Pumpkins, Mainly

It all started when I bought some of those attractive, slightly overpriced squashes in a farm shop the week before Halloween. You know the kind; a bugger to peel and chop, but they look really good in a bowl on a table. I also succumbed to something called a "munchkin" in Waitrose, a teeny tiny pumpkin the size of an apple. They serve no culinary purpose whatsoever as far as I can tell, but they look adorable as tea light holders. Anyway, eventually the squash situation had to be tackled. At the same time I remembered that I had two tins of Libby's Pumpkin Puree in the cupboard that I'd been meaning to use and had been saving for this time of year and so the cooking began.

I made Thai spiced soup with the squashes, some red Thai curry paste and coconut milk. Spicy flavours go really well with the sweet blandness of squash and pumpkins, and this was delicious with lots of hot buttered toast. I also roasted the seeds with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and chilli flakes. I ate them as a snack, but you could sprinkle them on top of the soup too if you like. It's really good.

With the tinned pumpkin puree (which, let me tell you, is really hard to get hold of here) I made my first pumpkin pie. This seems like such a quintessentially American dessert to me, the kind of thing I read about people baking and eating in books as a child, and a dessert very closely associated with autumn and Thanksgiving. 

I used this recipe and it was clear and very easy to follow. I am a fan of the Humingbird Bakery books and have a few of them, and have always found their recipes to be reliable. Next time I might be tempted to blind bake the pastry crust first, just for ten minutes. The bottom was not soggy, but it could have been a little crisper. 

I wondered if it needed sweet pastry, rather than plain. It definitely does not! The filling is pretty sweet, but loaded with cinnamon, cloves and ginger, and again those spices go so well with the pumpkin. I am definitely making this again. 

And finally, pumpkin pancakes. The recipe is from The Hummingbird Bakery: Life is Sweetand I'm afraid I can't find a version online, but basically just mix pureed pumpkin or squash into your pancake batter and add cinnamon, ginger, all spice and a pinch of cloves, and little baking powder too if you're using plain flour. It's all very approximate. 

Serve with maple syrup, a knob of butter and chopped pecans. They are amazing. Yes, they are pudding masquerading as breakfast, but I eat porridge every weekday. At the weekend I like something nice, something that takes a while to cook. Saturday morning pancakes are our family tradition when it's John's weekend off, with coffee and Radio 4 on in the background.

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Pumpkins aside, it's all feeling very November-y here.  The temperature has dropped and the wind is cold. At the weekend we lit the stove in the afternoons and I unpacked some fairy lights. On Saturday we went to my parents for fireworks and it was such a fun night, one of those cosy informal gatherings that works really well. On Sunday we tackled the garden and with help from my parents we pruned, weeded, cut back and tidied up. I planted bulbs and moved pots around and recycled a car boot full of garden waste this morning. It's now looking tidy and ship shape, ready for the winter, which is very satisfying. I don't plan on going out there now until at least March, apart from possibly picking some greenery to make a wreath, one of the many festive crafty ideas I have up my sleeve...

Thank you for all your comments lately, and hello to any new visitors! It's lovely to have you here, and you are very welcome. Your thoughts and suggestions on crochet socks were fantastic, and I've been looking at a lot of patterns, planning and researching my next pair. 

Socks: Not Just For Knitters

Every now and then I get knitting envy. It happens whenever I see any kind of beautiful Fair Isle or Faroese woollen jumpers, you know, the kind with the yoke patterns and Scandinavian style stars. (Think Sarah Lund.) The other time is when I see hand-knitted socks. But the thought of not just knitting, but knitting socks, and on those tiny double pointed needles, and using not two but four of those...I feel clammy. I can technically knit, but I find it very difficult and stressful, and so I don't do it (and there's enough in life that's difficult and stressful without making one of those things a hobby). I may pick up knitting again at some point in my life - I hope I do - but it's not going to happen right now. And so I thought hand made socks were never going to be for me until, while looking for a pattern for a crocheted Christmas Stocking, I happened upon these.

The pattern is by Sandra Cherry Heart and it's a very good beginner's sock pattern. The component parts make sense to me now, I understand how it all fits together and I want to try something more adventurous. 

The pattern is all in rows of treble stitches. This means that there is a seam of sorts, but it's neat and hidden on the inside of each sock, as you can see below.

The cuffs are made with rows of half trebles alternated with front post stitch to create a ribbed effect. I made these a little longer than the pattern suggested as I just love the effect of those stitches together.

I used two balls of Sublime baby cashmere merino silk DK in 0277 Tittlemouse (grey) and one ball of 0001 Piglet (pink), with a 3.5mm hook. The yarn is gorgeous, to work with and to wear, but not cheap and at £5 a ball that's some fancy socks. It's silky smooth (careful on wooden floors!) and very warm, but I don't know if the yarn would stand up to much serious, everyday use. But these are bed socks, so they are thick and chunky and every so slightly luxurious. They were my treat to myself, and not intended to be practical or ordinary or sensible, but a little bit special.

And now I feel more confident about crocheting socks. I've been looking on Ravelry and Instagram and there are so many amazing patterns and of course I want to make all of them, but I need to think about what I want them for and what kind of yarn I should use. For now I might make another couple of these, for gifts. My next pair will be grey but with a mustard toe, heel and cuff. 

If anyone knows of any tried and tested crochet sock patterns that they'd recommend I'd love to hear about them. Thank you.

Have a great weekend everyone! Ours will involve bonfires, fireworks, gardening and gingerbread. That's a good November weekend.

Norfolk: beach huts, woods and windmills

Thanks for your lovely comments on my last post. I'm glad you enjoyed seeing the photos of Norfolk and I have a few more from the second half of our week here. Some other highlights.....

:: Wells Next The Sea, where it was warm enough to buy fish and chips and eat them outside on the edge of the harbour. We watched people crabbing and strolling around eating ice creams. It all felt very summery, considering it was October. 

After lunch, we walked away from the town in the direction of the beach. At the end of a long, long path, with fields on the left and the harbour on the right, we turned a corner and were greeted by this sight:

A huge, wide expanse of sandy beach, full of families picnicking and relaxing in the sun.

And the beach huts. Oh, these beach huts. I wandered up and down for as long as I could, taking them all in, the different colours and styles.

Something about them reminded me of beach houses you see in Maine or New England, and also of those famous San Francisco houses called the Painted Ladies, all matching pastel shades and painted woodwork, very smart and in their Sunday best.

I was in heaven here, and if it wasn't for the soon to expire car parking ticket, we'd have spent all afternoon on this glorious beach.

:: Bewilderwood, a themed outdoor adventure area. We packed a picnic, put on our wellies and spent a day in the woods, climbing in tree trails, getting lost in the Sky Maze (it's very good!), exploring, getting muddy and generally having a good time. Bella and Angus, predictably, loved it there, especially the zip wires and slides.

I didn't want to carry my big camera around all day so took these photos on my phone. 

:: Cley Next The Sea, a little village with a big windmill and some lovely shops, including Made In Cley, which sells some beautiful pottery among other things, and another gem of a second hand bookshop. It's also the place to go if you're interested in bird watching, with the miles of marshes between land and sea. We saw a lot of people carrying cameras with long range lenses and big binoculars, and wearing those hats that birdwatchers always seem to wear.

:: Blakeney, where we had a delicious pub lunch and I wanted to go crabbing but everyone else said it was a bit too cold to stand on the quayside dangling a fishing line into the water.

::  West Runton Beach

Another wild and windy beach, known for it's fossils. 

We hunted. One of us hunted for quite a long time. He thinks he has found some amazing discoveries, and we're not going to tell him that they're just interesting shaped stones. He had so many in his pockets that they were pulling his coat off him, totally distorting the shape of it. I had to make him put some of them back. I mean, one "fossil" was the size of a large baked potato. 

So, there you have it. No theme parks, cinema, bowling or other exciting things. Just lots of beaches, walks, eating, pottering and enjoying being together as a family. No rushing around, and lots of time to crochet. I made myself a pair of socks - I'll show them to you soon. 

I treated myself to this mug from the pottery shop in Cley, and a bag of locally roasted and ground coffee. I'm in love with the mug - the colour, the smoothness of the curves, the comfortable handle. I'm very particular about mugs; they can't be too big or too small, too chunky or too thin, and I can't bear a tiny handle. I have favourites at home and in the staff room at work. I realise this is madness, but something tells me that a lot of you share my passion.

I mean, think about it - a mug is probably one of our most frequently used household items, one we touch with our hands, one we associate with something good, a hot cup of tea or coffee. I think It's ok to be a bit fanatical about them. 

Norfolk: beaches, cottages and trains

I have to confess I was a bit tired and frazzled before half term - nothing major, just the usual feeling that there aren't enough hours in the day to do everything that needs to be done - and was really looking forward to a week off school and work. We all needed to slow down and spend some quiet family time together, and so I was very much looking forward to our week in Norfolk, somewhere we'd never been before. It didn't disappoint, and was as relaxing, enjoyable and restorative a break as you'd hope for. 

We stayed here with Norfolk Country Cottages. The cottage - which I think was some kind of converted outbuilding or barn - was charming and cosy, and the exposed flint pebble walls were a beautiful feature throughout. I was quite taken with them. 

The living space was open plan, just big enough for the four of us and the wood burning stove and exposed beams gave a warm, rustic feel. We hardly lit the stove, actually, as the cottage was so warm and the weather is still so mild. 

There was plenty of room in the grounds for Bella and Angus to roam and play and they made good use of the heated swimming pool, which is shared with the owners who live on the same site. John and I managed to forget our swimming things. Can you believe it? I was really cross.

After a visit to the supermarket to stock up on essentials, our first destination was Cromer, a traditional seaside town on the coast about fifteen minutes away. I liked it a lot; it hasn't been as gentrified as some other towns in the area but has a faded charm about it, and is rich in fishing and maritime history. The kids loved the RNLI Museum and I very much liked the cafe above the museum, with excellent cake and coffee and sweeping views of the sea.

We stumbled upon a gem of a second hand bookshop and spent a long time browsing. Bella and Angus were delighted to find books they'd been looking for for some time - the fifth Mallory Towers book for Bella and Famous Five for Angus - so they were happy.

We spent a couple of hours wandering around Cromer until the light started to fade and we all felt cold. Something about the light in the photo below reminded me of winter; the clocks are about to change and we are already moving towards late autumn.

One place that many people had recommend we visit was the town of Holt, and particularly Byfords. We whiled away a morning browsing the pretty shops and streets of the town before heading to Byfords for lunch. We were early, but already it was busy. The queues are long but it's worth the wait as the food and service are excellent. I love that photo of Bella and Angus inside the cafe below. Not posing or smiling, just being silly and getting along with each other.

That afternoon we decided to take a train from Sheringham to Weybourne on the North Norfolk Railway.

The station platform was lovingly maintained and dressed with piles of vintage suitcases dotted about here and there and old enamel signs. 

Incidentally, something about old fashioned train stations like these reminds me of the opening sequence of The Box of Delights, a 1980's BBC dramatisation of John Masefield's novel which I adore and says Christmas to me like nothing else. I'm sure I've droned on about it here before. But last week it was all dressed for Halloween. 

Anyway, we got off the train at Weybourne, wondering why no-one else was, and found ourselves at the top of a lane, quite a way from the village centre. In the middle of no-where, as Bella said. We had no real idea of what we'd find, but just thought we'd follow our noses and so ended up walking down through the village to the beach, bribing the children with promises of hot chocolate as we went. 

The beach at Weybourne was just breathtaking. A world away from the pier and seagulls of Cromer, it was wild and a bit scary. 

Heavy grey clouds were low on the horizon and the surf was powerful and noisy.

Angus wanted to paddle. Paddle! I said no, fearing he'd either get exposure or swept out to sea, and he was content to throw stones at the water and chase the waves. That boy loves the beach as much as I do and it makes me so happy. We just have to say we're going to a beach - any beach - and his face lights up straight away. 

The weather and scenery couldn't have been more different the next day when we visited Wells Next The Sea; calm seas, blue skies, warm sun. I'll tempt you with a picture of the gorgeous beach huts that line the beach there, and tell you more about the rest of our trip in another post in a couple of days. I have many more photos to sort through!

Our accommodation in Norfolk was provided by Norfolk Country Cottages. All words, photos and thoughts about the beautiful area are my own. :-)

They have a reader offer below for anyone who might fancy a seasonal break:

Stay with Norfolk Country Cottages in November or December and pay no booking fee – saving you £30.  Quote THH2016 on booking.

Terms and conditions: Offer valid for holidays of 3 nights or more with a start date between 4 November 2016 and 31 December 2016. Not valid in conjunction with any other offer. No cash alternative. We reserve the right to withdraw or amend this offer at any time, without prior notice.