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Thursday, 14 November 2024

Super Easy Green Tomato Chutney Recipe

If like me you grow your own tomatoes each year, this recipe makes the ultimate chutney with those left over green tomatoes. 


Perfect with cheese and crackers, this chutney is delicious and also makes for a great gift, so without further a do, lets get into the recipe!

You will need:

Equipment

  • Large stainless steel pot or saucepan
  • Clean and sterilized jars

Ingredients

  • 1 Kg green tomatoes 
  • 1 Kg red onions 
  • 150 g raisins
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 500g brown sugar 
  • 1 litre malt vinegar 

Instructions:

1. Roughly chop the tomatoes, red onions and raisins.




2. Place all the ingredients into a stainless steel pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a vigorous simmer and keep uncovered. Keep an eye on it, stirring regularly/ Depending on your batch size, this could take between one to three hours.


3. Once your chutney is reduced and is thick and brown, it's ready.


4. Spoon the chutney into warm sterilized jars and seal them with lids before labeling them. I use recycled jars which work perfectly!


The chutney can keep for up to a year and once opened, it will need storing in the fridge.


I've created an editable chutney label on Canva for you to use here. It adds a little somethin' somethin' to the jars, especially if you're gifting them.


So there we have it, a super easy green tomato chutney recipe that uses up those green tomatoes, tastes delicious and can double up as gifts. That's a win win in my book! 

I'd love to know if you try this recipe out and if you have any other ways you use up green tomatoes, so feel free to leave a comment on this post.




Sunday, 4 February 2024

A Stay in Settle, North Yorkshire

 

A photo of the Settle sign at Settle Train Station.

I've just got back from a cosy break in North Yorkshire and felt the need to blog about it! It's been a while but I'm back to tell you about a great place to stay called Settle!

an aerial photo over Settle Town

Located in the Yorkshire Dales, Settle is a quaint market town surrounded by peaks, dales, caves and waterfalls- perfect for those of us that love the outdoors and beautiful scenery. It's also really accessible by car or the train, making it ideal if you don't drive or fancy a scenic way to travel up instead. 

a photogrpah of some of the shops in Settle Town

A photo of Ye Olde Naked Cafe in Settle, North Yorkshire

There's some lovely independent shops within Settle, such as Ye Olde Naked Man Cafe and Bakery. Their coffee was gorgeous and the shortbread is to die for! I loved the little antique shops dotted around the town and various gift shops where I picked up a few treats for home. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming and if you or your partner are into cycling, I'd recommend 3 Peaks Cycles, an independent bike shop which also has a cafe! My husband was in his element in there and had we not had the dogs with us, we'd have taken full advantage on hiring bikes from there too.

There were three pubs we found whilst in Settle, one was closed the week we were staying (just our luck), but we found The Golden Lion which was a great pub. It was dog friendly, served delicious food and had a roaring fire- all the key ingredients for a perfect evening after a days walking! We also needed a cosy place to stay and I found the perfect place.

A photo of two spaniels sat in front of a log burning fire in a cottage in Settle, North Yorkshire

Castlebergh Cottage is one of the loveliest cottages I've ever had the pleasure of staying in. Firstly it takes two dogs and pets go free, which gets a huge tick from me. I always find it frustrating when a place is dog friendly but charges an additional fee, but maybe that's just a bug bare of mine? Anyway, this place was well equipped for the dogs, with a boot room as you walk into the property (see the photos here) to kick off your muddy boots, park your bike and dry off muddy mutts. 

We were welcomed with a hamper, containing biscuits and fresh coffee to enjoy during our stay. The kitchen was well equipped with everything you could need. The knives were sharp, there were plenty of utensils, glasses for all the drinks. Seriously all the drinks- red and white wine glasses, gin glasses, champagne glasses, pint glasses, tumblers... There was a dishwasher which is heaven on holiday. Who wants to wash up whilst they're away!? They even had a slow cooker, which had I realised, I'd have left ours at home! 



You could really sense that the owners have really thought about what people need whilst they're on holiday and this followed on throughout the cottage. Not only was it cute and aesthetically pleasing, it was really functional and spacious.






The bathroom was another gorgeous space, fitted with a walk in shower and a beautiful freestanding bath. Both were perfect to warm tired bones and the locally sourced soap was another lovely touch.



There were lots of beautiful walks right on our doorstep, such as Scaleber Force Waterfall, just under 2 miles away and the "Settle loop" which took us up and out of Settle, past Attermire Scar and out towards Langcliffe before heading into Giggleswick and back into Settle. That loop was around 6.5 miles with some hiking which was a shock to my fen legs! The loop gave us brilliant views over Settle and beyond.

Settle, North Yorkshire

A twenty minute drive away is Malham Village and from there you can walk to Malham Cove and hike to see Gordale Scar and Janet's Foss. 

Malham Cove

Fun fact- Malham Cove is featured in one of the Harry Potter Deathly Hallows films, so naturally I had to get a picture.

Malham Cove

Malham Cove

The cove is pretty gnarly, so if you are looking to hike up it as we did, you'll need some sturdy walking boots. It's definitely worth it though and the views are spectacular.

Gordale Scar

Gordale Scar was definitely my favourite part of the hike. The waterfall was spectacular and I can see why its been dubbed "one of the jewels in the crown of the national park". 

Gordale Scar

Gordale Scar

Janet's Foss was also beautiful, although my photo doesn't do it justice. From here onwards we were on a path looping back into Malham village so the hiking got significantly easier. If you're not confident hiking, you can skip climbing Malham Cove and stick to the paths that take you to both Gordale Scar and Janet's Foss. Luckily for me I had two crazy spaniels helping me up hills when I got tired!

Janet's Foss

So that's a little insight into my break in Settle. It was a very chilled break away, but one that was well needed after a crazy December to reset and recoup. I'd love to hear about your recommendations of places in the UK to go hiking, as it's something I'd like to do more throughout 2024, that and blogging! But for now, I'll leave it here for the day.











Tuesday, 19 April 2022

Current Beauty Favourites | 2022


I don't usually write beauty posts due to being rather loyal to my products I use, but it looks I've strayed a little recently so I thought I'd share my new found favourites!

photo of Body Shop Fresh Nude Tinted BB Cream

Body Shop Fresh Nude Tinted BB Cream

I picked up Body Shop Fresh Nude Tinted BB Cream just before Christmas and I've really taken to it. It provides a good coverage that still looks natural, giving you that your skin but better look, as well as providing 24 hydration and SPF 30 protection from the sun. 

photo of Body Shop Fresh Nude Tinted BB Cream

Being an oily skinned girl I was a little dubious about how it would sit on my skin but the consistency is non greasy and doesn't transfer, nor does it break me out either. This'll definitely be staying in my makeup bag, especially for spring summer when you don't want full coverage. Love!

photo of Revolution Reloaded Newtrals Palette

Revolution Reloaded Newtrals Palette

Another new addition to my makeup bag is this palette from Revolution. Having seen makeup trends becoming more warm neutrals, I knew I wanted to add some of these shades into my life and for £5 this palette was an absolute steal! 

photo of Revolution Reloaded Newtrals Palette

I particularly love the shade on the first row, 3 in from the left and the shade on the second row, 2 in from the left for my eyes and I've also been using the shade on the first row, 2 from the left as a blush colour. To keep it contemporary, I've also been washing the colour across my nose slightly; a tip I picked up from Lisa Eldridge in this video here.

photo of Clinique Smart SPF 15 Custom Repair Moisturizer

Clinique Smart SPF 15 Custom Repair Moisturizer

I was gifted some of this magic cream for my birthday as part of a Clinique set and it's safe to say I'm obsessed. Having been a firm lover of the Body Shop's seaweed mattifying cream for well over 12 years, I was again a little dubious of trying something new but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that this moisturiser can be bought for various skin types, including for oily and combination skin like mine! Having had almost a month of being ill with colds and a chest infection in February, this moisturiser saved my skin from becoming chapped, dry and lack lustre thanks to it's skin rebuilding properties. 

photo of Clinique Smart SPF 15 Custom Repair Moisturizer

It's also saved my skin when venturing out on walks in the cold; being hit with harsh winds and even hail! You'd never know that my skin had been through the ringer thanks to this product. I love the consistency; being somewhat thick, making it feel like a real treat to your skin. I would highly recommend!

photo of Body Shop Drops of Youth Concentrate

Body Shop Drops of Youth Concentrate

I've touched on some of the drops of youth eye products in previous posts, such as The Shift Worker Skincare Routine, but this time around I've treated myself to the concentrate for the rest of my skin. I've found this to be so refreshing on my skin and sinks in really easily and is perfect under my other night time creams. 

photo of Body Shop Drops of Youth Concentrate

Being a serum, it's a gel like texture and leaves your skin feeling plump and hydrated. As the name would suggest this product contains ingredients to leave you fresh faced with youthful skin, with ingredients such as Edelwess- known to repair itself and Moringa seed oil which is rich in omega 9. My skin has definitely seen an improvement since using it and is far more refreshed when I wake up of a morning- a true beauty sleep is had!

And that's your lot! Like I say I don't tend to steer too far from my firm favourites often which is why I rarely write beauty posts but when it's been mentioned, you'll know I think a lot of it.

What are you loving right now?






Tuesday, 29 March 2022

An Evening of Wine Tasting at Shekelton Wines

In the beautiful town of Stamford, you'll find a gem of wine shop known as Shekelton Wines.

Located in Chapel Yard, this gorgeous wine shop stocks a variety of interesting and unique wines to buy and also try when booking a tasting session. Naturally Chris and I decided to get a group of us together to try our hand at tasting which I thought I'd share it with you!

The lovely owners of Shekelton Wines; Charlotte and John, host both online and in store events to cater for all needs with a variety of tasting packages available. From cheese and wine tasting to Italian wine tasting or English wine tasting; there's a taste for everyone. You can check out the upcoming tasting events in store or alternatively book a private wine session. Each event is guided by a tasting expert with 6 lots of 50ml servings for each person. We opted for a private classic cheese and wine tasting for a group of 10 within the shop which was a wonderful inviting space to be in. The shop is decorated in a beautiful red colour and lined with an array of wonderful wines, selected personally by Charlotte and John. 

We started the evening with welcome drinks of prosecco and an introduction to the shop which we discovered was launched in lock down! At each seat was a had a tasting sheet detailing each wine and cheese we were sampling and an area to write notes and score the selections. The first wine of the evening was a champagne, paired with Charouce cheese.

Having never been to a wine tasting event before, Charlotte guided us through this first glass with how to taste the wine; covering the glass with your hand and swirling the contents to release the flavours before smelling it. It really makes a difference and from there we were able to pick out the key notes. I also then learnt that when tasting the wine it's good practice to inhale a little before taking a sip to again get the aroma of the wine, prior to swilling it around your mouth and savoring the flavour. 


After enjoying a sip of wine, we were then encouraged to try the cheese (which took very little persuasion on my part!), before tasting the wine again. It was amazing how much the cheese enhanced the flavour of the wine and added a new dimension to the palate. This was especially so when sampling the Chianti Superiore with the Pecorino cheese as many of the group found it left a spicy, tingling sensation at the back of their tongue. With this classic cheese and wine tasting we were able to sample both red and white wines from around the world- from , Spain, Italy, Portugal, to South Africa, with each wine tasting different due to the climate, soil and other environmental factors involved. 



The majority of the group found their favourite pairing of cheese and wine to be the Cabernet Sauvignon and Vintage Lincolnshire Poacher cheese. I too loved this combination, especially with the cheese being local but the real under dog for me had to be Aged White Port! Firstly, who knew there was such a thing as white port and secondly, Ferreria Dona Antonia White Reserve  Port is just delicious! Teamed with the Colston Basset Stilton cheese it, had a wonderful mix of sweetness whilst being smooth too. Overall my favourite pairing of the evening was the Champagne Georges Lacombe, Grand Cuvee Brut NV and Charouce, so much so that I bought a bottle of the champagne to enjoy at home!



Once the tasting had finished we sat back and enjoyed a top up of our favourite glasses from the session whilst perusing the shop, with many of us picking up our favourite wines from the evening. 


Shekelton Wines is a wonderful place to sample wine as well as buy it, from a couple who have a true passion for wonderful tasting wine. We all felt so welcome and relaxed in their shop and would highly recommend everyone pay a visit when you're next in the Stamford area!


Opening times:

Tuesday 11:00 - 18:00
Wednesday 11:00 - 18:00
Thursday 11:00 - 18:00
Friday 11:00 - 19:00
Saturday 11:00 - 18:00





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