I started the bank holiday weekend a little early by taking the afternoon off work on Friday. I used the time to cook the ‘no knead bread’ I had started the night before and to go for a photowalk in Top Wood with Dave and the dogs. Gracie was in fine posing form and Maya was just having a brilliant time.

Later, for dinner, I made omelette with a goose egg and hen eggs I had got from my Mum. I added chard and thyme from the garden and we ate it with the bread I had just cooked. For pudding we had vanilla ice cream with stewed rhubarb that our neighbour gave us.

Saturday was spent knitting, walking the dogs, playing Frisbee with Dave and Gracie, tidying the house and eating tasty food. We had scrambled eggs (from Mum) and bacon (from Hillstown Farm Shop) for lunch. For dinner we had sausage and bean bake with a pile of buttered ‘no knead bread’.

On Sunday we went walking – a fine stroll, into the wind, along Portstewart Strand. Back at home we dozed, then we ate pasta with aubergine (cooked by Dave), then back to sleep.

Monday we took easy – I made oatcakes for lunch, which we ate with melted cheese and more of our bacon. It was a rainy day so we just went walking to Waterfoot Beach – nothing too strenuous. Then I visited my Granny. Later we had lightly smoked salmon, béarnaise sauce, mashed potatoes and puy lentils for dinner. All cooked by Dave and a marvellous job it was! I ate until I thought I would burst.

Last night I dreamt that there was something wrong with daylight – it was broken – and everything was the colour of a film negative but 3-dimensional.

So, that is what I have been up to. What is coming up is a week away in France, happy me! We leave on Saturday for a week in a wooden cabin in the Dordogne. Sadly, the dogs aren’t able to join us on this trip and will have to spend a week in the Leighinmohr Dog Hotel. On our return we will stop over in London for a night and maybe take in a few sights. I can’t wait!

Also on the menu is pizza, which I must now assemble.

Update:

Both pizza and cake were yummy.

Recipe provided by Dave’s mum.

Grease a 18cm springform tin.

Ingredients

2 eggs
2 dsp caster sugar
225g unsalted butter
200g dark chocolate
2 tbsp whiskey
225 g crushed digestive biscuits
55g chopped nuts

Method

Beat eggs and sugar until thick and creamy. Gradually add melted butter and chocolate beating all the time.

Fold in whiskey, biscuits and nuts. Pour into tin and chill to set.

Optional

Decorate with a thin layer of cream and chocolate flake or matchmakers (I didn’t as I thought that the cake itself was rich enough).

From the Guardian 20 January 2007

This recipe allows you to create your own bespoke biccies. Just add to the basic dough 100g of whatever you fancy. Chopped almonds mixed with dried cranberries is one combination; hazelnuts, dark chocolate chunks and orange zest is another. Makes 12 large cookies.

125g unsalted butter
100g unrefined granulated sugar
75g light muscovado sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
150g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
100g extras – chunks of chocolate, chunks of nut, chopped dried fruit (apricots, cranberries, sultanas), crystallised ginger, spices, lemon or orange zest, pinenuts…

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5 and line two baking sheets with baking parchment.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Put the two sugars into a bowl, pour on the butter and beat. Break in the egg and add the vanilla. Beat to combine, sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, then stir in your chosen extras.

Dot heaped dessertspoonfuls of the mixture over the baking sheets, leaving plenty of space in between – the cookies really spread out. Bake for eight to 10 minutes, until just turning golden brown. Leave on the baking sheets to harden for a couple of minutes, then carefully lift up the baking parchment and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

They were delicious and light, I think it is the use of oil that makes them to nice.

• 12oz S. Bread Flour
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 egg

Cook in a hot oven.

The first time I thought about making these I went to the shop and bought Strong Bread Flour – the S in the above recipe was rather ambiguous. I later realised I should have got Soda Bread Flour. Another obvious omission was the lack of anything to bind the dry mixture together, so, I bought some buttermilk. The resulting scones were the prefect light and airy texture, but something was missing. Perhaps a bit of sugar. I haven’t made them again as I haven’t had an opportunity and it would require some guesswork to get the quantities right. But when I do make them again these are the ingredients I will use:

• 340g/12oz Soda bread flour
• 2 tbsp butter or oil
• 1 egg
• 150ml/5 fl oz buttermilk
• 75g/2-3oz sugar

Then I will cook them for about 15 minutes in a hot oven 200C/400F.

Originally uploaded by ZMB.

Recipe from the side of my packet of Speedicook Porridge.

Ingredients

• 250g/80z butter
• 125g/4oz caster sugar
• 125g/4oz plain flour
• 325g/11oz Speedicook porridge oats
• Pinch of baking soda

Method

Cream the butter and sugar well.  Add flour and baking soda and mix, then add Speedicook.  Roll out thinly, cut into rounds and bake in oven at 180C/350F or Gas Mark 4 for about 15 minutes until pale and golden colour.  Sprinkle with caster sugar and cool on wire rack.

Makes 20 7.5cm/3in diameter biscuits.