The farm shop near Wilden stocks local produce, brussels sprouts on the stem, leeks, bunched carrots and so much more.  Birds seed, guinea pig food, a full range of bedding plants and trees and bushes and handy boxes of tea and cornflakes for those of us who run out and don’t fancy a visit to the huge supermarkets in St Neots and beyond.  When I arrived there yesterday afternoon one of the farmers was unloading boxes of curly kale star straigh from the fields.  I asked him how to cook it and he said, “just like cabbage, boil it”, but inside the lady serving me suggested another way that a customer had recommended.  Wash the kale and pat dry.  Place some oil in the base of a baking tray and a little oil over the top and put in the oven until it becomes crispy like Chinese style (cabbage) seaweed.  

“I use olive oil”, she said and I added coarse sea salt and it was so delicious that I made a second batch and have enough left for more today…..and all that beautiful, farm fresh kale cost 49 pence!

This morning has been one of washing floors, cleaning rooms, weekend cooking and making dough for my first batch of Colmworth bread.  I have used a half half mix of whole meal and strong white flour so will wait and see if it rises well.

Jeremy brought me in a bunch of daffodils from the garden and then we sat on the patio in the new rocking chairs that we put together last night and watched the smoke billow out of the “Cuban” patio woodburner that we had assembled and wondered if the spring sunshine would continue all weekend.  Have a good weekend wherever you are.