Cyder with Eloise

I have not posted a lot this quarter, it’s been quite hectic with a month spent in India, starting a new job and recent news that we must be looking for a new house. I’m still cooking as much, nothing can stop me but not finding the time to write everything up, so my resolution for the Autumn is to try harder to keep up-to-date. I also have a new template I am working on for the site to brighten things up a little – so please keep coming back it will be worth it. Don’t forget to keep in touch as when I have time I will be arranging a give away, to be in with a chance of winning simply keep updated by leaving a comment or: or follow the blog updates on .

Top Hits for Cyder with Eloise – Summer 2010
1: La Sella - Your still up there
2: Quiche without cream
3: Wild Plum Jam
4: Stuffed marrows
5: Spanish Omelette with Chorizo

Best Meal Out: The Kerala Backwaters
Best Meal In: Pasta with Chorizo & Prawns

Olive Recommends
June: The Artichoke Blog
July: The Graphic Foodie
August: Gourmet-chick

Off-piste
In July I was introduce to the pin-it-forward blogger mashup from a post by Victoria at sfgirlbybay.

To see the results of the first subject “Home” check out my board here. There are also loads of other very inspirational collections to browse through.

Flickr favourites
1. St Kilda, Melbourne, 2. At the Gorey fishing, 3. ., 4. Male Migrant Hawker Dragonfly in flight, 5. “Somewhere Under The Rainbow”, 6. dhow, 7. Shell pick ‘n’ mix, 8. strawberries, 9. First Barby of Summer, 10. Hot Peppers and Cherry Tomatoes, 11. Kundasang – Fruit market, 12. Look straight through the Wings of the Butterfly, 13. Concentration, 14. Flying high at Pacific Beach, 15. camp cuppa, 16. Emily 05c.7.ois.bl.3.1, 17. The closed window, 18. House nestled in Vineyard – Fall Nature, Germany

If you liked this post come back in November for our second ever Autumn Almanac.

Previous Almanac’s
Autumn 2009, Winter 2009/2010, Spring 2010.

Birthday Looming
Not a a shameless plug for my own birthday – but that of the Blog – Cyder with Eloise.
I have been lucky enough to be the recipient of a couple of gifts from other bloggers and as it’s my 1st birthday I can’t think of a better reason to have a little give away of my own, but I am afraid your going to have to wait until I do my birthday post to find out more.
If you or follow the blog updates on then you won’t miss out.

Top Hits for Cyder with Eloise – Spring 2010
1: La Sella – Your still up there
2: Huntingdon Fidget Pie – Who would have thought this would be such a hit.
3: Quiche without Cream
4: Wild Garlic Risotto
5: Delia Smith Hollandaise sauce

Best Meal Out: The Cambridge Chop House
Best Meal In: Dover Sole with Shrimp Butter

Olive Recommends
March: Butchers Hook
April: The Cafe Hunter
May: Lousy Hunter

Off-piste
In my last almanac I mentioned the daily posts from Today I Saw by Jill Wignall? The project she was working on is now coming to an end but I was lucky enough to receive one of her postcards – check it out here.

I bought some beautiful birthday cards and wooden birds from the delightful site by Elli Moody, I highly recommend you check out her designs on her blog or in her shop, and if you like what she is doing you might also like Sixty One A. Check out Kirsty’s shop on Folksy for some fabulous boats and other items made out of all sorts of salvaged and beach-combed items.

Update 3rd June: Both Elli’s & Kirsty’s work feature in the Summer Issue of UKHandmade. Remember you saw it here first.

Flickr favourites
1. D100_2006-04-05 151302, 2. Neptune – God of Flowers, 3. Lightroom and Photoshop color smoke retouching – Red cafe tea cup – Natural environment, 4. narrow courtyard, 5. light leaks., 6. Asparagus asparagus (can you do the fandango), 7. the resurrection, 8. Sibley / Bell tent with walls up www.canvascamp.com, 9. 360-Pic-nic, 10. Yellow ribbon, 11. i canali di bologna. emilia romagna, italia, italy, 12. Bee on Pink Wax Flower, 13. Spring, The Sweet Spring…, 14. April Showers, 15. What a wonderful World – Spring Daisies, 16. Valley Farm, West Wratting, 17. Bluebell Wood, 18. Untitled

If you liked this post come back in September for our Summer Almanac.

Previous Almanac’s
Autumn 2009
Winter 2009/2010

This is my second almanac reviewing the best of the recipes and foodie blogs I have read over the past 3 months, with a selection of Flickr favourites to set the mood.

Did you attend the hugely successful Food Blogger Connect event? I did not but I have enjoyed reading many posts about it and subsequently I have discovered some new blogs to follow. Including Mowielicious and I have been dreaming of Lamingtons on a regular basis since.

Looking to shead a few pounds but want to keep the treats then how about trying some Skinny Banana Muffins from Cupcakes and Cornwall. Muffins were obviously in season this winter, here’s another entry from Mowielicious, and has anyone spotted these beauties on billboards across the city – Muffcakes from Cook Sister? There has been one from this series on the billboard outside our train station, just in case people on their way home from work are not hungry enough.

Sadly the Haiti earthquake will forever mark January 2010. Many bloggers paid a tribute in some way and on Monday 8th February an event was held and raised over £70,000 – congratulations to Sabrina who seems to have lived and breathed this over the past month. If your interested in donating then you can do so here.

The English Can Cook raised a further £300 in an extreme catering experience.

Winter 09/10 in the UK brought more snow then we knew what to do with. The Cottage Smallholder started their gate side stand, and doesn’t it look cute all covered in snow.

I came across these Salt Plates, I have never heard of them and wondered it anyone knew anything about them – are they worth a ago? I can see how a cold dish like sushi would work, but I am interested in how to use them with a hot dish.

I experimented with cooking beans from dried in under 90 minutes. It’s been a revelation as I use a lot of dried pulses and beans, and often forget to soak them early enough. If you haven’t tried this yet then I have some instructions here.

Top Hits for Cyder with Eloise – Winter 2009/2010
1: La Sella Kimbolton – you guys need to get a website.
2: Slow Roasted Tomatoes
3: Jerusalem Artichokes
4: Cooking the Cowboy Way
5: Chicken Biryani

Best Meal Out: Jamie’s Italian Cardiff
Best Meal In: To be honest it would have to be the Slow-cooked lightly smoked duck stuffed with garlic, chilli, lemongrass and galangal, which I didn’t get around to writing up, but you can find the recipe in Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey. It really was delicious and the kitchen had a lovely wood chip smell for days afterwards.

Off-piste
I have really been enjoying the daily posts from Today I Saw by Jill Wignall? She has now set up a Flickr group where other people are contributing their pictures.

Flickr favourites
1. La Fourchette (encore..), 2. Lantern Wood, Narnia, 3. Poppyseed muffin, 4. A look back at Christmas Past, 5. Ice skating in the Jordaan, 6. 16th October 2008 – Day 290, 7. Tomato & Basil Soup with Tortellini, 8. Carnet noir, 9. Winter veg in the flower beds, 10. fall, 11. vanilla vodka christmas cake, 12. Turn off the light, 13. a taste of winter, 14. Mini vegbox (Nene River Farms), 15. Icy Spicy Blue Ice, 16. Braised Oxtail Stew, 17. macarrons, 18. .freedom.

If you liked this post come back in June for our Spring Almanac.

Previous Almanac’s
Autumn 2009

This post is inspired by the Kinks song of the same name and this is the first post in a new feature; reviewing the best of the recipes and foodie blogs I have read over the past 3 months, with a selection of Flickr favourites to set the mood.

14th September 2009 saw the passing of a true British icon Keith Floyd. Julia from ‘A Slice of Cherry Pie’ and James from ‘Back to the Chopping Board’ arranged a Farewell to Floyd Food Blogging Event. My entry was ‘Chuck Wagon Pork & Beans’.

September was also my first go at a Daring Bakers challenge, and currently my last. I may have failed at the first hurdle, but I have enjoyed reading posts about the other challenges, including Nora the Kitchen ‘Splora’s Macaroons, and Moonberry Juices Vietnamese Chicken Pho.

The summer has drawn to a close but it doesn’t stop me dreaming of camping. Check out the Flickr group camping under canvas for some great bell tent shots.

In October I was in Cornwall and staying just up the road from the Camel Valley Vineyard. Unfortunately it was too late in the year for us to do a tour, so I had to make do with a glass of their Bacchus and reading a post from ‘Around Britain with a Paunch’.

I grew sweetcorn for the first time this year. I gave it a go after I read it was almost impossible to mess it up. Not being particularly green fingered that is just what I needed. We only grew enough for a few corn on the cobs, but next year I hope to grow more and then I can make corn fritters – recipe from Cupcakes and Cornwall.

Oxtail is a cut of meat that makes me think of thick gravy’s and warming stews, just the thing to cook up as the nights draw in. When combined with Rioja and Chorizo I don’t think you can go wrong as in this recipe from Essex Eating.

I love the autumnal images of Pumpkins in this post by Amanda at Mocking Bird. I think pumpkin goes very well with cumin and coriander so I made a spicy pumpkin soup, but I may try this recipe from The Hungriest Hippo next time which includes apples – Curried Parsnip and Apple Soup.

French Onion soup can be enjoyed at any time of year but I like this recipe from Molly Watson of The Dinner Files as she has used cider to make this soup a particularly autumn inspired recipe.

Shameless Plug Alert!
In November my site was listed on the Dorset Cereals Little Blog Awards. Now I just need a few more votes, so don’t be shy

Top Hits for Cyder with Eloise – Autumn 2009
1: Slow roasted tomatoes
2: Christmas cake
3: Beetroot brownie
4: Pear and almond
5: Moroccan stuffed marrow

Best Meal Out: The Cock, Hemingford
Best Meal In: Chuck Wagon Pork & Beans

Check out this great print that I won in October from sfgirlbybay – it made my week.

Flickr favourites
1. Deer, Oh Deer…, 2. Bellman the Finnish Hound, 3. Sunday Lunch, Roast Beef, London, 4. i was tagged!, 5. Have A Lovely weekend, 6. Cinnamon Swirls, 7. Fruity, 8. the caterpillar, 9. Rose Glow, Blue Behind, 10. Heirloom Tomatoes, 11. Beetroots 3 types Remfresh, 12. Beetroot, 13. Welcome Great Pumpkin, 14. Lancashire Hotpot with oyster, 15. windfall plums with lavender, 16. Three Windfall Apples, 17. this wild rose …, 18. almanack

If you liked this post please come back in March for our Winter Almanac.