My first homity pie was at Caudwells Mill, it was absolutely  delicious…the perfect comfort food! So when I saw this delicious looking homity pie, made by FP club member Claire (aka Domestic Goddess), I just had to include it on the blog.  

Over to Claire…

This is my version of the lovely, originally vegetarian pie. I could not resist adding pancetta as it adds a great extra flavour but I am sure it would work without.

I have had a couple of quiche based disasters recently. I can’t seem to get them to be quite the right consistency and it can all go horribly wrong. With a Homity though, there is no need to worry about that as there is nothing to ’set’ as such. Try it!

Homity Pie

• Make up a batch of ‘rich pastry’ – see below, refrigerate for 20 mins then roll out
• Butter a pie dish and line it with rolled out pastry with a good overhang as it will shrink, a lot
• Prong it with a fork and blind bake it for 10-15 mins on 200 degrees

I find that I don’t need to do the baking beans thing if I use wholemeal pastry

• Peel, cube (dice size) and slowly fry 1lb potatoes in olive oil until soft and browned, new potatoes stick a bit but are still nice
• Peel, finely slice and fry 1lb of onions until soft and browned
• Add 2 sliced garlic cloves to the onions near to the end of their cooking time
• Fry off a pack of cubetti di pancetta – easy to find in the shops with the deli meat

All of the above can be done in advance like this: 

 Mix all this together in a large pan on a very low heat to help you mix

• Add a small bunch of fresh chopped herbs: marjoram, thyme, that sort of thing
• Add plenty of salt and pepper, 2 really big pinches of each
• Stir in a small carton of double cream (100-150ml)
• Take off the heat
• Stir in 2oz mature grated cheese
• Pile into your blind baked pastry in the pie dish
• Add another 2oz cheese on top
• Cook in a hottish oven (180-190) for 25-30 mins until golden

Allow to cool for ½ an hour before you eat. It’s great for picnics too.

‘Rich Pastry’

Put 180g of flour in a bowl, I use a mix of 1/2 plain flour and 1/2 wholemeal

• Rub in 100g butter
• Add 50g grated parmesan and a pinch of salt
• Add some stripped thyme leaves if you have them
• Add 1 egg yolk mixed with 1tsp water gradually to bring it into a ball
• Wrap in cling film and put in fridge

You can cook any strips of leftover pastry with a bit of cheese on the top as impromptu cheese straws. 

Click here to go to Claire’s fabulous blog where you can find lots of other inspirational recipes.

Here are some events taking place over the next couple of weeks, so if you have a spare day with nothing planned take a look below for some inspiration….

Oliver’s Organics – Jamie Oliver Kitchenware Open Day, Tuesday 23rd June
Call by Oliver’s Organics in Allestree from 12 onwards on Tuesday to browse the truly wonderful Jamie Oliver range & also sample his range of yummy food.  The event is open to everyone…I’ll be calling in to have a look.  To have a sneak preview of his range visit: www.jamieoliver.com/jme

Gifted, Duffield
20% off EVERYTHING until the end of June!  Visit Gifted’s page on the website for directions.

Open Studios at Rachel Helen Designs
Saturday 27th, 10am – 5pm & Sunday 28th, 10am – 4pm.  Click here to view the FP page for Rachel Helen Designs.  

NEW   The Old Schoolhouse, Stanton-by-Dale
Recently opened by Ali Lycett, The Cake Sculptor, in May, The Old Schoolhouse is a wonderful new place to meet for coffee, homemade cakes and lunches and cupcakes of course!  Visit www.theoldschoolhouse.moonfruit.com/ for full information.

Saturday 27th June, 12.00 onwards
Duffield Show
I’ll be there promoting the website!  Pop by & say hello!

Sunday 28th June
Derbyshire County Show, Elvaston
A truly great day out for all the family…visit www.derbyshirecountyshow.org.uk for more information.   I’ll be there promoting the website in the farmer markets area. 

I do love to bake, but I find it virtually impossible to find the time at the moment, so when I found out that there was a user of the website who is a goddess in the kitchen and has some truly scrumptious recipes, I just had to ask her to share them with us!

So, here’s another great recipe from FP Club member, Claire!  This time it’s No Knead Bread, in Claire’s words…..

I am so taken with the concept of ‘no knead’ bread that I saw in the New York Times that I haven’t looked back. It seems to take time, but it actually takes no effort. It’s something to do with the yeast doing all it’s stuff slowly overnight and the casserole working as a mini steam oven.

This is my version of it as it makes a fabulous crusty loaf with a great open texture to soak up butter.

15oz Strong bread flour
1/4  tsp instant easibake yeast (out of a sachet)
1 tsp salt

Mix together well

Add 11fl oz of lukewarm water
Slosh it round into a gooey lump of dough
Leave in a big bowl and cover with cling film
Leave in kitchen for 16-18 hours – or more if you forget!

Use a dough scraper/cutter to scrape the quite wet dough away from the sides, using plenty of flour to stop it sticking, and shuffle it back into a nice round shape.

I tend to put it in a clean floured or oiled bowl to stop it sticking.

Cover with a tea towel.

Leave for 2 more hours.

Preheat oven to 200-220 and put in a Le Creuset or cast iron casserole with a lid on.

Again use the scraper and a a good sprinkle of flour to detach the dough from the bowl without puncturing it’s airy goodness!  Then quick as you can, without losing the heat from the oven and pan, throw the dough into the hot pan smooth side  down and put the lid back on.

Cook for 30 minutes lid on
Cook for  10-15 minutes lid off until Golden brown
Cool well before trying to  slice….enjoy!

Click here to visit Claire’s rather lovely blog.

I’m sat working in the garden today, the weather is far too nice to be stuck indoors.  I received some great feedback on the last ‘Something for the weekend’, so I thought I would do another!

I really love this time of year in Derbyshire….there’s always something to do, whether it’s a fair, carnival or traditional event the county offers something for everyone and with the weather being so very kind to us, there’s no better reason to head out for the day.

If you haven’t planned your weekend yet, maybe this post will help you decide…..

Chatsworth Estate
Saturday 30^th & Sunday 31^st May
Chatsworth are holding their first ever food and drinks fair this weekend, which I think I’ll head over to.  The fair is located on the hill leading up towards the stables.  There will be food and drinks producers from all over the Midlands, from Sheep dip malt whisky, cider perry fruit wine, handmade farmhouse cheeses and freshly made organic pancakes will be among the delicious goods on offer.  

Other ‘fabulous places‘ within the Chatsworth Estate are the Farm Shop Restaurant, Farm Shop, Interiors Shop & Carriage House Restaurant.  

 
Bakewell Farmers Market
Agricultural Business Centre Bakewell
Saturday 30^th May
I love a good farmers market and Bakewell’s is pretty fantastic for great produce.  The market offers a wide variety of locally produced foods for sale under cover at the Agricultural Business Centre, which is easily signposted as your approach the town.   The market runs from 9am – 2pm.

‘Fabulous places’ to visit while you’re in Bakewell are Chalet Home, Treeline Gallery, The Style House and Ag Gallery.

Chesterfield Farmers Market
Sunday 31^st May
Situated in the centre of town, the market runs from 10am – 2pm.

While you’re in Chesterfield some great ‘fabulous places’ to visit are Koo coffee Shop & Koo Deli, Libby’s and Created Gallery.

Other great ideas while the weather is so good are: 

Ice cream from Bluebells 

Lunch ourside at the Bottlekiln – there’s something quite wonderful about catching up with friends over lunch in the garden.  Quiche and salad washed down with sparkling Belvoir Elderflower, yum!  The Bottlekiln are also running a promotion where there is 25% off all their British handmade art pieces and jewellery.  I highly recommend a browse….I picked up a gorgeous necklace today.

Right, must go and prepare for this evening’s BBQ!  Have a fabulously British weekend!

I was so surprised to find out the fabulousplaces.co.uk blog had been nominated for the Dorset Cereals little blog competition!  I’d like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who have taken the time to vote for me over the past few weeks!  )

THE COMPETITION IS NOT OVER JUST YET….the winner is the blog with the most votes at the end of May, so there’s plenty of time to scoop that fabulous first place position.  Please take a moment to click here and place your vote…I will be eternally grateful!  

Debs

Looking for something to do this weekend?  Why not get out and about and visit some fabulous places in Derbyshire?  fabulousplaces.co.uk is the perfect ‘where to go’ resource if you’re looking for an extra special visit into Derbyshire.  This blog post is looking at the A6 journey into Derbyshire, starting from Duffield and ending at Avant Garde in Baslow.

Gifted is a lovely gift boutique on the main road in Duffield.  From jewellery to bags and homwares to childrens traditional toys.  Gifted is open 7 days a week.

Next on the A6 is Belper which has lots of fabulous places:


I Should Cocoa – a must see for all chocolate lovers.  This is artisan chocolate at its best and the selection is to die for…there are even a few surprising chocolates for the adventurous chocolate fan.  I Should Cocoa also have a lunch menu which is perfect for a light bite at a great price.  I Should Cocoa is open Monday to Saturday.

Fresh Basil – a fab deli eatery offering a great range of carefully selected local and continental deli produce, homemade cakes, bread, meats, eggs and lots of other tempting fresh goodies.  They also have a great menu, which I’m working my way through…delicious!  Fresh Basil is open Monday to Saturday.

Definitely worth a visit is Sweetings Interiors.  On several floors, this interiors shop is a wonderful place to lose an hour wondering round getting  lots of inspiration. Sweetings is open 7 days a week.

The next must see is Lavender grey.  This little shop is fabulous, each time I visit I know there will be something to tempt me.  Run by Lucy, an interior designer, who is always happy to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.  Lavender grey is open Tuesday to Saturday. 

Next would have to be Bow at the Printworks in Cromford.  I wonderful little shop full of accessories for the home, jewellery and cards.  What I love about Bow is that each item is carefully selected by the owner, Susanna, and the prices are very reasonable.  Susanna also sources locally and stocks lots of products made from all over Derbyshire.



Heading a little further towards Bakewell, I always stop off at Caudwells Mill.  The Mill has such a lovely atmosphere on a sunny day and the eatery is great….the hommity pie is delicious and the cakes always look and taste fab.

 After Caudwells Mill I would go for a wonder around the Chatsworth Estate.  A mid afternoon walk around Chatsworth is a treat.  The best walk, in my opinion, and it’s totally free, is to head up through the car park and follow the track past the farm yard and round to the right.  This takes you up to the back of the house, a great view and there are also magical-looking lakes, waterfalls and woodland – the perfect place to head with doggies and it’s normally very quiet.

Our Chatsworth ritual is to finish off in the farm shop to get sausages and other goodies to cook for tea when we get home…or in the case of the caramel slices, to eat in the car on the way home!

I’m not sure how much time you’ll have left, but Avant Garde in Baslow is one of my favourites.

This is a pretty full on day and it can be done with children and/or doggies…especially if you’re lucky like I am and have a partner who’s happy to wonder around with the dogs while I nip into browse round a shop!  ) 

Have fun!

On Wednesday I went to Blackbrook House in Belper to start planning the website’s Summer Fete on the 26th July.  On my way back I decided to stop off in Belper and nip to Fresh Basil to say ‘hi’ and also to get some inspiration for my evening meal. As soon as you walk into Fresh Basil the wonderful array of smells hits you, from bread and homemade cakes to cheeses and olives, this is always followed by a warm welcome.  As always, I went straight to the free range eggs (my favourite), then a piece of coffee cake and I then noticed some brie on the counter top.  I have to say, that brie was the most delicious brie I have ever tasted!  Grilled, it was perfect sat on top of mushroom, chilli and tomato pasta, yum!  If Sam from Fresh Basil is reading this…please can you let me know what it was called?  I’ll definitely be back for some more!

I then called in to see Sid at I Should Cocoa across the road.  I Should Cocoa is one of my favourite places – I love chocolate and coffee, so this place is pretty much heaven in my book!!  I bought a piece of rocky road, a chocolate brownie and a coffee to go…the rocky road is naughty, but far too good to be missed!

Above are images of the brie from Fresh Basil and the rocky road and brownie from I Should Cocoa….I’m afraid I didn’t have chance to take a photo of the coffee cake as my partner, David, immediately took it from me as I entered the house and that was the last I saw of it!!

So, if you’re looking for somewhere to go this weekend…I recommend a stop off in Belper for some food shopping.  While you’re there you can also call into The Little Gallery, Clare’s Beautiful Beads, Lavender grey, Fresh Ground and Sweetings!

I’ve been out and about over the past month visiting fabulous places and producers, visiting the Country Living Fair and doing the first promotional outing for the website this year!

Country Living Spring Fair

A couple of weeks ago I went along to the Country Living Fair, held at the Islington Business Centre in London. The Fair was fantastic and full to the brim with great independent shops and producers. I was delighted to see Clare Gage exhibiting who won the Editors Choice Award – well done Clare! Also attending was Massey and Rogers with their fantastic range of hand printed textiles.

I came away with some great buys and will definitely be going along to the Christmas Fair, November 11th to 15th.

My favourite place for a skinny latte

It really is no surprise that The Bottlekiln Cafe has won awards for their coffee, it’s fabulous! I met a friend there last week and, I have to say, they do the best skinny latte! I love proper coffee and have tried coffees all over Derbyshire and I’m yet to find somewhere that comes close! So, well done The Bottlekiln, keep up the good skinny lattes!

Wirksworth Farmers Market
Saturday 4th April 2009

The first of what will be many outings to promote the website was Wirksworth Farmers Market. What a fantastic event, it was the first farmers market I have attended to promote the website and I’m so glad I did. I met some great producers of both food and goodies for the home.

Here’s what the FP stand looked like…

I found a fabulous producer there too! New to the website is Hearts & Homespun Soaps. The soaps, bath melts and liquid soaps are made by Elaine, in the Amber Valley, using only natural ingredients. They smell fantastic!

Have a wonderful Easter break…there’s no better time to head out and about around Derbyshire!

I thought a blog would be a good idea….now I’m sat here staring at my laptop and my mind has gone blank, typical!

Ok, let’s start from the beginning…
I’m so pleased I decided to launch the website, after lots of long conversations with my partner, David, about how it could work etc. etc….here it is! As much as I’m in my element and loving it, I wasn’t quite prepared for how busy I would become. During every spare moment, I‘ve been visiting new places to feature on the website and, with that, spending lots of money….the problem with visiting all these fabulous places is that they’re full of fabulous things!
Anyone who knows me will agree when I say I’m unable to resist temptation, as much as I try, I’ve found
it’s just not worth fighting it!

Here are some of the places I’ve visited and given the Stamp of Approval:

Lavender Grey, Belper
A beautiful little shop selling gorgeous home accessories. Lucy, the owner, is an interior designer and it certainly shows in the way the shop is presented.

Wheatcrofts Wharf, Cromford
This has to be a one of my favourite places to go with my dogs, Molly & Toby. The cafe is perfect for a spot of lunch sat outside by the canal.

The Cake Sculptor, Shipley
What can I say….Ali makes the most amazing cakes and cupcakes!! She’s a talented lady and very passionate about what she does, which shows in every cake she makes.

Scarthin Books, CromfordAll Harry Potter lovers will lose themselves here. I walked around expecting a character from the movies to come whizzing round the corner. The cafe is great, selling an array of vegetarian and vegan treats. Clare Gage Ceramics, Chesterfield Clare Gage makes slip cast porcelain ceramics which are sold in galleries around the country. You can view Clare’s work at Created Gallery in Chesterfield.

Bow @ The Printworks, Cromford
Bow is a fab little shop selling home accessories, jewellery and toiletries. Susanna prides herself in selling an array of products from local suppliers.

I have to say, the website has enabled me to meet some fantastic business people, who have also become friends. They’re all so passionate about what they do and incredibly committed to their customers. The lovely Ali, The Cake Sculptor, has kindly offered me space on her stall at the Denby Food & Gift Fayre at Denby Pottery Visitors Centre on August Bank Holiday Weekend 24th & 25th. Please do pop by, say hello and grab yourself a cupcake!

Great News!! I have arranged an amazing prize for the website’s August Competition…..a spa day for two, including lunch and treatments, at Losehill House Hotel in Hope, Derbyshire. The competition is open to all FP Club members…all you have to do is leave a review for one of the fabulous places featured on the website.
The competition will end at midnight on Sunday 31st August.

Attention all FP Club Members:
I’m thinking about putting an evening together for fabulousplaces.co.uk Club Members and thought I would ask for your feedback…would you come along and do you have any suggestions on what you would like the evening to include? I would try and arrange for it to take place at one of the fabulous places featured on the website. Please click here to send me your feedback. Thanks!

Congratulations to Ann Cooper!! Ann was the lucky winner of the July Competition prize….a hamper full of fabulous things from fabulous places.