The Asparagus Shed

Sprouting seeds

2011-12-17T19:07:00.000Z

I picked up this three tier seed sprouter at a jumble sale for a pound. Perfect for sprouting seeds in three days. Nutritious food and economical food.

COLLECTING - BADGES

2011-07-25T16:27:00.001+01:00

I collect all kinds of things - books, pamphlets, catalogues, postcards, ephemera, paintings, drawings, salt-n-pepper pots, prints, etc. Oh, and badges.

This is an unusual badge think as I believe 'The National Amalgamated Workers' Union predates the Transpart & General Workers' Union (TGWU) but my interent researches are inconclusive.

Items like this can be found for sale at Rupert's Gallery Shop.

HOLT - WHO GOES THERE?

2011-07-25T16:14:00.000+01:00

I did, this week as it happens. While many were in the queue for breakfast at Byfords as the "in place" in Holt, the 10-out-of-10 eating establishment to visit in the town is The Owl Restaurant and Bakery. Fantastic bread, quiches and cakes; and restaurant food of the highest standard at very reasonable prices. So, brilliant bakers and chefs all under one roof!

To date, this is the Number 1 tea house, restaurant and bakery in Norfolk!

PAMPHLETS

2011-07-09T18:44:00.002+01:00

This booklet was published in the 1930s. Unbelievably, for today's world, it was published with the loop of string attached to hang up in a busy kitchen.

For all our TV chefs and food shows, the history of food illustrates that we're not as 'right on' now as we think we are.

You can find items like this or sale on my eBay Rupert's Gallery Shop.

COLLECTING IS A RELATIONSHIP WITH HISTORY

2010-09-26T21:07:00.001+01:00

Collecting, for myself, is about a relationship with history; about the 'story' of human beings.

Pamphlets and booklets provide a tremendous source of information, and these slim volumes also provide an insight into social history. Here is a Society newsletter on Fairgrounds from the 1980s. We find people dedicated to preserving the wonderful apparatus of entertainment from the past - rides enjoyed by every man, woman and child.

Pamphlets cover a huge range of subjects and topics - from topographical guides to political tracts. Once again, they can be picked up for a few pence each. Those I'm not collecting I sell via Rupert's Gallery

PUB ASHTRAYS

2010-09-26T20:58:00.001+01:00

Here's a lovely Norwich Bitter Ashtray I recently sold via Rupert's Gallery. With smoking restrictions the pub ashtray is not in so much demand these days, so it is unlikely either ceramic or the strengthened plastic ashtrays will be manufactured for this 'market.' However, many people are collecting ashtrays like this and their 'collectable' value will undoubtedly rise. Look out for them at Jumble Sales and Car Boot Stalls.

I'm no longer a smoker, so I don't collect these ashtrays or anything which reminds me of the weed!!

TINS

2010-09-26T20:36:00.002+01:00

Tins are great items to collect. Made of metal, they can last a life time - and longer. Here is a lovely modern tea tin. Tins and Tea go together, historically and globally. And there are all sorts of tins - tobacco, biscuits, cigarettes, fudge, candles, toys, etc, can all be sold in tins with lids (hinged or pull off). There are tins for spaghetti and tins with moisture absorbing devices.

When we talk of "chocolate box" painting, the painting is more often to be found on a tin. One tin I found at a car boot for pennies, has a Gainsborough painting on it. Though the image is fading, I can still use the tin!

This is what I find so inspiring about tins: they can both be collected and used to store all manner of items (aesthetic and functional). More than this, they can be picked up for pennies. Some tins (like the one featured) I sell on my eBay Shop - Rupert's Gallery.

REVAMP & RELAUNCH HERE SOON...

2010-09-26T20:18:00.002+01:00

As I'm revamping much of my online activity, The Asparagus Shed will be reborn in or by January 2011. 'The Shed' will centre on the following--

Collecting - from jumble sales to auction rooms
Recycling
Food - growing and eating

Lots of links will be included.

Collector's Corner: How We Shaved

2010-03-25T17:59:00.001Z

This is a Rolls Razor. It was used during World War II to sharpen razors but soon fell out of fashion after the war.

Routine Is A Necessity

2009-11-16T17:24:00.001Z

In juggling work and life, routine is a necessity in the kitchen. Here's part of the week's meals ready to be frozen for consumption at my workplace...

Making Bread

2009-11-08T14:33:00.001Z

Here is a 1.5lb loaf I made today in a Morphy Richard's bread machine. My previous machine was hopeless. I found my latest beauty at a local car boot for £3. An absolute bargain as it works very well, dispensing 1lb and 1.5lb loaves.

This is a loaf made of two thirds strong wholemeal flour, one third strong white bread flour. I followed the machine's 'recipe' to the letter, except I used less salt (1 tsp as opposed to the recommended 1.25 tsps). Salt is used to hold back rising and is a preservative. The loaf tastes as good as it looks - the texture of which can be seen in the next photo.

The Texture

2009-11-08T14:31:00.001Z

An Alternative To Meat

2009-01-13T21:42:00.002Z

Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) can be a bit of a joke. Well, the 'chunks' are horrible but TVP mince is probably the most versatile food alongside the potato. It can be purchased very cheaply from any Weigh & Save shop.

The secret of cooking with TVP is to add a lot of flavour to this vegetable mince. Try adding a variety of fresh and dried herbs alongside stock.

Sardines On Toast (Mashed)

2009-01-13T21:25:00.004Z

Sardines are a must: cheap and full of Omega 3.

Though I like sardines on toast straight, Sardine mash on toast, lightly grilled, is a must.

INGREDIENTS

Tin of sardines in tomato sauce

Tomato puree (heaped tablespoon)

One small onion, finely chopped

A quarter of a red, orange or yellow pepper, finely chopped

Dash of Balsamic vinegar

Pepper and a pinch of mild chilli powder (optional)

METHOD

Mix these ingredients together in a small bowl with a fork until mushy. Spread evenly on toast (enough here for 4 rounds of toast) and grill until mash begins to brown and blister. Serve with tomato and cucumber slices.

OPTIONS

Celery can also be added, finely chopped; and low fat mayonnaise is a sauce option.

TIME

From start to mouth: less than 12 minutes

COST

Less than 25p per 'round.'

Best Soup Around

2009-01-13T10:37:00.001Z

You'll find the best/cheapest soup around at any Sainsbury's cafe. The choice in Norwich today was Minestrone or Carrot & Corriander plus a wholemeal roll with Flora low fat marg. As it's self service one can fill the bowl to the brim! All for £1.96.

Corner Cafe, Cromer

2009-01-04T22:07:00.001Z

A cheese & onion toastie doesn't come better than this! The Corner Cafe, High Street, Cromer.

End Of An Era

2008-11-30T21:23:00.003Z

A new Era Begins!

No Allotment, no sheds just myself!

Here will be my Green Shed.

New Allotment

2008-11-07T08:48:00.001Z

Here is my Norwich Allotment - the overgrown plot! Much to do...

Breaking News...

2008-09-09T23:13:00.001+01:00

I have just acquired an allotment in Norwich! This will greatly enhance my quasi-alternative life-style and provide food for thought here!

Little Chef, Lincolnshire

2008-08-19T23:10:00.001+01:00

This one shouldn't appear on The Aspargus Shed. Over priced but nice. Well, actually, tiny portions, over priced. Nil rating.

James and Donald waiting at the station

2008-08-18T08:07:00.001+01:00

A return to the Bure Valley Station, Aylsham, on Saturday...

For breakfast

2008-08-18T08:04:00.002+01:00

Beans again! I believe they make for a good heart. Or is my hearing going?

Bure Valley Railway

2008-08-10T17:31:00.003+01:00

Twenty minutes to the next train. Time for a snack!

Beans on Toast

2008-08-10T17:31:00.002+01:00

This is what I call beans on toast! Waiting around in Aylsham my colleague and I stumbled upon a railway station - The Bure Valley 17" gauge line to Wroxham. Best of all it has an excellent and expansive cafe, The Whistlestop. The cafe serves a range of light snacks throughout the day - each and every day - at very reasonable prices. There are tables in the sun and superbly kept toilets (handy for the beans!)

Tyre Man Rating 10 out of 10!

Recipe of the month: Cuppa Soup

2008-07-21T00:04:00.002+01:00

Strapped for cash and time? Cuppa Soup is the answer. Actually, if you read the labels carefully you can find excellent 4-packet soups which are both low in fat and almost nutritious! With a roll (I prefer mine toasted) a light lunch can be had for 30p in around six minutes!

The Take Away, Cromer

2008-07-19T22:45:00.003+01:00

Here is my jacket potato with onion and cream cheese filling at The Take Away, Cromer. Though it is a 'take away' there are three tables in the cafe. The choice of food is good, the ambiance is pleasant and the staff very friendly.

Michelin Tyre Man Rating - 10 out of 10

Wiveton Hall Fruit Farm Cafe

2008-06-22T22:36:00.001+01:00

A wonderful place to visit is Wiveton Hall Fruit Farm between Blakeney and Cley-next-the-Sea on the North Norfolk Coast. It can be accessed by road from Cley or on foot through coastal woods from Blakeney. It's a PYO fruit farm and boasts an amazing 'straight from the farm' organic meals.

Considering the quality and ethos of the Cafe it is not expensive and is very healthy! A nice, relaxed atmosphere too.

10 out of 10 on the Tyre Man scale.

My travel companion and I shared a giant bread pudding with cream! We'd intended to eat fresh globe artichokes with new mint potatoes with a kitchen salad but hey-ho!

Eating out in Blakeney

2008-06-22T22:22:00.002+01:00

My travelling companion and I looked around Blakeney on the North Norfolk Coast for a suitable cafe. Blakeney is a bit 'snobby' and we weren't surprised to be turned away from The Moorings with "I'm afraid we're fully booked for lunch."

Then we discovered The Kabin on the Quay. My friend chose this Breakfast Sandwich while I supped a decaff tea. Very good value.

Michelin Tyre Man's rating - 10 out of 10.

Here's The Kabin

2008-06-22T22:21:00.002+01:00

Evidence

2008-06-22T19:55:00.001+01:00

Here is proof The Asparagus Shed is moving forward. I've fixed two wheels on the back of it.

Chips in Southwold

2008-06-14T22:24:00.003+01:00

I couldn't take a photo of the bakery visited in Stradbroke, Suffolk, today but it is well worth a visit. Though all the baking is fresh and service good, one is taken back forty years to shops of my adolescence - so it is a must visit place! Oh, it's called The Bakery.

***

I feel obliged to buy chips in Southwold on every visit. There are lovely cafes, restaurants and food shops but they're pricey and, well, not in keeping with my budget! Chips are the alternative.

Anyway, there's only one place to buy chips in Southwold (or have I missed somewhere?) It's by The Pier. Small chips were £1.50p, large chips £1.95p and a fish cake with chips £4.50p! Service was ok but the chips were not only expensive but bright yellow! Have they got some League of Gentleman style lard or GM oil they fry them in?!

The Tyre Man says 0 out of 10! Don't buy them. Enjoy the rest of the cafes in Southwold and avoid a lardy heart.

The View Restaurant

2008-06-08T21:34:00.004+01:00

I must apologise to Vegetarians coming to The Asparagus Shed but I'd been watching Riverside Cottage on TV last night...

Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, boasts many posh (and expensive) cafes and restaurants. But if you're really hungry before noon there's none better than The View Restaurant, a first floor gaff overlooking the Quay. This breakfast was £4.75, including coffee and tea (decaff as well). The service was excellent and there are stunning views of the Quay from the window.

They also serve a "builder's breakfast" - twice the size of the one pictured for £5.50!

This cafe has a sure 10 out of 10 from the Tyre Man

***

After noon, 'The View Restaurant' runs a full restaurant menu, including a wide range of vegetarian dishes.

I'll be off gathering samphire in a couple of weeks when I'll get back to all things veggie!

Ice Cream Bay

2008-05-30T23:05:00.002+01:00

If you're on The Broads or passing by you can pick up an ice cream - on the water or on the staithe, mooring or beach! The ice cream boat operates around Wroxham, Salhouse and Ranworth. I picked up a delicious cornet on land at Salhouse

Ranworth Church Tea Shop

2008-05-30T22:53:00.002+01:00

A place you must visit is Ranworth Church Tea Shop on the Norfolk Broads. Wonderful service from volunteers and the best of afternoon teas anywhere (here's my honey and almond slice).

The Tea Shop is in an old coach house near Ranworth Church. The church invites visitors to climb 89 steps, two ladders and open a trap door to reach the tower. Given my vertigo, I was more interested in this 10 out of 10 tea shop!

The Woodbine Cafe has had a face lift

2008-05-29T16:51:00.002+01:00

The Woodbine Cafe, Lowestoft, has had an improving face lift, inside and out. But is the range of food and beverages the same? Of course! The Woodbine is almost institutional....

Photograph by John Ellerby

What a bird

2008-05-29T08:52:00.001+01:00

I found these two fine characters in Loddon, Norfolk. Is this what they mean when they say: produce sourced locally?

The wrong pyjams?

2008-05-29T08:51:00.001+01:00

Rosy Lee's, Loddon

2008-05-29T08:42:00.002+01:00

Another 'must visit' cafe is Rosy Lee's in Loddon, Norfolk. Though this is not a 'coastal cafe' it's a short drive to the sea.

Rosy's is intimate and full of character. The cafe serves a wide range of meals, from breakfasts and lunches to afternoon teas. Produce is sourced locally and there is much information in the cafe about The Broads and local walks. Try a pot of tea and home made cake (the tea pot can be topped up with extra hot water, which is a bargain).

Michelin Tyre Man's rating - 10 out of 10.

***

Somerleyton's Post Office/Garden Cafe was also briefly visited (a bit like entering someone's front room) and a return visit is a must.

Worth a visit

2008-05-18T17:43:00.000+01:00

A lovely cafe to visit is the slightly retro Kingfisher Cafe at Walcott, Norfolk (near but not close to the Bacton Gas Terminal on the coast road).

They serve delicious ice cream and cakes. The service is excellent.

10 out of 10 on the Michelin Tyre Man scale.

Rupert's Guide to Coastal Cafes

2008-05-04T23:13:00.000+01:00

Michelin Tyre Man Scores:-

5 to 10 - a must visit cafe
1 to 4 - try this cafe
0 - get your money back, walk away and report!

***

I'm generous in my scoring. Ten out of ten goes to the Copper Kettle in Sheringham and The Woodbine in Lowestoft.

Worst Fish & Chips Cafe in UK?

2008-05-04T22:53:00.000+01:00

Is this the worst Fish & Chips Cafe in the UK? Probably. Sea Palling is a lovely Norfolk coastal village to visit. Hundreds of people visit this Fish & Chips Cafe every day in summer. Given it's a bank holiday weekend how could this gaff run out of chips at 1pm at lunchtime!

The woman who runs the place is very rude. Yes, we know the stress but this is the cafe from hell where four of us demanded our money back today!

I'm sure no other fish & chips cafe has used a potato shortage as an excuse since the 1850s.

Appalling Sea Palling!

I cleared the table

2008-05-04T22:52:00.000+01:00

Here's my table - after I stacked the debris!

Rupert's Guide: 0 out of 10

Buttercups Cafe

2008-04-28T08:17:00.000+01:00

Buttercups Cafe, High Street, Cromer

Afternoon Cream Tea

2008-04-28T08:16:00.000+01:00

Buttercups Cafe offers exceptional afternoon cream teas. A large warmed scone, butter, clotted cream and four jams to choose from for £1.90p.

Table 3

2008-04-28T08:15:00.000+01:00

Here is table three at Buttercups Cafe. Note pristine table cloth and 'sugar cover.'

This is a waitress service cafe in the centre of Cromer. It serves a range of savoury snacks, cakes and cream teas. The cafe stocks a large range of different coffees and teas, including decaff.

The cafe has old world charm without being pretentious. All the food is reasonably priced. My granary bread cheese and red onion toastie was served with a fresh side salad for £4.10p.

If you don't want fish & chips in Cromer, Buttercups is a refreshing alternative.

Rupert's Guide: 10 out of 10

Artichoke, Carrot & Parsnip Soup

2008-03-28T17:25:00.000Z

RECIPE ONE

Artichoke, carrot and parsnip soup

Ingredients:

one lb of jerusalem atichokes
two large carrots
two parsnips
two tablespoons of mash potato (to thicken - optional)
vegetarian stock cube
clove of garlic (finely chopped)
small handful of fresh coriander
Water (to blend and extend)

To do:

Boil artichokes for 20 mins. Cool and scoop out white hearts. Place in food mixer.
Boil carrots and parsnips in big chunks for 15 mins. Place in food mixer.
Whizz these together until combined but not too smooth.
Add other ingredients and whizz together for one minute.

To thicken, add mash potato; to thin, add a little water.

Serve: hot with crusty toast.

Summer alternative: skip the potato and thin with water, adding further fresh coriander at the last moment in the food processor. Let the soup cool and then place in fridge for a sunny cold soup. Serve with home made croutons.

The Test: this tasty soup makes four bowls worth. My artichokes came straight from the allotment and smoked garlic came from one of those huge French strings hanging up in my kitchen, thereby the cost (including power) is estimated at £1.20.

Time taken: 40 mins.

Served with two spoons!

2008-03-25T20:57:00.000Z

This is a huge rhubarb sponge and custard dessert I enjoyed at The Woodbine, Lowestoft, today. So big, it was served with two spoons!

If you visit Lowestoft you must go to The Woodbine Cafe. It has been an institution for very many years. It wrongly has a reputation as a 'greasy spoon' but this cafe is not only steeped in history, it serves an incredible range of meals and snacks at low prices.

I reckon their menu selection is larger than any other cafe or restaurant in East Anglia! Today I enjoyed an excellent ham and mushroom omelette with side salad and bread & butter. They also serve mighty big breakfasts alongside sardines on toast and decaff coffee!

I hope The Woodbine is around another 100 years. Do visit.

COMING UP...

2008-03-25T20:41:00.000Z

I'm relaunching The Asparagus Shed, though I am presently without a allotment!

Much of it will be fun-stuff but there will be a serious side too. The following will appear on a regular basis:-

Recipes (at least two a month)
Bargains - a whole new approach to shopping
Handy household hints
Growing your meals - from window sill to allotments
fun photos
eco issues and politics
and more

2008

2008-03-15T21:25:00.000Z

My hatred of TV chefs and cooks finds me re-awakening The Asparagus Shed! None of them know what our lives are like. All their cooking is for toffs; all their cooking is against the working family (in the myriad ways of 'family'); all their huff and puff is there to make us feel guility and at the same time, make us spend, spend, spend on their books, and at their crap restaurants and their chosen supermarkets.

Sod this.

The challenge is on. For Me and You.

THE CHALENGE
1. Make a meal for one for 50p
2. Make a meal for two for £1
3. Make a meal for four for £2
4. Entertain on a tenner
5. And make them relatively healthy in the minimum of time!

REVAMP 2007!

2007-04-29T20:55:00.000+01:00

Wild fruits

2006-08-15T17:34:00.000+01:00

I collected blackberries and rose hips from North Denes, Lowestoft, today

Making Bullace Jelly

2006-08-01T20:56:00.000+01:00

An incredibly simple recipe: the juice of the fruit and sugar - and Bull's your jelly!

Bullace Jelly

2006-08-01T20:54:00.000+01:00

And here's the finished product. Yum.

Can you see the bullace fruit?

2006-08-01T20:53:00.000+01:00

Here is part of my huge bullace bush. Bullace are related to the sloe and come in many different colours and sizes but are all delicious. I snapped this from my shed as the first rain for six weeks came down. Yes!

From my allotment

2006-08-01T20:52:00.000+01:00

Potatoes, onions, courgettes and bullace...

Supermarket Kiwi

2006-07-15T19:23:00.000+01:00

Friend Claire took an over ripe kiwi fruit and smeared it over compost. Looked after it. Wow. Now she's huge kiwi trees climbing her garden walls!

Saturday Came

2006-07-15T18:51:00.000+01:00

What a beautiful day in Lowestoft - full sun but a wonderful sea breeze.

My allotment is on the A12 to Gt. Yarmouth. It is a triangular affair of just 5 rods. The long edge of the triangle faces the A12 and is an utterly brilliant hedgerow containing three types of bullace and sloe bushes too. From May to September, the leaves entirely mask the sound and sight of traffic. The bullace themselves are nectar - from a dark red variety to a mustard field yellow.

The first bullace have ripened and their taste is better than any strawberry. There are tens of kilos of heaven hanging there to ripen - which I of course share with my fellow allotmenteers.

Today, I found a gooseberry bush within the scrub beneath the hedgrerow - that beautiful sweet pink variety.

***

Saturday's tasks:-

I had to double-water all plants from the standpipe because the close hedge row and trees sap all water away. It is very difficult to grow root vegetables on the plot.

I dug out 8 horeseradish plants on the fringe of my plot for allotmenteer friend Al. He wants to grow them as a 'crop.' I'm not so sure about that - but I was amazed how easy it was to dig them out (like you're always told it's a near impossible task).

Dug out more grass. This is properly my second year visa ve a proper harvest but I still have 200 sq ft to dig to fully realise the potential of my tiny triangle of heaven.

I have such ideas. My plot is so scrappy and there's a mound at one side. By next summer I will turn this dusty mound into a mountain of wild flowers.

What a wonderful day.

The Good Life

2006-07-14T20:24:00.000+01:00

Over the summer I will be posting here a 'Good Life Diary.' It will not be the middle-class gush of that 1970s programme, which ended up apologising for the class divide. My diary will be oppositional: I am on a small income but want to share a good life among others via my efforts.

I live in a first storey flat with no access to a garden or patio or ledge. Neither can I house a bicycle. My allotment is my garden, my gym and my social network. An allotment is an amazing working forum for learning, whatever age one is.

More than this, my allotment diary will chart the struggle to live on a budget - and to celebrate dirt under fingers and wind in the hair.

Watch this space!

1,000 courgettes

2006-07-13T16:00:00.000+01:00

July and my allotment is cropping well. I'm buried in courgettes already. I've 44 different vegetables, fruits and herbs growing on my 5 rods, and have begun to dig out the remaining grass to create a third more ground to crop. I'm also converting an old mound into a wildlife feature.

Yesterday I dug up a couple of horseradish roots and made sauce from the stringy things.

The Asparagus Gnome

2006-07-13T15:22:00.000+01:00

Artichokes

2006-06-14T13:09:00.000+01:00

My bullace hedge

2006-06-14T13:07:00.001+01:00

June on the allotment

2006-06-14T13:06:00.000+01:00

More pie, less Shepherd

2006-04-21T11:46:00.000+01:00

Summer maybe round the corner but there's always a place for vegetarian Shepherd's Pie (as dished up by Mrs. A. J. Blade from Ipswich)

Ingredients

1lb mashed potato (with a little butter and milk)
1 cup of granulated TVP
1 onion
6-10 button mushrooms
3 heaped tablespoons of tomato puree
1 level teaspoon of mustard powder
2 vegetable stock cubes
4 oz of finely grated cheddar cheese
1 or two garlic cloves
Pinch of chili powder (optional)
olive oil
a little Parmesan cheese (optional)

Pour two cup fulls of boiling water over one cup of TVP granules and stand.
In a large pan fry the finely chopped onions. Add sliced mushrooms.
Drain TVP and add to the pan.
To the pan then add the tomato paste, mustard powder, stock cubes, garlic and chili powder and grated Parmesan (optional). Note: there should be enough water in the TVP to mix in the ingredients. If not, add a little water. Simmer for ten minutes.

Oven set at 200C. Pour 'pie' mixture into a suitable bowl then cover with a thin layer of mashed potato - not more than 1/2 inch in depth, for this is the 'secret' of this dish!

Grate over cheddar cheese and place in the oven for 30 mins on 200C and then on 150C for a further 20 mins.

Serve with green beans.

Closer shaves

2006-04-19T00:10:00.000+01:00

I was passing through Lowestoft and a thought struck me: the men of the town require closer shaves on the cheap.

For a really closer shave lather up your bristles after your daily shower or bath. Ladies do it in the bath I'm told (they know the secret); and men will find their facial pores open after showering or bathing, and thus, whether a Bic disposable or one of these awful new profiteering 'multi-blade' inventions, you'll be as facially silky as - silk!

Faithfully,

Mr. Shingler (latest publication 'Another Hundred Useful Household Tips')

Everything you ever wanted to know about

2006-04-13T16:21:00.000+01:00

Watercress

Meals on a Budget 2

2006-04-05T12:07:00.000+01:00

Do try this delicious budget Spring meal sent in by Mrs A. J. Blade from Ipswich

Hot Fish Cakes

INGREDIENTS

One lb of mashed potato
A large tin (500g) of salmon
Four heaped tablespoons of hot horseradish sauce
A large bunch of Spring onions
Two eggs
A little flour
Breadcrumbs

Place mash in a bowl and add the salmon (well drained).
Finely chop the Spring onions and at the the bowl.
Add two heaped tablespoons of hot horseradish sauce.
Mix thoroughly with your hands.

Note: better and easier if you can leave the mix in the fridge for an hour or so.

Whisk the eggs and place in a shallow bowl. Place flour and breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowls.

Mould mixture between your hands into 'cakes.' Roll each in flour, then dip in the egg and finally roll in breadcrumbs.

Shallow fry in groundnut oil and turn often until golden brown on both sides. Drain the oil. Now the cakes are ready to serve!

SERVING SUGGESTION

Serve with lightly grilled slices of fennel bulb and steamed spinach - or alternatively serve with a fresh green salad.. Oh, and place two further heaped tablespoons of horseradish sauce on the side of your plate!

Food tip

2006-03-07T22:18:00.000Z

Forget marmalade for the moment. Fresh kippers with home made Bullace jam. Delicious.

No digging today

2006-03-01T10:40:00.000Z

My Kitchen Log 1

2006-02-26T13:33:00.000Z

In February (1 to 26) I have made one Parmesan & dried tomato loaf, one white loaf and two wholemeal and white flour loaves in my bread machine at a cost of 1.87p.

***

Food for the week: I have made a large vegetable pasty and some giant cheese straws with the left over pastry (Parmesan and cheddar cheese). I've baked a half-dozen beetroot (in garlic olive oil) and hard boiled a couple of eggs for sandwiches. Also, I have made my own 'smoothie' from a large pink grapefruit, a lemon and three oranges.

For dinner I wrapped a mix of brown rice, green lentils, fennel, onion, balsamic vinegar and herbs in large cabbage leaves, and baked these in a thin vegetable gravy. Shortly before serving I grated cheese over the stuffed cabbage leaves. Lovely with a slice of warm bread.

Today's log

2006-02-26T12:48:00.000Z

I’m very late this year but a sharp cold snap is imminent so I’m busy at my window sill before the weather breaks…

Window sill

Chitting 36 seed potatoes (early)
Planted out 56 onion sets (31 remain in bag)
In card holders, 11 runner beans planted (28 remain)
From last year, 14 marrow seeds planted (21 remain)
Half a packet of Basil sewn
Tub each of mung beans, mustard and cress planted (airing cupboard)

Purchases
Seeds: broad beans, Basil, coriander, beetroot, radish, tomato, leek, broccoli, cucumber, carrot, parsley, courgette, seed potatoes, onion set
(from last year: courgette, parsnip and beetroot)

Compost

Cost: £15.03

My Shed

2006-02-25T18:55:00.000Z

Potatoes

2006-02-25T18:33:00.000Z

I've gone off potatoes recently but it's good to know they have a number of uses...

Friendly gestures mean so much

2006-02-13T18:49:00.000Z

Brian at the Allotment gave me this splendid book. I might not have green fingers but have green thoughts! It was a very nice and thoughtful act - and made my morning. Brian had been keeping the book in his shed for weeks, on the chance he'd catch me on my patch.

I've been away from the Allotment for weeks with a cracked rib. Our sheds have once more been broken into by kids. Nothing stolen, just the pain of no respect.

So, I managed to do 20 minutes digging and know I'm behind many weeks. Brian is already planting out

MR. SHINGLER'S HOUSEHOLD HINTS - 2

2006-01-29T20:29:00.000Z

On “saving energy”

1. During winter months draw your curtains at dusk. This will keep the warmth in and the cold out.

2. If at home during the winter months, put a jumper on. From my experience, wearing a woolly enables one to turn down the heating by 2 degrees centigrade.

3. Double glaze your home for a pound!

You can double or triple glaze your house for as little as a pound with cling film and Sellotape purchased at Poundland. Secure cling film to the top of the window frame (I work from left to right). Cut to required length and secure to the bottom window frame. Continue across until the film covers the entire frame. Make sure you create a completely air tight cavity with the Sellotape.

This works a treat and will save you pounds.

BUDGET MEALS - PART ONE

2006-01-29T00:40:00.000Z

BUDGET MEALS

As suggested by Mrs. A.J. Blade of Ipswich

Goodness, what a world we live in! Massive wealth for a few and poverty for the rest of us. And how things have changed? So many single people and people on a budget. TV cooks never notice. They’re not cooking for us but their millionaire friends.

Alice from Ipswich has made some suggestions for 50p lunches and slap-up dinners for a pound.
Here are a few of Alice’s suggestions for lunch.

LUNCHES
Sardines on toast

“…a tin of sardines comes in at 33p - toast, margarine, etc, makes this delightful lunch not only good for one - Omega 3 - but a snip at around 45 pence…”
“I buy ‘Sardines in brine’ and drizzle a drop of Soy sauce over them, together with a tiny shake of pepper…”

Sardine treats

“If Mrs Bignold drops by at lunchtime I sometimes share a ‘sardine treat’ with her.
Mash up a tin of ‘Sardines in tomato sauce’ in a small bowl. Finely chop half an onion and a third of a red/green pepper and mix into the sardine mush. A little sweet corn, a finely chopped tomato and a very finely chopped mushroom can also be added. I also add a heaped teaspoon of Tesco Basic mayonnaise. Mash all until mixed.

Spread on toast and grill for five minutes. Very tasty. Mrs Bignold has calculated our lunch at around 40 pence per head - ours, not the sardines’!”

Beans on toast

“Always buy budget tins of baked beans - they’re all much of a muchness from 15 pence to 49 pence. Brands indeed…”

“I always add a sliver of butter to the beans. I have a hearty lunch for under 30 pence!”

“Oh yes, variety is the spice of life, so do add a pinch of curry powder and raisins for that ‘warm’ winter lunch…”

“Also remember, a whole tin of beans is for two, so place half the beans in a small bowl and refrigerate for another luncheon.”

Thankyou Alice

MR. SHINGLER'S HOUSEHOLD HINTS

2006-01-29T00:37:00.000Z

MR. SHINGLER’S HOUSEHOLD HINTS

1. Shiny teaspoons
Teaspoons tarnish easily. Disperse a heaped tablespoon of detergent (Daz or budget Tesco) in a cup full of warm water. Rest your tarnished spoons in there overnight. With a little wipe, hey-presto, sparkling teaspoons.

2. Make paper kitchen rolls go further
Always running out of kitchen rolls? Using too many sheets for the job? Quite simply take a saw to your kitchen roll and make two rolls from one. Place both on the kitchen roll stand. Use top roll first - and be surprised how long your kitchen rolls now last!

3. The many uses of rubber bands - No 1
Modern plastic toothpaste tubes are inefficient, for they won’t ’roll up’ from the end as they used to. Often this leads to waste - let alone frustration. Press paste to neck of tube, roll up behind, then hold in place with a rubber band would around several times.

Note - rubber bands for free: My postman often drops rubber bands around my doorstep. Save these. Now they are red they are a lot more appealing.

From Broad Beans To Rubber Bands and Broadband

2006-01-25T18:31:00.000Z

To celebrate going on broadband, there will be an array of regular features here in The Asparagus Shed!

There will be more serious items on my collections: - match labels, booklets and skillets; postcards; print ephemera; art catalogues; car boot cast offs and more. Also featured will be the small allotment which surrounds my mighty shed and all the attendant issues - from growing veg to bird watching, from some worthy environmental issues to serious cooking.

Yet, what is this Shed but a lightness of being, so we'll be mixing gravy with gravity, as it were, the grand dibber of life stirring this quaint country stew. And regular items will include old favourites with the new:

Asparagus Tips
Culinary Capers
The Menu Board
Mr. Shingler's Household Hints
From Butterflies To Beasts

So, the kettle's on and the lamp is flickering...

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE SHED!

2006-01-02T19:00:00.000Z

Happy New Year from The Shed!

Now ressurected, lots coming up here: food tips, allotment tips, economy tips, tipping tips and asparagus tips. Here Food meets 'Flog It.'

Also, here will be posted details of my collections - matchboxes and labels, postcards, art catalogues, books, print ephemera and bones.

Pass by my Shed for a virtual cuppa, info and tips - from recipes to erecting sheds; from wildlife to wild!

YOUR STARTER FOR TEN

2005-12-25T16:20:00.000Z

I call this 'Fried Egg In A Nest.' It's a cheesy meat ball on a ring of apple and onion surrounded by pickled samphire. Delicious at Christmas.

Colin gave the description 9 out of 10. On viewing this new culinary delight, Colin gave it 3 out of 10 and 3 out 10 is about the taste of it too. Obviously, it's a 'work in progress' dish (presently resting in the swing bin).

CHRISTMAS DINNER

2005-12-24T15:06:00.000Z

Starter
Parmesan and cold beef balls on wafer thin rings of apple, onion and beetroot, with pickled samphire.

Main course
Roast organic turkey breast rubbed with butter, sea salt, black pepper and garlic.
Home grown roast potatoes and parsnips.
Fried sliced sprouts with diced gammon, roasted sesame seeds and garlic.
Home grown honeyed carrots and buttered runner beans.
Stebbing’s pork sausages and Yorkshire pudding.
Home made chestnut stuffing slice, and home made apple, onion and sage stuffing balls.
Gravy.

Dessert
Pear halves in Moscato wine and Christmas fruits (figs, apricots and raisins) in a rum syrup, with sour cream.

Culinary Caper 1

2005-07-20T17:55:00.000+01:00

Ripening has been slow on my tree-bound dry allotment plot, so cropping has so far been thin.

However, here is 'Rupert's Two Soups' recipe.

Chuck beetroot tops in a big pot of water and bring to the boil with leaf beet. Take off the heat. Throw in carrots, broad and runner beans, peas, parsnips, onions and any other vegetables at hand. Add garlic and stock. Boil again for 30 minutes, then leave off the heat to 'stew,' preferably overnight.

Bring back to the boil, then drain off vegetables to create a clear lunchtime soup (crumble Cheshire cheese over the soup).

Blanched of colour, the remaining vegetables do not look appetising. However, puree vegetables in a processor for a thicker evening soup. Delicious.

GOT A NEW SHED!

2005-07-20T17:51:00.000+01:00

With help from Al, we transported a shed from Annie's near Oulton Broad to my allotment. Phew!

It's still in pieces but will be up by mid-August. It is 7' by 5' and has real character. Now they call me Two Sheds Rupert.

NEW FEATURE: tip of the day! Wednesday

2005-07-20T17:45:00.000+01:00

Don't forget to take off male flowers from your cucumbers - otherwise they'll be bitter indeed.

LEMONS

2005-06-20T19:03:00.000+01:00

Surely, none of us really believes in saving squeezed and zested lemon halves as a means of combating snails on the plot? They work! Half bury used lemon halves around cabbages, courgettes and the like and wake up to a handful of shells!

Ah, just one Asparagus Tip?

I've a mix of chilli and pepper plants indoors. Don't let insects beat you to the task: take a small paint brush and pollinate from chilli flower to chilli flower - from pepper flower to pepper flower - and this way you won't weaken the heat of your chilli by cross-pollination.

Ah, a BOGOF Asparagus Tip!

I have a very small allotment plot (nothing to boast about!)

Actually, it is a triangular 5 rod plot, tree-lined down one side and really hemmed in by bushes as well. I have two acute angle corners. These 'dead' spaces I will utilise by erecting another shed in one and a third 'leaf mould' heap in the other. Utilising space - it's lack - is the story of my life. Yet, utilising every inch is not just the poor man's lot but fundamental to being an ANTI-SYSTEM gardener.

What do I mean by ANTI-SYSTEM? Well, every gardening book and programme promotes rotation plots, raised beds, block planting, row planting. Yes, if I were a farmer or a small holder I'd probably bend to the 'rules.'

In the USSR and Eastern Bloc countries, when they were controlled by that Stalinist State Capitalism regime, collectivisation of farming was really its opposite: peasant farmers weren't tilling the fields for their families or their brothers and sisters, but for a faceless bureaucracy. In statistical farming terms, an acre of fertile soil can produce 100%. Steadily, the hungry peasants and farm labourers ended up producing just 20% to 30% of expectations, of 'targets.'

Meanwhile, in their postage stamp gardens - a yard of waste earth here and there around their awful living quarters, their tower blocks, they'd produce the impossible - 110% and more.

I saw precisely this in Moscow in 1992. The place was just an edifice of concrete and bricks. Walking round the back of a huge housing high-rise complex there was a tiny garden - the most beautiful flowering and productive garden I've ever seen.

Roy Castle used to sing: "I'm a record breaker!" What's a blinkin record when one can sing: "I'm an allotment holder!"

Call that a tip?

THREE TIPS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!

My friend

2005-06-12T22:40:00.000+01:00

My friend is back! What loyalty. I last saw this robin nine months ago when I began digging over the scrub of my allotment - and has now returned! He/she follows me around my plot and nearly landed on my head the other day.

An elderly man across the way from me, who's had his plot for many years, has an allotment black and white cat. It's not exactly his cat but sits in his plot daily waiting for him.

The allotment is said to have its own fox and in a town full of pigeons the one thing we don't have is a pigeon problem.

Ah, I don't have a religion as such but if I did 'allotment' would replace 'garden' in my book.

SIX TIPS FOR THE NEW MOON IN JUNE

2005-06-12T21:58:00.000+01:00

Six tips for June

1. On the East Coast it's time to thin out plants - particularly lettuce. Use even the tiny leaves of lettuce for a fresh salad.

2. Not all weeds are weeds. Adolescent dandelion leaves are excellent in an early salad and the bright yellow flowers attract all sorts of insects which would otherwise be eating the veg.

3. Secure your shed from gales. Either drive in lengths of 'L' angle brackets at two corners and secure. Ideal for this are old metal bedframes. Cut two long lengths and hammer down into the ground 'tight' to opposing corners and fasten. For myself, four metal curtain rods have served the purpose, hammered in twos around opposing corners, securing my shed from the storms of global warming.

4. I love flowers but don't grow them! But of course I do - Nasturtiums produce beautiful flowers - and the leaves and flowers can be used in salads, while the seeds can be used in pickling. Marigold is another. Young leaves can also be used in salads while the dried flowers can be crushed to brighten up rice dishes.

5. And talking of flowers - once courgette, marrow and pumpkin flowers have successfully pollinated, the whole flower-head can be eaten (shallow fried in a little butter or quality olive oil, or deep fried in a light batter - though I personally would never deep fry anything).

6. I have bullace in abundance growing in my hedgerow. These are tiny fruits, a little like wild plums. Always be on the look out for free food (though you may not get a free lunch).

Ah, six more tips from The Asparagus Shed!

THE PHILLUMENY COLLECTION

2005-05-17T09:59:00.000+01:00

THE TOKAIDO ROAD

In 1832 Hiroshige painted a series of views of the two terminals and fifty-three stopping places on the journey from Edo to Kyoto along the Tokaido Road...

Here are the first ten - reproduced for a series of fifty-five matchboxes. This forms part of my collection of matchbox labels, skillets and book matches. Look out for more postings from my Pillumeny Collection.

From The Flaming Phillumenist!

Uses of A Spirit Level

2005-05-16T19:03:00.000+01:00

Pound shops are very useful for somethings (face paint, string in a can, bin liners) but do not buy a metre spirit level for a quid or you may end up with a leaning cold frame like mine. I had all the measurements and the plan but the first thing I did on site was to stand on the spirit level (turning it into a set square) and thereby I ended up with a lean all round. Still, not every cold frame boasts a carpet!

Asparagus Tips!

1. Asparagus takes two to three years to mature. Unless your life is Asparagus, get down to Lidls and buy a bunch for 75p. Lidls is the best supermarket. Avocados are very cheap at Lidls - but eat within 36 hours of purchase.

2. Plant out coriander weekly or fortnightly across the summer - both at your allotment and on your window sill. Use fresh leaves in all your cooking - summer soups, with fish and in salads. Green seeds can be used unground but the coriander seed soon becomes hardened. Keep the brown seeds whole and grind the seeds - as and when - during winter.

3. We need more bees! Global warming is truly apon us. We're rightly worried about a decline in birds but the bee is nature's real champion, scurrying between flowers to pollinate vegetables and fruits. In doors or in the greenhouse, I'm afraid a small artist's brush is now our bee: regularly dust from flower to flower. This is not very sexy but it's better than painting by numbers.

4. Mint spreads like a weed, turning up next year among the carrots. Plant mint in pots.

5. TV Gardeners have done to the soil what Pam Ayres did to poetry. Gardening doesn't have to rhyme.

6. I've taken orange and lemon skins to my allotment to 'trial' these as snail traps. Luckily, this doesn't require a spirit level.

Ah, Six Aspargus Tips

Allotment Tips from The Asparagus Shed

2005-05-06T18:46:00.000+01:00

This is my shed. I found this piece of guttering and a fellow allotmenteer gave me the butt. It works but...

HOT TIPS

1. An organic fertiliser can be made from weeds. Place torn nettles and comfrey in a barrel. Pour over water and stir occasionally. Both plants break down well to provide your veg and fruit with a welcome tonic. Good enough to drink - BUT DON'T!

***

2. Rather than plant broad beans in a row against netting, plant in a square - one bean planted in each corner 6 inches apart. As they grow, loosely tie together if necessary. Remember the old adage: one for the pot, one for next year's seed, one for the birds and one for the devil.

***

3. Too many tomatoes? A storage tip: make your own sun-dried toms. When ripe but firm, cut into handsome slices and place on grease proof paper and leave outside all day in the brightest sun. Or place your slices in the oven on the very lowest heat for several hours. Pack in layers on wax paper or bung into recycled jam jars and cover with olive oil.

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4. Taken short on the allotment? Don't waste it! Have a bucket or watering can handy in the shed. Get a box, fill with straw or hay and add urine. Turn over occasionally for up to six weeks. Sprinkle fine soil over the straw or hay and then add mushroom spores. Place in a dark corner and heypresto!

***

5. Don't put Ground Elder on your compost heap. The seeds don't rot down and when you dig in you'll just spread this copious weed!

***

6. Cut toilet roll tubes in half. Grow seeds in compost in these on a window sill and once hardened in a cold frame, the seedling in the loo roll can be planted straight into the soil as the card breaks down.

Ah, Six Asparagus Tips

WELCOME TO THE ASPARAGUS SHED

2005-04-24T18:38:00.000+01:00

What, another blinkin blog?! Ah, but wait...

Here at 'The Asparagus Shed' you will find the good life in all its splendid, ironic and quirky reality - recipes and the politics of food; anecdotes and tips from the allotment; bird watching and ramblings; household hints and wise tips; news about collecting matchbox labels, postcards and other ephemera; snapshots on social and ecological issues and so much more. It will be gathered together like a book of useful, incidental and strange information laced with pertinent and impertinent musings - and there will be regular quizzes with prizes and a range of useful links.

Pleas send in your wise tips and information, such as "The first cuckoo of 2005 was heard on a farm just outside Colchester" to mallin1@supanet.com

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Creating 'The Asparagus Shed' means that Rupert's Blog www.mallin.blogspot.com can pursue arts work by myself and others, leaving 'The Shed' free to be cluttered with the jumble of the good life!

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East Coast Arts News www.mallin.blogspot.com will become more regularly updated, while my website http://rupertmallin.info will slowly transmute into a living call centre of the virtual

First quiz: Where is this 'Asparagus Shed?' Answers by May 31st. The winner will receive something really useful from my allotment.