Strawberry Fields Forever!!

The sweltering heat on Saturday set myself and the youngest thinking about Strawberries.

As luck would have it we live about 3 miles away from the wonderful Claremont Farm. They do ‘pick your own’ fruit and so we went hunting.

 

Strictly speaking,  I am opposed to child labour, however when it comes to filling my fridge with the best strawberries that the Wirral has to offer, then I relax my standards.

The strawberries were out in abundance, all plump and juicy!

This one made the grade and was promptly added to my basket.

Claremont Farm do the whole experience so well, they even include a complementary tractor ride to the further fields.

We didn’t partake this time, apparently 12 is too old.

Look at these beauties! We filled two small baskets, which filled a large colander and they cost less than £3.50 which I think is a bargain!

 

It would have been rude not to make a Strawberry cake, wouldn’t it?

 

Have a lovely day!

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Crustless Quiche

 

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I was going to try to recreate a pie that myself and Miss Glade had enjoyed on Mother’s Day.

This is my version, a Crustless Quiche. It is actually a bit of a staple in this house but this is the first time that I have added broccoli, it’s another of those versatile dishes that you can make with any seasonal vegetables.

I think it is best served piping hot with new, buttered potatoes and a crisp salad. Oh! a bit like the one in the picture.

Delicious and as always, minimal effort!

 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 chopped onion

1 head of broccoli prepared into spears

I red pepper cut into chunks

4 eggs beaten

100mls milk

200g  grated strong mature cheddar

1 teaspoon of chives

Method

1. Pre heat the over to 160 degrees.

2.  Heat the olive oil and sweat the onions until they are quite dry.

3. Add the broccoli and keep it moving so it doesn’t catch the bottom of the pan.

4. Add the red pepper and keep all the vegetables moving for about 5 minutes.

5. Add the beaten eggs, milk and chives to the pan and sprinkle on the cheese.

6. Transfer to an oven proof dish and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the top is browned and the liquid has been absorbed.

7. Serve immediately.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Have a lovely day!

 

 

Claremont Farm Shop and Cafe

Happy St Patrick’s Day 🍀

Myself and the littlest one found ourselves at our local farm on Mother’s Day.

Claremont Farm shop and Cafe is literally five minutes down the road and we love it. We have been Strawberry picking at the farm for years but recently they updated the farm shop and cafe, a great improvement!

The farm grows many types of vegetables in addition to the Strawberries, Gooseberries and Raspberries that we will pick and enjoy later on in the year.

They also sell locally produced curds and preserves. The local honey is our favourite.

The light and airy cafe offers a changing menu of seasonal goodies.

On Mother’s Day the vegetarian option was this broccoli, spring onion and Applewood cheese tart.

It was served with two fresh salads; the first contained potato, egg and spring onion and the second, orange, carrot and red cabbage, that was extremely refreshing. The Tart was utterly delicious and very filling, there was very little chat on our table save for the odd ‘Mmmm….’ .

The cafe is incredibly popular but if you wait a few minutes, a table usually becomes free.  The staff in the cafe are all so very polite and helpful.

Excitingly, there is talk of them opening for the odd evening. I hope so!

 

Have a lovely day!