Brexit Night

It's official, the race to the bottom has now begun, my worry is that we've all underestimated just how far there is for us to fall before we hit it.

This may be me being intentionally naive, but I genuinely hope I'm wrong, that we can turn a disaster in to a success story and that Bojo the clown isn't as dishonest, or as much as a buffoon, as he appears to be.

A Quartet Of Tangy Chutneys

It's a new year, but it's still only January and, if you're anything like me, you have a ton of leftover cold meats and cheeses in the fridge and/or freezer. I refuse to waste food and my leftovers are in desperate need of using up (I'm forever short of freezer space). For me at least, the ideal way of using up this type of leftovers are meat and cheese boards or good old fashioned sandwiches and neither are complete without a healthy dollop of chutney or pickle. With that in mind here are 4 super simple, tangy chutneys that go great with meat and cheese.

Apple And Cranberry

You will need:
250g onion, sliced
250g apple, peeled and chopped
3cm chunk ginger, grated
1/2 tsp peppercorns, cracked
1/4 tsp mixed spice
1/4 tsp salt
250g brown sugar
100ml cider vinegar
250g cranberries

Method:
1. Add everything, but the cranberries, to a heavy bottomed saucepan.
2. Place over medium/high heat until boiling, reduce the heat until just simmering and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring regularly, until thickened.
3. Add the cranberries and continue to cook for a further 10 - 15 minutes.

Onion And Pepper

You will need:
250g onion, sliced
150g red pepper, chopped
150g green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3cm chunk ginger, grated
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper, ground
250g brown sugar
100ml cider vinegar

Method:
1. Add everything to a heavy bottomed saucepan.
2. Place over medium/high heat until boiling, reduce the heat until just simmering and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring regularly, until thickened.

Root Vegetable

You will need:
200g onion, finely chopped
100g carrot, finely chopped
100g swede, finely chopped
100g parsnip, finely chopped
100g apple, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3cm chunk ginger, grated
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper, ground
250g brown sugar
100ml cider vinegar

Method:
1. Add everything to a heavy bottomed saucepan.
2. Place over medium/high heat until boiling, reduce the heat until just simmering and cook for about 60 minutes, stirring regularly, until thickened.

Tomato And Onion

You will need:
250g red onion, sliced
250g tomato, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3cm chunk ginger, grated
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper, ground
250g brown sugar
100ml cider vinegar

Method:
1. Add everything to a heavy bottomed saucepan.
2. Place over medium/high heat until boiling, reduce the heat until just simmering and cook for about 60 minutes, stirring regularly, until thickened.

Notes:
Store in the fridge in sterilised jars and these should keep for weeks, if not a couple of months.

Amphibian Big Boy

Norman tootling around the bottom of his aquarium. He’s about 8 inches long so he’s a bit of a big boy considering we were told, by specialist aquatic pet shop, that he wouldn’t grow any bigger than 6 inches (we suspect that he’s actually a yellow bellied slider and could grow to be twice that length). Fortunately we bought an aquarium that would be oversized for a smaller terrapin and, even though I think he could do with something little bigger, he seems happy enough.

I Suck At Existing

I had every intention of starting this year right, but getting up early, exercising and getting ready, with plenty of time to spare, is a total ball ache and, now the morning is here, I have absolutely no drive or inclination to do it.