Chutney making

Today was my first attempt at chutney making. As I am impatient, and didn’t have all the ingredients to follow one recipe, I mixed a few together as follow’s:

1 medium marrow (about 250g middle seed bit cut out)
Half red onion
3 shallots
1 cooking apple
250g cherry tomatoes
150g of currents
Large pinch of cinnamon, ginger, cumin, turmeric
Small pinch cayanne pepper,black pepper and salt
250ml cider vinegar
150ml water
Lemon juice
250g brown soft sugar

Chop all the fruit and veg up into little chunks

Mix and heat liquids together with sugar and spices until sugar is devolved

Add the rest if the ingredients

Simmer for an hour and a half until the liquid is gone and the mixture is dark and gloopy.

Put into warm jars

First taste was yummy! Now we wait to see how it matures….

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Wednesday Addition: Little Art Project 5

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Saturday addition 7: Welcoming Autumn

After last weeks focus on the grey, this week is focusing on the good bits of this time of year. The colour, the form, the fruit!
So here are a few photographs of my own.

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And here are a few little colourful bits of art by others, as usually I take no credit for this work, images from google searches, so thanks to those that shared them so we can get inspired!

Georgia O’Keeffe
Red Canna, 1924

20130914-152729.jpgSean Scully
Raval Rojo, 2004, oil on linen, 92 x 102 cm

20130914-152809.jpgChristo and Jeanne Claude
The Umbrellas, Japan–USA, 1984–91
Surrounded Islands (Project for Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami)
The Gates, Central Park, New York City, 1979-2005

20130914-152959.jpgAndy Goldsworthy

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Wednesday addition: Little pieces of art 4

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Nature giving us hearts!

I found this in the woods today and it makes me smile!

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Saturday Addition 6 – grey

And so it begins… The months of grey misery which is British winter, of people with SAD, of lack of light and colour. So today I look at how beautiful ‘grey’ can be.

Firstly here are a couple of photographs I took crossing the Thames. There is something so powerful and sad, strong and energetic, about a rainy day on the Thames.

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And now here are a few artists that I feel have considered grey, and maybe we can find hope in the bland dank, next look will be at Autumnal colours! Nature fighting back!


Gerhart Richter

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Andrea Buttner

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The Seen and the Unseen: paintings by Marguerite Horner

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National Portrait Gallery

20130913-153026.jpgOn Monday I am taking my students to the NPG. It will be my first trip with them so hope they a) behave and b) enjoy it and leave inspired!

Today I went for a pre trip checkup.

Firstly I am really sorry they will miss the BP Portrait Award which closes on Sunday, EVERYONE go! It is one of those collections of work that give you art envy! I really struggled to believe that some were oil and not photographs.

Next, the work of Jonathan Yeo. I am not sure I have ever really looked at his work before. I love the paintings on display at the NPG. There is a genuine talent, and understanding of light, and skin, and something that reminded me of paintings by De Vinci. There is something so complete and yet somehow still unfinished.

This gallery does what I says, it shows you an extensive range of what portraiture is. There is something for everyone. Also, it’s free! Get down there this weekend before the BP Portrait Award Closes!

Cooking program’s inspire

I love cooking program’s, and recently it has beenThe Great British Bake Off, and Master chef. I love them because they make me want to cook, and they make me feel I can give it a go. I have learnt from these program’s a few basic skills, so tonight I tried a pastry topped pie, with rosemary and thyme in rolled into it, and for my first attempt I am pretty proud of me!

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Get cooking! Google has the basics if you don’t have a cook book!
I went for 175g plain flour, 175g butter, about 75ml of water, a big pinch of salt, and a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme, in the blender for a few minutes till it makes a dough, then in the fridge for about half an hour.
Make the pie filling (I just did spinach, chicken, shallots, a few chopped dried apricots).
Roll out the pastry, and keep folding it over on top and rolling out again to get lots of layers.
Pie filling in a pie dish, cut the pastry out to cover the top, paint with milk, sprinkle of cheese, and pop in the oven at 180 for 30 minutes.

I am sure this isn’t the best way, but it tasted good, was really easy, and there is a satisfaction of making something like this from scratch!

Wednesday Addition: Little Art Project 3

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Saturday Addition 5: camping inspired

So this weeks addiction comes from my friends hen party camping in Yurts. So this week I will highlight Richard Long for his beautiful perspectives that make me think about the journey; Ansel Adams for his phenomenal understanding of composition and his photography skills; and Tracey Emin because you can’t sleep in a posh tent and not include her.
The following images are from google image and not taken by me, but I thank and appreciate the people that shared them!

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