tobyaw: (Default)

Back home

posted by [personal profile] tobyaw at 08:16pm on 09/05/2010 under , ,

We’re back home after a weekend at Dunstan Hall near Alnwick. Andrew and I did a lot of cooking; thankfully others did much of the washing up. It was good to see old friends. There were sixteen of us at Frogmarch this year.

The house was pretty old — the tower dates back to the 1300s. The house was well equipped too, with a decent modern kitchen as well as a breakfast room with an Aga. Unfortunately the Aga wasn’t running at full temperature, but we made good use of its ovens and hobs. The music room had a splendid grand piano, and Helen provided after-dinner music for us.

Beth had a lovely time playing with the other children there, Eleanor and Matthew.

There seemed to be popular support for heading back there next year.

location: St Andrews, Scotland
There are no comments on this entry. (Reply.)
tobyaw: (Default)

Back home

posted by [personal profile] tobyaw at 08:16pm on 09/05/2010 under , ,

We’re back home after a weekend at Dunstan Hall near Alnwick. Andrew and I did a lot of cooking; thankfully others did much of the washing up. It was good to see old friends. There were sixteen of us at Frogmarch this year.

The house was pretty old — the tower dates back to the 1300s. The house was well equipped too, with a decent modern kitchen as well as a breakfast room with an Aga. Unfortunately the Aga wasn’t running at full temperature, but we made good use of its ovens and hobs. The music room had a splendid grand piano, and Helen provided after-dinner music for us.

Beth had a lovely time playing with the other children there, Eleanor and Matthew.

There seemed to be popular support for heading back there next year.

location: St Andrews, Scotland
There are 3 comments on this entry. (Reply.)
tobyaw: (Default)

Frogmarch approaching

posted by [personal profile] tobyaw at 10:14pm on 03/05/2010 under , ,
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.
location: KY16 8JY
There are no comments on this entry. (Reply.)
tobyaw: (Frogmarch 2002 - Whitby)

Frogmarch approaching

posted by [personal profile] tobyaw at 10:14pm on 03/05/2010 under , ,
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.
location: KY16 8JY
There are 5 comments on this entry. (Reply.)

Links

July

SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
        1
 
 2
 
 3
 
4
 
 5
 
 6
 
 7
 
 8
 
 9
1
 10
 
11
 
 12
 
 13
 
 14
 
 15
 
 16
 
 17
 
18
 
 19
 
 20
 
 21
 
 22
 
 23
 
 24
 
25
 
 26
 
 27
 
 28
 
 29
 
 30
 
 31