Summer beers

It feels like summer is coming to a close alarmingly quickly. The garden is bringing the tail end of its produce, all the carrots are uprooted, the potatoes are dug and the lettuces are on their second life. It’s been raining (or threatening to rain) for what feels like a gazillion years. It’s all a bit…autumnal. But it IS still summer whether the weather wants to agree with us or not and so to keep summer reigning in our hearts I though I would do a run down of some of my favourite summer beers for you to try before the season is out.

1. All things Badger

On the August bank holiday last year I went to the fabulous Foodie Festival in South Park Oxford and met the guys from Dwink.  In just one short hour they persuaded me that I am in fact an ale drinker and the biggest converting factor was the fabulous Golden Champion Badger Ale. This beer is the colour of the sun on a baking hot day and it will make you feel like you’re lying on your back in a field full of daisies (not that that was how I ended up, ahem). It has a light taste of elderflower and is a good ‘entrance ale’ for us soft lager drinkers. You will never order a boring beer again.

2. Frulli

I’m a fan of making picnics interesting and this will not let you down. This lager is bright pink and packed with crushed strawberries. You probably won’t want to drink buckets of the stuff as it does get a touch sickly after the first pint but it would wash down a sausage roll very nicely indeed. And as it has fruit in it I class this as practically a health drink.

3. Blue Moon

Another Dwink recommendation, Blue Moon is a Belgium style wheat ale with citrus flavours. It’s meant to be cloudy so don’t be alarmed when you pour it out. Try it with a slice of orange to really bring out the summer flavours. Yum!

4. Oxford Gold

As a fully signed up Oxfordian I had to recommend this. Luckily that wasn’t too taxing a thing to do as I love it. Oxford Gold comes from the Wychwood brewery in Witney who do all sorts of amazing things with yeast (that sounds a bit wrong…). Again, if you are a new ale drinker don’t be put off. It really is delicious and lighter than you would expect. Try it slightly chilled. Alternatively you could come to Oxford and visit the Wychwood brewery and try for yourself. If they can’t make you an ale drinker no one can.

5. Kronenbourg Blanc

I’ve been a fan of this beer for some time and it is now available on tap in many pubs. A certified ‘girly beer’, this is a light white beer with citrus flavours. A softies version of Blue Moon!

Something for everyone! Enjoy!

Tea of the week – Jasmine Pearls

It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago and I have been thoroughly spoilt. As my friends and family know what an obsessive tea nut I am I received lots of tea related gifts, hurrah! One particularly exciting gift came in the form of two new tea cups by one of my favourite ceramics designers, Pip Studios. I had been lusting after these beauties for some time now, check it out – mmmm!

As all tea fanatics will know the mug/cup saucer you use for your tea is very important for the quality of your tea drinking experience. You can't go drinking a milky Saturday morning tea in fine bone china or a flavoured white tea in a chunky mug, that would be all kinds of wrong. So when I unwrapped these gorgeous specimens I knew immediately that they were destined for a fine tea indeed. So imagine my delight when I unwrapped another present of Jasmine Tea Pearls and a Tea House to brew them in! Presents coming seamlessly together, got to love it.

So I dedicate this tea of the week to my lovely friends. Thank you for being so kind and spoiling me with tea time goodies, my belly thanks you.

Jasmine Tea

What is is?

Jasmine tea is literally flowers in a mug. It is usually mixed with green or white tea and the jasmine gives it a subtle sweet and (unsurprisingly) a distinctly floral taste. Jasmine tea originated in China and has been a speciality there for over 800 years! Anything that has stuck around that long has got to be good.

How do you drink it?

Never with milk! I would suggest going light on the amount of tea you put into your strainer to begin with as it can become bitter fast. It also won't colour very much so stop brewing after a couple of minutes even if it's light and clear. I think this makes it perfect for pretty cups as you can see the patterns inside through the clear tea.

Where can I get it?

A good friend of mine spent some time in China and buys her Jasmine tea in bulk from Chinese supermarkets, very economical indeed. I am drinking Jasmine Pearls from Whittards which are absolutely delicious. You can also pick up a Tea House while you are there!

Happy Tea Drinking!

Heaven in a courgette ball

 On my twenty seventh birthday I made very good friends with a new, most amazing food. Had it of not been for the owner of the taverna who insisted I must eat them, as it was my birthday after all, then I may never have discovered this gastronomic delight. I shudder at the thought. I should have known when I sat down to eat at a restaurant boasting this – the Gastronomic Anchor of the Gods – that I was onto a winner.

The delight I discovered was the courgette ball. Granted the name is unlikely to leave you quaking with anticipation but really, these were amazing. They are basically fritters of grated courgette mixed with herbs, some egg and often some feta cheese. These are then formed into balls, dusted with flour and fried. They are a soft, slightly spicy mouth sensation and I am officially addicted. The only problem with this is that I live in England and the courgette balls living in Agios Nikolos in the Peleponnese. Fail.

Last time I was in Greece I was launched into a one woman mission to make the perfect fluffy Moussaka topping (two eggs whipped into a creamy bechamel sauce should you be interested!) and I fear my latest trip is going to set me off on a similar obsession. What I did learn from my courgette ball sampling is that variety is the order of the day, that and lots of garlic. Some people added mint, some added what seemed like grated butternut squash, others a sprinkling of feta. As you may have gathered I did A LOT of courgette ball tasting! Now I am back home I am going to try out a basic recipe and then get creative until I have the perfect courgette balls at which point I will, of course, share my findings – you're gonna love me! ;)

Fare ye well blog readers!

As much as I love you I am delighted to say I am off on holiday! See you in a week and meanwhile here is a wee postcard for you from the fabulous http://www.nataliedee.com/

The mighty courgette

As well as eating lots of food I also love growing it. This season has been tricky due to what I call 'The Great Slug Infestation of 2011'. It has been a one woman crusade against what seems to be an army of slugs. I have won the battle of the lettuces but sadly not of the French beans who died valiantly in the early season after being mercilessly munched in the course of one evening.

What has been doing well, and is just started to produce, is my courgette plants. These are really so easy to grow (everything in my garden is because I am a very lazy gardener and just like to leave plants to do their thing!). I always get mine as baby plants because you only need three or four plants to keep you in abundant courgettes all summer. When courgette plants flower they produce these gorgeous orange flowers that remind me of Asiatic lilies which incidentally were the flowers I carried on my wedding day three years ago today!

When you do get a crop of courgettes from your garden they are so easy to use. They are much less watery than the kind you get in the supermarket and have a much stronger flavour. This makes them great for things like courgette fritters where the high water content is a problem and needs to be drained off when using shop bought varieties. I cook my home grown courgettes very simply by frying up some garlic and chilli in a saucepan, adding a tin of tomatoes and letting it simmer away while I fry 1cm cubes of the courgettes in a frying pan until lightly golden brown. I then mix the two together and serve with pasta and some parmesan. Delicious!

One last courgette tip, cut your courgettes off your plants when they are no more than 5 inches long. They are more flavoursome and it is healthier for the plant as if you leave them to grow to shop size the productivity of the plant will be significantly reduced and you may end up with a giant marrow. Fun for you but very sapping for the poor plant!

Happy courgette growing!

Lady Grey and Lavender Biscuits

The weather may not be quite the glorious summer we hoped for just now but the garden is enjoying the rain, and never fear, you can create that summer feeling inside with this week's Tea of the Week - Lady Grey, and its delightful accompaniment, lavender biscuits. You'll feel quite the laydeee, or man, whatever..!

This combo is dedicated to a very dear friend and fellow Windsorian @ladytaylorgray who came to my house recently requesting a lavender biscuit recipe. If you have a lavender bush at home it is likely to be growing like there is no tomorrow just now and let's be honest there are only so many lavender bags a girl can make. These biscuits are a great use for your excess lavender, are very yummy and so easy to make like so!

150g butter

90g caster sugar

225g plain flour

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon fresh lavender leaves, chopped up.

1 teaspoon of lavender flowers removed from the stalk

Preheat your oven to 160ºC and line two baking trays with parchment. Cream the butter and sugar together until it is light and fluffy and then mix in the flour, egg yolk and lavender leaves until the mixture comes together into a big ball. On a floured work surface knead the dough until it is smooth and then roll into a sausage shape that is a couple of inches across. Chop your sausage into between 15-18 disks (just under a cm in width) and place on your baking trays. Put a lavender flower on the top of each biscuit and pop them in the over for 20 – 25mins depending on your oven speed. They won't go brown (a bit like shortbread) but should be firm to the touch. Leave them on the tray to cool for five minutes before moving onto a cooling rack. Pour yourself a cup of tea, savour your biscuits and make it summer inside even if it's tipping it down!

These really do go great with Lady Grey, which is black tea with oil of bergamot and lemon and orange peel. Lady Grey is a Twinnings Trademark tea so the only place to get it is from http://www.twinings.co.uk/ or if you are in London pop into their shop on The Strand. It is amazing and they let you try before you buy. There are also some other variations and with my lavender biscuits I enjoyed a cup of Empress Grey for good ol' M&S which contains white tea instead of black. It is delightfully refreshing with just a nice zing of citrus.

Summer has arrived!

Tea of the Week – Teapigs Rooibos Crème Caramel

I nearly fell off my chair in shock when on telling my husband about my new blog he suggested doing 'Tea of the Week'. Either he is finally coming around to my way of thinking or all those hours of making weird and wonderful teas in various strainer/teapots/mugs/tea cups has worn him down into submission. Either way, here we are with Tea of the Week!

I count myself as somewhat of a tea connoisseur and recently had to drag my husband around various homeware stores looking for some boxes suitable for organising my many varieties of tea (you're starting to feel sorry for him aren't you...!) Teapigs is one of my all time favourite tea makers so I had to start with them and what better than the mighty Rooibos Crème Caramel!

What it is? Rooibos is red bush tea which is only grown in South Africa. I first tried it in South Africa and have been hooked ever since. What Teapigs have done (geniuses that they are) is add pieces of caramel that slowly melt into the tea as it brews. This leaves you with a creamy, slightly sweet and definitely crème caramel-esk treat. And it is good for you as rooibos is a natural antioxidant and caffeine free! Don't go expecting to be drinking liquid crème caramel but for an interesting brew, this tea is really great.

How do you drink it? I drink all my tea black because I'm just that hardcore but this would be lovely with milk.

Where can I get it?! A good place to look out for Teapigs is at local food festivals, they often do some great deals and you can taste lots of teas from their range. Alternatively you can trust me that it is amazing and buy online at http://www.teapigs.co.uk/. Teapigs also do a taster range where you can buy a couple of teabags to try for a pound which is a good way to see if you'll like them. You could also come to my pad and I'll brew you up a cup ;)

Do leave a comment if you've tried it or have any other rooibos recommendations.