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Category Archives: misc
Bonsai!
before
after
One of my presents from Jessica this year was a bonsai tree. This particular variety is a Chinese Bird Plum and has been growing very happily in the kitchen since it was bought in mid-December. It has grown so well that I (nervously) had to trim it yesterday to try and bring it under control.
You can see the results in the before and after pics here. I’m hoping that I can make it into something special over time but that requires some intelligent trimming and re-potting. There are loads of bonsai resources on the Internet but I might need to get a book to help me.
Pie Times – Round 8
Pie from Londis
Firstly, I apologise for the changing nature of the blog design at the moment – I am trying out new designs and haven’t quite got things right yet.
Secondly, to our latest mince pie. I bought this from the local shop and it is a Viennese mince pie made by Hoppers Farmhouse Bakeries.
Jessica:
Lovely sweet but not really Christmassy. 3 out of 5
Richard:
More of a biscuit than a pie, very nice but I have to score it down for lack of mince depth. 2 out of 5
Pie Times – Round 7
Sainsbury's Mincemeat Puffs
We were back at Sainsbury’s again today and couldn’t find a new pie to try so ended up buying these.
Jessica:
Lovely pastry with nice chunky bits of sugar and sweet mince meat make this a tasty alternative to traditional mince pies. 4 out of 5
Richard:
I’m not totally convinced by this seasonal snack – it feels closer to a sausage roll than a mince pie. 3 out of 5
Pie Times – Round 6
Exceedingly Merry
Today we have a Mr Kipling exceedingly merry mince pie.
Jessica:
I like the Christmas tree on top but the pie itself is not the best 2 out of 5
Richard:
The pastry is very nice but far too crumbly and the filling is deep but not as juicy as I would like. I expected more from the Kipling 2.5 out of 5
Overall, a dissapointing pie – I expected so much more 🙁
Pie Times – Round 5
Sainsbury's Pie
This time we have bought a more standard mince pie from Sainsburys in-store bakery and have a guest reviewer.
Jessica:
Crumbly and delicious… you can taste the shortbread goodness. 4 out of 5
Richard:
More traditional than the previous offering from Sainsburys. A little shallow but very nice pastry. 4 out of 5
Guest rating (Richard B):
Better than the standard Sainsburys ones. 3.5 out of 5
Pie Times – Round 4
Sainsbury's Pie
This time we have a pie kindly bought for us by Steve. The pie is from Sainsbury’s in-store bakery.
Jessica:
Flake-tastic… lovely buttery flakey pastry with a sweet mincemeat inside. 5 out of 5
Richard:
Lovely sweet pastry with a hint of coconut. Not a huge amount of mince and unsure whether it is really a pie but still deserves 5 out of 5.
Pie Times – Round 3
Co-op Mince Pie
This time we are trying Co-op deep filled pies.
Richard:
Sweet pastry but top is a bit too crumbly… is only half full but mince is pleasantly fruity.
3 out of 5
Jessica:
Pastry was a little bland and the mince was a bit like chutney, not my favourite mince pie so far.
2 out of 5
Pie Times – Round 2
Today Jessica has exhibited her culinary talent by making a fine batch of mince pies – see below for our thoughts.
Richard:
Good crunchy pastry and filled to capacity – the only thing that could improve this would be to have an ‘R’ on top.
5 out of 5
Jessica:
There is a nice balance between the buttery-ness of the pastry and the sweetness of the filling.
7 out of 5
Pie Times
It’s now the 2nd of December and we can look forward to a month of mince pies 🙂 Each year I like to get a selection of pies from various retailers and attempt to find the best one. This year we are going to review pies on the blog… starting with Tesco’s Finest.
Richard:
Good, buttery pastry with reasonable depth of filling. The mince could have a little more flavour.
3 out of 5
Jessica:
The pastry tastes a bit like apple pie… very nice, I’m off to have another one.
4 out of 5