Chickens!

This past weekend, we went on a little drive with my parents and visited Dobbies garden centre in Lisburn... you know, for a look around, and for some succulent soil. No big deal.

Well, then I spotted three little chickens who were the very last of the flock, and a sign saying they were reduced. I thought they were the loveliest, healthiest looking chickens I had ever seen, and they were so tame, so I started to panic. What if someone who didn't really WANT chickens bought them... what if they didn't look after them properly (??), or what if they...horror... ate them for their dinner (eek!)??. We spoke to the lovely lady who had been looking after them, and she told us they were the very last ones, had been there for a while (they're about six months old) and that they wouldn't be getting any more after this. Left on the shelf, so to speak.

At that point, I knew we were biting the bullet and taking them home. We have had a chicken house sitting in our garden for three years, and it's never been the 'right time'. We're always working, are away from home a lot on business trips etc etc, so we've always had an excuse not to! Well, I said BOO! to excuses and brought them home in boot of the car and got them settled in on Saturday afternoon.

So far, they're very easy to look after, and are laying eggs like pro's already. And they're DELICIOUS. I've never had an egg this fresh (a warm egg lifted from the straw bed is a thing of beauty) and it's so good.

So... meet the newest additions to Bell Farm (it's getting that way, right?)... Henrietta (the brown one), Brigitte (the white one) and Helga (the black/grey one). Such good girls.

Hope your week is good so far!
Abigail x

p.s. I never got that succulent soil...

*SUMMER SOLSTICE - Outdoor Dining Linens Special!*

 

 

There's something so lovely about Summer, when the days get long, hot and hazy and we all pile outdoors to light BBQ's,  to eat salads, or sandwiches, catching any hint of rays we can during the work week. Lounging in the sun all weekend when we can. Long may it last!

At chez a*r, we love setting the table outside beautifully... our coloured floral linens, brightly coloured glasses and stripey straws all layered together, a bunch of country-style flowers - making that little bit of effort - and taking our meal outside. Have a riot of colour!

Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of Summer, and to mark the day, we prepared a feast. Roast chicken, charcoal grilled summer vegetables on the barbecue and juicy raspberries. A celebration it was!

We want to spread the love and are running a variety of Summer Promotions on our LINENS for *outdoor dining*...

THIS WEEK - buy a box set of four napkins, and we will give you a tea-towel for FREE - buy a box set of eight napkins, we will give you two tea-towels for FREE! The designs are of your choice...

... so, next weekend, you'll be able to throw an out-door dining feast that looks just like ours, thoroughly bright and cheerful - 'abigail*ryan' style.

Enjoy some beautiful out-door dining on us! Get Shopping and get outside!!
love,

A&R

Garden glories...

Summer has been a mixture of absolutely gorgeous days, and a few torrential ones, too, so things have been a little late to flower... BUT, our beautiful year old Clematis has bounced back well, and is covered in beautiful blooms and buds.

I'm in love with the crinkly, crispy, interesting edges and rogue double flowers, and can't wait to draw it (perhaps it will become a new pattern?!)... I even love the bits where the caterpillers have had a nibble, makes for really interesting forms.

The boys are loving running around outside, too - sniffing, digging and mischief making. Hamish just turned a year old and is a cheeky wee bundle... Angus is as grumpy as ever. Love them.

 Looking forward to a long, hot, summer and more of the same!
A&R

Elderflower adventures...

So... we seem to have caught the preserving/canning bug! Perhaps it's some deep seated need to hunker down and stock the stores now we're newlyweds, and staring our thirties in the face, but I'm fairly sure it's mainly because we're greedy gourmands, and like delicious food - all - year - round! ;)

It all began to simmer a bit in us a year or so ago when Ryan bought me "Canning for a New Generation" which was beautiful, but I didn't have much time to sit and read it (until now)... and recently, our friend Claire showed us an amazing book she had bought by Diana Henry, called "Salt Sugar Smoke", which is DIVINE (and beautifully styled by the super talented Laura Edwards), and really got our juices going - we found a copy ourselves for a song in TK Maxx, (where we get all our best home bargains!).

We're planning a Summer Garden party in August, to celebrate my big 3-0, and wanted to make all sorts of delicious food and drink for our guests. The idea of making yummy infused syrups and spirits for our drinks, and elderflower cordial or champagne from our huge Elderflower bush at the back of the garden seemed not only a budget friendly option, but a creative, inspiring and fun option, too! So - we've made a start...

So far, we have raided Lakeland (hello, cooks/foodie heaven!) stocking up on some huge mason jars, and started a Strawberry Gin, a Rhubarb & Vanilla infused Vodka, a Rhubarb Sharbaat, and a Vin de Myrtille (blueberries, to you and I)... it's been so much fun, and we love watching the jewel toned colours deepen and infuse each day.

Today, we waited until the rain subsided (yes, I know, there might just be an indoor summer party the way things are shaping up this Summer!) and squelched up the garden to pick the just blossomed Elderflowers. A quick shake off, and they were placed in a bowl with three unwaxed lemons, cut in to slices, after their peel was removed with a peeler, also included in the bowl... then, we brought 1.5KG (yes, I know! wow) of sugar to the boil with I.5L water, and then poured the hot syrup over the flower heads and lemons. It all fitted perfectly in to my big antique baking bowl, and then we stirred in 75g of Citric Acid. Everyone says you can get citric acid in any chemist, but I couldn't get it in a large Boots, so went to my local independent chemist, where I had more luck.

All we have to do now is cover the bowl, and leave in a dark place for 24 hours, before straining and decanting in to jars tomorrow! I think we are going to hot process our jars so they last longer than five weeks, and then we are done... it will make litres and litres of delicious summer drinks, not bad for the price of a bag and a half of sugar and a few lemons, egh?

Have a go while the Elderflowers are still in bloom... they're everywhere once you notice them!
Happy cooking,
xo Abigail

Our garden needs some loving...

Hello Spring. I'll tend to your promise soon, honest...

A@a*r

Yellow and Green...

Oh my goodness - I am rather excited. Having just updated to the new blogger editor, I guess we have awesome extra large images... that is something VERY nice for a Tuesday morning!

I rescued these little daffodils from the front garden after they got trampled in an epic weekend ivy-cull on the front of the house, I couldn't bear to leave them after they've been pushing up and being all promising for the last few weeks. They've done so well indoors, I am tempted to bring in the rest, just in case we get a cold snap...

Just stopping in to wish everyone a very happy valentines day - are you doing anything nice? I'm cooking asparagus with poached eggs to start, beef stew (Ryan's favourite) and probably some little crumbled with soya custard. Getting stuck in sorting the workshop/paperwork out today, so nothing romantic about that! ;)

Happy new week, all.

A@a*r xo

Dig down deep...

We've been out and about in the garden... working hard and planting some tasty eats for the coming summer - spinach, jalapeno peppers, baby carrots, a herb garden, mange tout peas (we already have tomatoes and strawberries coming along a treat!) and, having been in now for a couple of days, they are all coming on brilliantly with a little water every evening and some tending with our lovely Joseph Bentley garden tools...lettuces and beets still to go in.

My back has been badly out, so Ryan has been doing all the heavy lifting to help me loads - but still, all this nice sunshine leaves me itching to get on!! We took out our chairs and stools so we could enjoy the sunshine and relax a little under the pretense of work... deckchairs would have been like admitting we were just going to sun ourselves. ;)

We will be sharing a few of the little visitors we had in the garden shortly...one of them, in particular, was rather surprising!

Enjoy the sun!

Abigail@abigail*ryan

Oh, bee-hive!

I can't wait to order this gorgeous looking book...i've always loved bees, and am fascinated with the possibility of keeping my own in the garden (along with the chickens and the neatly trimmed rows of planted vegetables- it's becomming the veritable "Good Life" aound here!).

Ever since researching the "Eglu", mentioned in this post, keeping bees in the garden has seemed to be a real possibility, so a little light reading (i.e. obsessive research- I can't help myself when I get a *cough* "bee in my bonnet" about learning something new...the sheer amount of useless information in my head is staggering!) is in order.

Has anyone read this book, or any others they can recommend...the 2872 listed on Amazon is a little overwhelming!

ryan@abigail*ryan

More Garden Gorgeousness!

As Abi and I are in the middle of filling the garden with gorgeousness (she's been stretching her green fingers, as you might have seen in other posts!) in preparation for the summer (BBQ's and cocktails on the patio...well, if you insist..! :) ), we've been on the look out for anything stylish or unusual we can use to add those final touches- always mindful of price, of course...

Just browsing on the M&S site, I came across these...dotted around the garden on the summer's evening, giving off a soft, flickering light, hanging from trees and branches- you can't tell me that wouldn't be beautiful!

Only 19.50 for the set of three- each a different size (ignore the sizes on the website, though- i'm pretty certain they're wrong!).

ryan@abigail*ryan

Getting Started Gift..!

Whilst browsing the Jme website today (Jamie Oliver's online selection of goodies!) I spotted these fantastic Garden kit gift vouchers! Not only are the vouchers gorgeous - I love the drawings and colours - but they seem to be a fantastic deal that any budding gardener would love to receive!

Upon gifting (or buying) one of these vouchers, and redeeming it, a box stuffed full of all organic vegetable plants or herbs is delivered to your door! I am currently eying up the Large Vegetable garden voucher as the list of plants would surely see you fed through most of the year... and all for 55 pounds!? What a deal! ;)

Abigail@abigail*ryan

Getting down and dirty..!

I've been out in the garden trying to create an oasis of calm and beauty... I'm, uhm, not quite there yet - I think a pressure washer and some serious weeding (perhaps with a flame thrower?;)) is needed, but I am planting seeds and giving plug plants some love (well, water and baby-bio - but I am thinking good thoughts!) and things seem to be coming along swimmingly...

See more over at my blog :)

Yay for Spring - now: snow-be-gone!

abigail@abigail*ryan

In the garden...

Thinking about all things garden at the moment... and seriously hankering after all of these babies!!

One: Ceramic Planter from Terrain

Two: V&A Gardening Tool Set

Three: Succulent Garden from Terrain

Four: Bamboo Garden Markers from Terrain

Five: V&A Secateurs

I already bought Mister Bell a Bee Box for his birthday so that bumbles passing on by our garden this Summer can stop and have a little rest, and now, I am thinking of getting one of these lovely Bird Feeders from Roost Living...

First thing's first though - the WEEDS!!!

;)

Abigail@abigail*ryan