Christmas Cake

 I always mean to make it earlier, but then I don’t :)

In the oven

Keeping busy and seeing friend

Had a fun day ‘video call baking’ with Anne for her birthday challenge Hot cross buns. Yum! Anne’s yeast seemed a bit of a dud, so we are going to have a take 2 before Easter. 

Also planted some seeds, mowed the lawn...

and Doug checked the bees and rotavated more space for the potatoes (not planted yet as frost forecast).
It was quite an exciting inspection as one hive has surprisingly replaced its queen. The new one seems to be laying, so hopefully all good.
The other hive has been queen less for a while, we gave them some eggs from the first hive and they seem to be creating a new queen as we hoped.

The resultant buns. Yum!

Vin d'orange and crisps

Happy Birthday (for tomorrow) Wee Anne, and have fun ‘video call camping’ xx

Bread Baking Lesson

We have a friend who used to be a chef and then teach cooking, he very kindly came round and gave us a bread baking lesson. I learnt lots, it is really good to have someone show you how something should look and feel that isn't possible to get from reading. I learnt to shape rolls and a big loaf much better than before as well as getting a feel for when the dough is risen enough, and getting encouraged to make a leaven before making the dough.

Failed to get photos during the making as was concentrating so hard!

Walk round the virgin

This has to be our most walked walk. It is a nice loop, not far from the house, and has great views over the mountains - and our house.

There is a lot of damage from the December storms. They are getting on with cleaning up a lot of it, but it is pretty dramatic still.

View over Bagnères-de-Bigorre, our apartment is in there somewhere

Dog posing

 Doug posing

Yummy apple pie snack afterwards. Homemade but with bought puff pastry. Must try making puff pastry one day...

Baking Baguette

2nd attempt at baguette. 1st one tasted good, but looked like a slightly squished slug. I have previously thought baguette too difficult, and also unnecessary to attempt as there are so many yummy local ones... We were meant to have it for lunch, but a power cut got in the way. It went well with dinner instead - slow roast beef hock and butternut squash, cooked with red wine.

Christmas Cake Made

As always I used the Weatherill family recipe https://laviealapetiteferme.blogspot.com/2014/10/christmas-cake-recipe.html

Lorna made this cake for us for many years but now I have to do it myself. This year planning on cream cheese icing as less solid than royal icing and less sweet than the butter icing I did last year...

Christmas Cake

I always use this cake recipe from my Dad. My mum had her own recipe but I don't know it. Christmas cake always makes me think of them both... and Aidan. I guess it is a family thing.
Now this cake is for Doug and me. I am still perfecting the icing (it is many years work). My mum used to make them without icing (I prefer them plain tbh, but Doug likes the icing more than the cake). My dad always did Royal Icing.
This is butter icing with a little bit of lemon juice to try to make it a bit less sweet than the brandy butter icing last year. I think next year maybe a cream cheese one to go for something less sweet still.