The leaves have started to change, the hedgerows are laden with berries and the trees heavy with fruit. Squirrels scuttle past, busily collecting for their hibernation and the sunlight has changed to a golden hue. Despite the Indian summer, there are definite signs of Autumn all around. For decades the Wye Valley and The Forest…
Category: Locally Sourced
Seasonal Rhubarb, Mandarin and Saffron Cake
A delicious and gluten-free treat, perfect for afternoon tea or buried in fresh custard after a hearty Sunday lunch, my rhubarb upside-down cake is enhanced with pomegranate and rosewater, saffron and sweet mandarins. Recipe: serves 8 Cake 3 medium eggs 165g butter 165g light brown sugar 1 bunch of rhubarb, leaves removed 180g self raising…
The Pheasant Philosopher’s Christmas Diaries: ‘Vegging’ out at Christmas
I personally find the Christmas standard veg offering rather boring, ‘boiled’ or ‘roasted’ (aside from potatoes) seems so unimaginative and it doesn’t take much more time to ‘pimp’ those everyday vegetables up to new heights. I enjoy all veg, I try and stick to seasonal choices, however, aside from the somewhat more exciting spiced red…
The Pheasant Philosopher’s Christmas Diaries: the cheesecake of cheesecakes.
Many of us will look to that extra cheese course after Christmas lunch, and then there has to be enough cheese in the house to take you through to the new year. I have already covered the history of stilton in my diaries but now I’d like to share with you a few of my…
The Pheasant Philosopher’s Christmas Diaries: a change from turkey…my partridge (or pheasant) in a pear tree
Many people are becoming much more experimental in the kitchen and, where once, turkey or goose took centre stage, now there are many different options for the Christmas table. Aside from a good joint of beef, leg of lamb or meltingly soft slow-cooked pork shoulder many people look to game – especially in smaller households,…
The Pheasant Philosopher’s Christmas Diaries: Getting ahead with Christmas, a Duo of Sublime Stuffings
Things which are time consuming relating to the Christmas Lunch are far better done early and the advantage of a good sized freezer makes preparing for Lunch extremely simple indeed. I like to serve two stuffings. One meat, and cooked separately from the bird, and one to stuff in the neck cavity, to take on…
The Pheasant Philosopher’s Christmas Diaries: Fuss Free Canapés with a Welsh Twist
Last year my sister published her first book and asked me to make some canapés for the launch. I didn’t have much time to prepare, so wracked my brains for something quick, easy and delicious. I am extremely proud of my Welsh heritage and, as I have mentioned before, am a great believer in the…
The Pheasant Philosopher’s Christmas Diaries: The Big Festive Breakfast
I have always been a great supporter of the ‘Full English Breakfast’. It is one of the few meals that can be almost entirely locally sourced, at any time of the year. A legacy of the great Country House breakfasts which were at their height in the 19th and early 20th century, these were full…
The Pheasant Philosopher’s Christmas Diaries: top tipples
Stocking the drinks cabinet is a chore we must all undertake at this time of the year, whatever your personal preference, relatives and friends’ preferences must also be taken into account and that bottle of Creme de Menthe hidden at the back of the under-sink cupboard surely cannot last another year. Interestingly, some…
The Pheasant Philosopher’s Christmas Diaries: Easy Entertaining.
I am extremely proud of my Welsh heritage and although there aren’t many exclusively ‘Welsh’ traditions, we do have some excellent recipes to satisfy the hungriest of guests over the Christmas period. Feeding a party is quite a challenge, but sometimes, especially in the colder weather it’s nice to offer guests something a little more…
Seasoned with Slow from The Pheasant Philosopher 