Tea at Fiona's

Yesterday we went for tea at Fiona’s house. For those of you who don’t know, tea is a word that the British, especially those from the North, use to mean dinner or an evening meal. A common context might be, “Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum, what’s fo’ tea?” And therein lies a potential enlightenment on the title of my blog because, I’m sure to your disappointment and crushing of British stereotypes, I don’t like to drink tea. (If you are experiencing said disappointment I can put you in touch with some avid and committed English tea drinkers)

Anyway; Fiona’s house makes me somewhat overexcited to the point of hyperventilation. Living in a dormitory doesn't pertain to excellent cooking facilities. She has a beautiful kitchen stocked with an array of fresh, organic and unusual ingredients and a double door fridge which could only be available to an American of the most patriotic standing. She even has a vegetable patch and a herb garden. I am temporarily flung into a state of emotional content and wellbeing on a level that is probably inappropriate.

We cooked grilled pork with mustard on the barbeque accompanied by braised red cabbage, steamed garlic infused carrots and a homemade garlic pizza bread with fresh rosemary and lots of black pepper (don’t forget to follow my blog as the secret recipe for this will be revealed by a Giggleswick Granny fresh from her cottage in the not so distant future)

We made a really easy, British style, apple and blackberry pie for after…..

***Peel and chop 4 Granny Smith apples, mix them with a couple of handfuls of blackberries, a generous helping of sugar, half a tspn of vanilla extract, a little sprinkle of cinnamon. Don’t bother cooking the apples before. We bought puff pastry ready rolled as it is one of the rare ingredients that probably tastes better bought than homemade. We lined the pie dish, added the apple mix then placed strips of pastry like a grid over the top, we cut some letters out, be inventive and don’t let any pastry go to waste.

With the leftover pastry I cut a circle and put a dollop of goats cheese in the middle, added a little of the leftover red cabbage and folded it into a little pasty to have for lunch the next day.

Bake both in the oven for around 20-30mins at about 375F.

And so with hot pie with a dollop of good vanilla ice cream in hand, (try it with hot custard if you want to be really British) and our laps adorned with various felines, we proceeded to mock the tasteless film that is L’arnacoeur but felt cultured non the less as it is in French.... Bon appetite!