Blackcurrant Summer Pudding and Red Gooseberry Fool

Summer is a wonderful time for unctuous puddings. Sweet ones, sharp ones, gooey ones and normally in some shade of pink. I wish I had the willpower to buy millions of summer berries and freeze them so I can knock up a pudding anytime I fancy, but I can barely resist them enough for them to make it to the saucepan. How can you go wrong with inky blackcurrants and vibrant gooseberries? Over the weekend I had occasion to make luscious puddings with both of these fruits. First a slightly sweet, sticky blackcurrant summer pudding and then a sharp, creamy gooseberry fool.   

The Red House at Marsh Benham

The Red House at Marsh Benham jumps out at you as you drive down the road and I had been meaning to go for some time. There was no point in going for a half arsed meal; I wanted to go for a proper one. I'm not sure I've been to a place that is both modern and outdated at the same time. The garden is modern, the bar and bar area are modern but as soon as you step over the threshold into the restaurant it is like stepping over the threshold to the 1990s. The bottle green patterned carpets and red velvet chairs should have been replaced when the rest of the restaurant was updated. Fortunately the food distracted me from the décor. 

My Vegetable Patch

Growing your own has become rather fashionable of recent years. It is now so easy to find interesting varieties, help and advice from all sorts of places. If you've considered growing your own but haven't tried it yet I warn you now, it's addictive. There's not a market stand I can go by without having a nose around and come back with something new to try and grow. 

This post doesn't have much to say, the pictures speak for themselves.