Toby Atkin-Wright

Andrew and I did the first half of the weekend’s Frogmarch food shop this evening. Morrisons was oddly quiet at 9pm. Normally for Frogmarch we get a Tesco grocery delivery to the house we’ve rented for the weekend, but they didn’t want to deliver to rural Northumbria, so we had to do the shopping the old-fashioned way. We still have fridge and freezer stuff to get, but the bulk of the shop is done. Looking forward to a weekend of cooking!

I still need to get party food for our election-night party, but I’ll do that after work tomorrow. Kate and I will probably go and vote early tomorrow morning, so we can take Beth with us before she goes to school. I think she’ll enjoy seeing the process. Voting is at the Boys’ Brigade Hall next to the burn; I still have negative memories of the place from the years of living in a flat in Greenside Court and hearing bagpipe practice in their car park on otherwise pleasant summer evenings.

We’ll be going away for the weekend for our annual “Frogmarch” weekend. Every year we rent a big house somewhere in the UK, and spend the weekend with friends dating back to school and university days. This year we’re going to Dunstan Hall in Northumbria.

As usual, Andrew and I are planning the menu. I find it very satisfying cooking for a dozen or more people, including a formal meal on Saturday night and a roast lunch on Sunday. Beth is looking forward to cooking too — she enjoys helping in the kitchen, and has a special favourite that involves mixing by hand: Chesil Beach cake (so-called because it feels like it is full of fossils).

To make Chesil Beach cake one should start with a variety multi-pack of mini boxes of Kellogg’s cereals. Put them in a large bowl and add Smarties, chopped fudge, and some fruit (chopped dates or raisins are good). Other sweets can be added to taste — a controversial choice last year was Jelly Tots, which sharply divided opinion. Mix in a good quantity of molten Dairy Milk and Mars Bars, and mix. Put into a tray and chill to set, and look forward to over-eating.

We’ll be going away for the weekend for our annual “Frogmarch” weekend. Every year we rent a big house somewhere in the UK, and spend the weekend with friends dating back to school and university days. This year we’re going to Dunstan Hall in Northumbria.

As usual, Andrew and I are planning the menu. I find it very satisfying cooking for a dozen or more people, including a formal meal on Saturday night and a roast lunch on Sunday. Beth is looking forward to cooking too — she enjoys helping in the kitchen, and has a special favourite that involves mixing by hand: Chesil Beach cake (so-called because it feels like it is full of fossils).

To make Chesil Beach cake one should start with a variety multi-pack of mini boxes of Kellogg’s cereals. Put them in a large bowl and add Smarties, chopped fudge, and some fruit (chopped dates or raisins are good). Other sweets can be added to taste — a controversial choice last year was Jelly Tots, which sharply divided opinion. Mix in a good quantity of molten Dairy Milk and Mars Bars, and mix. Put into a tray and chill to set, and look forward to over-eating.

We spent the weekend at Baysdale Abbey, in a sheltered valley on the North York Moors. Good company, a fun time spent cooking, too much eating, and a bracing walk up a hill — not an unusual Frogmarch.

The countryside was impressive, the house was well equipped (although some things required a bit of searching), the beds were comfortable, and our bedroom was massive. The house was surrounded by fields of sheep and their lambs. Beth had a fun time cycling around on her pink bike, and greatly enjoyed playing with the other children, Eleanor and Matthew. A lack of mobile reception was a minor irritation.

On Sunday afternoon we gathered everyone around the kitchen table to make marzipan fruit (or non-fruit, as most of them turned out), with some food-colouring pens for decorating the miniature sculptures.

It came to me later that the only thing missing was the sea; if I’m going to travel hundreds of miles for a holiday weekend, and if I’m going to put up with that amount of wind and rain, I want to be on the coast, not stuck inland.

After a surprisingly easy drive home yesterday, and getting Beth to an early bed, Kate and I settled down last night with our comfort foods of choice: Kate had a bowl of ice cream and I had a fried egg sandwich.

This entry was originally posted at http://tobyaw.dreamwidth.org/149167.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

We spent the weekend at Baysdale Abbey, in a sheltered valley on the North York Moors. Good company, a fun time spent cooking, too much eating, and a bracing walk up a hill — not an unusual Frogmarch.

The countryside was impressive, the house was well equipped (although some things required a bit of searching), the beds were comfortable, and our bedroom was massive. The house was surrounded by fields of sheep and their lambs. Beth had a fun time cycling around on her pink bike, and greatly enjoyed playing with the other children, Eleanor and Matthew. A lack of mobile reception was a minor irritation.

On Sunday afternoon we gathered everyone around the kitchen table to make marzipan fruit (or non-fruit, as most of them turned out), with some food-colouring pens for decorating the miniature sculptures.

It came to me later that the only thing missing was the sea; if I’m going to travel hundreds of miles for a holiday weekend, and if I’m going to put up with that amount of wind and rain, I want to be on the coast, not stuck inland.

After a surprisingly easy drive home yesterday, and getting Beth to an early bed, Kate and I settled down last night with our comfort foods of choice: Kate had a bowl of ice cream and I had a fried egg sandwich.

Another year, another Frogmarch. Every May we head away for a long weekend with friends. This year we’ve rented a house called Baysdale Abbey, which is a little way inland from Whitby. We will have thirteen adults and assorted children. We’ll be driving down tomorrow, to arrive in time for tea.

As usual, Andrew and I have planned the catering. We should have fun cooking. A few years ago we had our Frogmarch at a house in Norfolk that had an Aga; that introduced a pleasant element of experimentation in the kitchen, but I think we’ll be on a regular cooker this time.

( Menu behind the cut… )

Many of the recipes are from my favourite cookbook; Marguerite Patten’s Classic Dishes Made Simple (1969). I have my grandfather’s copy; when we moved out of the flat in 1998, Andrew had a long search to find his own copy.

This entry was originally posted at http://tobyaw.dreamwidth.org/148238.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Another year, another Frogmarch. Every May we head away for a long weekend with friends. This year we’ve rented a house called Baysdale Abbey, which is a little way inland from Whitby. We will have thirteen adults and assorted children. We’ll be driving down tomorrow, to arrive in time for tea.

As usual, Andrew and I have planned the catering. We should have fun cooking. A few years ago we had our Frogmarch at a house in Norfolk that had an Aga; that introduced a pleasant element of experimentation in the kitchen, but I think we’ll be on a regular cooker this time.

( Menu behind the cut… )

Many of the recipes are from my favourite cookbook; Marguerite Patten’s Classic Dishes Made Simple (1969). I have my grandfather’s copy; when we moved out of the flat in 1998, Andrew had a long search to find his own copy.

Final call for Frogmarch ’08! We’ve booked a house in the Peak District, near Matlock, for the weekend Friday 9 to Monday 12 May. For the uninitiated, most years since 1998 we have organised a ‘Frogmarch’ — a weekend away in a large house with old and new friends. Eating, drinking and a fine social time ensue.

Here’s the link to the house website. Normally it’s a B&B, but we have hired the whole place out in traditional Frogmarch style. It's got nine rooms and can sleep twenty — or up to 26 with folding beds if it comes to it. So it can cope with whatever we throw at it.

http://www.derbyshirearts.co.uk/accommodation.htm

We already have about 14 people signed up, so there is room for more. The total cost of the house is £1800, so if we have 14 people it will be about £130 each, plus the cost of food.

For Frogmarch history, see http://frogmarch.com/

Let me know if you’d like to come. All welcome.

Final call for Frogmarch ’08! We’ve booked a house in the Peak District, near Matlock, for the weekend Friday 9 to Monday 12 May. For the uninitiated, most years since 1998 we have organised a ‘Frogmarch’ — a weekend away in a large house with old and new friends. Eating, drinking and a fine social time ensue.

Here’s the link to the house website. Normally it’s a B&B, but we have hired the whole place out in traditional Frogmarch style. It's got nine rooms and can sleep twenty — or up to 26 with folding beds if it comes to it. So it can cope with whatever we throw at it.

http://www.derbyshirearts.co.uk/accommodation.htm

We already have about 14 people signed up, so there is room for more. The total cost of the house is £1800, so if we have 14 people it will be about £130 each, plus the cost of food.

For Frogmarch history, see http://frogmarch.com/

Let me know if you’d like to come. All welcome.