Soop's welcoming kitchen...

Why thank you grey !! I shall def save cake for all.

Thanks* Charley* I'll take your advice. I have an apt already in place for Wednesday so unless it gets worse Ill bring it up then.

Sam is as happy a little dog as you might see. On his walk yesterday he was literally bowled over by 2 exuberant cockapoos who dwarfed him. Luckily, he is not one to hold a grudge but did give me a look to say' Tell the big boys off Mum' !!

Congratulations n&g. An achievment indeed. Please tell me you are sharing the cake? It is a cake day here. Hope the land is usefully placed, now, is it just for you or will you share?

Self cleaning glass should work well. Our last conservatory had it, no problems. Sparkly clean after three winters. There is an obvious problem with the new one though, it doesn't self clean. We have complained to the installer who is, well, stalling. There is a 10 year warranty on the self clean so we will prevail, just sharing this so you check yours has a good warranty - just in case.

If your eye doesn't improve do get it checked quickly, best not to mess with eyes. I understand charley's wise advice but here I would go for an optician, far easier to access than our GP surgery. Come to think of it maybe a call to 111 would do the trick in terms of best route.

Still don't have much of a brain today, I don't know, befuddled if I don't sleep and if I do. Not sure there's hope for me. Still no lighting, apparently it has defeated the expertise of two contractors. I wonder, I really do. Anyone know a good electrician?

I am going to attempt to sort some admin now, if you never hear from me again assume I have been eaten by paper.

corner you can have a trial run here provided you can find your way safely to a chair to start the process.

You appear to be a bit better today- I hope that Mr. C was allowed a lie in- poor fellow. I do appreciate how much more ill he has been- he is a man after all.

Well, that didn’t go well!! I decided this afternoon that I would have a mince pie run through and try to make some with a lattice top. I have a lattice cutter that works fairly well and it seemed like a good idea. Okay. I made a sweet short crust pastry, cut the bottoms, filled them. Rolled out the other half of the pastry and set to work with the lattice cutter. Far from staying on the board, the b****y pastry curled itself round the cutter in one solid piece and stuck there. I had to scrape it off with a fork and roll it out again. I threw the lattice cutter in the sink and will pass it on to the bin to my son, who seems to think they are a good idea! I wish him well of it. The end result is a dozen mince pies that look like a dog’s breakfast (though I can’t see any of the kitcheners’ self respecting canines giving them a second look!). DH just looked at them and said “not quite up to our usual standard are they?” and departed hastily to get his watch strap repaired. Any more remarks like that will see - to borrow the words of a seasonal song - his chestnuts roasting on an open fire! That is what happens, folks when ambition overrides ability! Sainsbury’s is but a short car journey away!

They probably taste much better than they look Greyduster - bring them to the kitchen!

Is it best to freeze mince pies raw or cooked please?

I no longer feel qualified to comment, momb!

I've always cooked them before freezing, momb, havent poisoned anyone yet but I'm no expert. Please greyd leave some mince pies in the kitchen, they will taste as good, honestly they will. I've done about half the admin - a mince pie would go down well about now .

Six of the best, corner. The camera flatly refused to photograph the others, so DH ate three and I am saving mine for after tea!

Lovely looking mince pies! I freeze mine raw - I find it helps the pastry.
On the question of eyes, does your hospital have an eye emergency clinic? That is the best place as they have the equipment to find any scratches.

This is where I confess that for the last few years my mince pies are bought, likewise cake and pudding, which usually gets eaten by summer.
I feel no guilt but give my admiration to you who slave over a hot stove.
It has been so dark here all day, so depressing.

I think I'd go with raw too, momb.

Had a lovely catch up with soop this morning, and also, as it happens, with macsporran because his appointment only took ten minutes!!! A hundred mile journey for a ten minute appointment! Could they really not have arranged it closer to home? Not that I minded a chance to meet up with the macsoops.

I left my handbag in the ladies (why is there never anywhere to hang one's bag and one's coat in so many loos? There should be hooks in the hand-washing area too. You can't wash your hands properly with a coat on. Humph). Fortunately some kind person handed it in at reception. But soop was in a right tizwaz on my behalf for the time it took me to dash down first to the loos and then to reception after it!

I have orders to wear my tartan dress for the ROSL xmas dinner meetup. This will probably involve orange tights and orange socks. And possibly these boots, depending on the weather (and the whether).

They look delicious Greyduster

I have frozen them raw, I don't make a hole in the top until I take them out ready to cook. Tip from Sis-IL who said it stops them drying out.

Happy Anniversary N&G!
GreyD, it`s not what they look like that counts, it`s the taste, but those look perfectly respectable anyway. I always made mine because I hate those you buy in boxes in the shops, until a couple of years ago, when I discovered that Curtis`s, cooked on the premises, taste just like home made, so since then have ordered from there every Christmas.
Amazon are getting in front of themselves a bit. I had an email this afternoon saying that my order has been dispatched and will arrive on Friday, Dec 1st, It actually arrived LAST Friday!

callgirl I quite agree with Amazon getting ahead of themselves. A couple of days ago I did a click and collect and picked up an item. I came home, made myself a coffee, switched on my computer and Amazon wanted a review of said item! I was barely in the door.

When I did make them I froze them uncooked ,open in the tins and then packed them into boxes in the freezer.
Easy then to get out as many as are needed, pop back into the tin and into the oven.

Your mince pies look very tempting greyduster They appear to have little faces on them. I always buy mine. Nearly had a nasty accident with one at the school Christmas Fair. It was straight out of the oven and the contents were lethally hot. Luckily, being in a public place, I'd only taken a little nibble out of the side instead of shoving the whole thing at once as I would at home.

I have never made a mince pie in my life- Mainly because I do not like them.

I cannot believe that MacSporran made 100 mile journey for a 10 minute appointment. I agree with Baggs could he not be seen closer to home?

Everything Baggs has told you is true. Although she didn't mention almost ruining the fun she had with the automatic coffee machine. The lady behind the counter closed the shop very soon thereafter. Nothing to do with Baggs, mind. She (the lady) deserved a lunch break.
We had a nice cosy blether. Her new hair style suits her. I've as good as demanded that she wear her tartan dress, pearls, orange tights/socks and boots - or else I shall be disappointed Arrived home 30 mins ago. Attempted to upload photo that MacSporran took of us in the canteen. Guess what? We apparently need a new card reader. For the time being, I cannot share photos from my camera. Will do so once normal service has been restored.

Lovely photos from you lot. Paw at his most debonair. N&G who have changed little throughout their happy marriage. And the photo of the tempting mince pies that Greyduster has so generously shared with the rest of us.

I'm gasping for an entire pot of tea. Longing to throw my clothes in a heap on a chair and slip into my baggy 'jamas. Let it all hang out! Sigh! Bliss! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Glad you are home safe and sound, soop. I had a nap when I got in and then ate a slab of chocolate banana cake with, in addition, an extra (extra-ripe) banana and a good pouring of some thick cream. The banana and the cream needed using up. Waste not, want not and all that.

There are spuds, parsnips, carrots and salmon in the oven at the moment. I'm going to plonk some bits of Brie (that need using up) on top of the salmon for the last few minutes of cooking time.

That coffee machine was very aggressive with its steam. Never seen the like! And in a hospital too.

Thanks for the mince pies, greyd. Very enjoyable, helped the admin process along. Didn’t finish it, quite, oh well, good enough for now.

Sounds like a good day soop but goodness, what a journey for such a short appointment. Pleased you arrived home safely.

Phew that was lucky baggs. I’d have been in a right old tizz until it was found.

Hoping for another decent sleep tonight, need to wake up though, hair cut first thing, look a bit like Worzel Gummidge at the moment.

I have never made a mince pie either and I am not going to start now.
I am not good with pastry and I have had some really dreadful home made mince pies. Most shop bought ones are far better.

Nelliemoser runs for her flack jacket.

You just brought back a childhood memory, nellie. We tended to share Christmas with extended family including a lovely Aunt. There was always one big worry, that Aunt would make the mince pies, if she did you were careful not to drop one, toes would break. She was so nice that no one would tell her. Wouldn’t be a problem now, we’d send her to a supermarket. . You are quite right, supermarket mince pies can be very good indeed.