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This week's cold snap was a welcome relief on the farm, 52mm of rain after weeks of strong NW winds - but it's got me thinking of autumnal comfort food in the kitchen. These lamb shank pot pies are deliciously meaty, perfect for Sunday lunch or dinner any night. The recipe is no fuss and it's easy to make a big batch and freeze them with the pastry unbaked to pull out and finish in the oven for a quick mid-week dinner. You can top with either pastry or mashed potato for a gluten free alternative. The Recipe - (serves 4, makes 4 x...

It was a hot Saturday afternoon and we were feeling lazy, so we whipped up this tasty (meaty) little number, throw it all together and straight in the oven for 3 hours while you relax in the sun... melt in your mouth perfection. The venison is great as even though it's still a decadent sticky mess, it's a much leaner version of ribs than your usual Beef version. Sweet and Spicy Venison Spare Ribs Recipe Take 2 full rib racks (spare ribs, not french racks) of venison (or you could use Beef), combine the marinade ingredients, smother the racks, cover...

While shifting sheep in the weekend I jumped out to open a gate, looked left and realised..... bonanza it's blackberry season. This year the blackberries are unlike anything I've seen, an absolute bumper crop (much to my husbands disgust). With kiddie helpers we quickly picked an ice cream container from the river bed and I got to work on dreaming up some recipes. It's also the time of year the apples are just starting to ripen, I'm lucky enough to have some ancient heritage cooking apples that are terrible eating but cook up beautifully - provided I get to them before...

The plum trees in our garden are absolutely dripping with plums this year and I've had to pick the lot to beat the wasps and birds. I've washed and frozen loads for batches of jam and sauce later in the year when the cafe is less busy, but couldn't resist whipping up a tasty in-season treat for the cafe cabinet. I made 4 of these little beauties on Saturday and the first one didn't last an hour before it had all sold. This little tart is rich and delicious, but the slightly tart plums give it a great balance. Because...

I was lucky enough to inherit a well established orchard from my late mother in law when I moved to the farm, included was a beautiful row of 3m tall hazelnuts. I love nuts, but how I was ever going to beat the wildlife (ducks, possums, birds, pet sheep etc) to them was a mystery to me. After 5 years, I was still to taste a single nut, every year the trees are laden and every year they seem to almost disappear overnight! Everything you read about hazelnuts suggests to harvest you just collect in Autumn from the ground but...