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Here’s a couple of recipes from my mum’s collection. The peanut butter cookies are fabulous!

 

Tollhouse Cookies 

Makes 24

 

Ingredients

• 115g butter or margarine
• 50g caster sugar (golden works well)
• 75g dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2.5ml / 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 125g plain flour
• 2.5ml / 0.5tsp bicarbonate soda
• pinch of salt
• 175g chocolate chips
• 50g chopped nuts (hazelnuts or walnuts)

 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4
2. Grease 2 baking sheets
3. With an electric mixer cream butter & sugar until mixture is light & fluffy
4. In another bowl mix egg & vanilla, then gradually beat in butter mixture. Sift into this the flour, bicarb, and salt. Stir to blend
5. Add chocolate & nuts. Mix to combine thoroughly
6. Place heaped teaspoonfls of the dough 5cm/2in apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10-15mins until lightly coloured.
7. Transfer to a wire rack to cool

 

Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 24

 

Ingredients

• 115g plain flour
• 2.5ml / 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt
• 115g butter
• 125g golden caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 5ml / 1tsp vanilla extract
• 225g crunch peanut butter

 

Method

1. With an electric mixer cream butter & sugar until mixture is light & fluffy
2. In another bowl mix egg & vanilla, then gradually beat in butter mixture
3. Stir in the peanut butter and blend thoroughly
4. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate, and salt and stir together
5. Chill for at least 30 minutes until firm
6. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4
7. Grease 2 baking sheets
8. Spoon out rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough and roll into balls
9. Place the balls on the prepared bakings sheets and press flat into circles with a fork making a criss-cross pattern on the top
10. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly coloured
11. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

 

 

Visited Corfe Castle – a ruined castle managed by the National Trust in Dorset – on Easter Saturday. It was an overcast day which added to the beauty of the place with grey skies contrasting with the stone.

It’s a great place to visit if you like photography or painting as there are so many fantastic angles and views. Also I think it’s brilliant if you have kids as they can happily climb up walls and through windows without any restrictions or barriers. (All very Famous Five which is appropriate as it was partly the inspiration for the castle on Kirrin Island)

I visited the National Trust property – Stowe Landscape Garden –  in Buckinghamshire on the opening weekend of their new entrance to the property. It’s a fabulous garden full of meandering paths, temples, and monuments – all designed to create stunning views. The walk around the estate is great – about 3 miles and fairly easy going.

They’ve always had a secret grotto that wasn’t accessible as it was being renovated – it’s now open and lit by candle lanterns. This is the view from the grotto down the stream showing how everything is designed to frame a perfect view

This photo was taken last August on a circular drive around Keswick, Honister, and Buttermere. It was a beautiful sunny day.

This photo has been edited in iPhoto on the iPad. It’s an impressive bit of software and I’m having fun experimenting with it.

The National Trust have been tidying up the trees at Dyrham. This was taken yesterday

Looks like one of the canal boas has a leak. May look pretty but not doing much for the ducks…