Many visitors who come on Farm Walks to our farm, enjoy the Tea, Cakes and Stilton refreshments at the end of the visit. Many more ask me for the Teabread recipe and it's so easy to make I usually make 5 or 6 at a time, so here it is!
Jane's Teabread
10oz/275g mixed dried fruit
6oz/175g soft brown sugar
1/2pt/300ml tea
10oz/275g self-raising flour
1 egg
In a mixing bowl, mix together the dried fruits and sugar. Pour on the tea, cover and allow to stand for 4-5 hours or overnight. After soaking, beat in the flour and beaten egg. Stir to mix well. Grease a 2lb/1kg loaf tin well and line the base with greaseproof paper. Put in the cake mixture and level the top. Place in a hot oven (its an Aga recipe so don't know how hot it needs to be - trial and error?) for 45 mins or until its golden brown, cooked in the middle when tested with a skewer!
When cold, slice and I serve buttered. It makes an old fashioned favourite very enjoyable and goes down a treat with a cup of tea.
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
Big Birthday Month and Peak Milk Production
Three out of four members of my family have had their birthdays this month. We begin on the 7th with Mark's (who had a new number plate for the Golf with "Moo" on it). Then its Charlotte's on the 12th (who whizzed off to Majorca this year) and then finally mine on the 21st. I got my favourite perfume from Charlotte, a new camera from Mark and a "grunt" from Harry! Not to forget that Beattie had her 1st birthday on 24th - now she's all grown up, we've moved her into a dog bed rather than the cage, in the back kitchen.
As it's the last day of July today, we've been calculating our milk yield for the month and it's the best ever on this farm, ever, ever! Looking at a production of just over 80,000 litres of high protein milk, just for July! It's been phenomenal grass growing weather throughout July. Firstly the hot dry spell, then just when the grass needed a drink, the thunderstorms sparked off the rain clouds. Lovely warm rain at just the right time. Long may the sunshine, warmth and rain last through August and September, when this farm usually runs short of grass and dries up. Our grass seeds have proved invaluable in producting milk this year and now plan to re-drill another field this Autumn so its got the winter to establish. Long Clawson Dairies what milk at this time of year as they make plenty of Stilton Cheese now which will be ready for the Christmas market come December. Also the price they pay for the milk goes up in July, August and September to encourage us to produce it now. Happy farmers at the moment!
Each Friday, Beattie and I walk the farm to measure the grass growth for that week. It's been a useful exercise for me and Beattie, not only for the excerise but for evaluating which fields are growing faster than others and which fields the cows like to graze. Hopefully, 2013 is the turning point in this farms profitability and thats what keeps us going!
Also, we've been busy with hosting Farm Walks to groups of WI's or U3As this month. It's always different each time a group visits, asking similar but different questions which I enjoy explaining the workings of a dairy farm. My hope is the visitors go home more informed and able to educate members of their family or friends to the reality of running a typical British dairy farm.
Alas today, Arla Dairies (processing plant for liquid milk) at Ashby de la Zouch has announced it's closing its factory next April. A real blow to the industry as they relocate their liquid milk processing to a brand new factory nearer London! 370 jobs lost but the Leicestershire and Derbyshire farmers milk will still be collected and driven futher down the M1 to the new site. It was on East Midlands Today this evening, interviewing farmers who are in shock of the news.
Meanwhile, at Long Clawson Dairies, they announced proudly a win at the Nantwich Cheese Fair with their new cheese Claxton Smooth Blue. Claxton is the old English word for Clawson and the Smooth Blue, a kind of spreadable Stilton. It's yummy, try it!
As it's the last day of July today, we've been calculating our milk yield for the month and it's the best ever on this farm, ever, ever! Looking at a production of just over 80,000 litres of high protein milk, just for July! It's been phenomenal grass growing weather throughout July. Firstly the hot dry spell, then just when the grass needed a drink, the thunderstorms sparked off the rain clouds. Lovely warm rain at just the right time. Long may the sunshine, warmth and rain last through August and September, when this farm usually runs short of grass and dries up. Our grass seeds have proved invaluable in producting milk this year and now plan to re-drill another field this Autumn so its got the winter to establish. Long Clawson Dairies what milk at this time of year as they make plenty of Stilton Cheese now which will be ready for the Christmas market come December. Also the price they pay for the milk goes up in July, August and September to encourage us to produce it now. Happy farmers at the moment!
Each Friday, Beattie and I walk the farm to measure the grass growth for that week. It's been a useful exercise for me and Beattie, not only for the excerise but for evaluating which fields are growing faster than others and which fields the cows like to graze. Hopefully, 2013 is the turning point in this farms profitability and thats what keeps us going!
Also, we've been busy with hosting Farm Walks to groups of WI's or U3As this month. It's always different each time a group visits, asking similar but different questions which I enjoy explaining the workings of a dairy farm. My hope is the visitors go home more informed and able to educate members of their family or friends to the reality of running a typical British dairy farm.
Alas today, Arla Dairies (processing plant for liquid milk) at Ashby de la Zouch has announced it's closing its factory next April. A real blow to the industry as they relocate their liquid milk processing to a brand new factory nearer London! 370 jobs lost but the Leicestershire and Derbyshire farmers milk will still be collected and driven futher down the M1 to the new site. It was on East Midlands Today this evening, interviewing farmers who are in shock of the news.
Meanwhile, at Long Clawson Dairies, they announced proudly a win at the Nantwich Cheese Fair with their new cheese Claxton Smooth Blue. Claxton is the old English word for Clawson and the Smooth Blue, a kind of spreadable Stilton. It's yummy, try it!
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Tennis Elbow, Housemaids Knee and Home Alone
After watching the success of Andy Murray last week, I've come out with sympathy pains in my right elbow! Or it could be down to the amount of buckets of milk I'm carrying from the parlour to the baby calves twice a day. Boy, have we had some stonking Herefords? They are twice the size of a newborn Ayrshire and drink SO much milk. The bigger, brighter ones are jumping pens and even jumping out into the barn, but luckily, won't go outside the building as they know its "scary" out there. Last night, two jumped out and were found this morning asleep in between the pens, with their mates. I've got 15 babies and 10 weaners to feed twice a day and its hot so they're all getting water too. More buckets to carry! Think I'm going to rename my tennis elbow, Milkmaids Elbow!
Mother-in-law, has just had a knee replacement. The old one is worn out after 85 years so they've replaced the Housemaids Knee. She's been home a week now and walking very well with the crutches around the house and garden daily. Yesterday, she had the village Doctor visit because it was still very swollen. She sent us to LRI to the DVT clinic to get it check out. So I downed my paint brush and changed to take her. Three hours later, no news but another scan on her leg later in the week. And still got some more painting to do in the stables.
Home alone for three days as both Charlotte and Harry are on holiday with my sister, Susan and her family in Majorca (alright for some - but I've got equally great weather for sunbathing if I had time too). Mark has gone to Devon (another holiday spot) for a dairyman's tour of other dairy farms with other dairy farmers! I'd loved to have gone too but someone's got to stay at home and hold the fort.
Being "Home Alone" (although I've got Beattie the dog 24/7) is great but so much to do. Eleven loads of washing, cleaned the kitchen floor, painted four stables, poo picked the paddock, lunged both horses every day, (not to mention feeding and bedding all my calves)and tomorrow attending a Farmers Meeting (as Marks not here) to discuss suppliers for the farm and do the weekly shop down Tescos for Mum-in-Law and ourselves! However, when I speak to people telling them all my family are away, the reply is "how nice, now you can do whatever you want?" Ha Ha. I wish!
Next job to do, is try and sell my beloved horsebox lorry. It's the sensible thing to do. With Charlotte travelling this winter and Harry away at College, I can't see me hunting as there's so much to do on the farm. So it's got to go after four years of fabulous family filled adventures in it.
Looking at our staffing problem, I have offered to be a host family for an overseas trainee. We've made contact with a NZ 21 year old who is from a 500 cow dairy unit in South Island NZ. As I've got a bedroom spare this winter, I thought this could be the answer. Fingers crossed!
Mother-in-law, has just had a knee replacement. The old one is worn out after 85 years so they've replaced the Housemaids Knee. She's been home a week now and walking very well with the crutches around the house and garden daily. Yesterday, she had the village Doctor visit because it was still very swollen. She sent us to LRI to the DVT clinic to get it check out. So I downed my paint brush and changed to take her. Three hours later, no news but another scan on her leg later in the week. And still got some more painting to do in the stables.
Home alone for three days as both Charlotte and Harry are on holiday with my sister, Susan and her family in Majorca (alright for some - but I've got equally great weather for sunbathing if I had time too). Mark has gone to Devon (another holiday spot) for a dairyman's tour of other dairy farms with other dairy farmers! I'd loved to have gone too but someone's got to stay at home and hold the fort.
Being "Home Alone" (although I've got Beattie the dog 24/7) is great but so much to do. Eleven loads of washing, cleaned the kitchen floor, painted four stables, poo picked the paddock, lunged both horses every day, (not to mention feeding and bedding all my calves)and tomorrow attending a Farmers Meeting (as Marks not here) to discuss suppliers for the farm and do the weekly shop down Tescos for Mum-in-Law and ourselves! However, when I speak to people telling them all my family are away, the reply is "how nice, now you can do whatever you want?" Ha Ha. I wish!
Next job to do, is try and sell my beloved horsebox lorry. It's the sensible thing to do. With Charlotte travelling this winter and Harry away at College, I can't see me hunting as there's so much to do on the farm. So it's got to go after four years of fabulous family filled adventures in it.
Looking at our staffing problem, I have offered to be a host family for an overseas trainee. We've made contact with a NZ 21 year old who is from a 500 cow dairy unit in South Island NZ. As I've got a bedroom spare this winter, I thought this could be the answer. Fingers crossed!
Thursday, 4 July 2013
Family Day Out @ Livestock Event
Had a great day out with my husband, my son and my father yesterday. We treated ourselves to a day with other dairy farmers at the NEC. It's ridiculous really as you spend most of the time at these shows bumping into and talking to your neighbours from down the road, catching up with the latest news and gossip!
Anyway, we took Harry and he met up with two school friends from Somerset so that took care of him and we didn't have to spend our time looking round new tractors and machinery with him asking why can't we buy one? Of course, we'd rather spend our time around the Ayrshire Cattle breeders and watched our new friends doing the cattle showing. Everyone was pleased to see us again since the AGM in Kintyre and they all remembered our names. Impressed! Harry has now finished his schooling at Somerset after three wonderful years. Last Saturday we had our last trip to Brymore for the Schools Open Day. We had to take a trailer to fetch his DT project. Whilst most boys made a tool box or hen hut, our lad decided to make a feed bin for the calf food. It was a hugh 1m x 1.2m x 1.5m checker plate and angle iron welded box! Needed a tractor to load it up and unload once we got home. Anyway its a useful item to have and we needed one!
Later on I found my way onto the DairyCo stand, and attended the launch of their new campaign #discoverdairy which I hope you'll support. Is a campaign I'm already involved with - teaching the general public about what goes on on a dairy farm. Everyone's familiar with the end product, but just how do we farmers actually produce this food everyday? It's right up my street and I'm happily taken the "bull by the horns" (excuse the pun) and started "tweeting" messages about what we're doing now on the farm. Go on, take a look and follow me or at least do some "likes" and give me some support!! DairyCo have managed to get Adam Henson as their ambassador to head the campaign which is aimed at 18-35 year olds. Hence the social media interaction!
By the way, look out for my profile on DairyCo's website www.thisisdairyfarming.com under Meet the Farmer tab. Quite impressed - like the picture too.
They announced their website will be upgraded at the end of July making it more picture stories rather than words and asked me to do some guest farmer blogging! Hey, getting with it now!
Getting to the NEC is easy pezzey down the M42. Parking free and an easy walk to the event. Air conditioning was exactly right, we weren't too cold or hot. All was perfect until we went to buy some lunch! Wow, how can it be that in a permanent exhibition centre it takes 40 minutes to queue up to order and pay for a hot roast pork pannini costing a whopping £6.95 each!! Ouch, that's beyond counselling! This year I took my own bottle of water as I remember being charged £1.95 for 50ml bottle last year. We've only been getting 24.19pence per ltr for milk in June!
Here's a picture of "Somerby Sunflower" during milking this morning. She loves cow cake but hasn't learnt to shut her mouth to eat it! Ha Ha!
Anyway, we took Harry and he met up with two school friends from Somerset so that took care of him and we didn't have to spend our time looking round new tractors and machinery with him asking why can't we buy one? Of course, we'd rather spend our time around the Ayrshire Cattle breeders and watched our new friends doing the cattle showing. Everyone was pleased to see us again since the AGM in Kintyre and they all remembered our names. Impressed! Harry has now finished his schooling at Somerset after three wonderful years. Last Saturday we had our last trip to Brymore for the Schools Open Day. We had to take a trailer to fetch his DT project. Whilst most boys made a tool box or hen hut, our lad decided to make a feed bin for the calf food. It was a hugh 1m x 1.2m x 1.5m checker plate and angle iron welded box! Needed a tractor to load it up and unload once we got home. Anyway its a useful item to have and we needed one!
Later on I found my way onto the DairyCo stand, and attended the launch of their new campaign #discoverdairy which I hope you'll support. Is a campaign I'm already involved with - teaching the general public about what goes on on a dairy farm. Everyone's familiar with the end product, but just how do we farmers actually produce this food everyday? It's right up my street and I'm happily taken the "bull by the horns" (excuse the pun) and started "tweeting" messages about what we're doing now on the farm. Go on, take a look and follow me or at least do some "likes" and give me some support!! DairyCo have managed to get Adam Henson as their ambassador to head the campaign which is aimed at 18-35 year olds. Hence the social media interaction!
By the way, look out for my profile on DairyCo's website www.thisisdairyfarming.com under Meet the Farmer tab. Quite impressed - like the picture too.
They announced their website will be upgraded at the end of July making it more picture stories rather than words and asked me to do some guest farmer blogging! Hey, getting with it now!
Getting to the NEC is easy pezzey down the M42. Parking free and an easy walk to the event. Air conditioning was exactly right, we weren't too cold or hot. All was perfect until we went to buy some lunch! Wow, how can it be that in a permanent exhibition centre it takes 40 minutes to queue up to order and pay for a hot roast pork pannini costing a whopping £6.95 each!! Ouch, that's beyond counselling! This year I took my own bottle of water as I remember being charged £1.95 for 50ml bottle last year. We've only been getting 24.19pence per ltr for milk in June!
Here's a picture of "Somerby Sunflower" during milking this morning. She loves cow cake but hasn't learnt to shut her mouth to eat it! Ha Ha!
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