Saturday 27 June 2015

Marinated Rump Steak - Another BBQ spectacular


STEAK SLICE WITH GARLIC, LEMON AND THYME
 

This wonderful, straightforward recipe comes from Nigella Lawson. It is one I have used on many occasions, both at home and when camping, because it is incredibly simple, very quick to prepare and it always tastes amazing.

Unlike most other BBQ recipes that require you to marinate the meat in advance, this recipe calls for the just-cooked meat to be placed into a marinade while it rests. Somehow the hot meat seems to absorb more of the flavour this way.

If you make it away from home, the marinade can be made in advance and taken with you in a screw top jar to make it even easier. Having said that, it will only take about 5 minutes to put together wherever you are.



The only things you will need with you are a sharp knife, a chopping board and a BBQ or griddle pan.

The recipe serves 2-4 depending on how hungry/greedy you are, what else you are having with it and whether you own a rather demanding, fat brown spaniel!

INGREDIENTS

1 x 2.5cm thick piece of rump steak (about 600g)
5 stalks of thyme
2 cloves of garlic
80ml extra virgin olive oil or rapeseed oil
Zest and juice of half a lemon
1 tsp salt
Pepper



METHOD

Light your BBQ or pre-heat a ridged griddle pan over your camping stove (or your hob at home).

Remove the fat from around the edge of the steak and brush with oil to help prevent it from sticking.

Slap the steak on the BBQ/Griddle pan and cook it for 3 minutes on each side. If you want to be cheffy you can then rotate it through 90 degrees and give it another minute on each side to get  lovely criss-cross griddle marks. Try not to over-cook it because it will continue to cook as it rests in the marinade.

While the steak is cooking, mix the oil and lemon juice together. Bash up the garlic and the thyme a little with whatever you have to hand and add them to the oil and lemon mixture along with the salt and some pepper.

Put this marinade mix into a shallow dish that is large enough to fit the steak once it is cooked.

After cooking, add the steak to the marinade and leave it for 4 minutes before turning it over for another four.

Remove it from the marinade (by which time it will be beautifully rested) and slice it thinly on the diagonal.

We like to eat this as it is with new potatoes and salad or stuffed into a nice crusty baguette with anything else that takes your fancy (salad, fried onions, horseradish sauce etc) alongside a nice glass of wine.

In the photo below my steak was thinner than the recipe states. Unfortunately I had already consumed a couple of glasses of wine after a very hot day on the beach and I forgot to take that into account and cooked it for too long. Not surprisingly, it was overdone (although the rotund spaniel didn't seem to mind!)

Happy days!

 
 






Saturday 20 June 2015

A Day Trip to Brean Down


Our nearest bit of coastline that has anything even vaguely approaching a sandy beach is to be found on the North Somerset coast between Weston-Super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea. These towns both offer a fairly traditional British seaside experience of amusement arcades, donkey rides, candy floss and fish and chips by the sea (all of which my kids love!)

However, if we just fancy a day by the sea, a stretch of sandy beach on which to play cricket or boules, throw a frisbee, fly a kite or build sandcastles and a spot of walking with some amazing views, then we head for Brean Down.


Brean Down is a promontory off the coast of Somerset, standing 318 feet high and extending 1.5 miles into the Bristol Channel at the eastern end of Bridgwater Bay between Weston-super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea. On the Burnham-on-Sea side of the promontory is Brean Down beach. It is owned and managed by the National Trust.

If you choose to make the climb to the top of Brean Down the path is an obvious set of zig-zagging steps all the way to the top. This is the quickest route but the steepest. If you have pushchairs, bikes or mobility scooters there is also a wide, fairly steep Tarmac path all the way to the top.

Once on the top, the path forms a loop all around the promontory and a full circuit will take about two hours at a leisurely speed.


There are examples of Brean’s military past all over the down. This gun platform is one example of the important part Brean Down has played in defending the Bristol Channel over the years.
Palmerston Fort was built at the far end of the down to defend the country against a possible Napoleonic invasion. The fort is now a ruin, but you can still wander around the buildings and imagine what life must have been like living and working on the down.


In the Second World War, bomber planes practised flying around Brean and the Somerset coast.
This large concrete arrow is on the top of the down. It used to be painted white and was used to direct planes to their practice ranges.


Soldiers trained on the six Lewis Guns mounted in gun emplacements here in the Second World War. They practised by shooting at targets in the bay at Weston-Super-Mare.


If military history isn't your thing you may be more interested in the flora and fauna on the down. The southern slopes of the down have three rare plants, they are the white rock rose, dwarf sedge and Somerset hair grass. In high summer, this almost unique vegetation community in Britain has an almost Mediterranean appearance.

In May, the north side of Brean Down is covered in a dazzling carpet of bluebells, which makes it a great time to visit and see this spectacular sight.

The slopes also play host to a herd of wild goats who seem quite at home on the steep cliffs, munching away on vegetation.


The down is also haven for bird watchers, so bring your binoculars. It's a sanctuary for breeding peregrine falcons. A link on the National Trust website will take you to an up-to-date list of bird sightings on the down.

The beach is mainly sand with some mud flats when the tide is right out. There are a few rock pools to investigate too. It is such a wide bay that it doesn't feel crowded at all and there is plenty of room for games.


There is ample parking here too. The National Trust have a car park that is free for members and operates a pay and display for non-members. There is also a private pay and display car park right at the far end of the road, adjacent to the cafes. However, one of the things we particularly like at Brean is that you can drive onto the beach and park right on the sand (for a fee). If you do this there is no need to lug vast amounts of picnic gear for what can seem like miles only to realise you have left the sandwiches behind!

There are two cafes, one National Trust and the other private, there are toilets and a National Trust gift shop that sells the usual beach toys and also some very nice ice cream!

DOG OWNERS PLEASE NOTE: According to a fairly small sign that you could easily miss they lose, on average, one dog a month over the cliffs - so please keep your dog on a lead if you make the climb to the top (the same goes for small children, obviously!)

Getting There

Address: Brean, North Somerset, TA8 2RS

OS Grid Ref: 182:ST290590

 
 

Friday 12 June 2015

Cheat's Frittata



This recipe came about after we over-indulged one night at the mobile fish and chip van that came visiting a site we were staying on. I was left with some chips that non of us could finish and I didn't want them to go to the barrel-shaped brown spaniel so I wrapped them and popped them in the cool box for the next day, thinking I might try to make something delicious for dinner (I get brilliant ideas like that after several glasses of wine!!)

The following evening the challenge was on to make a whole new meal out of my cold and rather unpromising looking chips. All I could think of was to try a frittata and I am pleased to report that it worked a treat. We all felt it was tastier than one made either from scratch or from left over boiled potatoes.

I tend to make mine fairly plain because we often serve it alongside something from the BBQ. If you want it to be more of a main meal you can always add other ingredients such a ham, bacon, vegetables on so on.

I can confirm that the Frittata passes the fat brown spaniel taste test too!



CHEAT'S FRITTATA RECIPE - Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp oil
400g left-over chips, chopped into bite-size pieces
4 eggs, beaten
4 spring onions, chopped fairly finely
25g Cheddar cheese, grated

Method

Heat a frying pan over a medium heat with the oil and add the chips. Cook for a few minutes, turning to heat the chips through.


Whisk the eggs and add the spring onions and some seasoning.



Lower the heat under the chips and pour in the egg mix. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and cook for around 8 minutes until the egg mix is almost set.



While this is happening, if you have a grill, light it and let it heat up. Pop the frittata under the grill to brown the top. This is more for appearance than taste so, if you don't have a grill, don't worry because it will still taste delicious.

Serve with tomato ketchup or brown sauce. Lovely with sausages for breakfast too!

Saturday 6 June 2015

A Visit to May Hill in Gloucestershire



If you live in Gloucestershire or Herefordshire or travel regularly up and down the M5, you will be familiar with this distinctive hill with a clump of trees on the top that you can see everywhere  – next time you are on the M5 heading north for Gloucester take a look to your left! You can't miss it.

We have lived in The Cotswolds for 12 years now and, I am ashamed to say, we have only just visited and climbed to the top. What a view! Now that we know what we have been missing in the last 12 years we will be back again very soon I think. We have always gone beyond May Hill and into the Forest of Dean, an area that we love, but May Hill is definitely worth a special trip.



The hill itself has been managed by the National Trust since 1988. Bizarrely, the only bit they don't own is the clump of trees on the top! These belong to the locals.



The summit and surrounding area of May Hill consists of a wide expanse of open grassland, bracken and gorse with boggy areas and pools (we know all about the boggy pools because the fat brown Spaniel hurled herself into one, emerging sometime later a slightly different shade of brown and smelling like a cross between Billingsgate fish market and an over ripe Camembert! As you can imagine, the return journey in Denzel was a joy!).



The hill is capped by a clump of pine trees, planted in 1887 to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria. It is now the location of annual May Day celebrations.

Covering 30 hectares, this area of bracken and trees (mainly birch, oak and crab apple) is still allowed to be grazed by the commoners' ponies, pigs and occasionally sheep!

 There are beautiful views to the north and west across Herefordshire and south to the river Severn. On a clear day you can see beyond into Wales and the Black Mountains.


If you visit and opt for a straight climb to the top it is about a mile uphill before the ground levels out onto the open grassland at the top. Alternatively there is a well-marked circular route on the National Trust website, along with other information. This route is approximately 3 miles which takes in the climb to the top, the open grassland and then a return via the woods of the Huntley estate.



The top of the hill is the perfect place for picnics, ball games and kite flying so why not make a day of it?

 If the picnic idea is all too much for you, there are two local pubs that offer good food within a short drive of the hill. The Glasshouse Inn, May Hill, Longhope (please note: they don't allow children under 14 into the Inn!) or The Yew Tree Inn in Clifford's Mesne.


GETTING THERE

May Hill is signposted off the A40 Gloucester to Ross-on-Wye road, 1 mile west of Huntley and 3 miles from J3 of the M50. Passing the Yew Tree Inn, continue up the hill for about half a mile. There is roadside parking (no reserved disabled parking) available for a number of cars.

If you need information about reaching May Hill by public transport, click on the link to the National trust website where you should find everything you need.

Map reference: SO695215