Buon Natale!

Midnight mass in St. Mark's Basilica. A very happy Christmas from Venice!

The Lenticular Cloud

No, it's not a UFO. Nor a spaceship made of meringue. It is, apparently, a lenticular cloud - a rather rare phenomenon most frequently seen over high mountain ranges such as the Himalayas or Andes.

But this one seemed to have lost its way. Because it turned up not far from Dixon Hill this afternoon, where it was snapped by my husband. In fact, it was seen floating all over West Yorkshire and snapped by quite a few people if the BBC website is anything to go by.

Hope it enjoyed its jaunt about the Pennines....its little Christmas detour. It certainly caused a stir in these parts (and is welcome to come back anytime).

Eat Weeds and Vegetables

Here are two books I’m really enjoying dipping into at the moment.

Robin Harford’s Eatweeds may be a plain little tome on the outside but inside it’s delightful.  The text is scattered with wonderful quotations about nature; and there are botanical illustrations of every plant included in the book.  The recipes cover 34 different wild plants and include Sea Plantain Risotto, White Dead-Nettle Frittata, Autumn Sorrel Soup and Gorse Flower Cordial.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is trying to start a revolution with Veg Everyday!  He wants folk to make vegetables the main focus of their meals.  And he writes very persuasively.  This is a gorgeous book that I know I’ll be referring to time and again.  The food is beautifully photographed (by Simon Wheeler) and illustrated (by Mariko Jesse); and the recipes are straightforward, accessible and seriously tempting.

Both books would make fantastic Christmas presents!

The Nature Table: December

As the year draws to a close, the evergreens come into their own.  They’re the stalwarts of the landscape.  The strong backbone.  The perpetual structure.  The steady, reliable ones who don’t scream for attention.  The ones it’s easy to take for granted because they’re always there.

This month, I’ll be displaying laurel and euonymus and ivy and conifers on the nature table.  Letting them have a season in the limelight.

And then there are the berries.  The scene stealers of the month.  There are bright, tiny cotoneaster berries.  And - find of finds - some stems of vibrant orange ornamental crab apples - found in my mum’s garden yesterday.  They’re fabulous.  The light seems to shine from within them.

And so the cycle is completed.  Already, bulbs are pushing through the frozen earth, preparing to bloom as soon as the year turns.  And next year’s leaves are budding on stark branches white with frost.

Next month, there’ll be a new series on the blog.  Watch this space!

Sweets Of The Season

There’s some serious chocolate-making in progress in the Dixon Hill kitchen today.  These petit four cases are just waiting to be filled with deliciousness….then wrapped as gifts to spread some Christmas cheer.