Vanity space

I hope you're all having a good weekend! I'm doing some cleaning and organising because in 4 days time I'm picking my mum up from the airport. She's visiting us for 5 short days from South Africa, and when my mum comes to visit I always make sure the house is super-tidy and clean.

So part of my sorting out has led to me re-organising my make-up.
I love make-up, not because I like buying cosmetics, but because I honestly think I look better with a bit of foundation, mascara and a bit of pink on my cheeks. My make-up routine is such a part of my morning routine, and because of this I have always loved the idea of having a dressing or vanity table... you know, a little table with pretty bottles, a vanity table set with matching brush and hand mirror, a small pretty box for earrings etc. Like this sort of thing...


This photo from Anthropologie is almost like a doll's house set - cute!
Simple, but perfect.
And this image from country living features the most beautiful bottles.That's it, if I ever have a vanity table I want this fairytale mirror from Anthropologie, fittingly named 'who's the fairest mirror'.
And I'm in love with this chair!

Dreaming is all very well, but unfortunately that's not something I can really consider having in our house because we lack the space. The bathroom is also not ideal for make-up because it's a bit dark, and Mr L would not be impressed if I had to rush him out the bathroom because I need to 'put my face on' as we call it.

However, I have found a nifty solution which works wonderful. My wardrobe (which is in our spare room) is nice and deep, so I'm lucky that I can use the inside of the wardrobe doors. On the one side I have a full length mirror - very important for seeing whether the shoes match the bag. And on the other wardrobe door I have a small mirror, below which is a little jar for all my brushes, and below that is a perspex shelf holding all the products I need to 'put my face on'.
(Oops, I better clean that mirror!)

And because I now have a mirror on the inside of each wardrobe door I can position the doors so that I can see the back of my head (or how big my bum looks in a particular outfit) with the two mirrors. It's like my own make-up centre in the wardrobe, and I love it! I think having limited space can sometimes be a blessing, it means you really have to focus on what's necessary, and can help you avoid clutter. So until I one day get my very own dressing table, I'm ever so pleased with my wardrobe vanity space. Oh, and thank you Mr. L for putting the perspex shelf in for me!

What have you been up to this weekend?
x

Buying a tablecloth

Have you ever needed to buy a tablecloth, but you were unsure what size to get, not to mention if it's the correct size for the correct occasion? Well, so it's not something most people worry about as such, but I think it's a handy thing to know in home keeping. So here's a rough guide to help you find your perfect tablecloth. After all, after freshly laundered crisp bedlinen, a crisp tablecloth can really make any day feel extra special!


Breakfast or lunch tablecloths ought to hang over the edge of the table by 15-20 cm (6 - 8 inches)
A dinner cloth on the other hand ought to hang over by 20 - 30 cm (8 - 11 inches), and the more formal the occasion, the longer (I seriously did not know that until now), but you need to avoid the cloth draping on the chair seat, so it's recommended that you steer clear of an over 30cm overhang if possible unless it's a floor lenght round tablecloth - and those cloths are reserved for very formal occasions such as a wedding. Most linens shrink after laundering, especially in the length more than the width, so do take this into consideration when buying table linen, therefor allow for a 5 - 8 cm (2 - 3 inches) shrinkage. Here's a chart to help you next time you buy a tablecloth, it's really useful to refer to (click on it to enlarge):

Chart taken from the Anna's Linens website

I'm so glad that lace edged and Broderie Anglaise cloths are all making a comeback. I found some lovely vintage tablecloths on EBay recently, and most you can get cheaper than polyester tablecloths cost in the shops. Oilcloth tablecloths are great for big families, or doing crafts at the dining room table, but linen and cotton will make a lunch or dinner feel a bit smarter. I love crisp white cloths with a bit of detailing, but I also like cloths with big bold blue patterns on them... so much to choose from. Here are some of my favourites from the web...


What's your favourite?

Have a great week!
x

Goodbye Mould!

As promised, here is my post about mould... and boy have I had enough of mould. Maybe you don't or never have had a mould problem in your home, but please dear blogging friends, I urge you to read on and be prepared for when it might strike. Mould and damp is so destructive... but not to fear... it can be dealt with!

So I've mentioned previously that we had a water pipe burst - the water ran down through the ceiling, and down the back of the kitchen cupboards. This only happened for what we think was a couple of hours. All was fine when we went to bed, but when we woke up, there was the sound of dripping, and water on the kitchen worktop overflowing from some canisters against the wall that had filled up with water. Mr L quickly fixed the leak, and we dried the counters as best we could, emptied the kitchen cupboards, leaving the doors open so that they could dry. We were so grateful that we were home and could stop the leak because it seemed like there was hardly any damage to the kitchen or ceiling.

A couple of weeks passed and I noticed that the back of the kitchen cupboards were no longer sparkly white - and then the smell started. Every time you walked into the kitchen there was a faint smell of damp... we sort of knew something was happening, but we were in denial. Finally a month after the leak, we decided to take down the kitchen cupboards that Mr L and his dad worked so hard putting up a couple of years ago. This is what we found...

It was so much worse than we ever imagined! We never realised that so much was happening behind our kitchen cupboards with only a faint smell to give it away. We're heartbroken at being without half of our lovely kitchen, but we're looking forward to getting it sorted out soon too. We will have to replace the plasterboard on the walls, and then replace the kitchen units again, all I can say is thank goodness for house insurance! But poor mr L has allot of work ahead of him.

So, here are a couple of steps to take if you ever have a water leak, or discover mould! Don't hope for the best like we did, act quickly!

Step 1: If you have a water leak in the house - all surfaces need to dry-out properly. It seems obvious, but in the UK with high humidity almost year round it's much harder than you think. Carpets will need to be lifted, furniture needs to be removed from the area, and cupboards or selves will need most probably need to be taken down for drying out. Don't hesitate to hire a de-humidifier. This is the one thing that will help most at preventing mould!

Step 2: If you are at a stage where you discover mould - act quick! Mould will spread fast, a small area of mould is not too much of a problem, but when it gets bigger than a metre square area, the house occupants can suffer ill effects caused by mould. More specifically, asthma sufferers are at risk of having their asthma worsened. So once discovered, the mould will need to be cleaned away. If the area is manageable here is how to tackle it, but large areas of mould are best handled by professionals. The best non-industrial product I found here in the UK is the Dettol Mould & Mildew remover. But whatever product you choose to use, always wear a mask and gloves when cleaning mould. In order to prevent the spores from spreading too much, you will need to mist it lightly with a liquid such as the Dettol cleaner. This is to prevent the mould spreading around in the air as you wipe it off. Once you have sprayed it, use a cleaner or soapy water and a sponge to wipe away the mould. Keep rinsing the sponge and change the water regularly.


Wipe down all surfaces and areas around where the mould was, then use an absorbent cloth, or towel to remove as much of the moisture as possible. Using a de-humidifier at this stage will also help greatly (de-humidifiers can be rented in the UK for approximately £15-25 a day, but are worth it if you can save having to replace materials).

Step 3: Replace areas and surfaces that are irreparable, or potentially have more mould that you cannot reach. Then you will need to keep the area well ventilated for a week or two until you are sure that all surfaces are thoroughly dry, and mould areas have been cleaned and treated before replacing furniture, cupboards or shelves.

I hope this post will be a handy resource for anyone dealing with mould. Remember that untreated mould can pose health risks including allergic reactions, sinus infections and asthma attacks. It really boils down to drying wet areas out, and keeping damp areas well ventilated and clean before the mould has a chance to grow. But, mould happens, and when it does, it' handy to know that it can be treated.

I'll be back soon with another tip of the week. Thanks to Ivy for all her useful post ideas!
x

Tip of the Week: cheese storage

Welcome to my new weekly posts that I'll be doing on top of my regular longer posts. As I have mentioned in a previous post, I no longer have the time to do a long post three times or even twice a week, so I thought a great way of making sure I post at least once a week is to have a quick weekly tip post. Suggestions of things you would like covered are welcome.

I'm starting off with storing cheese only because I recently got an email with household hints saying that cheese is best stored in aluminium foil. I wasn't so sure about this and went on a cheese and foil Google adventure. The tip was not quite right because storing cheese in foil can actually increase its chances of moulding. But boy oh boy, is there some controversy out there about storing cheese!? Everything from parchment paper to Tupperware. Here's what I could find out that seemed the best:

For hard cheeses, avoid plastic wraps, apparently the cheese starts tasting of the plastic. Instead wrap the cheese in wax paper, and then store in an airtight plastic container. This should be kept in the refrigerator drawers where it doesn't get too cold. Each time the cheese is unwrapped, re-wrap in fresh wrapping (seems a bit of a waste I know). Soft cheese is best kept in their original packaging but well sealed.

If cheese does become mouldy, cut away 1/2" around and below the mould. Soft cheeses however should be discarded when mould appears.

Let me know your thoughts on cheese storage. Ha ha, it's amazing what topics are useful for home keeping.

I'm back with the Miele S7 review

I'm finally back online - we have been without Internet for over a week! Not only that, but half our kitchen has had to be taken down because of the mould caused by the water leak ... more details on that sorry story to come soon.

For those of you who wanted to know how I got on with the snazzy Miele vacuum... here is my full review.

To start with I left our downstairs rug un-vacuumed for a week... that meant a week's worth of dog hair, dirty doggy paws, dirty shoes and general dust accumulation (best not to think about it too much). So here is a close-up of our rug before.

I gave the rug a good sprinkling of bicarbonate of soda... (do you like my fireplace chicken? :)

And this is how it turned out.

Yes, I was well chuffed with how well the Miele performed. I felt it sucked up all the dog hairs, human hairs, bits of garden soil, and dog biscuit crumbs in a jiffy. Although I felt that the Miele did a quicker job than my Vax did on our rug, I couldn't really be sure if it was more thorough and if it was worth all that extra money. So I continued playing around to test it, here are some other great features I found.

Front lights: I really did wonder why it had light on the front, because surely nobody vacuums in the dark right? Well I wondered until I pushed the vacuum under the sofa - ta da, I could see if there were any shoes, odd socks or hairclips (how do they get there?) as I went around. So yes, it's a nifty little function, not a necessity, but nice to have it (nodding head enthusiastically).

Going flat: How did I get under the sofa? The Miele goes completely flat! Amazing stuff really, I mean, it really goes flat, as in can get all the way under the bed flat... impressive.

The bag can take loads of dirt: Now personally I will say I prefer a bagless vacuum (I know it's not as hygienic), but I like to see what I've vacuumed up. However, I will say that this bag takes loads! I vacuumed, and vacuumed, for three weeks. I dusted the blinds, the windowsills, the lamp shades etc. And still that bag does not need emptying. By now I would have easily had to empty my Vax about three times.

It has an automatic setting or you can adjust the suction to be stronger or weaker: This was handy especially whilst dusting. I don't bother dusting with my vacuum because I feel it dusts in narrow lines, but the Miele did a superb job of sucking up dust beyond it's reach when on full power. This setting is also handy if you have fragile or expensive rugs... so not a function I particularly need.

I also did the "mess test" where I was supplied with some oats, talcum powder and sugar to scatter on a piece of rug that was supplied by Miele. I scattered all the bits, and then proceeded to really rub them into the pile of the carpet. This is the before shot:

This is after I did a single line in one direction once with the Miele.

The scattered oats were displaced after the vacuum went past.

So, as you can see, it did a great job, but struggled a bit more with the talcum powder (maybe I shouldn't have rubbed it in quite so vigorously). Although after vacuuming over the rug a few times it did seem to get most of it out. What fun, I ought to volunteer to test these products out more, ha ha, not sure Mr L would be that impressed, he finds it a bit strange that I get excited about trying out a vacuum that I can't keep.

I guess by now you must think I sound like an advertisement for the Miele, which I kind of do. So to show that I can be objectionable, and that I'm not just swayed by it's good looks and pretty lights, here is a list of pros and cons.

PROS

* It's quiet in comparison to other machines, especially considering the power.

* Dusting with the Miele is fantastic! My blinds look as good as new, as do my lampshades.

* The hose stretches really far, and pops back into shape really easily.

* The machine switches off automatically if it sucks something up that prevents the air flow (I found this out after a facecloth fell out of the laundry basket as I vacuumed past it).

* The cord wraps around high at the back making it so much easier to control.

CONS

* It's heavy, not much heavier than my Vax, but it's not a breeze to carry up the stairs.

* The cord at the back, as much as I loved having it up high so I didn't have to bend down, got in the way of the hose whenever I tried to take it out. I was so pleased that the hose just had to be taken out to use unlike the Vax, but this was just as frustrating as disconnecting and reconnecting the hose.

* At times it felt heavy to push around on a rug, especially a plush pile carpet.

* It's expensive! Well for me anyway. I'm just not the sort of person who's happy to whip out over £200 for a vacuum cleaner.

So all in all, it's a great machine. And if you have the money, or you like pretty gadgets, I don't think the Miele would disappoint. But if you don't mind a bit of extra effort like bending down to connect a hose, or spending a bit more time sorting out the cord, then the Miele is an expensive option. Would I like one? If it was on sale, definitely!

But for now, bye bye pretty Miele!

(sorry about my creased top, it was the end of the day).

What vacuum do you use? Are you happy with it, and would you be happy spending on a vacuum?

Pumpkin treats

So what have I done with my pretty pumpkin? Well... firstly, thank you so much for all the good advice! And I'm so sorry for not having popped around everyone else's blogs to say hello, I'm hoping to have some time this coming weekend to catch up with everyone. Thank you especially to Victoria for the link to that delicious pumpkin cookies recipe. So that's one of the things I did with the pumpkin, the other was to make pumpkin fritters... yum!

Unfortunately I decided to steam the pumpkin after cutting it into pieces instead of roasting, and then I didn't drain enough of the water out, so in both instances I ended up with very runny dough. The fritters turned out soft, but tasty...

And the biscuits, well they were absolutely delicious, but not really biscuits.

He he, I managed to make something similar to a Jaffa Cake but pumpkin flavoured and minus the chocolate and orange.


And funny enough, Mr L loves them! I'll definitely be trying that recipe again, but next time with roasted pumpkin pieces instead. If you would like to try the delicious original pumpkin cookie recipe, you can find it here.

Oh, and I've been playing around some more with the MieleS7 vacuum cleaner - I'm almost ready to do that post. Phew, it's a busy time of year, but now I'm off to watch an episode of "Monday Monday" with Mr L, it's our Monday night switch-off time.

I'll be back soon with that Miele S7 post.
x

A Beautiful Pumpkin

Some of you might have been expecting my next post to be about that fancy Miele vacuum cleaner that I'm trying out. Well, I still have the vacuum for a couple of weeks and I'd rather right a 'final review' about it along with some tips about vacuuming and looking after your vacuum cleaner at the ens of the trial. So, for now, I have a couple of other things I'd like to blog about. One of them is about MOULD! Mould can be so troublesome in a damp country such as England. Even worse is that we recently had a pipe burst and the water ran down the wall behind some kitchen cupboards which have swollen and gone mouldy. It's a bit of a disaster, but it's not a total loss that can't be remedied, so keep a look out for my next post all about dealing with mould... I hope yo will find it comes in handy at some stage.

In the meantime I'd like to show you a lovely gift given to me... my friend Steph from the The Green Grower Blog (if you're into growing your own veg or fruit you must pop by and see her lovely photos!) gave me a present from her allotment. She gave me a pumpkin, and it's soooo pretty! It's a lovely warm yellow colour - so lovely in fact that I'm tempted to take it to the hardware store to have paint mixed in that exact colour. The photos really don't do it justice.

So now it begs the question, what to do with this pretty pumpkin? I wish I could just display it all year round, but I've already got enough mould to deal with as it is, so I suppose better use it. Maybe I'll make some South African sweet pumpkin fritters?

Or a delicious orange and pumpkin soup?

Or should I simply roast some slices?
So many choices.

I'll be back soon with that post about dealing with nasty mould.
Enjoy the rest of your week!
x

Exciting delivery...

I was recently emailed and asked to participate in a Miele S7 vacuum cleaner touring the UK. Basically they send the vacuum cleaner and I have to try it out for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately I also have to send it back (boo). But I thought - why not!? A vacuum cleaner has to be on of the best household appliances (okay, okay, along with a washing machine, and refrigerator... but I'm kind of excited about vacuuming right now). Currently I have a VAX, I like it and it works well, but that's not to say I don't long for a powerful Dyson, cute Henry, or in this case a posh Miele that feels like I've just been handed the keys of an Aston Martin and told to test drive it... scary!

The task at hand is to really put it through its paces and see how many miles I can do. So far I cannot comment on how it works, because since it's delivery on Friday it's been standing on the landing like a prized possession and I've only glanced at it thinking 'ooh, pretty!' and 'Oh, so tidy'. It's a pretty neat machine in terms of looks. I reckon it's the Bree of Desperate Housewives in appearances ... not a hair (or cord) out of place. But today, I will switch it on and make it work, because although it looks like Bree, it might not clean like Bree.

I shall be testing this Aston Martin of a vacuum cleaner alongside my trusty, dusty VAX and I'll keep you posted. I've (purposefully) not been vacuuming our rug downstairs for the past week - gross I know, but I need to do this properly. Any more suggestions for putting a vacuum through it's paces (without of course damaging or breaking it)?

Hope you're having a good weekend!
x

Healthy Homemade Granola

I've just returned from a week's holiday with Mr L & the in-laws in Somerset. It was a lovely break, but goodness me, we could have done with a little less rain. But because of the rain Mr L and I built a tricky 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle, what fun! Neither of us have built a jigsaw puzzle in years! When last have you tried building one?
But now after lots of unhealthy eating, we're trying to be healthy again, and what better place to start than breakfast!?

This morning I decided to try and make a homemade Granola (granola is muesli, but baked so it's crunchier) after finding a video on how to make it. The supermarkets do have some great varieties of muesli and granola, but boy oh boy can they be expensive? Plus, freshly made granola with only ingredients you like is so much tastier and this recipe only uses a bit of honey, so no added sugar! This recipe so easy, and extremely tasty, and costs less for the amount you get. But do experiment with different ingredients to get it just the way you like it! I used dried apricots and sultanas, as well as adding chopped Brazil nuts, it was delicious!


I've posted the video showing how to make granola right here in this post for you to try too. This is not me in the video, but a lady named Sophie Uliano.
Even better, below that video is another one which Sophie shows how to make Almond Milk, I am going to HAVE to try that too... have any of you ever made Almond milk? I've never even tasted Almond Milk, so I'll let you know how I get on with making and having some. Enjoy the videos!

HOMEMADE GRANOLA- SOPHIE ULIANO - watch more recipes and videos

ALMOND MILK- SOPHIE ULIANO - watch more recipes and videos

Table Manners

This past weekend Mr L and I went for afternoon tea at Blenheim Palace of all places! It was actually a gift from my mother-in-law at Christmas, and we've only got around to doing it now.
I felt like a real lady who lunches, and I put on a dress for the occasion even if it was a bit windy.


The palace and gardens were beautiful and well worth a visit, but the cakes, well now, the cakes and sandwiches were just perfect! They were served in the beautiful Indian room, overlooking the fountains... pure bliss.

We even finished every last scrap! And I have a photo of me with my elbows on the table ...

What terrible table manners! I happen to buy a book in the gift shop afterwards called 'The Lady's Book of Manners'. It's a book about politeness and etiquette from 1890.

It's so fascinating, so I thought I'd share some table manners from the book with you, and then we'll move onto some more up-to-date table manners. Seeing as I was caught sipping tea with my elbows on the table I could do with a reminder!

The Lady's Book of Manners says:

It is looked upon as the height of vulgarity to use your knife to convey food to your mouth.

I love the use of the word vulgarity throughout the book!

And a hint that I think can still be applied today...

Avoid too slow or rapid eating; the one will appear as though you did not like your dinner, and the other as though you were afraid you would not get enough.

Do you think table manners still apply today? I think they should. Sure, family meals are allot more relaxed, but it's nice to still have some form of etiquette, even if only used at formal events or at Christmas. So here's a reminder (as much to myself as anybody else) of what is considered 'proper' (as opposed to vulgar) conduct at a table, these are just the basics, but they are also the important ones!

• Wash your hands before sitting down, it's a good habit.
  
• Sit up straight, slouching looks untidy
• Don't speak with food in your mouth - nobody wants to see food flying accross the table.
• Chew quietly and with your mouth closed, this is of course easier to do if you take small bites at a time.
• Keep your elbows off the table, it generlly leads to slouching and takes up table space (that's me told then!).
• Excuse yourself from the table or you might look as though you are storming out on a conversation, or you were displeased with something said.
• Wipe your mouth before drinking or your glass will be full of smudges... eek!
• Never reach across a table, as well as glasses that can be knocked over, you might be cutting someone else off from their conversation.
• Don't wave utensils about in the air, for obvious reasons this could be dagerous.
• And yes, don't put your knife in your mouth!
  
• Don't start eating until everyone is seated.
  

Good 'ol table manners. I hope they never fall away completely!
Have a great week everyone!
x

New uses for old things...

A busy couple of weeks again. I'm afraid I don't get a chance to post quite so often anymore because I am now officially enrolled in a yoga teacher's training course. I've been doing yoga for a bout 5 years now and thought it would be good to learn to teach it. But it means that as well as working full-time, I'm also doing 2 yoga classes a week, and some weekends away. However, I am NOT giving up on my blog, so I'll try my best to still post as often as possible.

I thought today I'd do a post about recycling some household waste into make-shift cleaning supplies. Recycling has become very fashionable in recent years, even to the extent that we now just plonk some household waste into a recycling bin. But what about recycling some of your waste yourself? I have a few ideas... so here goes. Can you think of anything else you could re-cycle to use for cleaning?

Old toothbrushes

It's advised that we replace our toothbrushes every 6 months. I never throw away a used toothbrush, because they are essential for cleaning around the house. Here's how you too can use your old toothbrushes.

* For stubborn limescale deposits, soak some paper towels, or a cloth in white vinegar. Apply to limescale area and leave to soak for 2 hours. Remove and use your toothbrush to scrub away the softened deposits, very helpful for nooks and crannies around faucets.

* The next time you clean your refrigerator, don't forget to clean the rubber seal. Pour some warm water into a bowl along with a drop of washing up liquid. Dip the toothbrush in the soapy water as you go around scrubbing the rubber. Wipe with a damp cloth.

* If your children draw with crayon on your walls, use a bit of toothpaste on the toothbrush to scrub away the crayon. Wipe away the toothpaste with a lightly damp cloth.

* Use the toothbrush and some diluted bleach to remove mildew from window frames. The bleach will also prevent the mildew coming back.

Old and odd socks

Aah, the Anthea Turner way! Use old socks (clean ones only please), over your hand to dust stair banisters, ornaments, plants etc. You're less likely to miss out on tricky corners if you use your hand to dust this way.

Old towels

It goes without saying that if you have pets, keep every bit of old towel you have... they are so handy on muddy days. But old towels are great for a couple of other things too... read on.

• After mopping a floor. Wrap an old towel over the end of a broomstick, push around the floor to speed up drying and prevent slippages. It has the added bonus of buffing the floor.
• Have a designated bathroom cleaning towel (perhaps even mark it with a permanent marker, or if that's too tacky for your linen cupboard, go ahead and embroider). Use that towel to wipe and clean the bathroom once you've finished in the shower. You wont need any chemical, and you'll never again have to use elbow grease to scrub your bathroom because you'll be preventing limescale and oily deposits buildup.
  

Newspaper

Use old newspaper to clean windows. Read more about getting streak free shiny windows here.

Used spray bottles

I never throw away a spray bottle. They are great to use for making up your own cleaning concoctions. Try some of these chemical free ideas. Also, I use one when I iron... simply add a couple of drops of your favourite essential oil and you'll have lovely smelling laundry.

Mismatched china

Use an old teacup, or a pretty bowl to freshen a room. Fill it with a few spoons of bicarbonate of soda and a couple of drops of an essential oil, and place it on a shelf. The bicarbonate of soda will absorb any nasty smells.

Banana skins

Use the skin of a banana to clean leather shoes before you throw the peel into the recycling. Or you can also use it to polish the leaves of a houseplant.

Flat Cola
Don't pour flat cola down the sink, instead pour it into you toilet bowl and leave for an hour before flushing. It'll get rid of any limescale deposits and stains. Best not to think what this means for your stomach :)

Well I hope that's given you some new ideas, so get cleaning!

Oh, and one more thing...
We had some friends over for dinner and I needed to make a starter that would be tasty but quick to put together. I ended up doing a Tomato and Pesto tart from the BBC Good food website. It was delicious, and SO easy! I highly recommend it. Find the recipe here.

South African 'Melktert' recipe

This weekend I again attempted to make a tart that I've failed to make successfully before. It's a traditional South African recipe called 'Melktert' or directly translated as milktart. A melktert is usually a shortcrust pastry base with a filling not dissimilar to a custard tart, but much more milky and softer than a custard tart and topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon. This really is comfort food although South African, the recipe has some Dutch influences.

For a bit of history on this tasty dessert:

Before the Suez Canal was built, all ships travelling east to the spice islands of what is now Indonesia had to sail round the tip of South Africa. The Dutch and their East India Company were a force to be reckoned with along the spice route for a large part of the 17th century, and South Africa was a convenient stopping place on the long journey from Europe to Asia.

The first permanent Dutch settlement was established at the Cape of Good Hope around the middle of the century. The cinnamon used in this recipe would have been imported from Indonesia; and the milk would have come from the increasing number of Dutch farms that sprang up around the Cape to supply the Dutch ships and their scurvy-ridden crews with fresh vegetables, meat and dairy products.

Extract taken from an article by Cecily Layzell on Suite101.com

I'm happy to say that for the first time I have made a successfull melktert! This is with thanks to a new recipe I tried that I adapted from here. However, I used my own shortcrust pastry recipe which I'll share with you too. If you're not up to making your own pastry, just buy those ready made pastry cases or bake a ready-rolled shortcrust pastry from the supermarket... but give pastry making a go, it's fun! Just remember to keep all your ingredients as cold as possible, and it will help if you have a blender or mixer.

I'm also dedicating this recipe specially to my blog friend Ivy from Little Ivy cakes... she always does great recipes on her blog and loves trying new things, so this one is for you Ivy - I hope you get a chance to try this one yourself one day.

Melktert
This recipe is enough to make 2 tarts.


Sweet shortcrust pastry

• 200g unsalted butter (cold)
• 300g plain flour (I put mine in the freezer for 20 minutes on a hot day)
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 2 small chilled eggs beaten

Cut the butter into cubes and add it to the food processor or mixer (use a flat blade in the mixer) along with the flour. Blitz the flour and butter until it resembles breadcrumbs and there are no big lumps of butter. Add the sugar and blitz again. Now add the beaten eggs only a little at a time (you don't have to add all of it, instead check the consistency, it musn't be too wet) until the mixture binds into a ball. Dust the dough with flour and form it into two discs and cover with clingfilm. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Butter two pie/tart dishes. Now roll the two discs out to about 3- 5mm thickness or to fit the dishes. Once the dough is in, prick liberally with a fork to prevent the pastry rising. Put some parchment paper and beans inside to blind bake the crust.

For the Filling

• 4 1/2 cups milk
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of corn flour
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of flour
  
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
  
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
• cinnamon to sprinkle over the top
  

Mix the dry ingredients together.
Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl, and then slowly add the dry ingredients whilst whisking.
Bring the milk to boil in a large saucepan, then remove the milk from the heat and add the mixed ingredients slowly into the milk whilst stirring to avoid lumps. Turn the stove top down low, and return the saucepan on the stove and slowly boil, stirring until the mixture has thickened - do not be tempted to remove from the heat before the mixture has thickened to a thick custard consistency or the filling wont set. Remove from the stove again, and add the butter and the vanilla. Pour the mixture into the two pastry cases whilst the mixture is still hot. Note: This tart does not get baked again, the heating of the milky filling is sufficient for the tart to set.

Allow to cool, cover with clingfilm and put the tarts in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours. Once the tart filling has set, sprinkle liberally with ground cinnamon. Serve cold on it's own or with fresh berries as a dessert, or enjoy it as a teatime treat!


And now I have to show you my poppies that I have grown from seed... I am so excited that they have opened! They are Laura Ashley seeds, and I was expecting them to be more pink than dark purple, but I still think they are gorgeous! I'd send you all some seeds if I could. Well, actually, if any of you do really do want some seeds, leave me a comment before next Sunday saying you've emailed me, then email me with your address at laundrybasketcase @ rocketmail .com (remove spaces) and I will try and collect some when the pods have dried in the autumn and post them to you with instructions how to grow. I can't guarantee they'll be exactly the same, because the bees might be cross-pollinating them, but it' worth a try.



Have a great week!
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