Wednesday 17 May 2017

May - On the Cusp of Summer


Llangrannog Beach

Welcome May!



Normally our world is warming up nicely now and we’ve really started to live outside.  By now the flannel sheets and thick winter duvet have been exchanged for their summer counterparts.  This year is still quite cool, if not cold on times so I’m hanging on a little longer.  The quilt was only changed last weekend – almost unheard of!



While May can still be a chilly month as it warms up our summer eating regime kicks in and the barbeque season starts.  We treated ourselves to a gas barbecue last summer and it’s been a revolution – we often grilled gammon stakes, bacon and sausages for a lunch-time treat, as well as full-on barbies!

Chicken Tortilla Soup


On cold days I still like a warming bowl of soup.  This chicken tortilla soup fits the bill perfectly, warming and soupy to ward off the cold, light and full of flavour because it is late spring now! 



Risotto primavera
This is a lovely month food-wise.  The home grown asparagus is at its best, and a risotto primavera is a lovely way to make use of it.  Risottos bridge the gap between cold to warm weather eating nicely.  They’re comforting enough for cooler days and Mediterranean enough to remind us that better times are coming!



As the weather improves and we take off for beach days I find a corned beef pie (always a stand-by in my kitchen) invaluable.  Sometimes I make them in small patty tins (mince pie tins) and freeze them, defrosting as needed to take along on picnics.  A plate pie is nice to have too, useful to come home to after away days.



Corned Beef Pie
The trees are in full leaf now, my garden has a lovely canopy of green at the bottom, and my summer seclusion is restored!  With significantly longer evenings now I’ll be pretty much moving outside permanently – Holly carrying out regular boundary inspections (!) while I’m buried in my book!  On warmer evenings I’ll have a glass of wine or a G&T to hand, a cuppa and a cardigan on cooler evenings!













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