Considering a Shabby Chic Country Christmas

As we move into October I note from search engine traffic Christmas considerations are rekindling anew … and so too here.

Husband is considering which Christmas ales to brew for the festivities … always having several barrels bubbling away quietly to be sure guests are fully supplied with a range of frothy ales, or exploding bottles of Ebulon (an uber fizzy, ruby red ancient beer made from sloes, elderberries and cinnamon, I will post the recipe).

The labradors are considering left over goose. These are being fattened on the farm a few villages away.

I am considering Christmas decorations. I love country classic Christmas decorations … evergreens, holly berries, candles and a real tree. Also homespun additions, although I am grateful my mother houses and displays my 70’s insider loo roll snowman every year. Alongside the country Christmas theme, the shabby chic and Nordic / Scandinavian decorations are beautiful. My favourite designers … Gisela Graham and Birchcraft.

Here are a selection to muse over … and a link to the Country NikNaks Shabby Chic Christmas section.

50 Shades of Grey, (Farrow & Ball if Poss) & Elizabethan Grandeur

Oh my, yes I admit it … I have read that book.

There is much fuss and ado about it … the racy scenes … the edgy content … my breath hitches … what should a country gal think?

Well … I am very very offended, very offended indeed. Not by the illicit detail, oh no – it’s quite refreshing to read about a chap and chapess that fall in love, marry and stay faithful – how pre 20th century!

No no – what I am appalled about is the minimalistic, contemporary surroundings of Mr Grey’s Seattle penthouse pad! Aaaargh! Yes – this is one of his ‘tastes‘ that I cannot forgive. Souless, stainless steel, glass filled white empty rooms, Bleak House! Not a niknak or piece of gingham on site. Boooooo!

However … the other ‘room‘ is where he really lets himself go, sheer old fashioned stately indulgence, deep Oxblood Chesterfield sofa … tick … beautifully carved 19th century four posterbed … tick … old country leather … tick … soft enchanting deep coloured fabrics … tick and polished wood wood wood everywhere … tick!!! Not a modern piece of decor in site … Hoorah!

Fair point, well made.

And so to bed … lets rejoice in the ‘room’ and it’s impeccable traditional interior …

Bye for now

R!
xx

Kenwood’s Kmix Fantastico

Oooh … the Kenwood Kmix in cream … or correctly described … the Kenwood Kmix in almond.

I’m not normally one for gadgetry. Ubiquitous contemporary devices marketed to make life ‘easier’ are a horror to me. I simply do not have a large enough spot to store the accompanying weighty manuals, or is it a 3000 GB download nowadays?

Noooo, I do not want to navigate through cutting edge 21st century engineering in order to open a tin or make a cup of coffee. That said, the arrival of the Kenwood Kmix in the kitchen has brought with it some very positive results.

Baking is a magical art akin to alchemy … grasping the exact science, is to me within the cognitive realm of quantum physics. Ingredients need to be measured down to the minutest of particles, or one of my sponges could indeed end the earths cycle if allowed to breakthrough the atmosphere and collide with it.

Embarking on the baking journey involves deconstructing many years of red wine cooking. All savoury orientated, my dishes evolve as they go along … a sprinkle of this, a slug of that, a slosh in the pot and a slosh for the cook. This is not a pattern I can repeat in the baking world. After measuring as per instruction, my first Victoria sponge was assembled using a small electric hand whisk found at the back of a cupboard. Not one fit for the job. Despite the use of tea-towels to catch the centrifugal butter and sugar … the debris flung out to the far corners of the kitchen … each one caught expertly however by my estatic labrador, Thom … who displayed more energy than I have ever seen him muster, while snapping up gleefully each tasty morsel of airborne batter. A very messy affair, finally producing a flat dismal effort that would have been fitting as a granite block for restoration work upstairs.

Hmmn … I recalled the contestents on Masterchef popping all pudding ingredients into a magical cauldron, electrically run. Not only did it complete all of the work for you, it was clean, efficient and the results were spectacular. After internet research, the brave new world of kitchen stand mixers opened up to me. Granted, some could only be purchased by the head of Barclay’s or similar … but the Kmix in comparison … was at a ‘fairly manageable‘ princely sum sans a banker’s annual bonus.

The descriptive text informed me, not only does the Kmix mix cakes, muffins or any other sweet treat one could wish for, it kneads bread and has optional attachments to grate, pulp, blend and … make sausages! That was it! … Convinced I clicked, bought and waited in anticipation.

The shiny Kmix arrived, delivered promptly to my door  … 21st century technology with an old fashioned charm.

Once unpacked … as per Masterchef … I measure carefully … (no wine involved here) … pop all said ingredients into the spanking silver bowl and at the flick of a switch … we have a cake batter to die for. The whole concoction stays cocooned within the bowl … so clean … so efficient.

My Victoria sponges are now light and fluffy … I have embarked on the fine art of muffin making and the bread hook is amazing (more on this later).

I am so happy … husband is so happy … we are all convinced with the Kmix purchase.

Thom the labrador is not.

Bye for now

R!

Kenwood Kmix Cream / Almond

Kenwood Kmix Cream / Almond

Kenwood Kmix Red

Kenwood Kmix Red

Kenwood Kmix Black

Kenwood Kmix Black

Kenwood Kmix Blue

Kenwood Kmix Blue

Kenwood Kmix Yellow

Kenwood Kmix Yellow

Kenwood Kmix Barcelona

Kenwood Kmix Barcelona

Tea-Towel Hierarchy

My mother has always had a tea-towel hierarchy. Such are the ways of the rare domestic goddess hailed from the 1940s. Her tea-towels are pressed and folded to perfection and assorted in various piles depending on their social status. The Queen Bee(s) of the tea-towel  assembly, surface at Christmas and special occasions only, where they rarely lower themselves to work. The mere wipe of a tea cup or glass is as much as any blue blood cotton cloth should endure. No, these elegant beauties are folded and displayed for the most part for all to revere.

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Guests Staying for Christmas

I know it’s still September and planning for Christmas and it’s festivities this early on is so so frowned upon … but dare I beg to disagree?

Since moving to the countryside, I fear no longer the impending busy high street stores with it’s overbearing glitz and jingle bells on repeat. No – I very rarely venture into a city at all, let alone when the Christmas mania sets in. I buy what I need online, over a cup of tea … and look forward to the postman delivering it to my door, stress and hassle free. (My postmans mantra “don’t rush … this is Cornwall …”).

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