Snow Day Soup & Frolics.

Since Sunday afternoon it's been snowing and snowing...and snowing. Not the usual grey mushy stuff we have here in the UK but bona fide snowy powder, perfect for snowman making. Much excitement ensues when you work in Education as there is a possibility school will be closed and it will be officially declared a Snow Day. To be honest by 4am on Monday morning while watching Hubby slide up the drive for a days work in Brum (& consequently being stopped by the police and being told he was mad to drive to Brum) I decided I wasn't going to work. The idea of sliding down the lanes filled me with fear. Instead I settled down to a day in the house. Not only Monday but today, Tuesday, was also declared Snow Day.

As I've mentioned before, the residents of this little row of cottages come out in force when something is cracking off. Be it floods, powercuts or being snowed in we come together and sort the problem out then recover with a cup of tea...even if it is made on the BBQ during powercuts. Most of us were up and about today and yesterday clearing the snow along the private road we all live off. As it is a private road and doesn't belong to any of us in the row (ah good old ancient boundary issues) it isn't gritted, so after having to push each others cars up the road while sliding all over the place we decided some sandbags had to be sacrificed.



The novelty of being stuck in the house soon wears off and with the snow outside I was itching to don the crampons and get out onto the hills. Not the cleverest idea considering I would be on my own so instead pulled on my funky wellies and a multitude of layers and headed up and out of the village. I really enjoyed my walk. The land looked so beautiful and peaceful blanketed in snow.



Mr Robin, the crazy thing, has been entertaining me (come on, he's far better than Loose Women!) and kept dancing behind the suet feeder as I tried to get his photo. This is the same robin who sometimes likes to hop/dance back and forth across the garden step while singing at the top of his voice. I usually hear him before I see him. He does have a lady friend, but I haven't seen her in a while.

Today we have no milk, but main thing is I still have cream for my coffee and a few Raspberry Brownies to keep me company. It's a bit of a hike to the nearest shop and it's down country lanes. Hubby only got out of the drive this morning by me and the other neighbors pushing him. In my little car, there isn't a chance of me getting out. I've taken the advantage to being snowed in by doing quite a bit of cooking.



A week ago I received my signed copy of River Cottage Handbook: Bread. Since starting to make bread last year I've become more interested in the science behind bread and what makes it work. I'm really impressed with the book and is full of great advice, without being patronising like some books can be. I'll be meeting Daniel Stevens himself on a bread making course in a few weeks time. I made focaccia a few summers ago and it was dire, however by following Daniel's recipe and advice I think I have just produced the best piece of bread I have ever baked. The bread was so good I had to go back for more. I've decided Dan is my new hero!

To accompany the bread I made some Snow Day Soup using the veg I could find languishing in the fridge. I don't really have a recipe for this but essentially gather all the veg you can find (in my case carrots, leeks and a small potato), gently fry off the leeks. Throw in a clove of garlic, the rest of the veg, a bay leaf and 800ml of veg stock. Simmer for 30 min then blitz in the blender.

Ham & Leek Pie

We've now taken down the Christmas tree. The cottage looks so empty without it, and the other decorations. After a day of the fire burning the cottage it has just about warmed up. As the cottage doesn't have central heating we can't set it so we have a warm house to get home to. It's a case of once we get home after a few days away, getting a fire going (which never lights as well in the cold) and sitting it out until it is warm, in amongst layers of fleecy blankets and copious warming cups of tea.

It was a bit of a surprise when we awoke yesterday morning, to get ready for the first day back in work, to find a blanket of snow coating the ground. We've been predicted more snow in the next few days. Cold wintry weather like this requires comfort food of the puff pastry kind...pies. I know you can make pies with different pastry, but for me the perfect pie is a pie full of filling, with a decent amount of sauce and a puff pastry lid.

A few days after Christmas the leftover ham was reincarnated into a Ham & Leek pie and as requested by the lovely Charlotte @ The Great Big Veg Challenge here it is again. In theory you could make this pie with a multitude of leftovers, just don't forget to briefly cook the veg before you add it to the pie. In the first pie I made a few days after Christmas I added Green Thunder to the cheese sauce which was absolutely delicious.

Ham & Leek Pie
Serves 2-4

3 small leeks, sliced
handful of ham, sliced
25g plain flour
25g butter
400ml milk
75g cheese, grated
2 tsp mustard powder
1 bay leaf
Salt & Pepper
250g puff pastry
2 tbsp milk or 1 beaten egg

1) Preheat oven to 200oc. Gently fry off the leeks in a small amount of butter until softened, stir in the ham then take off the heat while you prepare the sauce.

2) In a saucepan melt the butter then whisk in the flour. Keep whisking for a minute to cook the flour. Slowly add the milk and whisk until you have no lumps. Add the bay leaf

3) Gradually bring the sauce to the boil, stirring all the time to stop it burning. Simmer the sauce until it has thickened. Take off the heat, remove the bay leaf then stir in the cheese and mustard powder. Season then add to the leeks & ham.

4) Pour the cheesy leek mix into the bottom of a deep ovenproof dish. Roll out the puff pastry to the size of the dish. Place the pastry on top of the leeks and place 2 slits in the pastry (this stops the pastry going soggy). Brush the pastry with either the milk or eggs then bake for 25-30 min, until pastry is risen and golden.

Potato & Leek Gratin

Earlier this afternoon Hubby's parents and Grandma popped around for tea and cake. It's the first time in nearly 3 years Grandma has been to our house, for various reasons she has been housebound for the best part of 2.5 years, but now she is able to get up and about you can't stop her! The cottage we live in is very much an important part of local history and Grandma can remember visiting our row of cottages when she was a child. How the cottages have changed since them! To celebrate her road to recovery I used the remains of my mincemeat to make Pixie's Mincemeat Crumble Cake . It certainly went down well.

This weeks ingredient challenge is leeks and I decided to make a potato & leek gratin. I admit I'm not a huge fan of leeks when they are on their own, but add cheese and potato and I'm a huge fan...actually add cheese and potato to anything and I'll love it! I made the gratin to accompany a mustard crusted topside of longhorn beef I roasted. We both really enjoyed it and to make it even better Hubby has the left over beef for lunch and I have the leftover gratin.

Potato & Leek Gratin
Serves 2-3 as a side

70ml vegetable stock
70ml double cream
70ml milk
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 bay leaf
400g potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 slice of ham, chopped
2 small leeks, thinly sliced
30g cheddar, grated

1) Pour stock, cream and milk into saucepan. Add garlic and bay leaf then bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2) Preheat oven - 180oc. Mix sliced potatoes, leeks and ham in ovenproof dish. Pour over stock then sprinkle with cheese.

3) Loosely cover dish and bake for 30 min. Uncover and bake for a further 40 min. Cool for 15 min before serving.