Saturday 9 January 2016

Happy New Year.........

It's probably no surprise that the new year has gotten well underway before I've managed to get my act together......(I do have a reasonable excuse.)

One of the benefits of expecting guests (beyond the capacity of the guest bedroom)  is that my sewing room needed to be tidied up - so at least it was sparkling and ready for the New Year..... I could see at a glance MOST of my projects either underway or in planning as every box, basket, bag or pile related to a different project - yikes. (That didn't include things tucked away in the cupboard or a drawer or hanging on the upstairs balcony rail. It would be too frightening to add them to the picture.....)


Just needed to fold down the cutting table and roll it out of the way......

This arrived in the mail in the nick of time......

The Christmas baking - 3 cakes, 2 puddings and fat-free fruit mince.....

Results this year were MUCH improved on last year......
One of my goals for this year is to make my own sourdough bread from scratch. The first batch shows promise.....

The levain / poolish / mother / starter (or whichever term you'd prefer to use) bubbled away nicely  - though maybe not as vigorously as the pictures indicated that it should.



The loaves rose as per expectation - though it may have been better to leave a little longer....

......and they looked and smelled amazing when they came out of the oven
Possibly could have been cooked a little longer.........


Overall an exciting start to the new baking year.....

And the mischief maker continues to amuse.......
The ONLY fabric not packed up......
 .......or not so much as the case may be.....
Usually she chews the ends of laces - this one was not so considerate......
Anyway, best wishes for the year ahead. Let's see if I can make a few dents in those piles.....

Sue xxxx