Homemade kefir and berry smoothie

So, my kefir making is going well – yey!  I haven’t killed it off!  I was worried that I wasn’t going to do well with it as it requires a little bit of love each day, but I actually enjoy taking care of it.

You might have seen my first post when I received my kefir grains in the post, well since then I’ve been nurturing each evening and this is what it looks like…

Each evening when I come to open my jar of grains and milk it looks something like the above.  I think because the weather has been so warm it’s been splitting more than normal, but I just ignore its looks and get on with it.

You might imagine that raw milk that’s been sat in a jar on the counter top for 24 hours would smell pretty rank – but it doesn’t.  I’ve even had some raw milk out on the side for a few days to make it sour (great for making soda bread I’ve read) and I was convinced there would be that terrible ‘gone-off’ milk smell I’m sure we’re all familiar with – but no, barely a smell at all, just a hint of sourness.

Excellent local food on our travels in Surrey

Last weekend N and I had a lovely weekend down South, visiting some friends in Surrey and doing a bit of wedding planning (how exciting!) – we went to view these stunning giant tipis as a possibility for our wedding reception…

But back to food.  We visited a National Trust property called Polesden Lacey (a beautiful house, gardens and stunning view – well worth a visit if you’re in the area) which also has a recently opened farmshop. 

Always on the hunt for delicious local food, we chose a couple of local cheeses, a sausage roll and a pork pie.  The sheep cheese we bought called Lord of the Hundreds is so tasty I could eat the whole thing in one sitting.

On Sunday night we cashed in a voucher for a free night’s stay at a hotel called the Bishop’s Table in Farnham.  It’s a pretty old building painted sky blue, which has recently been refurbished downstairs combining modern and old very nicely.  Upstairs hasn’t been updated, but we had a large room with a big bathroom with delightful old shutters – the only thing offense about the bedroom was the garish flowery wallpaper and matching curtains.

Breakfast, however, was going to cost £12.50 for each of us, which I think sounds quite a lot!  I wasn’t convinced the breakfast would live up to its price tag, so before we left for our weekend away I had a search on the internet for an alternative option for a tasty Monday morning breakfast.

I discovered Farnham Pottery farmshop and coffee shop, which is located just outside Farnham in a place called Wrecclesham.  Originally a Victorian pottery the buildings have been sympathetically converted into a small farmshop and coffee shop.  With only four tables in the tiny coffee shop, it felt cosy but light and airy with a lovely atmosphere.

From the breakfast menu, N chose a bacon breakfast bap accompanied by a pot of Earl Grey, and I went for the English muffin with scrambled eggs (it did come with smoked salmon but I was far too full after a weekend of good company and good food) and a Delightful Detox smoothie (yoghurt, raspberry and pineapple).

The food was delicious.  My English muffin was toasted to perfection and the scrambled egg full of flavour and moist, N’s bacon bap disappeared without a murmur, and the smoothie was scrumptious.  And the cost – £12.60 – just 10p more than it would have cost for one of to have breakfast at the hotel, and it was just what we were after.

Little sister visit: Part II (the dreaded Trafford centre)

Who would have ever guessed that a blog about eating locally would have involved a post about the Trafford Centre.  I am, however, only human, and I have a weakness for spoiling my little sister.  For a fifteen-year-old girl, especially one from the middle of rural Gloucestershire, there can be nothing better than a trip to the Trafford Centre when visiting ones big sister.

I am not really prepared for a visit to the Trafford Centre, I find it rather crowded and overwhelming, and far too stifling.  We had to refresh after a couple of hours and rehydrate with a quite good smoothie.

After a looooooooooong day, a couple of bags and quite a number of hours later the shopping part was over.  N finished work and met us for dinner, which was at the request of the little sister – Tampopo.  She revealed she had already read their menu online a number of times, and knew exactly what she wanted.

tempura vegetables

We shared some starters – Tempura Vegetables with plum sauce, and Goi Cuon (delicate spring rolls – not the deep fried version – filled with rice noodles and vegetables) with a soy and ginger dipping sauce.  My favourite of the tempura vegetables were the green beans, but as N pointed out that’s probably because they were mostly batter :0)  The Goi Cuon were so fresh and scrumptious, and by complete chance I have a book out from the library on street food which has a recipe for them – one to try soon I hope!

Goi Cuon

For mains N had Singapore Noodles – curry sauce with chicken and prawns.

Singapore noodles

The little sister chose a vegan Japanese noodle dish – Yaki Udon – with red peppers.

Yaki Udon

And I went for Chap Chai, which is Korean rice noodles with cucumber and shitake mushrooms.  De-lish!

Chap Chai

So, although this isn’t the homemade, seasonal, locally distinct food that I normally like to cook and eat, it was a fun night out and made the little sister very happy.