First six weeks of 2015 - photos & a recipe

View of Criffel from my window with snow highlighting the peaks and slopes

Wood pecker eating nuts while hungry sparrows fight over a fat ball

Winter sunset

Hazel catkins,

Viburnum in blossom

and snowdrops in flower



Now a recipe for a winter's day.

Miracle Pudding or Shepherds’ Pudd.

Lightly butter an oven proof dish which will hold at least 2 pints of liquid. This mixture does not look much but it rises and expands during cooking. You should end up with a golden brown topping, succulent sultanas and a rich butterscotch sauce underneath. Serve hot. 4 persons (or six if you serve with custard or ice cream). It is quite filling for a cold day – hence the Shepherd’s Pudding.

 Rub 3 ounces of margarine or butter into

5 oz self raisng flour and add

4 ozs sultanas.

Mix with milk until it forms an elastic dough.

Place in greased bowl.

Sauce

Dissolve 4ozs brown sugar and

3 ozs butter (or marg) in

2 cups of boiling water (15 fluid ounces)

Poor over the dough. Do NOT stir or mix.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes at 180 C or 350 F until well risen,

crisp and brown on top.