Tastes like real butter................

....that's because it is real butter.

 Image unashamedly stolen from the internet

What am I talking about? I'll tell you.  A couple weeks ago a friend was telling me that she had bought a small butter churn from a homewares store, Briscoes, it was on special, so I looked it up and it was still on special, so I rang the lovely Joe to call in and get one on his way home from work, which like a good little hubby, he did.
Then it sat in my pantry for two weeks. Ah hem! What can I say? I was busy! ;-D
This morning we went to the farmers market, Joe loves pork pie, but pork pies in the shops here are pretty disgusting, if you can find them. At the farmers market is an ex-pat Brit who has a small farm when he raises rare breed animals. He then sells the meat at the farmers market, it's darned good meat too, he's called Soggy Bottom. Cool name eh, makes me smile every time I say it. He also makes an excellent pork pie, now usually we pre-order one and pick it up at the last market before Christmas, but this year we didn't, luckily there was one left, he bought the last one! Close shave that.
We also bought some soda bread which, along with the pork pie made up part of the ploughmans lunch we had today.
It was whilst Joe was making lunch that I decided we should have home made butter, nothing like thinking of this as lunch is almost ready is it? I thought it might take ages, apparently it can sometimes, but today it was done in minutes

I can't believe how easy it was, I'll show the process in another post sometime.

 Here's our lunch.

Homemade butter, sourdough, pork pie & pickled onions from the farmers market, homemade zucchini, the first cucumber from the garden. Our summer veggies went in late so our toms aren't ready yet. Some mature cheddar is a must on a ploughmans. 

All washed down with a glass of sparkling wine.

This year, Christmas is a quiet affair, I've not put up a single decoration, we're still tidying up after the renovations, so the thought of dragging down a whole load of boxes just did not appeal. Michael & Tash are away and Joe is working all over the season, so we just said why bother.

Next year will be a lot different however, Michael & Natasha are getting married here on December 1st, in the garden, so preparations are being made for that.

We also have family making the long trip from the UK and they intend to be here for Christmas too, if you're coming all that way it seems silly not to. It will be nice to have them here and when you have visitors it's nice to make the effort.

Joe currently has the ham in the oven, the aroma is wafting up the stairs, it smells devine. We usually have it for Christmas Eve dinner, but as we've already eaten we may just have ham sandwiches for supper.

Christmas Day breakfast is usually ham & eggs with pork pie, toast and lashings of hot tea.

Lunch will be new potatoes, roast lamb with morrocan spices and a mixed salad. I've got individual pavlovas for dessert which I'll put a dollop of cream, strawberries and blueberries.

Then the rest of the day will be spent in a food coma :D

Pohutukawa - New Zealand's Christmas Tree

So I'll now take this opportunity to wish you all, far & wide a wonderful day, however you choose to spend it. Enjoy the time with your loved ones and most of all, stay safe.

See you on the other side

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