Morwenna Hill

My December Books

2012-01-11T00:57:00.000Z

I am and always have been an avid reader liking a variety of genres and have read many of the greats and some not so. These days I usually stick to crime thriller or chick lit fiction, cook books, craft and style books. I indulge my passion for books and reading every month by buying a handful from Amazon, Waterstones or W.H Smith's. December is always a book heavy month for me as my Birthday is on the 4th and three weeks later Santa always delivers some more. So I try to be restrained with my own book buying, but there are usually a few that I really long for and I give in to temptation.
This is the beautiful selection of books that I was given for my Birthday, Christmas and some I have bought for myself.

Ever since I was a little girl I have dabbled with writing fiction, poetry and plays with the aim of one day becoming a published author. The writing and reading bug never left me and in my late teens I studied English Literature and Language A-Levels and a degree in Fashion and Cultural writing in my early twenties. Now I am in the final year of my twenties my dream of one day writing a book of my own is alive more than ever.

Love Morwenna xoxo

Out with the old, in with the new

2012-01-06T16:45:00.000Z

The weather here on the South Coast has been rather gloomy with strong winds, lots of rain and bitterly cold temperatures. I suppose it is only fair that Winter has finally made an appearance, considering how mild December was. Whilst the bad weather is not exactly conducive to prepare the garden for spring and trying to walk Poppy in gale force winds, it is great for organising, cleaning, tidying and making a fresh start for the new year.

For me this begins on Twelfth Night when every ounce of Christmas is removed from our home. Being a sentimental sap, Twelfth Night is always bittersweet for me. I find it hard to let the festivities and joy of Christmas go, especially when the tree and the decorations still look so beautiful. Although there is something elegant about leaving a party on a high, before things get messy and with enough good memories to want to come back again. This is how Christmas should be, enjoy it whilst the good times are plentiful, but remove it before the tree loses its fragrance, all of the needles have dropped and the pretty decorations begin to look out of place. Last night we missed the fairy lights, the Christmas candles and the presence of the seven foot tree, but there are new beautiful things to look forward to.

Now is the time for Winter to shine, to offer beautiful flowers to fragrance, bring light and hints of colour to our homes. Hyacinths, muscari, tulips, paperwhites and anemones are amongst my favourites. These hyacinths I planted in December will soon bloom, until then I will have a constant stream of cut tulips, narcissi and anemones to make my heart sing.

Yesterday we bought more bulbs that I will plant this weekend. Every room will be filled with fresh fragrance and pretty blooms that will make Christmas a distant and happy memory.

Happy New Year friends.

Love Morwenna xoxo

New Years Eve 2011

2011-12-31T08:00:00.000Z

From start to finish, this year has been truly wonderful for me and I hope it has for you too?
Thank you so much for being such lovely readers and friends of my little blog and I. Every comment has touched my heart and made me feel so happy to be here, in the presence of so many beautiful blogs, bloggers, readers and friends. Next year I hope to post more frequently, and catch up on some past events that I had intended to write about, but never quite managed to. I am looking forward to telling you all about them soon.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Happy New Year dear friends, I hope you celebrate surrounded with love, happiness, a glass of bubbly and a jolly good time wherever you may be at midnight.
See you in 2012!
Love Morwenna xoxo

Happy Holidays

2011-12-28T17:00:00.000Z

I truly hope you had a wonderful Christmas and you are still enjoying the festivities as the New Year celebrations begin this weekend.

Nathan and I always spend Christmas Day with his parents at their home and this year my beautiful sister and her boyfriend joined us for the lovely food and gift giving, which we all enjoyed. It is tradition that we all start the day together with a delicious, but light-ish breakfast with a glass of prosecco and fresh pomegranate seeds and juice.

Then we separate at lunchtime as Nathan and his Father open the family pub from 12pm-2pm. I drive down to the In-Laws with the car loaded with presents and homemade nibbles for the evening. This year I had Brooke and Jamie with me which was truly wonderful to have their company and also to have their help, they were the elves to my Santa! Nathan's mum always likes to finish cooking the lunch in peace and quiet, so after dropping off the gifts, I always take the pooches for a walk, stopping off at the pub for a mulled wine.

There are now three little dogs in our family; Monty the Shih-Tzu, Bella the Maltese belong to my In-Laws and of course Poppy the Cavalier is ours. Even though they are teeny tiny, they are a handful all together so it was fantastic to have Brooke and Jamie helping to walk a pooch each. At 2.30pm everyone dashed home for the splendid lunch that was awaiting us. Afterwards we collapse onto the sofas and open our gifts.
Then we play Trivial Pursuit, Cranium or Pictionary and have lots of fun into the wee hours.

Our Christmas was superb, we spent quality time with loved ones, copious amounts of good food were consumed, beautiful and thoughtful gifts were given and received and we drank lots of bubbly too.

I took these photos of our tree when we arrived home on Christmas day. It all seemed so peaceful and pretty after the happy hustle and bustle of the day.

Thank you so much for your lovely comments on my last post, you really made my heart sing and my smile beam from ear to ear. I am so happy that you like the change in name and the small design and layout changes that I have made so far. I am looking forward to making some more over the coming weeks and I hope you will like them too.

Love Morwenna xoxo

Farewell Bluebells & Butterflies

2011-12-19T00:00:00.000Z

When I first discovered the world of blogs and blogging two and a half years ago I was amazed that there were so many like minded people out there. I felt and still feel so grateful that a place exists where one can be creative, write, photograph, and connect with fellow bloggers, some of whom I am blessed to call my friends.
I first started thinking about creating a blog in the spring of 2009 and the name I chose is indicative of the season. Since then I have realised that my interests are rather varied and I gradually became less connected to my blog name and I have been thinking about an alternative for quite some time. I still love pretty bluebells and delicate butterflies, and I am fond of the name as a blog title, but there are so many other things that I like and I want my blog name to convey that. So after months of going back and forth, trying to find something that encompasses everything about me and my blog, it dawned on me that I already had what I wanted...my own name. Whilst I like the simplicity of it I felt concerned that I would seem conceited having my name plastered on a banner, but I have been reassured by my darling hubs that it is not the case, so fingers crossed he is correct!
December feels like the perfect month for this change, a time for reflecting on what has happened throughout this year and looking forward to the next with bright eyes, hope and excitement.
Thank you for reading my blog whilst It was titled Bluebells and Butterflies, I truly hope you will still read it now it has a new name.

Love Morwenna xxxx

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T18:55:00.000Z

Wishing all of my wonderful American friends a blessed Thanksgiving filled with gratitude, happiness, family, friends and delicious food too!

I am thankful for you and your dear friendship that makes my heart sing.

Love Morwenna xoxo

The Beach In Autumn

2011-11-15T20:23:00.000Z

Last week we drove a short distance along the coast to one of our favourite little beaches. In the summer it is overcrowded and dogs are not permitted on the beach so we tend to avoid going there during the peak season. From November 1st doglets are once again allowed to play on the beach and enjoy rolling in seaweed and crab legs.

It was very mild for November with only the merest a hint of a chill in the air. The sky was a mass of pale blue and dark grey swirling clouds. It was a beautiful day spent on the beach in autumn and hopefully we will enjoy many more.

Happy Tuesday sweethearts
Love Morwenna
xoxo

Lest We Forget 11.11.11

2011-11-11T12:43:00.000Z

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae, May 1915

We will never forget your bravery, may you rest in peace

October Tomato Harvest

2011-10-14T15:37:00.000+01:00

We have been experiencing some very warm weather here in the south of England these past few weeks. It has been so warm that mother nature has been rather confused with plants and trees blooming for the second time this year, believing they are entering the spring season. There have been so many birds singing in the hedgerows and swallows darting through the evening sky.

In our garden we still have Sweetpeas, Dahlias, Cosmos and an abundance of tomatoes which is rather unusual in Mid-October. There are still green tomatoes on the vines, so if the warmth continues I should be gathering another harvest next week.

This is the second harvest this week and I have great plans for the scarlet jewels, some are destined for my favourite roasted tomato soup and the rest will be made into a sweet and spicy relish.

Happy Friday sweethearts
Morwenna
xoxo

Cath Kidston Sewing Event

2011-09-21T14:59:00.002+01:00

I have always loved crafting of any sort and my love of sewing started young. However apart from the odd hand sewn cushion and the usual replacement buttons and trouser hems I have not participated in any serious sewing using a machine since GCSE Textiles which is oh so long ago (twelve years to be exact!). Since then I have been lusting after sewing projects and have been collecting vast amounts of new and vintage fabric for years, so last autumn I bought my first sewing machine. I thought I would crack open the box and dive straight into a project and before long I would be making so many lovely things, perhaps I could even open a shop for them on Etsy?! However when I took my darling machine out of the box, I was instantly struck with fear, what if I could not remember how to use it and what if I made a fool of myself? So I sadly left my lovely sewing machine untouched for nine months.

In March the Cath Kidston spring/summer catazine popped through my door and with sheer glee I flicked through each page before starting right from the beginning again to savour every delightful item. Whilst flicking through, something about a craft event caught my eye. It was being held after hours in eight different shops nationwide and I could barely believe it when I saw that one of the shops was the one most local to me, in Winchester (which takes an hour to drive to, but most retail destinations do when you live in the country!)
My initial excitement was quashed when reality hit and knew I would be terrified of making a fool of myself and only really accomplished sewers would attend such an event. So I put it out of my mind and got on with some baking and gardening. A little while later Nathan phoned about something or other and I happened to mention the event to him and without a moments hesitation he said that I should definitely go, that I had nothing to be nervous about and that I shouldn't let such an opportunity pass me by. Bless my darling husband, he always knows exactly what to say and he is always so encouraging. A few moments later and with renewed excitement I rang the shop and reserved two places for my sister and I.

A month later Brooke and I arrived at the shop in Winchester where we were greeted by the lovely shop girls who had organised an evening tea party (with wine and soft drinks instead of tea!) with lots of sewing machines and chairs set out alongside tables for all of us to start working on the craft which was to make a tote bag. This is the same tote bag project that can be found in the book Sew! by Cath Kidston on page 123.

After some time to look around the shop and enjoy the nibbles and drinks we all sat down at the long tables and each of us were given a bag containing generous amounts of contrasting fabric, the pattern and instructions to make the bag. There were about thirty ladies at the event so were divided into two groups so that we each had enough space to work. Then the lovely shop manager Betty explained that due to the time constraints we would be divided into two groups (Brooke and I Opted for the second group) and we would each be able to cut the fabric for the main body of the bag and sew on the front pocket. She also made it very clear that if any of us want any guidance or assistance, we should not hesitate to ask as all the shop girls would be able to advise us. It was a relief to hear that the majority of people in the first group started to ask the shop girls for advice and tips, and slowly I was feeling a little better.

The time came for the first group to move onto the sewing machines. Which meant it was our turn to cut! Well who would have thought...it turns out that I can cut fabric successfully! Looking back at it now, I honestly couldn't believe how nervous I was about doing something so ridiculously simple. Being a complete and utter perfectionist, I am very hard on myself if I do not attain perfection in the first instance and I think of the what ifs; what if my fabric is wonky, what if I mess everything up? Well I didn't need to give in to my what ifs as I managed to cut in straight lines. A few of the shop girls saw me measuring and chalking so thoroughly that they congratulated me on my eye for detail. Slowly, but surely my nerves began to melt away and I began to feeling warm and fuzzy with happiness.

Then it was our turn to use the machines, whilst I felt scared of messing up my straight edges with wonky stitches, something clicked in my mind and I just thought why not, why not try and see what happens? What happened was I managed to sew a lovely straight line of stitches that secured the pocket onto the front of the bag. I managed to overcome my fear of not being good enough and I actually achieved something whilst having such great fun.

As Betty had explained, our time was limited so we just managed to cut the outer part of the bag and sew on the front pocket, so the rest was left for us to complete at home.

Before the event I decided that the tote bag would be an ideal gift for my Mother-In-Law's Birthday in May as she is a fellow Cath KidstonCath Kidston shop!

Thank you so much to Cath Kidston for organising this event, supplying the fabric and the tea party, it was truly wonderful and we both had a marvellous time. This fantastic event took me on a journey of self discovery which enabled me to rekindle a love for a hobby that I desperately missed. Not only did I leave the shop that evening with a little extra confidence and a base for a bag, I also learnt a valuable lesson about striving for perfection. I really needed to understand the method of practice makes perfect, and of not being instantly perfect. I am definitely my own harshest critic and assume that others are just as disparaging, however they seem to see something else, something worth encouraging and even congratulating. I am finally beginning to understand what my darling husband and sister have been telling me for years, that I can and will achieve whatever I want if I stop doubting my ability, apply myself and have fun without any obligation to perfection.

Happy Wednesday sweethearts
Love Morwenna
xoxo

Life is short. Live your dream and share your passion

2011-09-12T23:03:00.001+01:00

I am rather fond of inspirational quotes and words of wisdom (I even have a board on Pinterest dedicated to them) so when I saw this little gem tonight I had to pin it immediately. I know it will be a little too "Eat, Pray, Love" for some, and it is very commercial, but it has really struck a chord with me.

Happy Monday
Love Morwenna xoxo

Darling Sweetpeas

2011-08-31T21:56:00.001+01:00

Sweetpeas are one of my all time favourite flowers and they are a staple in my summer garden. I like to grow a mixture of colours, scents and heights so the raised bed they occupy looks and smells like a cottage garden. This year my dear friend Sandy sent some lovely mixed dwarf sweetpea seeds all the way from Pennsylvania and they were adorable. Being dimniutive they were the first to bloom and have since gone to seed, this is one of the last arrangements from a few weeks ago

As autumn is drawing near my daily harvest of sweetpeas is slowing down to every other day, but there is still an abundance of creamers and jam jars filled with their pretty petals and heady scent wafting throughout the house. When they give in to autumn I will truly miss them, but I know there will be other beautiful things I have grown from seed which will make my heart sing in the new season.

Happy Wednesday sweethearts
Morwenna
xoxo

Potato Harvest

2011-08-18T21:09:00.000+01:00

This is the first year we have grown our own potatoes and we decided to grow them in six designated sacks, and the varieties we have grown are Swift, Charlotte and Vivaldi. They have been a joy to grow, very easy and satisfying as there is growth daily which feels extremely rewarding given the vast amount of compost and water they require to grow. This is our first harvest from about three weeks ago. Since then we have harvested a sack each week so we still have three left to enjoy as Autumn draws closer.

As you can see Poppy was utterly enchanted with the entire process of pouring out the soil, sorting through and finding the treasure that lay hidden within

Some were whoppers

Some were tiddlers

But they were all delicious

So far we have enjoyed the super fresh potatoes in dishes that we devoured as soon as I had finished making them. However I will now start to use them in soups and casseroles that can be frozen and enjoyed on those chilly days of autumn and winter when only hearty meals will do. Preserving the fruits of your labours is one of the most enjoyable aspects of gardening and eating your own produce, as you can extend the happiness that the delicious fruits and vegetables brought you in the summer, even when it is raining cats and dogs, the leaves have fallen from the trees and there is woodsmoke in the air.

Happy Thursday dear ones
Love Morwenna
xoxo

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-03T11:33:00.002+01:00

Happy Wednesday
Love Morwenna
xoxo

A Little Garden Helper

2011-07-29T18:37:00.001+01:00

At this time of year the gardens can be rather demanding, they need watering twice a day, flowers need de-heading, vegetables need harvesting and beds need weeding. Gardening can be hard work, but I truly enjoy doing these little chores everyday. I know that it keeps everything in order and it means that we can relax and enjoy being outdoors. However there are also other benefits to doing the garden chores...It was whilst weeding in and around the carrots and spring onions that I saw a large clump of soil that had dislodged from around the veggies. When I tried to smooth it over, to my absolute shock it moved! Immediately I knew that the clump of soil was actually a common toad. I excitedly beckoned Nathan over to see the little creature who was hiding behind the old Belfast sink housing the chantenay carrots next to the raised bed.

Isn't he such a lovely little creature?!

I was concerned that he needed to be near water and perhaps we should take him to my in-laws garden as it has a stream running through it. So we consulted my favourite wildlife book and it was very helpful.

"Toads leave the water in June or July and adults like to live alone through the summer. Most of the day is spent under logs, but the toads emerge in the evening to catch insects and other small animals"

It seems our lovely little visitor has been helping us by snaffling up all of the slugs and snails that usually munch their way through our vegetables. We thought it best not to fuss over him too much as he might be afraid, so I placed a dish of water nearby and left him alone. Later on when I was watering the garden, I took a peek under the foliage and the little chap had made a little furrow in the soil and was resting inside. As he stuck around I decided he needed a name, so I have called him Tobias!

Happy Friday sweetpeas
Love Morwenna
xoxo

RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

2011-07-23T14:38:00.000+01:00

A few Fridays ago my Mother-In-Law and I hopped on the train to Hampton Court Palace to see the RHS flower show. A few years ago we went to the RHS Chelsea flower show and we had such a good time that Nathan and I bought tickets for Hampton Court for his Mum's birthday in May. We always have a good together on days out like these, ones where we get to ooh and ahh at pretty things whilst enjoying copious cups of tea and slices of cake.

Neither of us had been to Hampton Court Palace so it was a bit of thrill being able to see the one time residence of King Henry VII. Unfortunately we did not have time to tour the palace, but walking through the grounds was magnificent, there was so much to see before we even entered the show

Cosmos is one of my all time favourite flowers

The willow wigwam and clematis made my heart sing

These incredible dome shaped conifers remind me of Hershey's Kisses

The impressive palace

Jacqueline and I both really enjoyed the nostalgic elements of this show garden

Jacqueline and I both share the same taste in our garden design, flowers and plants. They are always whimsical, feminine and soft colours. We shy away from bold reds and oranges, almost always opting for shades of white, pink, cornflower blue, lavender and lemon. Our style is most definitely cottage garden

All of the below photos until the beautiful blue thistle are all varieties of Allium

I just cannot get enough of the soft, delicate flowers, tendrils and seed pods of Nigella (Love In The Mist)

This ruffled Hollyhock makes me weak at the knees

This Hydrangea stole my heart, it is called Avant Garde and the mop heads are the largest I have ever seen

"Lavender's green, dilly, dilly, Lavender's blue,
If you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you.
Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly, And the lambs play;
We shall be safe, dilly, dilly, out of harm's way.
I love to dance, dilly, dilly, I love to sing;
When I am queen, dilly, dilly, You'll be my king.
Who told me so, dilly, dilly, Who told me so?
I told myself, dilly, dilly, I told me so"

The beautiful garlic garden made by The Garlic Farm based on the Isle Of Wight

The BBC filming for the evening show on BBC2

The rose marquee was divine and we couldn't get enough of the fragrance and pretty blooms

I cannot remember the name of this variety, but it was a David Austin rose which are always breathtaking. We were given a Winchester Cathedral rose as a wedding gift last year and out of the four different roses we have it is most definitely our favourite

This flower show is billed as the largest in the world, it certainly was large and varied in its showcase. In comparison to the RHS Chelsea flower show it didn't seem to have very many show gardens which was a shame as we really enjoyed that element at Chelsea. However the flower marquee was the highlight of our day and we spent a very long time in there oohing and ahhing at all of our favourite cottage garden flowers. The edible garden and rose marquee were a close joint second with all of the inspirational vegetable gardens and pretty roses.
The weather was a bit of a nuisance, the intermittent showers kept our raincoats in a constant rotation with our summer finery.
Considering that we had travelled for two hours and one hundred miles we managed to randomly bump into our village post mistress and some ladies from our local town, I overheard them chatting about Keyhaven (the hamlet neighbouring my village where my In-Laws live and where they also have their pub). Before I knew it I was interrupting their conversation and asking them if they were talking about Keyhaven in The New Forest and they were!
We had a truly wonderful day and I am sure we will visit the show again.

Happy Saturday
Love Morwenna
xoxo

Tiger Moths

2011-06-24T13:38:00.000+01:00

I know that moths are not as beautiful as butterflies, and that some people find them a little creepy, but I rather like them and some are so striking that I cannot help, but be enchanted by them.
Last night a Cream Spot Tiger Moth was nestled amongst the blades of grass in our garden

In August 2009 we found a Jersey Tiger Moth nestled in the grass at the top of the garden

Finding these moths in the garden has made me very aware that I must look where I wander as I really would not want to squash these interesting little creatures with my clumsy feet. Being cautious and looking down is a wonderful thing because who knows what other delights I may find

Happy Friday
Love Morwenna
xoxo

First Wedding Anniversary

2011-06-13T22:43:00.003+01:00

Yesterday my darling husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary

Nathan's parents invited us for a scrumptious celebratory dinner where we ate lots and toasted our first year of wedded bliss with champagne

We were guests at a friend's wedding on Saturday and on our arrival home we found this incredible bouquet of stunning peonies on our doorstep

Thank you so much to my mother and Fabry for the bouquet. The peonies are divine and they have fragranced our entire house with their enchanting scent that I wish I could bottle and wear as perfume. The heady fragrance took me right back to twelve months ago when I held my bouquet of Sarah Bernhardt peonies walking down the aisle to marry the love of my life

Wonderful memories that we will treasure forever

Thank you Nathan for the most wonderful year of our lives so far. It has been an unforgettable twelve months full of love, happiness, and lots of laughter. You are my everything, the love of my life and I beam from ear to ear and feel a flutter of butterflies whenever I think of you, let alone when I see you!
Happy First Anniversary darling, may we be blessed with many more xxxx

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-25T08:00:00.002+01:00

xoxo

Foraging For Wild Garlic

2011-05-16T21:56:00.002+01:00

Thank you all so much for reading my last post and leaving such lovely and kind comments :) You made my heart warm and fuzzy with all of your supportive and encouraging words. You have all boosted my dwindling confidence and I am starting to believe that I can and will make my dream a reality. I am so grateful for each and everyone of you darling friends who read my blog and support me, from the bottom of my heart, I love you all ♥

For years I have been reading about wild garlic and its many culinary uses with wide eyed glee, wishing and hoping to one day happen upon some and fill my tummy with the fragrant leaves and flowers. A month or so ago I found a cluster of three cornered leeks which have a strong onion flavour and were very delicious eaten straight from the tundra or chopped into salads, but alas it wasn't wild garlic. Well thanks to Nathan my dream of foraging wild garlic has now come true!

A little while ago a show aired on BBC2 called One Man And His Campervan about a chap named Martin Dorey, who is a campervan lover and a passionate foodie, who journeyed around Britain in his 1970s classic campervan meeting local foraging experts along the way. In one of the episodes Martin visited Hampshire and in particular the New Forest where he met a local forager Gary Eveleigh who took him on a foraging adventure. I actually missed the entire series, but Nathan saw it and he told me all about as he knows Gary.

A few weeks later Gary popped into the pub for a drink and Nathan got chatting with him about how I am obsessed with food, especially free food from the wonderful shop that never closes; nature! Nathan asked if he knew of any good spots for foraging wild garlic and Gary discreetly advised a location a few miles away that is always teeming with it.

Last weekend Nathan, Brooke, Poppy, Monty and I embarked on a wild garlic adventure. If only I didn't have a stuffy hayfever nose I would have joined Nathan and Brooke in being able to smell it before we saw it.

As we approached the masses of white flowers we were in shock and awe that as far as our eyes could see the ground was scattered with the delicate pure white flowers and the deep green broad leaves that are so delicious. I have an itsy bitsy little trug (with the intention of filling only half of the trug so as not to be greedy) that I meant to take with us. However in my excitement I forgot the tiny trug and the only receptacle other than the camera bag that we had were unused and very clean poopy bags! It seemed terribly wrong to use the bags for foraging, but I could not entertain the thought of going home empty handed so they had to do.

Brooke captured me having a moment with my beloved! I didn't know that she was pointing the camera at me so there I was inhaling the intoxicating scent whilst looking ridiculously in love with the plant! It is too amusing to keep to myself, you all need to see what a food and nature geek I truly am!

Poppy sampling the wild garlic

Two of the happiest dogs alive

A New Forest Pony grazing

A beautiful and very well camouflaged frog which Nathan cleverly spotted

A wild garlic leaf sprouting through a remnant of autumn

This is a still from a video so it is not the best quality, but Poppy's face and little paws are lovely, so I just couldn't resist

Speaking of the video, I was trying to capture stills from it, but it was taking forever and a thought crossed my mind. Perhaps I could play it here, but I was hesitant about it as it seems far more embarrassing than photographs for some reason, but at the same time, I would love to hear all of your voices, so I thought I should just give it a go.

We (read Nathan!) had to cut it into two and rotate it as it the filming switched between portrait and landscape. Therefore the quality has diminished, but at least you won't have to tilt your head side to side to watch it!

As we walked back to the main road, Brooke and I hopped into the river as we were in flip flops and we encouraged the pooches to follow. Monty with his teeny little Shih Tzu legs an in with sheer abandon and was having an incredible time. Poppy however was not enjoying the water at all, she immediately ran out of the river and looked horrified that we would suggest such a ghastly thing for her to do!

This is now one of our favourite places to walk and we will be going back this week, I cannot wait!

Happy Monday sweetpeas

Love Morwenna

xoxo

Milford-On-Sea Food Week - Morwenna's Bakery

2011-05-09T13:13:00.001+01:00

Oops I am sorry for the delay, my intention was to post a day after my previous post, but I have had issues with RAW images, Blogger and the fact that I don't really like to talk about myself and any alleged achievements without feeling dreadfully uncomfortable. However I am here now without the technical glitches and trying my best to tell you about my bake sales without squirming from shyness!

The week before Easter my village hosted its third food week and for the second time I was involved in the festivities. Firstly my in-laws pub, The Gun Inn held a few daily specials for their amazing local crab which is caught at dawn, then cooked and served for lunch! An fantastic whisky tasting evening with Scottish nibbles such as haggis palmiers and shortbread that I made for them. A bake sale by yours truly and they were also kind enough to feature another special that was for no other reason than to promote my bakery (I am still blushing at the thought!). With every tea, coffee and hot chocolate that they sold during the week (which was rather a lot!) there was a pixie sized portion of my chocolate brownie individually wrapped on the saucer for the customer to try. So when it came to cake fest halfway through the week it was quite a novelty for some customers to recognise my name and brownies from the pixie portions!

Cake Fest featured locally made cakes from the WI and five different cake makers as well as a chocolatier, preserve maker and a local potter who had the marvellous idea of allowing children to make their very own clay pot for a tiny fee. It was so sweet seeing beaming children emerging from the potters wheel with gorgeous little pots that were perhaps a smidgen wonky, but entirely lovely. There was also a gluten free bread making and cake decorating class for children, so it was a day out for all the family.

The night before ended late and the morning of the event started early, but that was fine as it meant I was fully prepared and it kept my mind busy, instead of freaking out at the thought of selling my wares with professional bakers who were all far more experienced than me. I felt so sick and dizzy with nerves that my hands were not co-operating when tying the zillions of lengths of bakers twine around the bags. Nathan helped me schlep everything to the church hall as there was so much to take. Upon arrival in the hall it became evident that I had been allocated half a table which really wasn't enough for my sweet treats and any confidence I did have hit the floor as thoughts of "oh well they obviously know that I am total amateur who only deserves half a table". However a few minutes later I was given an entire table all to myself as three local bakers hadn't turned up. I started to feel a little better as during my set-up almost all of the other bakers and sellers came over to ooh and ahh at my decorations and cakes.

Nathan had to leave for work just before the doors were opened at 10am, it was then that my legs felt as though they were about to buckle beneath me. So I did my best to feel as though I belonged in a room full of professionals and miraculously I served a blueberry almond slice to my first and the very first customer of Cake Fest!

Nathan is such a sweet supporter of my little bakery and he wanted me to have a banner for all to see on my table. Last year Nathan secretly asked our amazingly talented friend Dawn to illustrate some pretty emblems for my bakery. So all my paperwork and promotional items feature a sweet mixing bowl, a slice of cake, bees and hearts and they all remind me of my darling hubs and dear friend which is priceless :)

The banner was secured via clamps, which worked a treat until numerous pushchairs were driven with abandon into it and I never managed to keep it taught for more than a few minutes until the next yummy mummy and her pushchair careered into it yet again!

My silly expression in this photo wasn't staged, I really did look this surprised and thrilled whenever I sold anything!

You may remember all of the vintage china that we collected for our wedding last year? Well we decided to keep all of it with the pie in the sky dream that one day it would be used in my bakery cafe to serve cake and tea. If that dream ever becomes a reality, this is where a few pieces of pretty china had their debut for Morwenna's Bakery

My cutie pie sister Brooke and I. As she is a professional photographer she volunteered her services to the Food Week committee to photograph Cake Fest and events at The Gun Inn. Basically she was my personal photographer which was rather fun and she also covered for me when I needed to take a natural break!

There is something you should know about me...I am an avid apron collector and wearer! I am wearing an old Cath Kidston favourite and Brooke is wearing a Jessie Steele apron (As worn by Charlotte in Sex And The City 2) that I bought in Anthropologie (I LOVE that shop, I am so happy that there is now one in Regent St) in Boston whilst on honeymoon. I fell in love with the design so much that I also bought the matching shopper bag and oven mitts from a cupcake shop in Falmouth, Cape Cod!

Amongst some of the customers who recognised my name from The Food Week programme and from The Gun Inn I had a very sweet lady who brought a tear to me eye from her words of kindness. She gave a gasp of recognition as she asked if I was the baker behind the Mother's Day cupcakes at The Gun. I replied that yes it was I, wondering why she was was asking and hoping it was not a complaint. She took my hand in hers and said that her grown-up daughters had forgotten it was Mother's Day so to cheer herself up she took a walk in Keyhaven and went to The Gun for a cup of tea where she saw that there were some beautiful cupcakes (her words, not mine!) that had a sticker on the bag saying "Happy Mother's Day, With Love From Morwenna's Bakery xxx". She said this made her feel loved and cheered up after her daughters had forgotten her and that she never expected a vanilla cupcake to make her feel so happy! She was so thrilled that she could say thank you to me in person. She really made my day :)

During the day I saw the Vicar who conducted our wedding service and his wife sit down right in front of my table for a soup served by the WI (very nice it was too, as I had some for my lunch!). After they had finished their lunch they came over to have a chat and they very sweetly bought some of my cakes.

There were tables and chairs laid out for everyone to enjoy cake and a cup of cha

The day was a hustle and bustle of wonderfulness and I didn't want it to end. By 3pm the crowd was lessening and the doors were being closed. I had almost sold out, there were just a handful left that had our name on it for our very own afternoon tea! As I began to pack away the cake stands, I took a peek into my Emma Bridgewater tin that served as my till and gasped as I saw all of the beautiful pennies staring back at me. At the end of my first ever bake sale amongst other bakers I started to feel as though I may actually belong in this world and instead of feeling dizzy from nerves I started to feel giddy from happiness.

The day after I had a bake sale at The Gun Inn and contrary to last years sale which I had in the garden, the weather this year was rather grey and grotty so we opted for indoors in the main ba

My lovely Mother In-Law who is my chief taster and champions me at every opportunity. Jacqueline is a fantastically successful businesswoman, and she is always conjuring up marvellous ideas and ways of enhancing my little bakery. She is an inspiration and I am so lucky to have her support.

My number one fans!

At 6pm almost everything had sold out and it was all over for another day. Until the day after when I did it all again! Food Week was a fantastic opportunity for me and my humble little bakery and I am looking forward being involved with next years Food Week.
I had so much fun and the pennies I made were very rewarding (even though I would actually do it all for free, although I am not sure how long I would be able to do that for!) so I will also be hosting lots more bake sales during the summer at The Gun, and I cannot wait!

Thank you so much for wading through this rather large post!

Happy Monday sweetpeas
Lots of love
Morwenna
xoxo

Bake Sales

2011-04-18T16:52:00.000+01:00

Anyone who follows me on twitter may have read my tweets last week mentioning that I was holding three bake sales in three days and that I was having the time of my life doing so! I cannot wait to show and tell you everything, however I have a stack of photos to sort through first, but I will be back soon!

Wishing you a marvellous Monday
Lots of love
Morwenna
xoxo

Sunday Brunch - Popovers

2011-03-29T14:33:00.005+01:00

Every Sunday I always make a special brunch for Nathan and I and it is usually something a little bit naughty, but oh so nice. Whilst looking for inspiration I came across a recipe in Susan Branch's book Heart Of The Home: Notes From A Vineyard Kitchen for Popovers which to my American friends are a familiar breakfast and brunch food. However a hop, skip and a jump across the pond we eat something similar with our Sunday roast beef, the Yorkshire pudding! I read the simple list of ingredients and recipe and it sounded so similar to my recipe for Yorkies that I felt rather sceptical of their suitability for brunch, but I was intrigued. The recipe suggests serving them with jam or marmalade which made them more appealing. In actual fact some people choose to eat their Yorkies with Jam, but we have always chosen gravy and horseradish sauce as our chosen condiments.

Within forty minutes the popovers had risen nicely

At this stage the recipe advises that the tops need to be sliced into and then they need to be put back into the oven for another five minutes. Next time I will just pierce the tops instead of slicing into them so the steam will still escape, but they will be more attractive

With raspberry jam at the ready we dove in with little expectation and to our surprise they were delicious! Whilst similar to Yorkshire puddings they were different enough for you not to wonder where the roast rib of beef is!

I should never have doubted Susan and our American chums, after all they know a thing or two about delicious breakfasts that sound as though they should be a disaster, but are actually a match made in culinary heaven - American pancakes, smoked streaky bacon and unctuous maple syrup...mmm I know what we are having for Sunday brunch next week!

This evening I am attending an exclusive sewing event at the Cath Kidston shop in Winchester and I am jolly excited! I will be back here later in the week to tell you all about it.

Happy Tuesday sweetpeas

Love Morwenna

xoxo

Pinterested

2011-03-15T22:14:00.005Z

Last week an email pinged into my inbox telling me that I had been invited by a darling friend to view her boards on Pinterest. The name Pinterest rang a bell, and it occurred to me that I had read it on a blog late last year, but I hadn't take the time to google it and find out more . Intrigued to see what it was and what my friend had on her boards, I clicked the link and immediately fell head over heels in love! Pinterest is a virtual pin board where you can create collections of things that you love and you can follow collections created by others. You can collect and share anything and everything such as dream homes, travel inspiration and your favourite cakes.

As a very visual person I adore inspiration boards and look books. If I see something in a magazine that I like, I remove it with my trusty Stanley knife and it either gets pegged to the bunting or bakers twine on my inspiration boards or stuck into my look books. I found these so fantastic whilst planning my wedding and I can only imagine the fun I would have had planning the big day if only I found out about this fabulous site before.

It would be fair to say that I am completely and utterly obsessed with everything Pinterest. If like me you enjoy favourite-ing and bookmarking photos of things that you make your heart sing on Flickr, Etsy, websites and blogs come and join in the fun! You can request an invitation here.

Thank you Dawn for introducing me to the world of pinning, I love it!

Love Morwenna

xoxo

Shrove Tuesday

2011-03-09T22:22:00.000Z

Yesterday we celebrated Shrove Tuesday with a feast of traditional English style pancakes for supper before the fasting of lent began today. We often have American style pancakes for brunch on the weekend and whilst they are delicious, they just don't compare to our lovely natives, although we rarely eat them throughout the year apart from on Shrove Tuesday!

We spread the feast throughout the evening so that we could be as greedy as possible and have three pancakes each, indulging in both savoury and sweet toppings and fillings.

We started with crispy streaky bacon, ripe brie, caramelised onions and cranberries

Then we had the very traditional lemon juice and golden caster sugar

To round off our feast (and our tummies!) we filled our final pancakes with Nutella, bananas and dulce de leche

After rolling our way from the dining room to the lounge we discussed our fastings for Lent and we are giving up desserts and alcohol for the forty days until Easter Sunday. We are not religious, but as we celebrate Christmas and Easter we also like to observe Lent. Otherwise it feels as though we don't really deserve our Easter eggs, hot cross buns and simnel cake if we haven't sacrificed anything for them! Will you be fasting any food for Lent this year?

Love Morwenna
xoxo

P.S Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments on my sweet Sherry post, you have touched my heart with your kind, thoughtful and supportive words. Thank you so much again, I love you all xoxo

Sweet Sherry

2011-03-07T14:41:00.004Z

Yesterday morning was blissful, the sun was shining, the birds were singing and our first crocus had come into bloom. Then in the afternoon my in-laws' thirteen year old Rough Collie Sherry passed away peacefully in their garden.

I have written previously in this post that Nathan's parents had owned Rough Collies for over thirty years and in all this time Sherry was the oldest rough collie they have ever had. So we are thankful that we shared so many joyful years with her and that she passed when she was ready, it is just so sad for the life of such a lovely creature to no longer be present.

Thank you Sherry for being a truly wonderful dog and for being the first pet I had the privilege of sharing my life with. You were sweet, kind, loved companionship and welcomed Monty wholeheartedly into your life. You were so very patient with Poppy who loved to shower you with so much affection and kisses that she would often sit as closely as possible to your face. Sometimes we worried that you would tell her off, but you never did.

Rest peacefully Sherry, we love you

xxxx

Saturday Night Take-In

2011-02-28T16:43:00.001Z

We rarely get take-aways, but we do sometimes treat ourselves to a yummy pizza or two from Waitrose where we shop for our groceries. I try to plan daily menus for the week ahead and on my shopping list for Saturday you can often find Pizza as our proposed dinner. Well this week was no different, however instead of buying pre-made pizzas I decided to make my own pizza, and gosh were we rewarded for doing so! I honestly have no idea why I have never made pizzas before. I make bread all the time, I am always whipping up batches of tomato sauce for various pasta dishes and our pantry and fridge are usually stocked with ingredients that can be used as toppings so who knows why it has taken me so long to make pizzas!

Within thirty minutes these little beauties were in the oven oozing buffalo mozzarella and taleggio whilst the salami and bases were crisping to perfection....unfortunately all three of us were absolutely ravenous so we were tucking in with gusto before I remembered to photograph them piping hot from the oven, so this before shot is all I have. Oh I also have some very happy taste buds that are actually begging for another little nibble as I type!

This was my first foray into pizza making, but it most certainly will not be my last as I will never buy another pre-made pizza again.

Wishing you a very Happy Monday

Love Morwenna

xoxo

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T15:45:00.000Z

Wishing you all a wonderful Valentine’s Day that is full of love and happiness...just like the other 364 days a year! After all we don't need a Saint (or Hallmark!) to remind us that we love and care for each other, but as I like any excuse to celebrate life with my loved ones, why not let St. Valentine be the reason to celebrate today!

Nathan and I are both working today and he is working tonight so we celebrated our Valentine’s Day on Saturday by venturing out into beautiful day that had both warm (a very heady high of 11 degrees!) sunshine and clear blue skies with a smattering of fluffy white clouds.

It was so warm that we actually wanted to sit outside. As dogs are refused entry into most eating establishments it was nice to feel as though we could make a decision to sit where we wanted to for a change.

We visited Dorchester, Dorset where Thomas Hardy was born and later became known as the fictional place "Wessex" in many of his books. Our days out mostly centre around having a great time exploring and having lots of fun, but food is never far from our minds! So we stopped off for a delicious lunch in Blandford Forum, Dorset. We both ate too much, but it was worth it!

I spent the day in floral heaven oohing and ahhing at all of the snowdrops, crocus, hazel and willow catkins that we saw. I absolutely adore all of them and it is such a thrill to know that spring is just around the corner...and I cannot wait for its arrival!

The drive home through the stunning countryside was sublime. Even though we only live a few miles from the Dorset border, the countryside there is very different from Hampshire. We are used to lots of fairly flat woodland whilst Dorset is full of rolling hillsides of patchwork fields. I adore the New Forest and I truly wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, but there is something about the view of field upon field which makes me feel giddy with joy. So we are very fortunate that our home sweet home is surrounded by the dreamy combination of seaside, woodland and fields.

Happy Valentine’s Day ♥

Lots of love

Morwenna

xoxo

Post-Op Poppy

2011-01-30T22:15:00.002Z

Thank you all so much for your wonderful well wishes for darling Poppy on my last post. I am thrilled to report that she has fully recovered from her glandular issue and is now being a brave little sausage recovering from being spayed. The operation was speedy and successful and we were only without Poppy for six hours, but it was a horrid six hours that were fraught with anxiety and worry, but all was well and Poppy is now almost fully recovered and the scar is healing nicely.

My dear friend Toria (whose family own Poppy's grandmother Tara) and I met up during the week and she very kindly gave Poppy a get well soon gift on behalf of Tara

It was very well received!

Poppy realised there were a few torn pieces of tissue paper left so she decided to eat one of them!You can just distinguish the little piece hanging from her mouth like a tongue!

Thank you so much Toria and Tara, you are sweetiepies!

Happy Sunday
Love Morwenna
xoxo

Poorly Poppy

2011-01-14T13:39:00.000Z

Gosh I am amazed that we are almost halfway through January! I am even more amazed that this is my first post of the New Year...Happy new Year! I have been very consumed with being a doting mama to Poppy as she has been rather poorly and in need of extra love and cuddles so the laptop has had a little holiday, but is back in action today.

Over Christmas and New Year we noticed that Poppy had a rather tender bottom and she would squeal in pain if you tried to investigate the area. We booked the first appointment we could as soon as the Vets reopened after the festive break and it was confirmed that Poppy had (ahem please excuse the graphic nature of the following!) blocked anal glands and an abscess one of her teeny tiny bottom cheeks. The vet prescribed painkillers and antibiotics which began to relieve the problem, but on her follow up appointment three days later she was still rather poorly so she was prescribed another week of medication. During this appointment last Friday the vet taught me how to express the glands and advised adding wheat bran to her daily diet of organic chicken and vegetables to help 'bulk out' her stools. One week later and another trip to the practice this morning; We are absolutely delighted that the vet has advised that our darling sweetpea is fully recovered and everything has cleared up, which is such a relief. She is also recovered from her phantom pregnancy and will be spayed next week. Poor little Poppy having to start the New Year with an ailment and an operation, but hopefully this means she has only lovely things in store for the year ahead.

Now all we need is the torrential rain to turn to drizzle or even better stop, so we can go for a lovely long walk where we arrive home slightly damp rather than thoroughly soaked!

Wishing you all a very lovely weekend, whatever the weather!

Love Morwenna

xoxo

Festive Loveliness

2010-12-31T09:51:00.001Z

Christmas day came and went in a wonderful flurry. We ate, drank, were very merry and opened lots and lots of fantastically thoughtful gifts from friends and family. Every gift I received was so well considered and suited exactly to my taste. So many of my darling friends gave me gifts that were handmade by themselves or by artisans either from a fair, local shops or from Etsy and it is lovely to have so many things that were made with love such as this beautiful Christmas banner that my dear friend Dawn gave to me which was made by a brilliant Etsian Samantha who also has a lovely blog.
Apologies for the terrible light, I took the photo quite late in the day when the light was fading and I just couldn't wait another day to take the photo, so here it is!

However there was one gift in particular that was not handmade with love by an artisan or by a friend, but it was certainly made with love by Kitchen Aid...

My incredibly kind and generous in-laws made my Christmas dreams come true, they bought me a stunning limited edition Cranberry coloured Kitchen Aid which I have named Coco, isn't she out of this world, drop dead gorgeous?! I feel so blessed to have this super duper lovely in my kitchen life and I cannot wait to have many adventures with cake batters, egg whites and everything in between!

I am going to to put Coco to good use by making some snickerdoodles, I just love them and their delicious aroma that fragrances the entire house; what better way to begin the New Years eve celebrations than by baking and filling the house with a heady cinnamon scent.

Happy New Years eve to you sweeties, whatever it is that you may be doing to ring in 2011!

Love Morwenna

xoxo

Twas The Night Before Christmas

2010-12-24T23:36:00.000Z

The big day is almost here and I couldn't be happier. As a child Christmas was never an event that we celebrated; not for any particular or religious reasons, but because my father was a complete and utter scrooge the other 364 days of the year so why should Christmas day have been any different?! So needless to say the past 10 years that Nathan and I have lived together, each and every Christmas has been a real celebration and something that we always try to make special and have many happy memories for years to come...and this year is no different.

We will eat, drink, and be merry with our family during the day and then gather around the tree in the evening to open our gifts and then collapse in front of the television to watch movies and I couldn't wish for a more perfect Christmas. This year will be our first Christmas as a married couple and it will also be Poppy's very first festive celebration too so there is lots of love, fun and celebrating to be had by all.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and hoping that all of your Christmas wishes come true.

Lots of love
Morwenna
xoxo

Family Walkies

2010-12-20T13:10:00.012Z

Looking at these photos that were taken last weekend it is hard to believe that we awoke to a thick blanket of glistening white snow this weekend. December is full of surprises in many ways and the changeable weather is one of them.

Last weekend

This weekend

My friend Toria (whose family have one of the most delightful Cavalier King Charles Spaniels called Tara, who also happens to be Poppy’s grandmother!) and I decided to take our little pooches on a walk on the beach as the weather

was so warm and sunny.

Tara adores stones and her walks on the beach are consumed with finding the very best stone to take home.

Nobody is allowed to play with the stones, not even her granddaughter!

Poppy adores washed up crab shells and claws

She loves to chew them and then roll on them

I am so pleased that we took advantage of the warm sunshine and the gentle breeze that would not have been out of place in April. I wonder if we will have another burst of sunshine before the New Year?

The snow cascaded on Friday evening whilst we were deep in slumber and it is still here today. This morning the falling snow has turned to rain which looks likely to turn to sleet so driving home from work should be an experience!

Wishing you a very happy and cosy last Monday before Christmas

Love Morwenna

xoxo

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-02T23:37:00.005Z

What a splendid start to December we have been blessed with! When we went to bed last night there had been a light sprinkling of snow which we were thrilled with. When we awoke this morning we were ecstatic because as far as our eyes could see was covered in a thick deep blanket of glorious white fluffy snow.

I greatly appreciate that in my household nobody needs to go anywhere of great importance and we are by no means trapped in our own home and we have plenty of food and warmth so we wanted to enjoy a fabulous day frolicking in the snow especially so that Poppy could experience her very first snow day! Nathan opened the pub, as that is usually where those enjoying a snow day stop to defrost by the large fires and warm up with a mulled wine. So Brooke, Poppy and I went on a three hour adventure into a perfect winter wonderland. Brooke has a degree in photography and graphic arts and I don't go anywhere without a camera, so combining the camera obsession with complete and utter childlike excitement meant that together we took over 900 photos on our walk today, so this is a rather photo heavy post...sorry!

Oh my golly that is a whopper! I hope I didn't bore too much?!

Much love and cosy hugs on this snowy evening

Morwenna

xoxo

Catching Up

2010-11-24T23:00:00.002Z

Can it really be possible that we have been back from our honeymoon for 6 weeks and I have not written about it! I can honestly say that these past 6 weeks have completely whizzed by and there is so much that has happened; Nathan celebrated his 28^th Birthday, the weather was very unpleasant with almost biblical rain so the fantastic woodland walk we had planned was shelved foranother time, but he had lovely presents, food and cake so Nathan still had a great day

I made a 4 layer Devil’s Food Cake and I used an original cake bunting in the pretty ‘Maddi’ design by Kiki La Ru (You can visit the blog here and the Etsy shop here) which really made the cake very beautiful and perhaps a little feminine, but Nathan is such a sweetpea and he indulges my adoration for anything floral and whimsical so he loved it as much as I did! Needless to say that I shall also be using the splendid bunting for my birthday cake next week!

Our sweet little Poppy was due to be spayed on 2^nd November, but she is experiencing a phantom pregnancy so the operation has been postponed until January. She is receiving extra cuddles and kisses as her medicine and I think it is working wonders

The in-laws have returned from their month long cruise so I am back to looking after just one doglet instead of three...Nathan may have bought Poppy a Christmas outfit and we may have dressed her up in it...

Even with encouragement from Brooke I don't think Poppy was feeling very festive?!

We celebrated Halloween food (as usual!) I made a huge comforting toad in the hole, an apple pie and chocolate orange cupcakes to sell at the pub. We all wanted to carve a pumpkin, but as I was busy cooking I didn’t think I would have had the time to carve one, so Nathan and Brooke carved one each and they did such a sterling job, that I think mine would have been eclipsed anyway!

Nathan carved the scary face and Brooke carved the devilish owl, I think they look fantastic and I love that they experimented with the carving and did something different to what we usually do. They carved the top layer of pumpkin skin and flesh only and left the inner wall of the pumpkin which made for an even spookier effect

I am not entirely sure what has been captured in this photo of our Halloween candles, but I rather like it and I think it is appropriate for the occasion

I decorated the cupcakes with orange and black sprinkles and authentic American candy corn

I was super lucky in this current economic climate and found a part time job in a darling children’s and maternity clothes boutique for three days a week so I have plenty of time to dedicate to my baking...speaking of which I passed my food hygiene and safety training with flying colours. Morwenna’s Bakery is now a registered food business which has been inspected by the local environmental health officer, and he gave me an excellent report so I am now a baker! This is such a dream come true, and all I have to do now is to market myself and visit local businesses so I can hopefully sell them some of my cakes...hmm yes sounds easy! This is the part that I really need to practice and gain some self belief so that I can make my little bakery a success.

So that is a little of what has been happening in the Hill household since we arrived back in beautiful, but very cold and frosty England all those weeks ago; now I can tell you about our glorious honeymoon...

Lots of love

Morwenna

xoxo

Changes

2010-09-28T11:54:00.002+01:00

For me September always brings change, during my years in education throughout school, college and university September always signified the start of a new year and a new term. Even though I am no longer taking my new stationery and new bag on my first day to a new classroom, lots of change is still happening during this magical time of year.
Twelve days ago my sister moved in, six days ago Poppy came into her first season. In two days I have my final day at work before I launch my bakery and last, but certainly not least in five days time my husband (!) and I will be flying off on our honeymoon!!!
Words cannot describe the sheer elation, joy and happiness I am feeling right now, a friend told me this morning that I am glowing and I have a huge beaming smile stretching from ear to ear! I can often find change alarming and not welcome in my life, but there seems to be something about change in September that is marvellous and I find myself relishing every moment of expected and unexpected wonder.
I will be back soon to tell you all about the honeymoon, but right now I must dash as I need to pretend to do some work for the rest of morning and then I am going to exchange some lovely pounds for even lovelier dollars at lunch.
Happy Tuesday
Lots of love
Morwenna
xoxo
PS. Apologies for the lack of photos as I have posted this from my Blackberry and I do not have any relevant photos stored on it and my current view of a computer monitor is far too mundane for words let alone posting a photo of it!

Wordless Wednesday...A week In Pictures

2010-09-15T00:16:00.002+01:00

Lots of love

Morwenna

xoxo

Wordless Wednesday...A week In Pictures

2010-09-08T00:01:00.001+01:00

A lucky find

2010-08-23T21:03:00.001+01:00

Whilst out walking darling Poppy this evening we stopped to have a play in our favourite fields and something caught my eye. It was something that my friend Dawn manages to find all of the time, proving that she is a very lucky sweetpea indeed. All of Dawn's finds are beautiful specimens, but mine is a bit of a rough diamond. It is very raggedy and has been a food source for a little creature or two, but I love it regardless. This is my very first find and I am beyond excited that after years and years of searching, one magically appeared when I least expected it.

Here is my lovely little four leaf clover

I have preserved it in acid free tissue paper and placed in the middle of my largest and heaviest baking book by Dorie Greenspan 'Baking from my home to yours' to press it so that it remains forevermore.

I am hoping it brings us all a little bit of good luck today

Love Morwenna

xoxo

August Daring Cooks Challenge

2010-08-15T20:49:00.000+01:00

The Daring Cooks challenge for August was hosted byLizG of Bits n’ Bites and Anula of Anula’s Kitchen. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make pierogi (Eastern European dumplings) from scratch.

The mandatory element of the challenge was to make pierogi dough and savoury or sweet fillings filling from scratch, I chose to make a one of each filling. The recipe for the pierogi dough can be found here.
My savoury filling was my favourite filling that I use to stuff jacket potatoes which consists of the insides of a baked potato, sour cream, spring onion, crispy streaky bacon, vintage mature cheddar and lots of pepper

My sweet filling was homemade dulce de leche and banana

I made little circles from dough which I then filled with a scant teaspoon of filling (I made equal quantities of both sweet and savoury pierogi) and then I sealed the edges using the back of a fork. Then I dropped a few into boiling water and waited for them to rise which took about three minutes. To be quite honest the pierogi looked, felt and tasted rather unappetising, floppy and anaemic so I pan fried them in a knob of butter and a drop of olive oil for a few minutes on each side and I think they were all the better for it.
These are the savoury pierogi

And with a little sour cream and chive

These are the sweet pierogi

And drizzled with some warm dulce de leche

Thank you Liz and Anula for the challenge.

Love Morwenna xoxo

July Daring Bakers Challenge

2010-07-30T22:59:00.001+01:00

I would like to thank you all so very much for your lovely comments on my previous wedding post, it really was the most wonderful day and I am thrilled that I could share it with all of you sweethearts.

Now onto the Daring Bakers challenge for July which is hosted by Sunita from Sunita's World - Life and Food. Sunita challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make an ice cream filled Swiss roll which is then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard. You can view the recipes here.

The mandatory elements were to make the Swiss rolls, a filling for them, two ice creams and a fudge sauce, from scratch. The bombe as I called it needed to be set in a bowl to give the dome shape and also the layers needed to be Swiss roll, the first ice-cream, the fudge topping and finally the second ice cream.

I thoroughly enjoyed this challenge as I have never before made Swiss rolls or ice cream and I chose to make this dessert for my sister's birthday on Tuesday so I made all of the components on Monday. However I ran out of time on Monday, so I decided to assemble the bombe on Tuesday, but to my shock horror the final setting stage in the freezer was 4-5 hours which meant dessert would be ready at midnight! So I quickly whipped up some gooey brownies and frozen berries with hot white chocolate sauce instead and saved the bombe for tonight instead.

I chose to make chocolate Swiss rolls with Bailey's spiked whipped cream. I made vanilla ice cream, chocolate fudge sauce and mocha ice cream. Unfortunately the vanilla ice cream seeped through most of the cracks in the Swiss roll slices so it is not as pretty as I would have liked, but apart from that I think the bombe was a success.

Thank you Sunita for brilliant challenge that I shall definitely make again with lots of different flavour combinations!

Love Morwenna xoxo

Our Wedding Day...Part 3

2010-07-25T18:24:00.001+01:00

We had originally intended to go to the beach for photos after the church, but along with the sunshine came wind and it would have been silly to trundle down the precarious steps for windy machine style photos! Instead we went straight to the pub and had our photos in the beautiful pub garden instead.

This meant that we could then greet our guests as they arrived which was really lovely. The staff at the pub were brilliant as they had Prosecco, Pimm’s and sparkling water waiting for thirsty guests and canapés were also being offered. We said hello to each and every wonderful friend and family member whilst we guzzled a glass or two of something fizzy and fruity and a canapé.

After the last guests had arrived I guzzled two glasses of water (I am a total water fiend and I never go anywhere without a 2 litre bottle of Evian so you can see this was a challenging day for water consumption!) and we made our entrance for the very first time as Mr and Mrs Hill. It was a wonderful moment that became infinitely more wonderful when I saw the incredible cake that our dear friend Kim (Mark’s partner) made for us. It was so pretty with delicate pink glittery flowers and butterflies tumbling down the front like Rapunzle’s locks. Kim had topped the cake with peonies and more flowers and best of all a little fondant Poppy! Nathan had already seen the cake whilst checking last minute details earlier in the morning and just knew that I would be in love the minute I saw it. When Nathan told me to look at the side of the cake, I wondered why and then I glimpsed the unmistakeable little Cavalier cheekies, the liquorice black nose and the ruby on white markings of our little baby Poppy and I shrieked with joy, much to everyone’s amusement!

We chatted merrily to our guests for the next half hour or so before we sat down for speeches followed by afternoon tea. Nathan is not one for public speaking so he said a few words of thanks so it was short, but very sweet.

Due to the nature of my family unit on the day (my family is rather complicated, so I shall save that for another post!) the usual father of the bride speech was a team effort by Brooke and Mark. Brooke said the most beautiful speech that she has had prepared for the past 10 years since she was a teeny tiny 10 years old and there was not a dry eye when Brooke finished.

Then Mark said some truly lovely heartfelt words which meant so much. This finished the father of the bride speech nicely and it was onto Nathan’s best man Ian who delivered some giggles and Poppy got another mention. For the guests who did not know about Poppy or who did not know about the impact those big chocolate brown eyes and the incessantly happy wagging tail have had on us, they sure are now!

Then it was time for everyone to enjoy and indulge in the savoury and sweet treats that we had to offer for our afternoon tea. We served the usual fare that you would expect, crustless finger sandwiches, quiche, sausage rolls, mini Melton Mowbray pork pies with pickles, chutneys, mustard, scones with Rodda’s clotted cream and Tiptree jam, cupcakes and fondant fancies. I naturally wanted to make everything, but my wise Mother in law advised me against it, and I am pleased she did as I just didn’t have the time before the wedding. The food was washed down with strong Assam tea. All of the crockery was vintage and every single piece was handpicked by Nathan and I. Around 18 months ago when we decided that we would have our wedding reception at the family pub in a marquee in the old world walled garden we knew that we didn’t want a formal three course meal, but an afternoon tea.

To make it extra special, I thought it would be a nice idea to collect some vintage china and maybe serve the tea if we could fine enough cups and saucers. We hoped that 18 months would be enough to find around 60 cups and saucers, so we headed straight for charity shops, car boot sales and antique markets. We had no idea that we would have such great success as within two months we had enough tea cups, saucers, side plates, cake plates and tea pots to serve 72 people! It was something that we relished doing and it seemed lots of other people did too.

My friend Sharlotte made it her mission to find us some treasure and pin point us to charity shops with great finds. There was a set that Sharlotte had found for us so I made sure to set her place at the table with a cup and saucer from this lovely set.

Nathan and I didn’t really have an appetite; I think we were surviving on the adrenaline rush of the day, so we only managed to eat a few morsels which was a shame as everything looked delicious. Luckily there were enough leftovers for us to have wedding Boxing Day supper which really hit the spot! So after everyone ate their afternoon tea it was time to leave the beautiful marquee and sit in the sunshine before the evening reception began. We really did have the very best weather, lots of sunshine and a cool breeze, you really couldn’t complain, not even if you were wearing a huge taffeta wedding dress with multiple layers of petticoats underneath!

We tried to catch up with as many guests as possible, but we really didn’t seem to make it round very far before some of our evening guests arrived and then it was time to cut our cake and have our first dance.

We chose Michael Bublé Everything as our first dance song and it was perfect in every way.

Then the party began and we didn’t stop dancing until midnight!

After 10 years, 4 months and 1 week of being a girlfriend and then a fiancé to the love of my life, we finally tied the knot and my husband and I can honestly say that our wedding day was the most perfect of our lives so far. We are so happy and excited to be spending the rest of our lives together living happily ever after, enjoying the adventures that this wonderful new era will bring.

Wishing everyone a beautiful Sunday evening
Lots of love
Mrs. Hill!
xoxo

July Daring Cooks Challenge

2010-07-21T23:36:00.003+01:00

Unfortunately my laptop has been out of order for over a week as the hinges broke off and I haven't been able to use my darling husbands (!) laptop because he had to send it back to HP for a screen replacement. Combining the lack of finger tapping technology with the sorry fact that I dropped our beloved digital camera on our minimoon whilst photographing cygnets, we have been laptopless and cameraless for an unbearble amount of time. The good news is the new hinges have arrived and Nathan has repaired my laptop. We also have a wonderful new digital SLR camera, but the lens has yet to arrive. We are so excited to play with it and learn how to use all of its smart features. So this brings me on to my belated posting of the July Daring Cooks challenge and the absolutely awful photos to accompany it...

The Daring Cooks challenge for July was hosted by Margie of More Please and Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make their own nut butter from scratch, and use the nut butter in a recipe. Their sources include Better with Nut Butter by Cooking Light Magazine, Asian Noodles by Nina Simonds, and Food Network online.

The mandatory element of the challenge was to make a nut butter and use it in a savoury recipe. I chose to use Sunday roast chicken leftovers and make bang bang chicken. You can find the nut butter recipes and four savoury recipes that you can use the butters to make here.

In the interest of using up the contents of the fridge and vegetable garden I shredded romaine lettuce, cut strips of carrot, cucumber and spring onion and drizzled the peanut and cashew butter sauce over the top with a smattering of cashews for added crunch. To thin the butter I blended half a red chilli, zest and juice of one lime, clove of garlic and toasted sesame oil.

Now the awful photos taken on my Blackberry

Unfortunately they do not convey the utter yumminess contained inside the bowl.

Thank you Margie and Natashya for a lovely and very tasty challenge. I shall definitely make this dish again.

Love Morwenna xoxo

Our Wedding Day...Part 2

2010-07-01T22:27:00.010+01:00

As Wagner’s ‘Bridal March’ was played on the organ I turned down the aisle and saw the faces of dear friends especially those of Peter who mouthed wow and Mari who had tears streaming down her pretty cheeks. It was then that I could not hold onto my own tears any longer, I tried with every single ounce to muster composure, but the tears flowed. When I reached the altar Nathan turned to look at me and he was crying too. The vicar gave his address and I had to put operation radiant bride into action. I suspected I would cry so I thought rather than wiping away the tears with my fingers and then running the risk of a black mascara stream trickling onto my white dress I would use an antique lace handkerchief. Then I was challenged with where I should store the handkerchief, should I give it to Brooke or Mark to hold, but I didn’t want to disturb the ceremony. So I though the only option would be to hide it in my cleavage! This was quite a risky move as I was about to commit some sort of burlesque move in the house of God. Whilst the vicar cast his eye over the congregation I dove straight in and out in the blink of an eye. I did it, I had the handkerchief! At last I would look like Alice Cooper no more. Drying my eyes and sniffing underneath my veil, I managed to gain composure from somewhere. During Nathan’s favourite and our first hymn ‘All Things Bright And Beautiful’, Nathan and I managed to muffle a few words to each other just saying that we loved each other and that the other looked lovely. We are such chatty souls and we couldn’t keep it in any longer. Nearing the end of the hymn it was Brooke’s duty to lift the veil from my face, and she gave a kiss which set me off yet again! I love my little sister so very much and the fact that she was such an integral part of the day is just absolutely wonderful.

Then my dear friends Toria and Zoe both said their readings. Toria’s was from the bible and Zoe’s was a poem, both of which were read beautifully and it was so special to have them both partake in the day. The rest of the service was a bit of a blur, it all seemed to happen at breakneck speed and before we knew it we were singing our second hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ and about to say our vows and exchange the rings. Nathan and I concentrated with all our might and we said the vows clearly and without tears. During the rehearsal the previous evening, I assumed that I would cry my way through the vows; however I became a silly teenager with my incessant giggling at the mere mention of honouring Nathan with my body and our joining in sexual union. I think I was nervous and became the polar opposite of my usual sensible self. I am so very relieved that the nerves and the tears didn’t surface and that I could concentrate on the words and their meaning to us and our future together as they are all so important. It also helped that Nathan has the most beautiful green eyes you have ever seen so when I looked into them and said my vows I felt everything and everyone else melt away; it was just me, Nathan and the vicar. All too quickly we came to the end and there was rapturous applause. Even though the vicar did not actually say it, he told us in rehearsal that this is the moment when we were allowed to have our very first kiss as husband and wife.

As Nathan and I were both educated in Church of England schools we had to sing hymns every morning and naturally you develop a few favourites over the years and our final hymn was mine. After our blessing we sang ‘Give Me Joy In My Heart’ and as the tension had left our shoulders we really relaxed and got into the rhythm! The choir were leading the vocals, but there were times when we were giving them a run for their money! It is fair to say we sang our socks off and every time I think of the lyrics I beam a huge smile thinking of that joyous moment.

We then signed the register and our marriage certificate and after a few photos that was it. We were married and about to begin our walk back down the aisle to Mendelssohn’s ‘Wedding March’. As we stepped out of the church and into the glorious sunshine the beautiful church bells began to ring. It was wonderful to see everyone for the first time that day and to have lots of hugs and kisses with our friends and family. We then had a few formal shots of the families before exiting the church grounds to where confetti could be thrown.

I have always loved that moment after weddings where you can shower the happy couple in pretty petals and paper. We then tucked ourselves into Annie and of we went to the pub for our afternoon tea party reception…to be continued…

June Daring Bakers Challenge

2010-06-27T20:34:00.000+01:00

I would like to thank you all so much for your lovely comments on my previous wedding post, you all made my heart sing. I shall post part 2 in the next few days.

Now onto the Daring Bakers challenge for June which is hosted by Dawn Nyman from Doable and Delicious . Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard. You can view the recipes here.

Due to my lack of time these past few months this is my first Daring Kitchen challenge since April and I have been eager to get back in the swing of things...so much so that I forgot to take any photos during the challenge, so for a change this is a very photo light post!

It was nice to make a chocolate meringue base for a pavlova as I have never done so before. The challenge was easy to make and assemble, I made this from start to finish during the dismal England vs Germany game today.

My husband and I (!!!) will be diving into this pavlova for our dessert tonight and we cannot wait! I have tasted every component during the challenge and assembly and they were all very yummy. Now I need to find some further uses for the mascarpone cream drizzle as I only used a few tablespoons which has left me with 1/2 pint going spare!

Thank you Dawn for the challenge!

Love Morwenna xoxo

Our Wedding Day...Part 1

2010-06-25T22:19:00.003+01:00

Firstly I would like to say a huge THANK YOU for your being so patient with me these past few months with my lack of blogging. I truly love writing my blog and it was a shame that I was not able to post whenever I wanted to I the run up to the wedding as my spare time was limited. There has been so much that I have wanted to write about, and lots of things have passed by without any acknowledgement. However that is all about to change as on Saturday 12^th June at 2pm I married the love of my life and became Mrs.Hill! I have been chomping at the bit waiting to write this post since about 3pm on the day! However it is going to be another two weeks before we get our professional photos, so I have been and am still collecting as many as possible from guests so that there are lots of photos to tell the story of the day and of course enough to bore you all stiff with!

The night before the wedding Nathan stayed at home, but in the guest room and we went to bed one minute before midnight so that it didn't count as the day of the wedding. Nathan and I really didn't want to be separated and we both slept better knowing that we were only separated by a wall than if he wasn't in the home that we have shared for the past 9 years. Nathan planned to leave at 7am so I knew that I could rouse from my slumber then. My day began with a relaxing bath overflowing with Molton Brown Heavenly Gingerlily bubbles. Brooke and I then travelled to the hairdressers where my hairdresser Emma (who I have been friends with since we were 4 years old) greeted us with a bottle of pink champagne and pain au chocolat! We saved the champagne for later in the day as it was only 8.30 and I was driving, but we gobbled the pain au chocolat with gusto. Being a traditional bride I wanted to have something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. I had vintage jewellery so that was old, my dress was new, and my garter was baby blue, however I still needed something borrowed. Brooke was going to lend me her Tiffany & Co heart locket to sew into the petticoats of my dress, but I was worried about losing something so

precious to her and was feeling unsure. Emma came to my rescue; literally with a rescue remedy spray! So sweet and thoughtful of her and Brooke and I definitely put it to very good use. After a few hours of preening and a lot of hairspray it was time for Brooke and I to be on our merry way home. We then spent the next few hours getting ready at a lovely leisurely pace with absolutely no rushing and worrying whist listening to the dulcet tones of Michael Buble. It was then that I had my first teary moment. The song that my future husband and I would have our first dance to came on and I sang along to a verse and then the chorus winded me and took my breath away. I had already applied my makeup and I did not want to risk looking like Alice Cooper so Brooke made me focus by saying our special word for the day 'soak'. I had told Brooke on wedding eve that I wanted to soak up every single moment if the day and I did not want to look back and think oh if only I wasn't crying my eyes out at that moment or if I had done this or that. So we decided that if I was in danger of losing it or missing out on something Brooke would encourage me with 'soak'. Needless to say Brooke drowned out the gorgeous Buble with calm and positive repetitions of SOAK SOAK SOAK! Then the emotional John Lewis advert came on and that set me off too, but the soak's got me focused again.

It was then time to get dressed. I zipped my beautiful sister into her divine dress which I had secretly wanted to wear myself! Brooke then began the arduous task of lacing me into my gown. Before long Mark who is a dear friend and who I asked to give me away arrived As soon as he popped the champagne cork our photographer Natalie and her assistant Becky arrived to take a few photos. Then the doorbell chimed again with the arrival of our bouquets and Mark's buttonhole. I was rendered speechless again as the flowers were out of this world beautiful, I felt dreamy just looking at them let alone taking in their intoxicating scent.

With 40 minutes to go we went into our back garden for some photographs set against the backdrop of the breathtaking fields. I took the opportunity to pick up my little Poppy and have some photos taken with her so that we will always have a keepsake of our wedding day including Poppy that we will cherish forever.

The doorbell chimed once again, this time marking the arrival of wedding car. A glass of champagne and a squirt of rescue remedy later Brooke, Mark and I were snug as a bug inside the beautiful 1929 Model 'A' Ford Tudor Sedan whose name is Annie. The driver tooted the little horn as drove through our beautiful village, passers by and locals alike waved and oohed and ahhed as we pootled the half mile to the church.

The ceremony was at 2pm and we arrived at 1.55pm so we had a few minutes to breathe and try to stay calm and relaxed. After spending the weeks leading up to and the morning in relative calm and serenity I began to feel anxious and nervous at the gravity and importance of the ceremony. After 10 years, 4 months and 1 week of being a girlfriend and fiancé, I was about to become a wife to the man of my dreams. I felt as though my heart was overflowing with love and the weight of it almost crushed me and my knees began to buckle. However Brooke embraced me and held my hand and told me she loved me. Brooke was the tonic that I needed and Mark was a rock of strength as he held my arm in his. Then it was time. The vicar led us into the porch way and I felt faint. The organist played Wagner's Bridal March and then we turned to walk down the aisle...to be continued...

Long time no blog!

2010-05-30T12:28:00.000+01:00

Gosh hasn't time just whizzed by?! In less than two weeks Nathan and I will be married which is why I have been as quiet as a church mouse for such a long time. The wedding preparations have taken over 'normal' life and we are consumed with everything related to afternoon tea, vintage cars and cottage garden flowers. Thankfully everything is under control and we are feeling happy and relaxed, but we are very busy which is why my beloved blog has suffered so much. I have lots to tell you about everyday life, my bakery, the wedding and of course our darling Poppy who is now four months old and growing bigger and cuter by the day.

I have truly missed the land of blogging and reading all about your daily adventures. I am really looking forward to catching up with with you and updating you all soon. Now I am off to make strawberry jam for the wedding afternoon tea, enjoy your weekends sweet friends
Lots of love Morwenna xoxo

The Monday Blues

2010-05-03T15:33:00.001+01:00

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments on my last post about darling Poppy, it nice to know that she has so many fans! Currently she is snoozing and snoring in the Lloyd Loom chair next to mine, being incredibly cute.

It is the May day bank holiday in the UK today so I am very lucky to be at home for another day with Poppy, the cats and the chickens.

I have completely and utterly loved every single minute of my puppy 'maternity' leave that I have been feeling the back to work dread all day. I usually experience the back to work dread on a Sunday afternoon/evening when I realise that the joy of not sitting at a desk and working in an environment that sucks the life out of me is coming to an end. I understand that I am so very lucky to have a job in this current economic climate and I certainly need a job to earn enough pennies to live a nice life, it is just that I dislike the job that I have. My heart lies at home and in my kitchen, and I sincerely hope that with lots of hard work and sheer determination I will be able to make my bakery a success very soon.

To soothe my mind and to lift my spirits I have made a yummy cherry and almond loaf cake and a slice has somehow landed on a plate next to my comforting pint of Clipper tea in one of my favourite Emma Bridgewater mugs!

I am sorry for having a moan, it doesn't happen very often and I actually feel a little better having written about it.
Wishing you all a Monday filled with pinks and not blues
Love Morwenna

Meet Poppy!

2010-04-29T19:11:00.005+01:00

My golly crumpets how can it be Thursday already?! I have this week off work which is glorious, but these past few days have sadly whizzed by, so I am hoping and wishing that the next four days are long and lovely in every way. The reason that I have the week off is because on Friday we added to our family of furry and feathered sweethearts with a truly scrumptious Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy! We have named her Poppy and she was born on the 3^rdof February which makes her 12 weeks and 1 day old today.

We have dreamed of getting a puppy for years, but we just assumed that we would have to wait until after the wedding, as we are taking our dream honeymoon early next year and we initially thought that we would spend or minimoon immediately after the wedding in Italy which would mean that we would be away too much to get a puppy now. However Nathan and I were discussing the minimoon when he told me that he had thought of the best wedding present for me, but that it wouldn’t work because of spending time away. I begged him to tell me what the gift was and amazingly it was a puppy! So we decided that a puppy is far more important to us than going to Italy for a minimoon and we immediately began our search for her. Poppy was the first puppy advert that I saw and just couldn’t stop thinking about her so we spoke to the breeder and the rest is history! A lovely coincidence with the breeder and Puppy is that a very good friend of mine called Toria has a family cavalier called Tara and Tara is Poppy’s grandmother! Toria and I are going to let them meet soon and hopefully they will have a beautiful bond and be very fond of each other. Which would be welcome after the frosty, but very understandable reception from Millie and Sylvester. There has not been any physical contact between them, but we are showing Poppy to the cats at every opportunity and hoping that once we do let them properly meet they will all be friends :)

Now my amazing friend Dawn over at May All Seasons Be Sweet To Thee and I can share our cavalier parenting stories and no doubt bore you all silly! Speaking of which, there are too many photos for a single blog post, but I just could not make the selection any smaller from the hundreds of photos that we have taken over the past few days because she looks so cute in every single one!

Nathan and I are completely and utterly head over heels in love with Poppy and we cannot believe how lucky we are to have this gorgeous 2.5lb bundle of joy in our lives. We feel as though we are puppy sitting for friends, so we have to keep telling ourselves that Poppy is ours forever and we cannot wait to spend each day with her and all of our other furry and feathered darlings.

I am looking forward to sharing our happy family adventures with you, happy Thursday everyone xo

April Daring Cooks Challenge

2010-04-14T23:20:00.005+01:00

The Daring Cooks challenge for April is hosted by Wolf of Wolf's Den. Wolf chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make the popular pan southern classic Brunswick stew. Wolf allowed the cooks to choose between two recipe variations, the main differences between them being the first is more time consuming taking about four hours to cook and the second taking about two. I am one of those annoying people who like to do everything the long winded way to try to achieve perfection and never the slap dash or short cut way which usually leads to a happy medium, so inevitably I chose the first version!

The mandatory element of the challenge was to choose and then cook either of the recipe variations. The first recipe that I chose is from “The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook: Stories and Recipes for Southerners and Would-Be Southerners” by Matt Lee and Ted Lee”. You can find the recipes and the information about the origins of Brunswick stew here.

The recipe I chose called for rabbit, however I used pork shoulder (as the recipe suggests if not using rabbit) as I had rather a lot of it stashed away in the freezer. This meant I could cook it the day after the challenge was announced as I had all of the ingredients in the pantry or the freezer. The recipe said it would create 12 portions, however I believe it could feed at least 20 very hungry people!

Rather than buying the chicken pieces I quartered my own chicken that I was going to roast for dinner that evening

The chicken pieces simmered with the pork shoulder, bacon, vegetables and stock for about 2 hours

The meat is then removed and shredded before it is placed back into the pot with the carrots. The recipe called for all of the vegetables and bacon to be removed from the gravy, however I left mine in to keep all of the yummy flavours

30 minutes later I added the tomatoes, butter beans, potatoes and sweetcorn

After another 30 - 45 minutes of cooking, I took the pot off the heat and added the red wine vinegar and lemon juice. Once cool I portioned the stew and set some aside for the fridge and the freezer which has been great for our lunches and dinners and some unexpected guests!

Thank you for a lovely and very tasty challenge Wolf. I shall definitely make this dish again, but probably in the autumn or winter, perhaps for bonfire night?!

Love Morwenna xoxo

March Daring Bakers Challenge

2010-03-29T13:08:00.002+01:00

The Daring Bakers challenge for March is hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for the month. The challenge recipe is slightly adapted from Alain Ducasse‘s Cooking School in Paris, France (http://www.ecolecuisine-alainducasse.com/).
Stabilized whipped cream (http://tamsin-cakes.com/2009/06/05/tamsincakes-on-flickr-adventures-in-s...)

You can find the recipes here.

The challenge was very easy to make and assemble, even though there are quite a few components. Within two hours I had gone from this beginning stage of blanching the orange slices for the marmalade

To this Orange Tian

A few minutes later the tian had the final drizzle of orange caramel

The tian was tasty and it was nice to make something that I usually wouldn't, but my preferred citrus fruits for desserts are lemons and limes so the orange flavour was ok, but not my favourite. If I were to make this again I would use raspberries and raspberry jam rather than oranges and marmalade.

Thank you Jennifer for the challenge!

Love Morwenna xoxo

Wedding Wish List

2010-03-17T15:48:00.001Z

I have just found this absolutely beautiful ring pillow whilst trawling blog land and I had to share it with you

It is part of the new 'Something Blue Ring Pillows' range by Emerson Made and I am in love! Needless to say it is now on my wedding wish list :)

Sweet day dreams everyone xo

Spring Has Sprung!

2010-03-17T11:22:00.009Z

On my way to let our hens out to play in the garden this morning I noticed that spring had sprung in our garden! I was so thrilled that I left the egg I had just collected from the hen house snuggling next to the darling tete a tete whilst I ran inside for my camera. When I came back to photograph the tiny ray of sunshine I thought it and the egg looked so cute and utterly appropriate for Easter that I had to capture them together
Happy Wednesday and St Patrick's Day everyone xo

March Daring Cooks Challenge

2010-03-16T21:20:00.017Z

Firstly I must apologise for my absence lately, I am so very busy trying to organise the wedding, launch my little bakery and trying to fit life in-between! Therefore my blog has become rather neglected, and it has never been far from my thoughts so I will rectify this and try to post regularly again...watch this space!

The Daring Cooks challenge for March is hosted by Eleanor of Melbourne Food Geek and Jess of Jess The Baker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook called Moorish by Greg Malouf. You can find the component recipes here.

The required elements of the challenge were to make your own stock and risotto base and then I could choose whatever I liked to flavour the base....so I chose the very naughty, but very nice gorgonzola, dolcelatte and apple to flavour my risotto.

I love to make risotto, but due to the amount of butter and parmesan required I don’t make it often so it was nice to revisit an old favourite for this challenge.

Here is the stock bubbling away

And the onions, olive oil and rice before I added the wine and stock

The base beginning to look rather like risotto after lots of stirring to release the starch

The outrageous amount of gorgonzola piccante, dolcelatte, butter and parmesan...hips and thighs don’t look!

Topped with toasted pinenuts and ready for immediate consumption :)

Thank you for stopping by

Love Morwenna xoxo