Have your cake... and eat it!

I haven't had much time this summer for baking (which is a good thing because if it's there you eat it!!!), but after catching some of The Great British Bake Off earlier in the week, I thought I would share some of this summers bakes with you.

On went one of my lovely halterneck pinnies, you need a pinny when you are baking, especially if it is with children!

I had a couple of birthday cakes to make.  The Fairy's at the beginning of the summer...

... and The Tinkers at the end!

Sails for the Pirate Galleon, courtesy of my hubby, oh and he did the weapon and pirate positioning too!!!

Baking with the children included this very scrummy apple and blackberry pie, made with blackberries the children had collected.  

And a delicious tart I made with The Fairy to take as a pudding to my mum and dads.

Yum, yum, yum!

Have you made anything good?

Yummy Plummy Jam

I know, the recipe is a day later than intended, but last night I was on a mission to complete the 'Mr & Mrs' pillowcases I was making for a wedding gift.  Job, done... now for the jam!

This recipe is one that has come from my Good Housekeeping Recipe Book, a fab recipe book that I wouldn't be without, but one that I scoffed at when my husband came home with it!!!

If you have never made jam before, read the notes I have done at the bottom of the recipe.

The recipe makes about 4.5kg (10lb) of jam

2.7kg (6lb) plums

900ml (1 1/2pts) water

2.7kg (6lb) sugar

knob of butter

1.  Put the plums and water in a preserving pan and simmer gently for 30mins until the fruit is soft and liquid well reduced.

2.  Remove from the pan from the heat and add the sugar, stirring until dissolved, then add the knob of butter and return to the heat.  Bring back to the boil and boil rapidly for 10-15mins, stirring frequently until setting point is reached (please read notes).

3.  Take the pan off the heat, and use a slotted spoon to remove the plum stones, and any scum from the surface of the jam.  Pot and cover.

NOTE:  If dessert plums are used, add the juice of 1 large lemon.

MAKING JAM 

*  Don't use over ripe fruit when making jam as this can cause your jam to mould.

•  Use a preserving pan or very large pan so that you can maintain a fast boil without everything boiling over.  Make sure your pan is never more than half full when you start.  If you don't have a big enough pan split the fruit in half before adding the sugar and do in two batches.

•  How do you know when you have reached setting point?  It is important to test frequently for a setting point as if over cooked the jam will caramelize   The easiest way is with a sugar thermometer.  It is at setting point at 105°C (221°F).  If you don't have a sugar thermometer you can do the saucer test.  Put a couple of saucers in the fridge before you start making your jam.  At the end of step 2 put a little of your jam onto the saucer, push your finger across the jam, if it wrinkles and is beginning to set it has reached setting point.  If not boil jam for another 5 mins and repeat the test.

•  You must use spotlessly clean containers.  Use hot soapy water to wash, rinse thoroughly and dry in a warm oven.  Stand upside down on a clean tea towel in your oven until the jam is ready.  Cold jars are likely to crack when you pour the hot jam in.  Fill the jars almost to the top and immediately seal with a wax disc.  Leave to go completely cold before covering with dampened cellophane and securing with an elastic band.  If the jam is warm when it is sealed mould will grow on the surface.

Jam making is definitely a job where you need a pinny.  These would be my favourite jam making pinnies, but I have more in my shop here if you fancy treating yourself before you start!

Harvest Time

My daughter has been coming home from school singing harvest songs this week.  I love the fact that harvest is still celebrated in schools, giving the opportunity to celebrate food, and talk about where it has come from.  It is too easy to walk into a supermarket and pick up and bag of potatoes or apples, and not think about where it has come from, or how it has been grown.  I remember watching, I think it was a Jamie Oliver's series... yes, it was the school dinner one, where one child didn't know what chips are made from (should be made from!!!).  I feel that a large part of society has lost touch with food, it's roots, and the community it creates.  Food really should be celebrated more!  

Anyway, I digress.  The reason I was telling you this, is because it reminded me that I still hadn't done my blog posts on plums!!  (I am still playing catch up from the school holidays!)  We are lucky enough to have 3 fabulous plum trees in our garden that supply us with more plums than we can possibly eat!!!  

In the past amongst various puddings, cakes, compote, etc., I have made plum jam... I love making jam.  I have always loved making jam.  I remember as a small child, going round to Uncle Ernie's and Aunty Marjories (an elderly couple that lived across the back street, that I adopted after my little sister, was born!!) and helping Aunty Marjorie make strawberry jam with the strawberries Uncle Ernie had grown on the allotment (the very same allotment my dad has now!).  

As I got older I made my own... blackcurrant jam (my favourite) with blackcurrants I painstakingly picked from my dads allotment.  Unfortunately his blackcurrant bushes have been neglected over the years, but he has said that he plans to get the sorted for next year, so hopefully it will be blackcurrant jam I will be writing about.

When we moved into this house, it was lovely to find that we could harvest our own plums (I love watching the children go onto the garden to pick their pudding!!!)... and make plum jam!  There is something deeply satisfying from picking something that has grown in your garden, and making delicious food with it. 

Tomorrow comes the jam recipe, and then I might share my lovely plum cake recipe too!!

I'm giving away one of my lovely pinnies!

Do you fancy winning one of my lovely pinnies?  

You may like this one...

... or maybe this one.

Maybe you like the A-line pinnies...

... or fancy a Little Belle pinny for a special little girl.

The choice would be yours!

Not only will I be giving away a pinny, I will also be giving the runner up a voucher code to the value of £10 to spend in my shop! 

To be in with a chance of winning, there are a few things that you will need to do:

1.  Become a follower of my blog.

2.  Go and have a look in my shop,  decide which pinny you would like and why (while you are there you could click on the twitter and facebook icons!), then come back to my blog and leave a message on this post telling me which one you would like and why.

3.  Pop over to my facebook page and click on the 'like' icon.

4.  For an extra entry you can tweet the following message:

     I have entered the Pinny giveaway at @Loulabellehome.  You should too. http://t.co/KFt6b6h

The chance to enter this giveaway will end at midnight (GMT) on Sunday 5th June 2011, and the winner(s) will be announced on Monday 6th June 2011.

Please feel free to blog about this giveaway and put a link back to this post.