#PYOandPie AT PETERLEY MANOR FARM

Last Sunday Hannah and I collected the 'Londoners' and headed to Peterley Manor Farm in search of pick-your-own fruit for our next adventure: #PYOandPie

I soon found myself in fields I spent many years of my childhood exploring whilst collecting fresh produce through the approved 'pick one, eat one' method, a method each and every child adopts when picking fruit straight from the source. This of course ends in sticky fingers and red smears masking smiling faces. A fond memory, not forgotten.

Thankfully, these days I can appreciate the hard work that goes into growing fresh produce and the 'pick one, eat one' method didn't seem quite so appealing. I felt the need to recognise all this hard work spread before me, in the form of delicious raspberries & strawberries patiently waiting to be picked. Of course I enjoyed a few as we went, that is part of the fun after all!

We slowly filled our punnets, discussing the finer points of collecting berries and recipes we could whip up in the afternoon. I really love the sweet achievement of finding a large batch of strawberries hidden below the leaves, just waiting to be found.

Ultimately, I think Hannah summed it up best in one word: 'therapeutic'.

If you've never picked your own food, please do. It comes so naturally and instantly that its almost shocking, like a long lost skill we all know and simple need to tap into when the chance comes. It makes me think of simpler times and of hunting and gathering we've sadly lost to modern times.
Thanks to a few hours picking we'd filled enough punnets to pursue our baking plans that afternoon. Those plans? Giulia's Strawberry & Raspberry Tart seemed like the perfect fit and we all pitched in to bring the recipe together. A team effort for sure!



P.S - If you're smart you'll notice some of these photos are from a visit Hannah and I took together before #PYOandPie. A scouting trip if you will!

A BIRTHDAY WEEKEND PART II - #FRENCHIEPICNIC

And now for Part II - #frenchiepicnic.            Find Part I Here

After getting home & crashing on Friday we were up and ready for another day. And what a day it promised to be - blue skies and 25°C! We hopped on the train into London and I caught my first Instagram video of Eggs waiting for his tube:


We soon found ourselves enjoying the ambiance of Hampstead Heath and relaxed for hours chatting with friends, drinking summer white wine thanks to our new found knowledge after the Seasons wine evening and eating far too many corn chips & salsa. Giulia even bought along a gluten free cake as a Birthday surprise for Hannah. A summer day to remember! We finished the afternoon with frispee and took in views of the city from Parliament Hill.

AN EVENING WITH MONDOMULIA - #FRD2013

Hannah and I were lucky enough to attend Giulia's first cooking masterclass in honor of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Day, and with the promise of freshly made Italian pizza using only the best ingredients we did the typical English thing and arrived early! Thankfully, we were greeted by Sandy as he prepared the recipe cards for the evening.

After Wendy had arrived and the first bottle of red was open, Giulia began describing the importance of ingredients in food and made sure we understood why she had selected each ingredient for the evening, including where she had found such wonders in London. I loved hearing about real honest food and especially enjoyed learned about Olive Branch Olive Oil and how acidity determines the grade of oil. Once we had been through each ingredient Giulia began preparing the dough showing us each stage before kneeding it and leaving it to prove.

As we waited, the best Bruschetta I've ever had was prepared and eaten whilst we chatted about all things photography & blogs, the fact that Hannah and I should move to London and our future plans including #frenchiepicnic and a Canadian Thanks Giving. Bring on summer!

Unfortunately our dough was not to be trusted and hadn't risen as Giulia had hoped, but we all had a great laugh forming our pizza bases including hitting the roof and dropping the dough more than once! After we handed our base attempts over to Giulia she expertly topped them and baked them into some of the best tasting pizza I've ever had.

I had another wonderful evening and hope we get the chance to cook with friends more often.