Adderbury Community Food Market - Thursday, 8th October 2015 - and our prize-winning supper to claim...

And we’re off to Adderbury Community Food Market as it’s the second Thursday of the month and a busy day leads us on to an exciting evening, for we’re not  just having supper with friends, taking photos and chatting to everyone as we try and buy….oh no, no no! 

With most of the regular Market team away, we were also helping to set-up the market itself and then being let loose on the market floor behind the bread stall of Cornfield Bakery in charge of sales for the evening.  And what fun we had

We were second only to Cornfield Bakery getting into The Institute that evening to get out the long tables for stalls and, busying ourselves thus, I did not see how very quickly others turned up to organise the table and stall set-up, when stallholders themselves got to work on their stalls and their display.  

Team Market stars Gill and Vicky.

stall prep.

Me with  Jo Thompson of Once Bitten...

Very quickly the Market came into being, stallholders were in charge and raring to go and the Ladies of Smart Cookies were settled into the kitchen  busy with their supper arrangements as the first market visitors poured into The Institute.

Smart Cookies at home in the kitchen....

I very quickly took my place behind the golden crust shapes before me and felt at home.  Bread is such a comfort food, an enhancer of life, a glorious filler-up for an empty vessel and a delicious accompaniment to a bowl of steamily seductive soup or a rich and deeply glossy casserole.  And toast……oh the agonies of delight of that particular food-thrill!!

September Market bread buy...

Cornfield Bakery Cottage style

Gluten-free bread by Cornfield Bakery - my particular favourite

Well the bread “flew-off the shelves” to quote a much-used modern shopping phrase.  Our table was depleted, only three loaves left to sell and the hour was still young.  It was time for supper, time for my sale companions to man the stall and time for chatter.....

the last bread sales....

friendly market  chatter...

I made for the gallery with my prize-win plate of hot Spanish Chicken and Chorizo and happy family chit-chat.  A very good end to an excellent day….with photos taken by the dear SO for somehow I’d forgotten iPhone and camera which to me is akin to forgetting keys, cards and water.  Well, it happens, hey ho!

 

 Paddy's coffee stall  and the Meat Joint folk 

Daisy xxx

Fine Art Auction Sale Preview Wednesday, 21st October 2015 - for JS Auction House - Saturday 24th October 2015

Well hi there, I was shutting down for the holidays as you know, not thinking to write another word on The View From Here before-hand, when we decided to go to a private viewing tonight for JS Auctions Fine Art Sale for this weekend - Saturday 24th October beginning at 9am at their Bodicote Auction House, Oxford Road, Bodicote, OX15 4AQ - T/phone 01295 272488 and contact via - enquiries@jsauctions.co.uk  Or see their Face Book Page at - https://www.facebook/pages/JS-AUCTIONS/106023739428353....

Well, there were so many very want-able, must-have collectibles and must buys I decided I simply must Post some of my photos to show you what you might be missing by not being there on Saturday.  I'm also giving contact details and Face Book details just in case some beautiful object, item of furniture, jewellery etc. might spark an interest causing you to need such info. to enable you to get in touch immediately with a bid!  Well, you never know...hehehe !!!

So here goes with my collection of perhaps not outstanding photos but I guarantee they're a good representation of the lovely things I saw tonight at JS Auctions private viewing...

.

We viewed with family and friends and enjoyed the view....as I hope you will too - thru' my keenly trained view finder.....

Enjoy your weekend everybody!

Daisy xxx

Saturday Morning BackChat - Sunday, 18th October 2015 - OMG what's happening?

It's Sunday evening and I imagine a great swathe of the  country is glued to their TV sets watching poor Lord Grantham exploding over a warring dining table.  I guess we were all anticipating a possible future story line without the present head of family being in control at least or maybe being eased out by the increasing forcefulness of his strong daughter Mary who now has a clever and kindly brother-in-law standing beside her!  

Well its all very watchable TV giving me at least an interesting line of pure escapism from everyday living and the little problems which life throws my way, as it does to everybody, so amusing things to watch on our TV sets is good.  And there's such a variety of programmes, styles, set-ups etc. there really is something for everyone.

Earlier in the day I was watching the second three-part series of the Family Cazalet and their upper crust life written by Elizabeth Jane Howard and lightly based on her own family recollections, beginning around  the 1930's for a 10-year period.  I have to admit finding it tremendously fascinating.  Its a history lesson, a study of the social mores of the time and rich in background, costume and housing styles.

We have lost its author, Elizabeth Jane Howard but I'm perfectly sure the Cazalets will be with us for a very long time.

Well, I entirely missed watching Nadiya win GBBO making my preserves, catching just the briefest of viewing as they all congratulated her on her brilliant achievement.  One can only surmise with glee just how far this clever girl will go with her skills and talent to achieve.

I've missed the last three weekends' worth of Saturday Morning Chat simply being too busy with my blogging, catching up with the paperwork brought about by all my gadding about to various events and happenings...poor me!  But I have to go out to events, take my photos, do necessary research and the writing up!  I love it all really, its just that autumn's glorious harvest of fruits got to me, the cooking and bottling, so really I only have myself to blame!!!  And our cupboard shelves are now groaning under the combined weight of chutney, jam and jelly which thrills me to  my very core.

Bring on Christmas - I'm almost ready for it hehehe x

My various gardens are slowly being organised and put to bed and my compost bin is surely filling up and over-flowing and there's still tons of greenery to pull out of the ground. clipped and dug up and I'm not even into doing any  real digging up yet apart from the awful clumps of weeds which bedevil my veg, bed.  D'you know, I've not even tested the soil for planting my three blueberry plants we bought from Lidl in the summer.  I adore blueberries on my breakfast cereal and really hate the idea of their being shipped from ,the other side of the world, especially as I've eaten English blueberries from Tesco recently which were just splendid.

This summer's been great, my greenhouse has been full well, too full really, resulting in my tomatoes getting a blight of some sort and my experiment with aubergines coming to grief plus my cucumbers not really being more than beginning pipe-dreams.  However, my runner beans did really well and now the freezer is packed full of them for winter meals and I have lots of homemade ratatouille too.  We certainly won't starve with beans, rat. and chutney to eat along with His glorious homemade organic bread and a little jam made from apple, damson and bullace plums to eat!!!

Well another busy week ahead for me and cooking to do for I'm off for a little family holiday next week with my darling ones home from abroad so.....I'm going to be busy, hectic in fact.

Now I shall do my utmost to write again but.....just in case I don't..... you'd all better play nicely while I'm away and give me a few days to catch up when I get home again and then we can chat again, hey!

Well, toodle loo for now and we'll speak again soon hey?

Daisy xxx

PS I do hope I've not missed too many mistakes - my fingers are all over the place today :(

Adderbury Garden Party - Saturday 12th September 2015 - sweet summer reflections ...Part two - and Market events

Adderbury Garden Party – Saturday 12^th September – sweet summer reflections…Part Two – and Market events

Today I’ve been gardening, again, and actually planting the viola plants bought from UGM Nurseries at Charlbury, into my flower pot garden, growing them in memory of our darling dog Hank who died a few years ago.  Our pets are so important to us, aren’t they?  And finding a contact address, for UGM who may be found at - ugmnursery@gmail.com

Next to the Fairtrade stall for their delicious chocolate and biscuits and other goodies.  We chatted madly about their range of foods, advertising and the other Fairtrade events I’ve covered in Banbury.  Did you know Banbury has Fairtrade Town status and regularly hosts events for this brilliant charity; did you also know that the WI was a founding Member of the Fairtrade Foundation in 1992...

Then to chat to Chummy of Moore and Lyon and contact via -

https://www.facebook.com/.../Moore-Lyon...Produce ........

here's a recent pate make with my pot of clarified butter, soup and vegs for a puree of veg.

from whom I regularly buy packs of chicken livers which come in a nice handy packet, making just enough
pate for two good sized pots which I keep in my 'fridge and use  for work-a-day lunches with jacket potatoes, pasta and toast with homemade chutney.  Actually, it’s the fastest lunch I know, toast and pate without butter for the pate is sealed with ghee, then all topped by a dollop of one of my lovely chutneys; well we think they’re delicious!  And, oh dear, I feel another actually coming on…but….. one day you too may find out how scrumptious and transforming a large dollop of chutney is on almost anything when your cupboard is rather bare, either forgetting to shop or when your delivery doesn’t deliver everything you’ve ordered.


After Chummy and I said fond farewells I visited Newton Wines stall to check-out their preserves, wines, jam and flowers and came away clutching a small pot of jam for a tea-time treat, just for one!

Next to sample the spicy meats of the Cotswold Curer, their pancetta, a box of which I took home with me from an earlier meet which I rather liked; Him indoors thought it was rather hard but that might have been because the half-finished box became lost in the depths of the ‘fridge!!!  I bought myself a £1.00 snack stick of their spicy meat which was very good......

 To Bibury Trout Farm for a small pot of their Trout pate; they also do a whole range of trout-inspired items and you’ll also find them at Deddington Farmers’ Market with contact via – wwwbiburytroutfarm.com.......

From Appleford Brewery of Abingdon for their Brightwell Gold Beer for my son to sample when he and his family are here on holiday from Australia.  I’m not very good with beer so must await his verdict on their product which has an allergy warning for Wheat and Barley.  Contact via – www.applefordbrewery.co.uk

For good local rape seed oil, see the products of Stainswick Rape Seed Oil with contact via – www.stainswick.co.uk

Also at Charlbury Farmers’ Market, The Meat Joint from Deddington whom I meet at Adderbury Community Food Market, Deddington Farmers’ Market and Banbury Farmers’ Market – for contact - Iron Down Farm, Deddington OX15 OPJ and contact via – mail@themeatjoint.co.uk

 Crudges Cheese - contact via - thelocalproductcompany.co.uk/cheese/crudges-cheese.........

Halcyon Honey from Mr. G. J. Burroughs – contact via -  burroughs871@btinternet.com   ....... 

Sufi Spice for “Authentic Punjabi Cuisine” for contact – www.SufiSpice.com   ...

 And Foxdenton Gin for their glorious product – for contact - www.foxdentonestate.co.uk/  ......

                            

I chatted to Scrumptious Catering about their range of scotch eggs and Arancini, similar but made with rice, not sausage meat, with a variety of centre fillings, coated in regular or gluten-free savoury breadcrumbs and fried.  This is our second meeting as we chatted recently at the Farmers’ Market in Banbury; contact them via – sarah@scrumptiouscatering.org.uk

A future Charlbury event for the following weekend – Charlbury Street Fair for all kinds of fun and entertainment with music and food which, unfortunately, I missed which perhaps I’ll make next year.  I hope the day went well for everyone!

On my way home I called into Wykham Park Farm shop to view and buy a few items, taking the following photos………………

And then finally I went to Adderbury for a lovely Garden Party where I met several friends for tea and cake, chat and nice buys from the garden stall.  The weather was still perfect for outside chatting and nibbling in a wonderful attractive garden setting… really glorious viewing....

plants for our WI wild seed garden at Katharine House Hospice

                           

and a few more....

And then.....before heading for home, I planted our new garden treasures....and then went home for supper after a very long but super day...!

You know, I absolutely adore writing about my little gardening, visiting and eventing excursions but they seem to take absolutely ages to do and get just right but its fun and  know my friends are able to enjoy them too.  Do you???

Bye for now  Daisy xxx