A Ducking Good Day at River Cottage

Blessed with true British weather, my day at the River Cottage Duck Fair really was perfect weather for our webbed-feet friends. The rain didn’t dampen the mood though and a great day was to be had. As a fan of River Cottage and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall ‘excited’ does not sum up my emotions on arrival at the farm, and the skidding run to the gates through the mud turned me from town-dweller to country-kin in one swift glide.

I won’t bore you with how Hugh F-W made my lunch and then asked my opinions on the flavour combinations etc, or how I was on the prime-time Channel 4 broadcast of River Cottage Autumn. But I do want to share with you my beetroot conversion.

As featured in the TV programme, there was a beetroot tent at the fair containing all things purple, aiming to convert people like myself from beetroot haters to beetroot lovers. I am always one to try something out, and through my journey of beetroot salsa, beetroot brownies and beetroot ice-cream I actually found myself enjoying the whole experience. I actually liked the purple vegetable so much I went home and made beetroot brownies.

I am now a full convert and can’t get enough of the staining colour. So much so that I am going to post the brownie recipe in a couple of days in hope that you will make it too and enjoy the moist, deep purple, yummy, gooey cake as much as me.

Sarah

Time for tea for two…or ten…

The clocks are going back, the snow is settling in (well… in some parts of the country anyway) and everyone is starting to grumble about the countdown to Christmas. Now I don’t know about you, but I find that the best solution to the above occurrences is a nice cup of tea and a sit down. What better way to do this then with a beautiful teapot.

Ranging in sizes from two-cup/one-mug, up to gigantic ten-cup teapots there is no excuse not to take the time and rest in the good ol’ tradition. There is a reason why the Japanese take such pride and importance in the Tea Ceremony and it’s high time we follow suit, make a brew, and enjoy taking tea.

On that note, I’m off to make a cup of coffee!

Sarah

ChichesterCookshop.co.uk gets a makeover

Well… it’s been a busy time and the fun never stops at the Chichester and Bognor Cookshops. In the past week our brand new shiny beautiful website at been re-launched, at ChichesterCookshop.co.uk.

Its up and running for you to visit with lots of stunning new gadgets for the keen web-browser to play with.

We have launched Facebook Groups for both the Bognor and Chichester Cookshop in conjunction with listing the website/Chichester branch as a business enabling you to become one of our Facebook Fans.

Easy Bookmark features can be found on all product pages for use with social networking sites, allowing easy creation of Christmas and Birthday Wish Lists, as well as sharing much-loved products with friends.

We are also very excited to announce the launch of the live helpline available for use with Skype. In addition to our Help and Enquiry form, you can find Chichester Cookshop on Skype and chat live to us with your Cookshop questions. Be it a specific product you are searching for, or some much-needed advice on which saucepan is right for you, we are ready to help.

Do click around, have a look at our updated order form, join the mailing list and let us know what you think. We will be expanding our range and adding new products every week, so don’t forget to Bookmark us and visit regularly.

Sarah

Well, it has almost been two months since the last blog and I feel this one is long over due.

In my long stint of absence much has been happening in Chichester Cookshop land, both at ChichesterCookshop.co.uk and in store. We have successfully opened a new branch in Bognor Regis (The Bognor Cookshop) and are continuing to update the website – lets just say that big things are on the horizon.

As far as products go, we are increasing the range as always and have even started order Christmas stock in. But on a more current note, my tip top item at the moment is Eddington’s Twisty Pegs.

Made locally on Hayling Island by a company called Posh Pegs, Twisty Pegs are quite literally re-shaping the world of washing. Forget the traditional wooden shape and style, I have seen the future and it is brightly coloured UV protect durable plastic! The clever Islander’s have come up with a unique design that fits on any washing line, stays tight without harming your clothes and is so strong it will withstand a lawnmower.

Not sold yet? Twisty Pegs are even designed for one handed use, making them great for multi-taskers and those with arthritis that find the regular peg pinching motion hard. The peg easily pushes down onto the washing line until tight and then you simply twist the little round wonder to the side to take it off. The pegs are in stock and available from ChichesterCookshop.co.uk and in both our stores for your all peggy needs.

Well that is enough chit chat for this week, I promise you a recipe next week and more goings on. In the mean time, I have created Chichester Cookshop and Bognor Cookshop groups on Facebook, so please join, discuss and meet fellow foodies.

Sarah