Mary Philbin's Brown Betty

Just back from a long weekend in Avebury. Sharing a fabulous little cottage in the churchyard with Ginger, Grace, William, Cary and Jack. Much alcohol consumed and great feasts cooked up.

On Saturday night I spent a very calm couple of hours in the kitchen with Cary. He prepared a banquet of roast pork with sweet & sour onions and more vegetables than you would expect possible in a small cottage kitchen. I happily peeled and sliced many apples then layered them all up with breadcrumbs and cinammon sugar. William made the custard.

Cary is a very concentrated cook. Not much banter in the kitchen which I found very meditative. I liked the fact that Jack kept referring to the pudding as "Big Betty" after which each time we sung a few chorus lines , "Oh, Big Betty Bamalam, Oh, Big Betty Bamalam, Big Betty had a child, Bamalam etc..."

Tomorrow - Paris!

Fred MacMurray's Holland Brioche Cakes

"A cowboy actor needs two changes of expression - hat on and hat off."

Funnily enough I was just in the process of buying myself a self-tipping cowboy hat on Second Life when Max arrived on Sunday morning bearing a gift of two Brioche. They were a joy to behold on the breakfast table - beautiful plump little Birthday Brunch Brioche for Grace.

The spirit of bartering is alive and well in Walthamstow. When I bumped into Max at the Turkish supermarket a while back and loaned him the money for some basil I remembered he'd been given Brioche pans for Christmas. I asked if he would be a test chef for Fred's recipe and lo and behold they appeared. They were absolutely delicious. Another winner from Fred. Hmm, wonder if I could ask Max to rustle up some other numbers - I seem to have stalled somewhat.

I blame Mr Sombrero Delay who is turning out to be rather a pot sticker...