For Christmas, Stuart was given a sausage making kit, and we thought it was high time we put it to use! So we bought one and a half kilograms of pork mince, and set to work. The plan was to make delicious farmhouse sausages and to bake them into a stunning toad in the hole. Yes, a toad in the hole can certainly be stunning, which I can well testify to. This is the kit:

Stuart took great delight in squishing the mince and stirring it in well with the herb/breadcrumb mix, and we set about putting it into the casing. The plan is to put it in a big piping bag, and then pipe it into tubing (made of some part of a cow I don’t care to question). It’s essentially a giant condom. But it proved to be more difficult than we’d anticipated…

After much squishing, squeezing and harumphing, we gave up. I divided the mix into meatballs – voila a delightful, if sidetracked meal! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And we do have the Cumberland sausage kit to try next weekend… maybe… We still have two big lumps of sausage meat in the freezer, with no tubing to go with it. So don’t be surprised if we invite you round for spaghetti and meatballs some time soon!

Do we need cloth? Then we shall go to the market.

On Saturday Stuart and I popped up to London to see the Lichtenstein exhibition (a very lovely and original wedding present!) which was fantastic. It led to an almost chance encounter of the most magical kind. Someone at Stuart’s work had mentioned Borough Market to him, which sounded like a most wondrous place. So he Googled it and found that it is, in fact, right below London Bridge train station.

So, we went along. And it was wondrous indeed! English countryside market stalls selling turnips and radishes nestle together underneath cast iron railway station decor (painted a most festive green), mixed in with exotic street food stalls and boutique olive oil stands. We sniffed the delights and gave in,  I explored Vietnamese chicken curry while Stuart (of course) ordered a steak sandwich… the tallest, fullest sandwich I’ve ever seen.

Of course, we couldn’t stop at lunch, and felt the need to make a longer lasting purchase. Something we wouldn’t find somewhere else. Something we wouldn’t necessarily buy. Something that would be quirky and fun, but useful and broadening, too. So we bought a bottle of truffle oil. A tiny bottle that cost a whopping £7, but after tasting a bit on a piece of bread, we couldn’t say no. What will we do with it? We’re not sure – but it surely will be delicious!

According to the forecast, the weather on the first May bank holiday Monday was supposed to be a scorcher! So, Stuart and I went down to the garden centre on the Saturday before (when it was raining) and bought ourselves a little barbeque.

Monday came, and the sun was shining! It was a gorgeous day, so Stuart lit up the fire lighters and waited.

… and waited… and waited…

While we waited for the coals to light, and get warm, we (ahem, Stuart) made some home made beef burgers, and some homemade BBQ sauce, both of which were hugely successful! I made some lemon sorbet, which failed to set in time… and some jelly.

The coals DID light, and we started grilling away. Burgers, onions, cheese, corn on the cob (smothered in butter) and even some chorizo made it onto the grill, and the smell was delicious. The result – very successful. Stuart is officially the BBQ king! Roll on the next bank holiday!