Round and about: November

A walk to the postbox is an excellent opportunity to check out other people's gardens in Autumn.  And what a display I found!  I could have photographed bright berries from another ten or so gardens, and had to restrain myself in the interests of balanced representation.  I particularly love the bronze creeper decorating the side of an old town house.  

Our own garden is sadly lacking in berries or creeper.  That said, in tribute to the extremely mild weather this Autumn has shown so far, a few of the younger raspberry canes have found the energy to produce a late crop of berries.   We took more than our fill of the main crop in August and so I left these latecomers unpicked as an offering to the birds, however they seem more interested in fighting each other for the small hard yellow cherries on our tree.  

Birthday bay!

An early birthday present from A's parents when we visited last weekend, a bay standard in a beautiful pot.  The bay is a family tradition, A's sister and sister-in-law have also been given bay  trees in the past.  We've planted up the pot just to the side of the porch and the tree looks and smells fantastic.  In its honour I have cpoied down just one of my favourite recipes using bay leaves - and a tradition of my own family: the basmati rice recipe from my dad Colin's curry recipe. You can find the accompanying curry recipe on the web too.  Enjoy!



Colin's curry - basmati rice accompaniment

Heat corn oil in large saucepan with tight-fitting lid.  Add cloves, crushed cardamom pods and cinnamon stick.  Add rice & turmeric and mix well by swishing the pan round.  Add boiling water and bay leaf and stir.  Cover and simmer gently for 12-15 minutes until all the water has been absorbed.  Use a form to remove the seeds and bay leaf and turn out into a warmed dish. Allow to stand in a warm place for 5 to 10 minutes and fluff up with a fork before serving.