Lavender Wands & Lusciousness

The harvesting has been continuing at a nice gentle pace. Yesterday I cut some fresh lavender stems from my top terrace, they are longer and more slender than the other lavender stems I'm air drying. I used the fresh stems to make some lavender wands. The stems have to be dry and freshly cut so they are malleable and can be bent into the required shape to create the little cage that surrounds the buds. It's the first time I've made them. I used 17 stems per wand and I used up 4 metres of fine ribbon for three wands. It took about an hour to make all three. I'm super pleased with them and will make some more in the next few days. They were a bit fiddly but easy to make.

This lush roasted nectarine salad with home made pesto is a first for me too. I saw it being prepared on Nicolas Fairford's YouTube channel, he's a real sweetie and loves everything "elegant & cool" and has created a high end lifestyle for himself. Here is his recipe if you would like to make it yourself.

Ingredients:

2 x peaches or nectarines, bunch fresh basil, 2 scant handfuls pistachio nuts, 30gms parmesan cheese, fresh rocket, burrata or mozzarella, lemon juice, large garlic clove, olive oil, salt & pepper.

Preparation:

Wash nectarines, slice into 6 to 8 pieces, place in roasting tin skin side down, with some olive oil, roast for approx 15 mins at 180c. Make Pesto 3 tbsps olive oil, 2 pinches of salt, half a bunch of fresh basil, juice of half a lemon, 2 scant handfuls pistachio nuts, 30gms of parmesan, large garlic clove and splash of water to create the right consistency. Blitz all the pesto ingredients together in a small blender, until it resembles a creamy yoghurt.

Plate Up

Fresh rocket, warm nectarines, Burrata, basil leaves, few pistachios, lots of lovely dressing and S&P.

My next 'first' will be lavender biscuits, I'll let you know how that turns out

Current Mood -Too Hot & Grumpy

This is an actual photo of me staring down the Universe and politely requesting it gets a bloomin move on with our house sale. And whilst I think about it how about people doing their jobs quickly and efficiently, perhaps the Universe could help a little with that? I can't fathom what has happened to people's intelligence and work ethic. Sorry this is turning into a rant. But honestly so much of this modern world drives me mad.

I'm grumpy because I'm too hot and things I'm trying to get on with are D-R-A-G-G-I-N-G. A nice wee trip to Norfolk is planned and a wonderful place to stay has been found, the itinerary has been researched and drafted for maximum seaside fun and joy. BUT I'm waiting on one of the folk coming with us being granted leave from work, it's been almost a week and I'm stressing we will lose the accomodation. Not their fault just the slowness of their employer's internal machinery.

My husband got a call this morning from the hospital his poor Mum has been in for four weeks. It was the pharmacy there asking us what medication his Mum is on. I couldn't believe it, she's been in hospital all this time, has she not been taking her tablets? And why are they not looking at her GP's notes or calling the surgery, or perhaps just ask his Mum? When the Mr asked the response was they don't link up with other parties, not even the hospital the pharmacy is in.

I'll be back dear reader very soon with a much nicer post to make up for my grumpiness. I do hope you are all managing to keep as cool as you can, enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Enjoying the heatwave in Penrhynside, Llandudno.

The Harvest Has Begun

I'm determined this year to make the most of what Mother Nature has to offer. I do have a knowledge of herbs and flowers for health and for culinary purposes, but truth be told I have been a bit lazy in the past. Now I have decided to create my own Apothecary and to grow as many herbs and foods as I can. Organic and fresh is the way forward. I recently attended a couple of 'herbal' evening events with a local lass who taught me a few new things and sparked my interest to boot.

These two books will be invaluable.

Oh How I Wish I could Go To This Event