A Good Day's Baking

There I have finished! 5 lovely big terrine's made from the gifts of pheasant from local farmers from the last shoot...now cooling under heavy weights ready for preserving with goose fat and vacuum packing with my little cryovac machine. 3 nice pots of chopped liver 1 for each daughter....I used the rest of the chicken livers in the terrine's.

2 huge long split tin loaves are now baking in the oven and I have cleared everything ready for the marmalade making tomorrow.
All the carcass bones are simmering away making soup for tonight and the house smells like France.

There is a fine rack of lamb bought this morning at market waiting for a quick roasting when the bread comes out....the herb crust looks marvelous.

This time of year is my time...when business goes quiet after Christmas and New Year and I can get my own little cellar and larder filled up once again with good things.

Celairiac has been particularly good this year and jars of grated pickled root...some tinged pink with beetroot slices, sit in big gleaming jars on the cold stone floor. In the summer when drained and mixed with mayonnaise and grainy mustard it will make a delightful and tasty salad.

I am now sorting the big jars for the rabbit confit...just waiting for those little varmints to get fat on new shoots first.

I love the marmalade making...if you ever want to sell a house make marmalade in the kitchen when potential buyers come to veiw (even if you just warm a jar of it up in a pan) The smell of marmalade will clinch the deal quicker than any other thing...even the smell of fresh baked bread isn't as powerful.

Now what shall I find to have with the lamb...purple sprouting broccoli should do the trick then I can use all the stalks for a broccoli and stilton soup tomorrow...I have a few ends of Stilton left over from Christmas they will be fine for soup.

I love my work.....but my days off are far superior.....