Shameless Toffee Apple theft

 
I had meant to do a big Halloween baking extravaganza post, but naturally the week just raced ahead without me and so that fell by the wasteside somewhat. But these, made by a lovely friend for our Halloween party, were just too darn good to be left hovering on my computer like the ghosts of caramel past. But hopefully a bake-fest post WILL be on its way with some recipes, following an Amnestea tomorrow afternoon (my peanutbutter-apple cookie dough is already in the fridge, and chocolate and blueberries poised for brownie making) Watch this space!

Rumkin (Rum and Pumpkin) Pie, and some sneaky Rumkin flapjack in the corner there

Also extraordinarily excited about the launch of Olive's online store tonight, although so very sad I wasn't in Cheltenham for it. Writing this while wearing a pair of their knee-patch leggings isn't quite enough, although it shall have to do for now. Have marvellous weekends everyone!

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower...

 Albert Camus

I don't really have much time to write an in-depth poetic post about the lovely afternoon from whence these photos came, so I'll let them speak for themselves. Partially because I have not yet quite finished the essay i WAS going to do on sunday, partially because I am too damn excited about going to see Laura Marling at Gloucestershire Cathedral this evening! Literally so psyched I am barely able to type coherently...calm self. And speaking of calm, last friday afternoon I did a walk that I've never done before, on one of the most gorgeous Autumny sunny afternoons ever; all crisp air and golden colours. We seem blessed with them at the moment! Lovely friends, good weather, and a wide expanse of work-free-wonder to wander in. Who could ask for a better escape?

Canal walk on the way to the meadow

The Daerie Queene

See what I did there? It's like 'The Faerie Queene'...but cheese related. Was going to go for something about Cheesus, but thought that may stray too far into tasteless territory. And considering just how tasteFUL my day was yesterday, I would not want that. Not at all. And the incredibly tasty day was had at The Great British Cheese Festival at Cardiff Castle. Now my family loves a good food fair, but never before have I been to one devoted entirely to such a foodstuff. And never before have I eaten so many very different cheeses at one event..it would be impossible to list them all but our fridge is now very well stocked with our favourites. Including an adorable little box of mini cheesecakes in all different flavours...bakewell tart cheesecake anyone? Now into my last week at home before back to university, and so many things to do! Hope everyone's weekends were brielliant 

Apologies. 

Chaucer cheese? definitely a good thing

Sweet and savoury smooth cheeses from Sancler...heavenly.

 

Plumble Cake

Warm out the oven with a nice blob of cream...mmm

 Plum + Crumble = Plumble

 Makes perfect sense, see? It seems strange that I haven't done a good recipe post in a while, but then my baking recently hasn't been all that picturesque I have to admit. There were some cookies that spread and glooped everywhere, a Peanut Butter slice that just screams 'heart attack' and some failed macaroons. But nothing I was aching to blog about (these beauties aside of course.) But we ended up with quite a lot of greengages recently which were going a bit squishy, and so I decided to use these lovely little plums before they went to waste...et voila! It isn't the prettiest thing, but then Autumn baking is all about comfort complete with sweet, caramelly stewed fruit. At least in my head it is.  

 And imagine my suprise to find a wonderfully similar-ish looking cake on one of my baking-blog-crushes Desserts for Breakfasts  posted just today! Although her photos are incredible and the whole thing is a far more elegant homage to these 'ugly green plums' as they're named on her blog...

Plumble Cake

Adapted from ‘Good Housekeeping’ magazine Oct 2011 (despite the fact it is September, I never understand why magazines insist on doing that)

100g butter

50g dark brown soft sugar

150g caster sugar

3 eggs, beaten

100g sour cream

200g self raising flour

6 greengages and a large plum, chopped into wedges

For Crumble topping

50g butter

50g Demerara sugar

100g flour

(or any crumble topping of your choice)

Preheat oven to 160 for a fan oven and line a baking tray. Beat the butter and sugars with a whisk or electric whisk (this time, shock horror, I actually whisked it by hand, and it ended up lovely and light…victory!) until it’s nice, creamy and non-grainy looking.

Then gradually whisk in the eggs and sour cream (it may curdle a tiny bit but don’t worry, the flour will take care of that) Fold in the flour till no more lumps show, then spoon it into the baking tray. 

Lay the greengage and plum slices on top in a completely non-necessary pretty pattern (optional) then sprinkle the crumble topping over the whole thing. Bake for around 40 minutes until golden on the top and smelling deliciously fruity.  

Summer Adventure #4 and a bit more...Art at Rococo

So it isn't really summer anymore, but I'm still on vacation till october so the 'Summer Adventures' series will continue. But the increasingly autumnal feel in the air does justify me posting these two pieces from the woods of Rococo Gardens. Firstly an adorably rustic set of chairs, bench and Noughts and Crosses set that we happened upon completely without ceremony in the middle of their Bluebell Woodland Walk

 And a bit further on was my favourite sculpture in the whole Gardens, 'Conkers' by Pete Higgs. It doesn't really need much explaining and brought a huge smile to everyone who passed it. Definitely an ambassador for a great autumn tradition and a fantastic piece of art to boot. 

Best. Conker.Match. Ever.

This week seems to have flown away with me, and I can't think of what I've been doing!Last saturday was a fantastic day out at the Organic Food Fair in Bristol (although sadly I didn't take any pictures as I was too busy eating the samples) topped off with lunch at the Pieminster Cafe and a possible sighting of Hugh Fearnely-Whittingstall. Me and Sarah maintain it was definitely his curly back of the head and as no one else we know was there to disprove it, it was him. With that, working a few days a week ,seeing my brother's play again and stewing piles and piles of apples (you know it's autumn when...) I think that's my week done!