A quick hello :)

Good morning! It's our last full day today. Tomorrow we are going to this before heading home:

http://www.tastecumbria.com/

I must resist all the 'bargains' on display... Something happens to your brain at a food festival where suddenly three small jars of chutney for £7.50 seems totally reasonable. Or you come home with a carrier bag full of obscure cheeses wrapped in organic burlap and two kilos of maple syrup and jelly baby sausages.

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Collecting Ma on Sunday afternoon, so normal blogging will resume on Sunday evening. I spoke to her on Wednesday morning when she told me she was 'terrible', hadn't eaten anything and had 'tipped over' and hurt her leg again. Peter saw her Wednesday afternoon and she was fine, eating well and no problems with her leg. Poked all the huge guilty feelings back into their cave after I'd heard from him.

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On the food front: I made a steak and kidney pudding on Wednesday and last night we had a roast dinner - chicken, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cheesy leeks, yorkshire puds, sausages in bacon and gravy. This was speed cooking at its best - it took just over an hour from the moment we got back from the pub (and three large glasses of wine!). Tonight we are having a meal out at the same pub, the Fox and Hounds in Ennerdale Bridge. This is now a community-run pub which re-opened as such in April this year. The menu isn't huge but the food is homemade, very generous portions and very reasonably priced. The most expensive item (steak) is just £12 and it's the first time I've seen puddings on a pub menu for under £4 in a long long time.

Here's the steak and kidney pud I made (doesn't look that spectacular actually, should perhaps have taken a slice out of it first...!)

I promise to stop posting pics of food once we're back to normal, I wanted to keep things ticking over until I got back. I just didn't want anyone to forget about the blog.