Lily Steeple's blog

Veg Box Dinners If the only thing left on the shelf at the end of the day is a bag of 'brights', then it needn't be considered a disaster.  The bags of mixed stir-fry vegatables sold in the supermarket are perfect for this receipe although any mixture of chopped vegatables, e.g. cabbage, carrots, peppers and leeks, could be used instead.  Stir-Fry Quiche Adding polenta or chickpea flour to the pastry means you can make your plain flour go further, but it also gives the pastry a crumbly texture (if using polenta) or a subtle flavour (if using chickpea, or gram, flour).  Additional vegatables can be added to the stir-fry mix if you have them e.g. mushrooms and courgettes. (serves 4 or 5) A bag of Stir-Fry Vegatables Tomato paste For the filling: 3 eggs (beaten) 200ml Milk Pepper to season For the pastry: 3oz Plain flour 1oz Polenta or Chickpea (Gram) Flour 2oz Butter (softened) A pinch of salt Method: Mix the plain flour, chickpea flour and a pinch of

Veg Box Dinners Chicken, apple and spring cabbage curry The word 'curry' is an anglicised form of the Tamil word 'kaṟi' and refers to a variety of dishes originating from the Indian Subcontinent.  Curries are usually made using a combination of spices which vary by the region the curry is from, with popular spices being coriander, cumin and tumeric.  One of the first times curry is mentioned in an English cookbook, is in the 1758 edition of Hannah Glasse's 'The Art of Cookery' which contains a receipe "To make a curry the Indian way".  English receipes have continued to adapt the traditional regional curry receipes of India with some, like this one, adding a bit of sweetness with apples.  The English are not completely unique in adding fruit to curries, with a Japanese curry (karē raisu) sometimes sweetened with grated apple and curries from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan sometimes flavoured with dried fruits due to the extreme

Veg Box Dinners Kale and mushroom risotto The Receipe Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the finely-chopped onion.  Fry for 2-3 minutes.  Chop 3 or 4 mushrooms into slices and then add these to the onion.  Fry the onion and mushrooms for a few more minutes.  Add the risotto rice and stir to coat the rice with oil.  Fry for about a minute.  Now is the time to add any spices you like e.g. chilli powder or paprika.  Boil some water and pour into the frying pan covering the rice by a few millimetres.  There should be a 'whoosh' sound when you pour the water in.  Balance the chopped kale (with tough stalks removed) on top of the water.  Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes.  Then stir in the kale, adding more boiling water if it looks like it needs it.  Simmer for another 10 minutes, checking every so often that the rice isn't catching. Serve with grated cheese. The Trick Steaming the kale for 10 minutes before stirring in means you keep the flavour of the k

Football Scarf Knitting Pattern Looking forward to when the season starts anew, this is a knitting pattern for a very simple football scarf with two contrasting stripes and tassels. Materials: 4 100g balls of double-knitting wool (two of each colour) A pair of 4mm knitting needles (uk size) A Tapestry needle Scissors A Crochet hook Techniques: Casting on, Knit stitches, Garter Stitch (knit every row), Casting off, Making Tassels Details of video tutorials showing how to complete these techniques are at the end of the pattern PATTERN Step 1: Casting on In the first colour, cast on 20 stitches using the thumb method Step 2:    Garter Stitch Row 1:    Knit Repeat first row until you have a piece of fabric that is 10cm long (or the length required).  Cut yarn. Step 3:    Changing Colour With the contrasting colour, knit the first row as before and repeat until the second square is the same size as the first. Step 4:    Continue Continue to knit squares

 A 1940s jumper with ribbed bodice detail Patterns from the 1940s were usually designed with a very slim figure in mind and don't often suit someone of 'curvier' proportions. The one pattern I've found that is an exception to the rule is this one, from Stitchcraft Magazine's August-September 1945 edition: a short-sleeved, high-necked jumper which is part of a twinset.  The shaped 'bodice' detail makes it ideal for flattering the figure. It is also a fairly simple knitting pattern, with a 2-row repeat of knit and purl stitches for the ribbed section and stocking stitch (with purl stitches to the front) at the top. It may be a good pattern to try if you like the glamour of the '40s, but it's your lot to have a more modern-day shape.

Lopi Scarf - Quick knit  If you are new to knitting - or have some leftover chunky-weight wool that you'd like to use up - then this pattern for a very quick and simple-to-knit cowl scarf may be just what you're looking for.  Materials: 50g of Chunky Wool (half of a 100g ball of Istex Alafosslopi wool) A pair of 6mm or 6.5mm knitting needles (uk size) A tapestry needle for sewing up Techniques: Casting on (thumb method), Knit stitches and Garter Stitch, Casting Off. Details of where to find Video Tutorials about these techniques are included at the end of the pattern. Pattern: Cast on 20 stitches using the thumb method Row 1:    Knit Continue in garter stitch (knitting every row) until work measures 20 inches (about 50 cm) or the length required. Cast off With right side facing inwards, sew up the beginning and end of the scarf to form a tube.  Sew in threads. Pattern Notes: The pattern was designed for Icelandic Alafosslopi wool, so if you have kn