Date and walnut loaf

A baking morning yesterday - and this is all that's left of my favourite Date and Walnut loaf, adapted from my 1960s Dairy Book of Home Cookery which I thought I'd share with you.

My late mum gave me this book when I got engaged in 1969 and it has really done me proud. It never lets me down and comes out on numerous occasions. No matter what I want to cook/bake, there is always something I can find.

Here's the recipe:

250g self raising flour
1 teas mixed spice
125g margarine
125g caster sugar
100g chopped dates
50g chopped walnuts
l egg
5 tablespoons milk


1. Heat the oven to 180 c or gas mark 4. Grease and line base of a 2lb loaf tin

2. Sift flour and mixed spice into bowl and rub in margarine finely and add sugar

3. Mix together with egg and milk

4. Stir in the choppd nuts and dates.

5. Place mixture evenly in the tin. Bake for about one and a quarter hours

Sometimes, like today I bake it in a small square tin, slice it and add an orange flavoured butter cream just for a change and add a few walnuts on the top.

Happy baking!

A lovely day all round...

On Saturday afternoon we went to The Globe Theatre in London with friends to see one of Shakespeare 's most outrageous comedies The Taming of the Shrew. We went last year to see Anne Boleyn and loved the experience of outdoor theatre so decided to book another play.

A wonderful performance by actors under the most searing heat in very heavy costumes. I don't know how they survived the temperature which was well into the mid thirties and being an open air theatre there was no getting away from the sun. We, the audience had a slight respite as the balconies were just under cover but boy was it hot!!

The story is about two wealthy sisters in Padua who must be married off. The modest demure Bianca has no shortage of suitors but who on earth will take the wild, ungovernable, shrewdish Katherina? Only the gold-digging Petruchio, a man as maddeningly strong-willed and perverse as Katherina herself, is equal to the task of bullying her to the altar.........   A brilliant performance which had us rocking with laughter. Shakespeare certainly had a wonderful sense of humour and not a rude joke or swearing to be heard.

The Globe  put on some wonderful plays during the season which lasts from early June to mid October. We booked our tickets back in February but they do sell, on the day up to 700 standing room tickets for £5 each, which is a fantastic way to see Shakespeare on the cheap if you are in London for the day.

When we got home that evening my neighbour knocked at the door with a parcel that the post van couldn't deliver. It was my course books from the OU for next year's study. Well I was like a child at Christmas - didn't know what to look at first - so exciting.  It's always overwhelming to receive these lovely shiny books in pristine condition and begging to be read  but as I'm only just beginning to catch up with my summer projects and chores after my recent eye surgery and holidays etc, I'm going to have to wait a few weeks before I get stuck in.  A lovely day all round!

Bye for now

Patricia

The Olympics are coming to town!

I don't know about anyone else but I've simply not had the time nor the inclination to write anything for the past couple of weeks and get the feeling from other bloggers that they also feel the same.  I think the holiday season as well as the lovely weather we are now enjoying plus, of course the Olympics (which I for one have been glued to), have given us a reason to take stock and slow down a bit.

Speaking of the Olympics, they are coming to our neck of the woods this weekend to Hadleigh Farm where they will be holding the Mountain Biking events. You might remember I wrote about Hadleigh Farm back in April.  It seems that the whole area is going to come to a standstill for two days, but even so the tension and excitement is mounting. Many cyclists have been spotted, cruising around town, doing a bit of sight-seeing and making themselves known to their awaiting audience.

There are flags and bunting everywhere and a general sense of camaraderie amongst locals and visitors alike.

Hadleigh has been getting ready for some time now and it's all looking
very patriotic and welcoming for the contestants.

This sculpture has been put in the middle of our local large roundabout as you enter the area which has been planted with some beautiful plants and flowers

This is the nearest we could get to the grounds as, like Stratford, security is paramount.

Looking forward to the Closing Ceremony on Sunday - if it's anything like the Opening Ceremony then we're in for a treat. Happy viewing and have a fabulous weekend.

See you soon

Patricia