Car boot soup

Hello my name is Clarey and I'm addicted to food and car boot sales! On Sunday all bleary eyed and unbrushed I got up early and went to hawk my wares at a local boot sale in support of the amazing Primary school I'm so lucky to teach at.
I managed to winkle Jemima out of her pit to lend a hand and her sunny disposition on a grey and drizzly morning. This was to be "operation spray tan" as Lily ( who was resting throughout the morning!) is going to her prom this week and her post GCSE pallor would give a zombie a run for its money!
The dress, the shoes, the bag, the nails, the eyelashes all rack up and then she suggested she might like to be 'Tan-goed' too. I said of course "just don't tell your Father" and went to load my car up with my treasures.
In another life when I was Lily's age and the nearest we got to a prom was a dodgey disco at The Buckles Inn on the A64 , I worked on York market selling fruit and vegetables. It was simply the best job I've ever had. I loved weighing out the potatoes in a brown paper bag and twirling it round, I loved all the cheeky banter selling off bananas at the end of the day. It introduced me to the World of work outside the classroom where you needed to smile, be polite and you got paid for your time. Newgate open air market at 7am on a Saturday just off from the Shambles was breathtaking . So my love of great produce, cheeky chat and money making was born.
Sunday mornings I bounce out of bed and love getting rid of my fashion disasters and whatever is cluttering up my house. I have a treasure chest mahogany box which is my till which everyone always asks to buy, but as long as I'm not greedy I always return home with it full of "free money" for the children for the week ahead.
I genuinely like most people and have time to chatter about anything with anyone, a lot of lonely people frequent car boot sales. Sundays stretch on forever with only yourself for company. Jemima was mortified when two older gentlemen returned to my stall with phone numbers for me, one who wanted to "play Scrabble" and the other who wanted to value my antiques! You can pick all sorts up at a car boot! Grab a Grandad Sunday special, was not what I'd bargained for but it made me smile!
When we got home, we counted up our profits and  I am happy to report that Lily can go to the ball looking 'strictly ballroom mahogany!' Operation spray tan was a complete success.
I had spent my time wisely, chatting in the sunshine and forgot to go to the supermarket so made this soup for dinner with a vegetable rack reminiscent of my Magical market days.

Mannion's marvellous soup

1 red onion chopped
2 leeks sliced
4 cloves of garlic crushed
1 cauliflower
1 large potato
1 large sweet potato
1 cup frozen sweet corn
2 litres chicken stock
1 pint skimmed milk
1 bunch coriander chopped
1 red chilli sliced
1 Spring onion sliced

Fry the garlic and onion until golden in a little olive oil, add the chilli and all the other vegetables apart from the sweet corn. Make sure they are all similar sizes so they cook at the same time, bring to a simmer with the stock and milk. After 30 mins add the coriander  sweet corn and Spring onion and cook for 15 minutes more.This has a chowder like quality and just needs a good twist of rock salt and black pepper to taste.

This is good mood food to be shared with friends and children. Soul in a bowl to be exact.

What`s for dinner Clarey?: Rum and raisin bread and butter pudding

What`s for dinner Clarey?: Rum and raisin bread and butter pudding: Where`s my pudding? I was missing my Matty last night as he is being all Bear Grylls up Ben Nevis with James this week! I missed the duv...

Rum and raisin bread and butter pudding

Where`s my pudding?


I was missing my Matty last night as he is being all Bear Grylls up Ben Nevis with James this week! I missed the duvet stealing and the rafting snores that drive me crazy and make me feel safe at the same time! He has been stealing my duvet for the past 27 years which is another alarming fact that kept me from my slumber too. Where did all those days and nights go?
In a flurry of  curry and quiz nights, saddle sore sangria-soaked  cycling holiday nights under canvas, sunkissed Cornwall surf days and three lovely babies robbing us of our sleep nights, that`s where. I still feel 19 inside though, even if all those nights of broken somnambulation have taken their toll!
I wouldn't change a thing, this lovely life I`ve been gifted. It`s luck, pure luck that gives you a loving Mum who tells you you`re the greatest. It`s luck, pure luck that you are sitting in a coffee bar when Mr Handsome walks by and stops to talk to your friend but likes your green eyes more. It`s beyond luck if you basically get pregnant from sitting on a warm bus seat and get through parenthood alive.
So I guess we are the lucky ones, never taking it for granted is what takes talent.
So at 3.33am when I couldn`t get to sleep because I had full custody of the Kingsize and I was missing the Water buffalo`s snores like one might miss a toothache when it`s gone, I went downstairs to cook.
Every night as a child Matty was treated to homemade egg custard and raspberries from the garden, the sweetness of those Nursery fuelled memories have been the bane of my life ever since! For at 6.30pm most nights after I`ve love drugged him with a gravy dinner I think for a split second I`ve gotten away with it, but without fail even if Mars bar ice creams are on offer, he utters the immortal lines which will be etched on my heart and his tombstone forever-
 "Where`s my pudding?"
A healthy yoghurt won`t cut it, this Cheshire cat wants his cream. So tonight when he is 500 miles away, being eaten alive by midgies, slurping Pot noodles out of the jar, not missing me at all, I have actually made a pudding!
Oh well, an early night with Ryan Gosling(La-La land don`t worry!) and a bowl of this may help me get some well earned rest... sweet dreams indeed.

This is what I made from a rather bare larder, because some soft lad has stolen my Car booting table and all the contents of my fridge!!!

Rum and raisin bread and butter pudding.
(This is in no way healthy, but if you`re going to have a pudding have a bloody nice one!)

8 shop bought scones that noone wanted (a bit stale)
1 wodge of rum and raisin butter ( 40z butter, 4oz soft brown sugar , 4 tbs dark rum, 4 tbs raisins soaked in rum)
3 eggs
1 pot of double cream
more butter

Slice the scones and butter them and layer a pudding dish with them. Butter again with the rum and raisin butter and scatter the raisins evenly. Whisk up the eggs and cream and pour over the scones. Bake in a low heated oven until the custard is wobbly but set.

The rum butter is equally delicious spread on granary toast for breakfast - now that`s deluxe. :)

Hand of peas

Last night I went to watch The Wizard of Oz with my lovely Lily. She is sixteen and has just finished her GCSEs last week. It was a fabulous school production and I found myself in tears at times much to Lily's horror! Music surely acts as a memory enhancer , every Christmas we would watch the film and be happy.
Memory is seated firmly in the heart! My brothers probably wanted to watch Planet of the apes on the other side,  my poor Mum hates cooking and undoubtedly found the Christmas meal a trial, but last night ,40 years later, I was whisked away to Christmas past, and was full with emotion. By the time we watched the movie on Christmas afternoon each year, the meal and presents had all been forgotten and we would all pile onto the settee together and snuggle by the fire feeling full and full of love for each other. Decades have separated my family and we all met up on Monday for my Uncle Nev's funeral  - sadly these  sort of events are the only ones to unite us these days. Modern life is too busy, if you ask me we all need to go to see the Wizard. '
We're off to see the Wizard' is the song my Mum used to sing to make going upstairs to bed not so bad on Christmas night. So all my tears can be forgiven when put into this nutshell.

Lily had a jute bag on her lap throughout  the show and kept rustling about, at the interval she stalked off to the bar, I thought because of all my snivelling. So I had a look in her bag and found a bag of frozen peas now slightly mushy! Lily reappeared with a glass of ice and chucked it into her bag!
"I'm sorry Mum I burnt my hand on my hair straighteners before we came out but I knew you really wanted to see the show" she giggled.
I slipped my hand into the peas and squeezed her soggy little hand. That girl has more brains, heart and courage than the Scarecrow, tin man and cowardly lion put together!
Kendal certainly isn't my Kansas Toto, but when I'm with my little family , there's no place like home.

Tonight's chickpea no place like home stew.

3 tins chickpeas
1 tin coconut milk
1 pint skimmed milk
Sliced peppers
Chopped red onion
4 cloves crushed garlic
2 chicken stock pots
Fish sauce
Lime juice
Bunch coriander chopped
Curry powder
1 tbs brown sugar
3 rashers bacon
Fry the bacon, onions, garlic and curry powder in a little butter til golden. Add the chickpeas peppers and milks, simmer and add stock, fish sauce and lime juice, season and add sugar. When it has thickened add the coriander and serve in warmed bowls with toasted pittas and mushroom rice.