Wishlist - 2009

It's that time of year when people start to ask me what I would like for Christmas. To be honest I don't need anything, hey our cottage is no Tardis and the secret hidey holes are becoming increasingly crammed, however here is a selection of a few things I would love to be treated to. I suppose they do show my love of vintage, slightly eccentric things.



I first saw designs by Hanne Rysgaard on Not On The High Street and fell in love her dotty milk jug. It equals my hankering for the Made in England rolling pin last year. I have it on good authority that she also sells other ceramic items including cake stands.



I'm not sure if I would use these vintage Hovis tins for baking as I rarely bake bread in tins now, but I still love them. Like the picture suggests they would be great as a planter.

I'm on the look out for the perfect white china butter dish and cake/cheese dome...I'm still searching.

Ever since the School of Artisan Cookery opened earlier this year I've been interested in vising. I love the sound of their patisserie, artisan chocolate and preserves courses.

Vintage cookbooks, I just love them. I find it fascinating looking at ingredients and how you can witness social history changing by just looking at cookery books through the ages. I'm after a very old edition of Mrs Beeton, but given the prices they go for I could be saving for some time.

Lastly I'm after a vintage glass butterchurn as seen on River Cottage Winter on Thursday. No room for it in the house, but I would love one!

Possibly the worst pies in London...

...or maybe should that be Derbyshire. Pen is going to be so proud of me for fitting a musical connection into my blog post! For those who don't follow me on Twitter you may not realise that Hubby & I are going to a Halloween Party as Sweeney Todd & Mrs Lovett. Going as Mrs Lovett seemed a natural choice for me - I know exactly how I can make the outfit with a few things I own and I make great pies...although I'm not scheming and as twisted as Mrs Lovett. For those who don't know the story Mrs Lovett makes pies from Sweeney Todd's victims. In the musical she sings a song called The Worst Pies in London and this has been my inspiration. To accompany my Victorian Gothic costume I need just one essential prop - a really quite grusome pie. I would like to point out that although I can produce quite gross (albeit fake) pies, my kitchen is nothing like Mrs Lovett's. My goodness Environmental Health would have a field day!



To make my pie I decided to use a material I hadn't used since I was a child - salt dough. I had forgotten how easy it is to make and was like working with pastry. To help with making the shape I used a small foil pie dish. This helped to support the dough as it was drying. The idea for the fingers was inspired by a Halloween shortbread recipe I had seen where the shortbread was rolled into fingers and flaked almonds were used as fingernails. I have to say they are almost too realistic for my liking.




Please note, this pie is not edible. Well the dough wouldn't do any major harm if accidentally eaten, but it won't taste nice due to the massive salt content. If you wanted to make a similar gruesome top for a proper edible pie use shortcrust pastry.




The Worst Pie in London
makes 1 small unedible pie

1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup of water
flaked almonds
1 egg, beaten

1) Mix together flour, salt and water until you have a smooth dough. Cover in clingfilm and leave for 30 min.

2) Roll out the dough until no more than 5mm thick. Line a small pie dish as if you were making an edible pie. Trim off the excess pastry and roll this back into a ball.

3) Use a small amount of dough to make 2 finger sized sausages. Using a eating knife carefully make 3 impressions in each finger to show the knuckles. At one end of the sausage make a small impression then using a small amount of water push a flaked almond in the dough. This is the fingernail.

4) In the pie place a few balls of dough. These are only for making sure the lid of the pie doesn't collapse.

5) Roll out the pastry again to around 5mm thickness and cut to the size of a lid. Make a few slits in the lid where the fingers can pop out. Place the lid on the top of the pie and arrange fingers and any other decoration you wish. Use a small amount of water to stick dough to dough. Pinch around the edges of a pie to make it look authentic.

6) Brush the pie, but not the fingers, with beaten egg. Bake at 100oc for 4-5 hours or until the pie sounds hollow on the bottom.

The Sock Monkey Interlude

After Bink's appearance I've had quite a few requests for a Sock Monkey tutorial. The sock monkeys started few years ago when a cash-strapped me found out via the awe inspiring Craftster.org how to make sock monkeys. That Christmas my nearest and dearest received customised sock monkeys as pressies.



Bimp the little spotty sock monster is one of my favourites and was around the same time as Bink. For me it was a bit of an experiment with different stitches and techniques that worked really well. I made him with a pair of kid's tights from Primark. What you can't see on the photo is that he has a spiky dinosauresque tail made of the same material.



Hubby's monkey was originally inspired by the superbB.A. Baracas sock monkey, however I realised I was never going to be able to replicate it in all of it's glory so had a go at Captain Jack Sock Monkey.

His shirt was made from an old pillow case the rest of his outfit was mainly made from other socks (this is when all those odd socks come in handy). I made his belt by knotting together threads using half-hitch knots in the friendship bracelet way.



Cheeky Monkey - pressie for brother. The Burberry-style check socks took some hunting down, even the trusty sock stall on the market didn't sell them, eventually found them on ebay. These were by far the hardest to sew as the material stretched really strangely. Cheeky Monkey is wearing this seasons finest "gold" jewellery by the top fashion house Primark.

I also made a few other sock monkeys for cousins. While making them I learnt a few things. Cotton blend socks/tights work the best. The more synthetic the material the harder it is to sew. Primark, Asda & Tesco are a haven for sock monkey material.

If I didn't have to drag out my sewing machine from the depths of the wardrobe and take up the dining table every time I wanted to sew I would sew far more often.


Sock Monkey
makes 1 cheery monkey


1 pair of funky patterened knee high socks or cotton tights
Stuffing material (I use cheap cusions from Wilkos)
Sewing maching (optional but it does make it easier)
Needle & thread
Ruler
Pen
Dress pins
Scissors
large beads for eyes (lots of instructions recommend buttons, but I prefer to use beads)
any other accessories you may need

As for the method I can't explain it any better than this tutorial by Kristine that includes picture. I really don't want to reproduce it on here as that wouldn't be fair so here is a link.

Sock Monkey tutorial

Getting there.

Say "Hello" to Bink, the first sock monkey I made a few years ago and who currently presides by the fruit bowl making sure I'm doing the work I should be doing (of which I'm clearly not right now!). He's called Bink because when I was little if I didn't know the name of something I would either call it a Bink or a Blimp. His best friend is Captain Jack Sock Monkey who is a bit camera shy and lives upstairs.

I have serious Endoftermitis. A well known condition within the Education sector that brings on lethargy, overwhelming urge to gorge on custard creams, daydream about coming up with the perfect recipe for Coffee Creams...and anthropomorphise sock monkeys. Work is hectic and I'm getting home each night exhausted. Bring on Easter holidays.

Along the DIY project another reason for me being quiet is that I'm trying to write a killer job application for a job that would be perfect for me. I don't want to give too much away and jinx myself, but keep your fingers crossed.

I will be back soon, I promise!

Wishlist & Twitter

I've decided to get with the times and join Twitter. I'm still working out how to use it and haven't a clue how to search for people who are not in my email contact list. If you are on there let me know! You can follow my twitter down on the left.



Crazy Magpie fan cookbook - Perfect for messy cooks like me as it is wipeable. There is also some other lovely stuff on this website, I especially love the wrapping paper.



Made in England rolling pin - Designed by Kathleen Hills. As soon as I saw this I knew I had to have it. I'm now waiting patiently in the hope that Santa may bring it for me. Never before would I have imagined I would want a designer rolling pin.



Hug Salt & Pepper Shaker - in reality I don't need another salt & pepper shaker in the kitchen, but these are so cute.



Knitted cake decorations - I adore these and just wish I could knit. Although I'm creative and can take up almost anything arty, I can't for the life of me knit. Just imagine a Christmas tree covered in cakes...heaven!



Ribbon Sweets - I was originally entranced by these beautiful ribbon creations back in the summer when I saw them at Chatsworth House. They are designed by Candace Kling and they take me back to my A'level art days when I spent quite a bit of time experimenting with textiles and textures. It makes me wish I could have a room with a huge table, tonnes of storage allowing me to dedicate time to art again.



The Old Oak's Last Dream - OK not food related, but still stunningly beautiful. Again also on my Christmas list. In reality I would love all of the illustrations and they would adorn the walls of my dream kitchen.