The weather is cooling down here (here being the Greater London-Surrey borders). We’re still bringing in the odd sun ripened tomato, but looking increasingly at the likelihood of ripening lots of them on a windowsill or making green tomato chutney.
Yesterday I harvested the lone Crown Prince squash. I think this year’s lack of harvest was a combination of old seed and dry weather. In years past we’ve had an absolute bounty from the pumpkin patch, so fingers crossed for next year. Still waiting for a couple of the New England Pie pumpkins to ripen though, so enough to make a few recipes.
One of my favourite cold weather recipes is French onion soup. It’s not really right to eat the steaming, rich, carmelised cheese topped beauty unless it’s damp and cold out. I remember eating a bowlful of it in a little restaurant in Berlin a few weeks before Christmas when it was about -5 outside and it turned out my UK cold weather clothes did nothing against the frosty briskness of a German winter. Oh the slight sweet brandy burn on the way down warms you from the inside out.
I always use the Delia Smith recipe, but I’d love to hear if you have any others you think I should try. Next time I make it, which I think will be soon, I’ll take a picture in all its gooeyness.
Now where do aprons come into all this? Well, I’ve been trying to decide what to make on my sewing machine to start, and I’m full of indecision, partly because I’m nervous I think. Then today, when I started doing some baking for a picnic tomorrow I thought: an apron! My mum would like a new Christmas apron, and if I start now, I might just have it finished by then. I’ve found a Simplicity pattern for full and half aprons so I’m going to give it a go. I just need to find some nice festive fabric.
