Gran was asked some time ago what she would like for her 77th birthday.
“A Steak. And a Coffee Cake made with Chicory Essence.”
Bless her. She knew exactly what she wanted for once!
Fortunately, we live a happy walking distance to various cafes and restaurants so it was a fantastic incentive to get Gran on her new mobility scooter for the first time and build her confidence. She handled it well for the run down to the beach.
Well, we had a lovely lunch down at the local café and Gran ordered herself a juicy steak sandwich with sourdough bread. The Little Fellas devoured all of their fish and chips – even the salad, then had a bit of a play at the park outside with their local friends.
Then it was back home for the afternoon where we had Earl Grey tea and celebrated with Grans birthday cake which I had made earlier in the day. Gran loved her birthday cake. So did the Little Fellas. Everyone loves birthday cake. Though I’m content with pistachio nuts myself. J’adore les pistaches!
In the late afternoon we did the rounds of the garden and tended to the pets. Ours and the neighbours. I took the opportunity to sow some more seeds (beetroot, more broad beans, marigolds, brassica seeds – and some spring onion seedlings I’d started in a pot). These went in the raised garden bed. After having moved the rabbit hutch the other day it was well manured and ready for a crop of vegetables. I initially sowed a green manure crop of peas, vetch and rye which in just two days had fantastic roots forming on them following some reasonable rain showers. Plus, it is in accordance with the lunar planting guide I have been referring to.
Dinner was a big bowl of salad, fresh from the garden that accompanied a platter of all sorts of wonderful things to eat, prepared by Mrs PP. Cheese, grilled sausage, steamed broccoli from the garden, sweet potato, quince paste and pickled carrot (made by Pop) and some dill pickles. Gran was quite content with her hot, flaky pasty and a nibble of spicy sausage. Then it was a second round attempt at the birthday cake and we sent her off to bed with a hot cup of honey and lemon tea and a plate of her favourite Jaffa biscuits. She chatted with her girlfriend on the phone for a bit and then settled in to watch the Television.
Petit Paradis 
Quince paste!? Seriously? Not many know what that is anymore. I still grow copies of a quince tree that I grew up with. Different people use the fruit in different ways. It can be cut in half and baked with a bit of sugar and cinnamon on top, or made into tart ‘applesauce’, or pickled like crabapples. I just use it to make jelly with stone fruits that lack adequate pectin. Anyway, my uncle’s family used to make the quince paste when we were young. The generation that knew of such things is now gone. It is good to see that young people are finding these things again.
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I love the taste and perfume of quince. In Turkey they make a jam/jelly from it also. It also has a beautiful colour. They grow well in our climate here and I hope to put a tree in at the back. They are hardy trees and crop well. Not many gardens have them here though. The occasional farm yard or older cottage garden. My Dad has a quince tree in his yard from which he makes his delicacies. Thanks for the other serving suggestions Tony. . .
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You are welcome. I really do not know what to do with quince besides how I saw it used growing up. Since I do not cook much, I just started using it as a pectin extract. It works like crabapple, but with a different flavor. I have also used apple peels and cores from apple sauce for pectin extract.
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