Saturday 10 March 2012

A Dreamy Day Gardening in a Spring Garden and a Sublime Tunworth Cheesy Supper...





Finally, after many months of searching for the fabulous Tunworth cheese, I managed to acquire some!!

I had been searching for this cheese, local to the South of England, since I read about it on Mark’s wonderful and informative blog  http://marksvegplot.blogspot.com/
 
Mark has been so very helpful and encouraging to me since I started blogging just a few months ago and I would therefore like to dedicate this blog to him in very grateful thanks.

Thank you Mark!

And now to the garden...

We have not had the best of Springs what with the incessant rain and then the odd, unexpected cold frosty day...

But this is typical of South Wales and I suspect we are not alone in having days like this...

However, today was a marvellous warm Spring day-full of promise and optimism...

Our valley looked truly wonderful in the bright sunlight and, for once, no snow at all on the far mountains...


 
The Welsh countryside across the local Llanfrechfa Valley seems now to be an optimistic spring green in colour with emerging shoots and signs of new life stirring...

In the garden I pottered around and tidied up the flower beds and when I pulled away the dead and rotting leaves from the beds I was very pleasantly surprised to find some lovely flowers hidden down below... 

Emerging sky blue Hyacinths, not as prolific as when they were in pots in the house but still giving lots of delightful Spring colour in the undergrowth... 

 

 

Frilly purple Polyanthus-just a little nibbled around the flower heads but after many years still growing very strong in the garden...



 
Emerging catkins waving cheerily against a clear blue sky...


 
And when you looked in detail at some of the plants you could only marvel at the sheer beauty such as this emerging new growth on a red current...


 

I felt so virtuous working industriously all day getting much needed jobs done-it's funny how such simply things like working in your own garden gives you so much pleasure.


To have such a warm Spring day in the garden is truly wonderful...

Finally, I retreated indoors, and as much as I wanted to cook a more elaborate meal for supper-I simply didn’t have the energy...

Instead it was a very quick, simple supper of freshly baked bread and cheese. But the cheese was the lovely Tunworth Cheese, recomended by Mark.

Tunworth is an unpasteurised soft brie like cheese made in Hampshire in the South of England. www.hampshirecheeses.co.uk 
And very nice it was too!
Thanks again to Mark for the recommendation and all his encouraging help to a new blogger...

As I wanted a quickly made supper, I baked one of my usual soda breads but this time with a twist-I added some chopped fresh Sage leaves from the garden plus the last of my over Wintered Spring Onions  and some Parmesan cheese.

Cheesy Sage and Onion Soda bread


 
340g stone-ground oak smoked flour
½ tsp Maldon sea salt
1 tsp creme of tartar
1/2  tsp bicarbonate of soda
284ml buttermilk
1 and a half TBS of chopped fresh sage
100g grated parmesan cheese
3 spring onions-finely chopped  

Method

Turn the oven on to 200C and flour a baking sheet ready.

In a large mixing bowl, place the flour, salt and bicarb of soda, crème of tartar, grated parmesan, finely chopped sage and finely chopped spring onions.  

Mix lightly together then make a well and add the buttermilk. Stir gentle with a fork to mix everything in. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and with floured hands very, very lightly knead-do not over knead as this will result in a heavy loaf. Try not to add too much extra flour to the kneading surface as this will make the loaf too dry. Shape into a round and place on the floured baking sheet. Lightly flour the top of the loaf and then cut the top with various slashes-horizontally and vertically-this will help to bread rise and give your own individual marking to the loaf!

Bake for approximately 35 minutes. Check if done by tapping on its bottom to get that desired hollow sound signifying it is done.

Allow to cool for as long as you can bear without succumbing to that just baked herby cheesy bread aroma wafting around, then gently cut into thick tasty slices, slather with butter and enjoy...

Serve with some delicious Tunworth cheese and homemade chutney-a very tasty supper feast!

I do hope the rest of you had a productive and enjoyable day in your garden if the weather allowed...

26 comments:

  1. Back from a visit to 'sunny' Norfolk, couldn't help noticing how early the plants were compared to my garden in the north of France. Indeed the blue bells were out, whereas we're still execting ours, and the camelias were starting blooming. I loved seeing the view onto the valley, very scenic indeed. Oh by the way, can we get a glimpse of the kittens pleeaaaase ?

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    1. Hi Celine,

      Many thanks for your kind comment. You are right it is amazing how the plants differ slightly from one region to another...even those at the front of my house are earlier than those at the back...

      The kittens are thriving well and bouncing around-I’ll get to work on a kitten update for you!!

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  2. The bread looks divine. I do miss the change of seasons that you so obviously get in Europe. We have it here but not to the same extent. If only you didn't have to endure 6 months plus of cold for that experience though....

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    1. Thank you Liz-yes the bread smelt and tasted delicious! Spring is lovely though today we are back to being rather overcast with drizzle off and on...hey ho...I would love some of your Australian sunshine now...

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  3. Ah no rain today. The weather people promise it to be a good week in South Wales.

    oH i woudl so love a slice of that bread right now, its looks so good and would be perfect for the last of my carrot soup.

    I so agree with you about Mark, a real gentleman.

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    1. Hi Shaheen, Mmm-yes your soup looks delicious and I love your carrot bowl!!

      We seem to be having misty starts to the days at the moment but it does seem warmer...

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  4. You flatter me too much! I have only done what I would hope any self-respecting blogger would do - help someone who is less experienced than themselves. When I first started blooging I had lots of advice and inspiration from David Offutt (aka the Gastonomic Gardener), so in a sense I am "putting back some of what I have taken out" of the blogger community. If you haven't already discovered it, why not look at David's website? http://www.gastronomicgardener.com/

    Anyway, I'm glad you found somewhere to buy the Tunworth cheese. They don't produce it in very big quantities, so it is hard to find (except here - I live about 10 miles from where they make it). You should try it baked - search my blog for the words "Tunworth" or "Brie-baker" and you'll see how it's done.

    On a different note - how ironic it is that on the day you write about incessant rain, most of the water companies in the East of the UK announced Drought Orders!

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    1. Hi Mark-I’ll definitely have a go at a baked Tunworth-sounds delicious!
      Yes when I heard about the drought orders I first thought they were including Wales and was ready to have a little rant given the ‘generous’ rainfall we have here!

      And thank you again for all your encouragement. It’s nice to see how everyone helps each other . I enjoy David’s blog along with the many others I followed from your site and I love all the comments from everybody as we follow each other’s gardens and recipes throughout the world-fantastic fun and so glad I joined and have been made so very welcome.

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  5. Beautiful photos. Oh, how I would love a slice of that bread.

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    1. Thank you Norma-I’m really having fun now using my camera!

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  6. a beautiful day with colors blooming , delicious homed bread and a hunk of cheese..really how close to perfect is that?!!
    I am your newest follower..pls follow back if you can.

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    1. Many thanks for stopping by. Bread and cheese is so good-especially when the bread is still warm from the oven!

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  7. Sage, onion and cheese — I can smell it baking!

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    1. Yes I have to say cheesy sage and onion is one of my favourite flavour combinations! BTW hope your snow has gone now-can’t believe how late you can still get a frost...

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  8. Cheese, Sage, Onion and Bread!! I think you have baked up heaven! Looks, sounds, and I bet smells and tastes great.

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    1. Hi James,

      Yes it was rather good! Next time though I may toast up the sage leaves first to add to their sagey flavour...

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  9. the bread is just gorgeous! I don't know why, but lately, I've been eyeing lots of homemade artisan bread recipes, yours is one of them. i like a good slow-risen sourdough, but also appreciate a soda bread, especially when it's combined with cheese safe and onion. nice one!

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    1. Hi Shu Han,

      Thank you so much for stopping by and your kind comment. I too like a good slow risen soughdough but am not very good at keeping my starter going so tend to get my sourdough bread at the local farmer’s market.

      I’ve had a look at your blog-really interesting, lovely recipes so I’ve made myself a ‘follower’!

      Look forward to hearing from you again!

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  10. Tunworth Cheese, eh? Sounds like something my parents would just love - I'll have to let them know about it! Glad Spring had found its way to you proper - we had temperatures of ~20 degrees today. So nice... was like a summer's day!

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    1. Hi Charles,

      Yes would recommend the Tunworth if your parents can track it down!! My local Waitrose are now supposed to stock it but very rarely has it in...until then I will just have to make do with a French cheese which they send me instead- Berthaut's Epoisses which is really rather good-despite it being French...says she- very tongue in cheek!!

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  11. oh for some of your lovely bread and cheese, really enjoying the photos you are becoming rather and expert with your new camera

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    1. Thank you Wobblymouse. Next time I'm going to try toasting the sage leaves first which might add another layer of flavour.

      And thank you for your kind comments on the photos-it is so addictive now trying to take a photo that I'm proud to post and I'm so grateful for all the help and advice I've been given!!

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  12. Oh isn't spring so exciting? Just love all that emerging growth. We have several good local cheeses here, but unfortunately not much unpasturised, which I prefer to eat where possible. Sharpham near Totnes is our nearest and there cheeses are delicious. Will look out for the Tunworth when I'm next in Hampshire. Really nice idea to use sage in your bread, will have to try that. Whose flour do you use - Bacheldre?

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    1. Yes I’m using Bacheldre flour at the moment-really nice flour giving a great taste to the bread. I’m really envious if Sharpham is your local cheese. Many, many years ago when I lived in Devon, I used to visit the Sharpham Estate when they were just starting with their cheese making. I had a many highly enjoyable cheese and wine evening with them...And if you are near Totnes then you have the fab cheese shop Country Cheeses-one of the very best cheese shops promoting local West Country cheese. I will down in Exeter in a few weeks time and will be stocking up at their branch in Topsham...

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  13. Yes, Totnes is not so far away, about an hour's drive. On our doorstep though, we have Cornish Blue which is one of my favourites. We also used to have yarg covered in nettles but that recently moved down to Truro. Did you live in Totnes when you were in Devon? I went to school there, so it always feels like going home when I'm up there. I use Bacheldre rye and spelt, but we do have a local wholemeal, so I use quite a bit of that too.

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    1. Hi Choclette,

      I lived in Plympton for 9 years before moving to Wales 11 year ago. When I lived in Plympton we would often visit Totnes as it is a fun and quirky place to visit-must have been great to go to school there!!

      Although I recommended Country Cheeses in Totnes, the best branch of Country Cheeses is their main place in Tavistock with a huge variety on offer-at least there was last time I visited! Their description of the cheeses are great-if you have a look at their website you will see what I mean... www.countrycheeses.co.uk

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