Food Glorious Food!

Hello everyone. I thought I might share a hooman recipe with you today!

A short while ago Mum took me on one of our favourite walks along the Leeds - Liverpool canal. The tow path has been closed for a while, so we hadn't been there for sometime.

This is where Mum likes to pick wild garlic (ramsons) It grows in semi shaded moist conditions often in wooded areas. The season is usually April - mid May, so we were really surprised when we caught the instantly recognisable smell in June! I guess the terrible spring weather has made everything late! 

Yep Mum; that's definitely Wild Garlic!

Being a responsible owner, Mum always has several poo bags (in my case, pedal bin liners...) about her person, so we stopped and picked some. This attracted several odd looks from other walkers as Mum appeared to be bending down in a patch of nettles!

With this year's crop Mum decided to make a simple Wild Garlic sauce for pasta.

The Wild Garlic leaf. Looks quite like Lily of the Valley.

The garlic needs washing thoroughly before use. Many recipes say this isn't necessary....but there are a lot of dogs along that tow path.......just sayin'!

Wild Garlic is a bit like spinach, in that it seems to break down to very little once it is cooked. Mum used about 50 leaves to make a sauce for 2 people!

Once the spinach is washed, blanch for 3 minutes in boiling water and then drain. Place it in a food processor and blitz until you have a smooth bright green sauce. Add a glug of olive oil, 1 tbs of lemon juice, a sprinking of zest and salt to taste. 

Wild Garlic pasta sauce ready to go!

Mum used Fiorelli, but it works well with most pasta. Good for our vegetarian friends too!

While we are on the subject of food, I feel I should share something for all my doggy pals out there. I best just say that if your hooman is with you and if they are eating or not feeling so good, you might want to skip this.....

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My latest find!! Raw green lamb tripe........or possibly it is an alien. For those of you unfamiliar with this delicacy, it is the lining of a lamb's stomach. Beef tripe is more common and usually bleached white for human consumption. I should point out that this was purchased at a butcher's counter for people..... nice! 

So, if ever proof was needed that my Mum adores me, this is it. She said that initially it smelt like a cross between horse poo and rotting eggs......but now that it has been in the fridge for two days (airtight lead lined box required...should it attempt to escape) there is a definite hint of rotting fish there too. Needless to say, I LOVE it!

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Finally I would like to pay tribute to Blueberry, sister of Bunny over at Tales and Tails As many of you will already know, Blue passed away yesterday; yet another victim of the dreadful Osteosarcoma. She didn't suffer for long; having started limping intermittently only two weeks ago. 

Our deepest sympathy goes to Carrie, Bunny and all the family, who have lost their very special girl. Mum had a real soft spot for Blue (and her mum, Lilac before her) and she wasn't the only one. Blueberry will be missed all over the world.....which says a lot about what a special dog she was.

Blueberry. RIP.

Run Fast Run Free Beautiful Blue. 

I am being abandoned!

Well......maybe I exaggerate a little, but my Mum is deserting me for a whole week! She is going to Ganny's without me as they are going on a short break to Wales. I do hope she hasn't forgotten the useful phrases I taught her before we went to Wales last September. No doubt she will still remember how to order a whisky if nothing else.........

And so I am being left in charge of Other Mum and KC; I will have my paws full, no doubt. I am hoping I can get Other Mum to take me on a few outings, as I want to show off my new collar set. Yes, I know, it's a bit of a turn around for me, isn't it?! From the dog who had "one to wear and an old one for spare" I have now had 3 collars in the last 6 months. Not up to Bunny's standard admittedly, but nevertheless....

Me modelling the Renaissance martingale and purple velvet house collar.

Now isn't this just one of the nicest collars that you have seen? It was made for me by my good friend MeggieMoo and her "Muvva" who own a fantastic dog accessory business in Denmark called MeggieMoo-collars, coats and more. Moo and her family come from the UK but when they moved to Denmark, good collars were hard to find, so they started making their own. Mum says she couldn't be more pleased with my new collars. Muvva even lined my martingale with purple cotton and put purple velvet on the back webbing! She ordered them last Sunday and they arrived on Friday.  Moo ships all over the world, so if you are looking for a collar, coat, fleece, jimjams, lead or harness, you really should check her out.

This is MeggieMoo. You can read all about her life here. She's had some real ups and downs but now she is safe and loved with all her family and shares her home with foster dogs too.

One of the reasons that Moo and I became friends was because of her brother "Thick Harris" or "Fik" to his friends. Fik is like my body double, I honestly doubt you could tell us apart, although Fik is actually a lurcher, having a bit of Saluki in him.

Harris

Amazing or what?!

So if I don't see you for a while it is because I am being severely neglected by Other Mum and you might want to consider sending food parcels or something.....

Here I am asleep in my purple velvet smoking jacket.....or house collar as some lesser mortals call them. See? Already I am being made to sleep outside....Whatever will become of me?

Love Deccy x (drama-hound extraordinaire) 

A Trip Down Memory Lane....

When we last visited Ganny for her birthday, the weather wasn't that great, but on our final day, the sun came out and so Mum decided we should take a drive out into the countryside.

Mum took us to a little village called Berkswell that is located between Birmingham and Coventry. When Mum was little it was in the County of Warwickshire, but now resides in the somewhat less glamourously named West Midlands! Not that anyone from Berkswell would ever admit to that.....

Mum took Ganny, Other Mum and me there, because her and Ganny have very fond memories of the village from when Mum was young. She says that her Grandad, Nanny and all the family used to drive out there on a Sunday afternoon, have a picnic and then call in at the village pub on the way home!

This house dates from the 17th century.

You don't see many red telephone boxes anymore....at least not in working order!

The church of St John the Baptist dates from the 1100's

Another reason Mum likes the village so much is because her Great Grandmother was born there sometime in the 1870's 

Great Grandmother was born in one of these whitewashed cottages, but Mum isn't sure which one.

The stocks on the village green are just opposite these cottages...I wonder if any of my relatives had the pleasure?!  It's a bit difficult to see from this picture, but the stocks only have 5 leg holes, and it is said that this is because they were built specifically for a drunken 1 legged soldier and his two drinking companions!

The village pub, The Bear Inn dates back to the 16th century. It belongs to a chain now, but Mum says it still feels like the little village pub she remembers from her childhood.... (that'll be getting on for 40 years ago then, Mum!)

You will often see this image of  The Bear & Ragged Staff, as it is the emblem of the county of Warwickshire.

Here is Mr Bear climbing up his Staff in the pub beer garden!

After all that exploring I thought we deserved a nice cool drink....and anyway, a post wouldn't be complete without a picture of me, would it?!

I'm getting bored now Mum; time to hit the road!

Wordless Wednesday 5/6

In Bluebell Wood