PREPARATIONS FOR THE VILLAGE SHOW

The village show is next week and one class which is always hotly contested is Scones.  So, I've been scouring the recipe books and decided to fire-up the Rayburn (more of that later) and try out a recipe.

The category this year is Cheese Scones, first batch above.  The look a bit pale, but they smelt amazing, unfortunately the taste was pretty bland.  So I shall have to find another recipe.  I'll keep you posted on how they go.


I decided to make use of Jonny's camera to show you the scones, then I pushed the boundaries and attempted a fish-eye photo of my kitchen ...

Centre-stage is my beloved solid fuel Rayburn.  It is wonderful, most of the year, providing endless hot water, central heating and cooking facilities.  I tend not to use it during our brief summers, simply because it cooks the cook.  It wasn't too bad today because we only had it on for a couple of hours.   


This really is the heart of our home and humans, cats and dogs are drawn to the warmth of the Rayburn and the cosy feel of the kitchen.


The Produce section of the show is tricky.  We probably have three really good onions, but they want four,  a couple of weeks ago I had fabulous runner beans now we will struggle to find six really good ones,  the flowers in the garden are past their best, and so on.  But hey, it is all about the entering not the winning so we will enter as many classes as we can, simply because it is fun.


On the day of the show there is a wonderful feeling of fun and energy in the village.  Friends gather to view the exhibits,  drink cups of tea and eat slices of home-made cake, buy raffle tickets, bid in the produce auction, and catch up with people we don't see very often.  It is delightful and very English.  


Right, time to get back to those recipe books - cheese scones, biscuits, lemon curd...