Hello stranger. I know, it’s been a while. Forgive me.
You wouldn’t believe me if I told you that in the last 10 days we have had two deaths, a stroke and some heart surgery in our immediate family. Crazy, heart-breaking, stressful and all true.
So, I’m afraid this is a quick one. I was just very conscious that I hadn’t popped up to say hello for a while and in between all the bad moments, there have been a few glimmers of good stuff…
Last week was the OH and I’s 3rd wedding anniversary. We don’t do gifts but he did surprise me by filling the house with our wedding flowers (anenomes, hyacinths, ranunculous, roses). It was a good day.
If Horsegate has reminded me anything about the way we eat, it’s how incredible our local butchers and farmers are here in Devon. Not a token ye olde butchers that you might find in central London with an average product at an astronomical price but proper, locally-sourced, blood under the finger nails, thoroughly knowledgable professional butchers. I’m so chuffed to have discovered The Rusty Pig, a couple of miles in land in Ottery St Mary. They rear their own pigs on a small holding in East Devon (free-range, natch), then in their simple, pared back butchers-cum-open kitchen-cum-cafe, sell homemade sausages, brawn, terrine, chorizo, salamis and a knock-out Full English breakfast. No frills, no menu, no fuss. We had a chat, a few nibbles and walked away with some smoked salami and ham hock terrine that blew my mind. The salami was not the chewy, grisly, dried sausages you find in supermarkets. It was buttery, delicate and the centrepiece of our Saturday night home-made pizzas.
So, that’s it for now, just a brief update. Tomorrow I’ve got a beauty review of the nude lipstick that has me swaying from my devotion to a bold, red lip… I am seriously hooked.
Till then,
CF x
[…] including fly fishing and shooting; as well as the butchery course with Robin Rea (I wrote about his AMAZING butchers-cum-delicatessen-cum-restaurant, The Rusty Pig in the spring) but in the end plumped for the full-day foraging course with Chris […]