Bacon, Leek, Potato and cheese pie

Thought I had better give you the recipe for this as I had raved about it the other night, so here you go.  As usual I haven't stuck rigidly to the recipe (I never do!).

4oz Pastry - I used shortcrust, the recipe says use Flaky, but I don't see that it matters.  You can use frozen for this or homemade

Filling -
1 medium leek - I used two smaller ones and found that four of this size would be better
2 medium potatoes
7oz smoked bacon
1oz butter - the recipe says to use clarified, but I couldn't be bothered so used it straight from the pack
4 fl oz Milk
3 fl oz Single cream - I used double cream as I didn't have any single and it was fine
2 beaten eggs
2 tsps dried mixed herbs - I left out as I didn't have any
2 oz grated Double Gloucester cheese - I just used strong Cheddar instead, but used about 4oz
Salt and Pepper to taste

• Preheat oven to 190C / 375F / Gas 5
• Slice leeks into approx 1cm rounds and wash thoroughly
• Peel and thinly slice the potatoes
• Trim off the bacon rind and roughly chop
• Roll out the pastry and line a 20cm flan dish, trimming the edges
• Fry the bacon under the fat starts to render and it starts to go crispy.  Set aside on kitchen paper
• Cook the leeks in the same pan and set aside with the bacon once soft
• Add the butter and fry the potatoes until just coloured - you may have to do several batches
• Spoon the leeks and bacon into the flan dish
• I then added a generous layer of grated cheese and sliced a couple of tomatoes over the top
• Arrange the potato slices over the top, overlapping to cover the other ingredients
• Beat together the milk, cream, eggs, herbs and season well
• Pour over the potatoes and top with more grated cheese
• Bake for 30 - 45 minutes, covering with foil if it starts to brown too much

This is great served with a simple salad or with whatever veg you have available like we did.

Enjoy!

Stats today -

Eggs produced = 7

Sales -

1 dozen eggs £1.80

1 x 1Kg Onions £1.00

Expenses -

Nil

Another home produced tea

I was going to do a blog post on Orpington chickens tonight, but I think I'll save that for another day, because our tea tonight was so good and nearly all home produced I just had to tell you about it.  I've had a lovely day concocting our tea, I do love spending a good couple of hours in the kitchen so I thought I'd share it with you.

We had -
Bacon, Leek & Potato pie with Romanesco in a cheese and mustard sauce with steamed cabbage.
Followed by -
Apple pie and Ice cream

Just Yum!

Home produced stuff was -
Leeks, potatoes, tomato, eggs, Romanesco cabbage, cabbage, apples; oh and of course all the pastry was homemade.  Haven't got any home produced bacon at the moment, it's still on the hoof!

Here it is -

Bacon, leek & potato pie

My plateful!

The Apple pie

And the best bit it is, there's leftovers for tomorrow nights tea, I do love a cooking session where you can cook for more than one day.

Stats today

Eggs produced = 6

Sales -
2 x Cabbages £1.30
2 x 1Kg bags of tomatoes £2.00

Expenses -
Nil

Update on the new arrivals

Just thought I'd update you on the new arrivals.

Today was scorchingly, stupidly hot, 34 degrees centigrade at lunchtime.  When I let the laying hens out, they all ran straight under my horse trailer to dust bath and chill.  Now the new ones, apart from Colin the Buff Orpington cockerel who's in with the laying hens, are in temporary accommodation in a large shed until their new hut is built.  Now this shed has an openable window, but that's all for ventilation, so on welfare terms I opened the door and left it open.

Three hours later they still hadn't come out!

'I'm not looking.  If I ignore it, it will go away'

'Don't look Elsie'

'Maybe you're right Mavis'

He's getting braver

'Hey Ladies, look out here'

'Now, how do I use this again?'

'On second thoughts'

'Right, come on, follow me'

'Look Mavis, I did it'

'Thats enough for one day'

He is darn handsome

Bless them, I am so impressed with them, really glad we bought them, AND, they all went back in the shed for bed, what clever little chickens they are.

Stats today -

Eggs produced = 14, including one from the Exchequer Leghorns girlies

Sales -

1 & 1/2 dozen eggs £2.70

2 x bags Tomatoes £2.00

Expenses -

Nil

Fabulous day yesterday

Michael and I had a fabulous day yesterday.  We went to a poultry auction!

  

Now round these parts Fabian Eagle is renowned for his poultry auctions, regularly holding one at Swaffham.  Yesterday's sale was the 24th Annual Summer auction at Eldon Farm Auction Centre, Mildenhall.

Deadstock and Cagebirds started at 11am; 11.30am saw Waterfowl followed by Pheasants; 12noon saw Pigeons followed by Large fowl and finally Bantams.  Two auctioneers were simulaneously selling, it was a hive of activity.  Over 700 lots were auctioned off, excluding all the deadstock of drinkers, rearing equipment and incubators.

I was amazed at the number of birds for sale, especially of ducks, I never knew there was such a wide variety of breeds.

Here are just some of the birds that were for sale -

A pair of Bourbon Red Turkeys on the left, which made £25 and a pair of Pied Turkeys on the right

A pair of Peafowl made £85

Light Sussex trio

Seabrights

Bantam Buff Orpington quartet

Three Partridge Wyandotte pullets

Trio of Rouen, made £28

A pair of Buff African geese made £70

Trumpeter female Swan, lost her mate, made £150

Pair of Sebastopol Geese, made £70

Pair of Crested ducks

A pair of red and white Frillback pigeons, unsold, in fact not of the eight pens of pigeons sold

Two pairs of Arch Angel Pigeons

Trio of Speckled Sussex pullets, made £48

Trio of Buff Columbian Brahma, made £55, these were lovely, wanted to bring these home

Trio of Gold Seabrights

Pair of Bahama Pintails

One Ross Gander, made £90

Pair of Orange Ringed Teal

Pair of Ross geese, made £120

Trio of Buff Laced Wyandotte bantams

Quartet of Buff Sussex pullets

Blue Splash rosecomb bantams

As you can see all and sundry were there, with some amazing prices being reached, but most making between £25 - £50 per pen.  Top price went to a quartet of Vulturine Guinea fowl, one male and three females, which made, a whopping £850!

You'll have to check back tomorrow to see if we came home with anything!

Stats today -

Eggs produced = 11

Sales -

2 x bags of Tomatoes £2.00

1 x Cucumber £0.60

Expenses -

Nil

August Statistics

Well, August was a good month, takings were up on July, so am really pleased.

Here's the breakdown -

Sales -

22 dozen eggs £40.30
14 Cucumbers £8.40
8 Geranium plants £12.00
2 x Herb plants £1.00
3 bags Carrots £2.25
18 bags Tomatoes £16.50

Total £80.45

Expenses -

1 x Large Greenhouse £383.00

Still a long way to go to recoup the greenhouse money, but hey that was a long term investment, and it's now harvest time so fingers crossed we'll recoup in no time.

Today's stats -

Sales -

1 dozen eggs £1.80
1 x bag Bramley apples £1.00
1 x Tomatoes £1.00
1 x bag French beans £0.50

Expenses -

Nil

How to make a Rat Bait feeder

Now being very rural here, we get 'bothered' with rats pretty frequently.  They burrow into the polytunnel and eat the tomatoes on the lower leaves and also help themselves to the chicken feed, not to mention that they've had two of my chicks.  So Michael makes his own secret feeders with attractive rat food in them.

The key with rat bait, is to keep it in place all year round, so the rats get used to it being there and to change your brand each time you run out, so that they don't get immune to the stuff.

Get hold of a length of 110mm plastic drainage pipe

Cut off a piece 1 & 1/2 metres long, no shorter as the bait will come out, and then birds and chickens will be able to eat it.

Off that 1 & 1/2 metre piece cut off approximately 150mm to make the cover.

On the longer piece, cut out a slot in the middle, in which you will pour the feed.  Make it smaller than the small cut piece, so that the cover will completely cover the hole.

Take the smaller cut piece and cut all the way down the long side, on both sides, but not exactly opposite each other, so that when you put in on the long piece it forms a secure clip.

Your rat bait feeder is now ready for use.

Keep it topped up at all times and clear up any spillage, so that garden birds and chickens cannot get near the poisoned corn.

As you can see above, Michael has secured the feeder with two stakes hammered into the ground, up against the fence.  Don't forget to replace the lid!