form part of the welcome feast on my son's return.

Buckwheat Pancakes

3oz buckwheat flour
3oz wholemeal flour
1 egg
pinch of salt
three quarters of a pint of milk
oil for frying

Put all the ingredients into a bowl and beat for two minutes, or you can blitz the lot in a blender if you prefer.
Heat a frying pan of griddle and add a little fat, pour about two tablespoons of the mixture.
Cook until brown then flip over and cook on the other side. It is exactly like making pancakes so it is quite easy. This amount of mixture will make about twelve pancakes.
I usually make at least twice as much and then freeze some for another time, layered between greased proof paper they will keep for about a month.

Next I made cracked wheat bread, this is gorgeous with cheeses and makes amazing toast, if it lasts long enough!

Cracked wheat bread

8oz cracked wheat bread
1 pint water
1 dessert spoon of honey....optional...
1 teaspoon salt
2 table spoons oil
half an ounce of easy bake dried yeast 10 oz white strong plain flour
12 oz whole wheat flour

Pour the boiling water over the cracked wheat and add the honey, salt and oil. Cool. Mix the flours and the yeast and pour on the cooled cracked wheat mixture. Mix well the turn onto a floured surface and knead for ten minutes. Shape into two loaves and place on grease baking sheets.
Bake at 350f /gas mark 4 for about forty minutes.

You can add more honey for a sweet loaf, raisins or dates, even chopped nuts if you like. Have a go, it is well worth the trouble I promise.

In the afternoon I mowed and edged the grass paths in the front garden and set the hose to water as it was very dry. The moment the hose started the poor cat, whom I had not noticed, fled from under the bushes where she had been sleeping and sought refuge in one of her tree houses. She has not yet forgiven me for this act of treachery.

Crayfish salad and some of the lovely bread for dinner, after that a milk shake made with frozen egg custard, bananas and fresh milk, and a short bread biscuit on the side. I intend to laze about this evening, there were lots of bats in the orchard last night, I shall perhaps watch them for a time if the midges are not to predatory.