Celia Hart's blog about what's going on in and around her studio.
Art, printmaking, inspirations, gardening, vegetables, hens, landscapes, wild flowers, East Anglia, adventure, travel.

Friday 24 July 2009

Piccalilli

summer•shorts no:04

The cat got up and stretched
herself, and came and
sniffed the basket.
Perhaps she liked the smell
of onions!
Anyway, she sat down upon
the top of the basket.

She sat there for five hours.

from 'The Tale of Benjamin Bunny'
by Beatrix Potter



From the vegetable garden, I've just gathered the ingredients to make Piccalilli – cauliflowers, green beans ('Lazy Housewife' and 'Bridgewater'), gherkins and . . .

. . . shallots – if the tabby one lets me rearrange her day-bed!

10 comments:

  1. I've never made picalli. Perhaps I should! Love the cat! Val

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  2. Hmm - I love picalilli. I used to make it but end up eating it all by myself. It's such a pretty pickle I think.

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  3. I've not had Picalilli, although it comes to mind as a recipe among those in my mother's old recipe box. I'll have to find it. Loved the snippet from Potter...and the cat of course!

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  4. This is a lovely smiley post, poetry, the promise of pickle and a cat's antics. He!

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  5. Oh I love picalilli. I will have to wait until my runner beans are ready. Picalilli is the only thing I can eat with home made scotch eggs!

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  6. Ham and Picalilli and a good piece of cheese - delicious!

    Your tabby cat reminds me of one we had years ago, he used to follow me round the garden, always getting in the way but not in an annoying way of course!

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  7. Cats are great! I haven't ever tried homemade piccalilly, so I'm not sure if I would like it. I have been somewhat put off by the horrible bright yellow variety you see on the supermarket shelves! x

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  8. Oh! What a funny photo! Just found your lovely blog because you left me a comment! So glad you did, it's wonderful. And I love your prints. Do you know Mark Hearld's work? I imagine you'd like it.
    Thank you for your nice comment you left me.
    Love Vanessa xxx (do you mind if i knit)

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  9. Hi Valeri - Piccalilli is surprisingly easy and quicker to make than chutney.

    Hi Vegetable Heaven - we can't get enough of it!!!

    Hi Deborah - try it! delicious with ham, cheddar cheese or (of course) a good pork pie!

    Thank you Silverpebble - Beatrix Potter captured the scene perfectly!

    Hi Matron - home-made scotch eggs, now that's an idea :-)

    Hi Pom Pom - thank you (she knows she is!)

    Hi Jane - she loves the vegetable garden as much as I do!

    Hi Louise - now we've made our own Piccalilli we can't go back to the gloopy bought stuff - our's is jam-packed with lovely crunchy vegetables and the spices are just right, not too sharp, not too sweet!

    Hi Vanessa - welcome to PPPs. I love Mark Hearld's pictures too, I discovered his work at St Jude's Gallery in Norfolk.

    Celia
    x

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