Apples

There’s a glut of apples at the moment. People are bringing boxes and bags of them to give away.

Red, golden, yellow, green. Cookers and eaters, full of sugar and fibre. Crisp and juicy. I like them stewed with custard.

And you can’t beat an apple pie or crumble, just the mouth watering and warming dessert for this time of year. Sitting watching the rain and wind blowing horizontally past the windows, I want that bowl of flavour!

Old pears.

My pear tree didn’t set any pears this year. I think it was in a sulk because my hubby passed away and I think I neglected it. He used to water the garden for hours but I can’t get the hose pipe round into the main garden.

Moving forward, I’ve been getting help trying to trim back the overgrowth. I still have tall trees but some of the lower branches have been cut to allow more light in. How will it progress? I’m hoping for a wildlife garden but with a few brighter plants to cheer it up, (and plenty of pears again)

Trifle

What food would you say is your specialty?

Not one of mine.

My trifle is based on my mother’s and her mother’s recipe.

It consists of a fruit and jelly bottom layer with a touch of sherry or port.

Middle layer? Blancmange (not custard). Either the same flavour as the jelly or something different like chocolate.

Top layer, a decent amount of whipped double cream, with possibly cherries, strawberries or raspberries on top or grated chocolate.

You can’t really go wrong with that X. Usually I make it at Christmas or for birthdays.

Bara brith for tea.

With a cup of tea.

Just back from Llandudno in Wales where my sister bought me a Welsh fruit loaf for a treat. I just had a couple of slices with some butter and a cup of tea. Very nice. Apparently it’s lost favour with younger people but I’d urge you to try it.

Wikipedia says :

History:

Bara Brith derived its name from the Welsh languagebara meaning bread and brith translating as speckled. It was traditionally made in farmhouses by adding fruit, sugar and spices to the basic bread dough to make a sweet treat for special occasions. It has subsequently been used as a colloquialism—to “over spice the Bara Brith” means to do something to excess.

We got two loaves from a little tea and cake shop in Llandudno.

Peaches

Peachs on a bush. This was an espaliered bush where the branches are held against the wall horizontally. This allows the fruit to set on the branches and grow bigger and more juicy as the summer goes on. The photo was taken at the Dorothy Clive garden n the Staffordshire countryside. I would have loved to have tasted one of them.