Mud Cakes and Wine

Wow another week and another meal plan... where is the time going?


Friday - Pizza for the boys as it is school disco. I will have a Jacket Potato and Mr MC&W will have a ready meal as we are having to split drop off and collection duties of the disco and the toddler who needs putting to bed in the middle of it all.

Saturday - Spag Bol for us all

Sunday - Roast Chicken

Monday - Frittata with Spinach, Courgette and mint thanks to Gino healthy Italian Cookbook. The boys will have a cheese and ham frittata

Tuesday - Oven baked Fish and Chips for us all

Ovenbaked fish and chips

Wednesday - Chestnut mushroom, Fennel and Bacon Pasta. Bacon and tomato for the boys

Fennel and bacon Pasta


Thursday - Super Spicy Pizza with Salami the boys will make their own pizzas. This again is from Gino Healthy Italian

We have taken our first steps in the GYO world and I must admit I have found it all rather confusing and I am sure I am not alone thinking this. After the feeling of triumph from building, lining and filling our raised beds we now have to try and grow something.




I had ordered lots of seed catalogues and read them all, read them again and that is when the confusion and lack of belief started. Can we do this? there was so many dates and words going into and straight out of my poor brain. Am I about to waste a lot of money I began to wonder. I then took a step back and decided to think about this and get my mind round it all.

I narrowed the catalogues down to one and went through ticking the vegetables we eat and cook with the most, then I looked again at what could be planted in the time frame we were planting from may time and lastly what were suitable for growing in pots. I found for this the Marshalls seed catalogue was very helpful to me, it had symbols that were easy to recognise and…

This week has been much better and I managed to get the weeks meal plan written then i realised Mr MC&W has loads of work meetings and had to re do it last min again

Friday - I am out so will eat pizza with the boys, microwavable meal for Mr MC&W

Saturday - Fish, Chips and Peas for the boys. Steak, Chips, Peas, Button mushrooms and peppercorn sauce for us

Sunday - Family lunch, evening will be Jackets and beans or tuna mayo

Monday - Proper Chicken Curry for us all

Proper chicken curry

Tuesday - Winter Salad Nicoise for us all

Winter salad nicoise

Wednesday - Treat night of a Lamb burger and Quorn burger for the boys

Herby lamb burger

Thursday - The boys will have pasta and tomatoes with broccoli and we will have the ragu but I use a tin of green lentils not the split red ones

Tagliatelle with vegetable ragu

Ever since moving to our house we have wanted to keep chickens, finally after 7 years we are at a stage that we can afford to do it properly and give them the time and attention they will need.

We are complete chicken novices, to start we visited a local farm that specialises in chickens for families, they are happy to give advice about the process. We are very determined that our chickens need to be happy and thought long and hard about this decision.
We can even get them looked after by this farm when we want to go on holiday, we now book two holidays one for us and one for the chickens.
Finding a chicken coop and run was not the easy process we though it would be. The coop had to be the right size for 3-4 chickens, we nearly brought a bigger one but were told they would get cold and suffer. The run size is very important, when the website says suitable for 3-4 chickens that refers to the coop and not the run, you need to get a much bigger run than the one that comes with the coop, unl…

We have not stopped and the meal plan has been flung together after a really busy week.

Friday - Gammon, Eggs and Chips

Saturday - Boys are at a party so will be eating cheese sandwiches, sausages and cake. Mr MC&W and I will be having a Charlie Bigham meal as a treat

Sunday - OB family lunch will be a big pasta bake wit lots of salad and breads

Monday - leftovers from the party

Tuesday - Mustard Salmon with beets and lentils. Boys will have tomato soup with rolls

Mustardy salmon beetroot lentils


Wednesday - Piri Piri Chicken for Mr MC&W and I. The boys will have chicken curry

Thursday - Tortellini with pesto and broccoli

Tortellini with pesto and broccoli

This week is full of birthdays and parties... so much to organise

Friday - Meatballs - I forgot to defrost the meat for Thursday so we had a pizza from the freezer and meatballs on the Friday night.

Saturday - Ham, Eggs and Waffles for the boys. Smoked mackerel Salad for the us

Warm new potato and smoked mackerel salad

Sunday - Roast Chicken for the boys and Roast Chicken, Feta and roasted veg 

Roast chicken with peppers and feta

Monday - Pasta with Mozzarella and tomatoes

Pasta with mozzarella mint and fresh tomato sauce

Tuesday - Sticky Hot dog jackets for Mr MC&W and myself the boys will have cheesy pasta

Sticky hot dog jackets

Wednesday - Lamb Tikka Samosas. Fish and Chips for the boys as it is OBs birthday

Lamb tikka samosas

Thursday - Tuna Melt Wedges the boys will have similar but on puff pastry both with salad

Tuna melt potato wedges