The Russians are coming...

Well, the Russian girls anyway.  It started with my good friend Tatiana, who moved in temporarily and stayed (much to my delight - a very considerate housemate). Then her friend Svetlana moved back from a spell in Moscow and needed a place to stay until her London tenants move out - another lovely girl.  And this weekend, Tatianas sister Elena arrives for a weeks visit.

I quite like visitors from Russia - they bring excellent vodka of the kind not found in the UK, caviar and quite moreish Russian chocolate (who would have guessed?).

In addition, my house feels quite international with hearty Russian voices and laughter bouncing off the walls. So this holiday weekend we do Russian vodka night Saturday, the Kiwi bbq Sunday and Monday we are off to the Edenbridge/Oxted Country Fair for a slice of mellow English country life. A truly international Bank Holiday...

Jam making

plums plums plums more plums sweet golden plums dark tangy plumlets (or damsons) wash wash cut out stones cut out little worms cut thumb twice no three times more washing weighing measuring tipping into pot with water heat heat bubble boil put jars in oven and lids in pot to boil steaming plums mushy plums add unfeasible amounts of sugar and a bit more bubble stir stir stir bubble skim froth skim more froth stir more froth turn up heat and boil boil seethe and boil drip onto a cold plate too runny boil some more more dripping too runny but yum tastes nice boil boil drip onto a plate yep looks like it's setting take hot jars out of oven ouch burn forgot OK use tongs this time stove off oven off jars out now use little jug to pour dribble splatter ouch hot jam splashes hurt and again why am I so clumsy steady dribble top up jars just enough to fill them all well judged damp cellophane wrappers seal jars with elastic band no don't ping the bands all over the kitchen ouch jars hot this is tricky lids on breathe out.......... admire........

Enough of the baking...

Crikey, it's been a fortnight since I posted anything. But I have a good excuse - I have been a slave to my kitchen... How did I get here?  I never used to bake much - the odd birthday and Xmas cake, that kind of thing. 

And then about 4 years ago I baked a cake for the volunteers at a charity river clean up.  It went down gangbusters.  And ever since, I have baked regularly for the growing numbers of volunteers and increasingly for friends and family too.

Last week was my biggest challenge - baking for aroung 130 people a day, for 4 days.  I was manning the refreshments at a large corporate cleanup, and feeding this many people was relentless.  By the end of the week, I was in a heap on the floor and my kitchen was in extreme disarray.  After 350 cheese scones and the equivalent of 24 cakes, I had baked myself to a standstill. (I would be happy if I never saw another cheese scone in my life.)

Have recovered a bit since then. Whipped out a birthday cake and some cupcakes and slice for another river event.  Would really like a good long break though. I can see a kitchen strike approaching.