They wouldn't win a competition

Another food one. At the risk of being repetitive as the years go on, it's bilberry time again. I picked a couple of ounces on Wednesday night and took them back to make cakes with. I didn't have enough cake cases of the same size but it doesn't matter. They aren't in a competition.

Rather than mix in the fruit as with dried fruits, I always think that with fragile fresh fruit they would just get burst and the juice would just run into the mixture and make it too runny. So I put a bit of mixture in the cases, then sprinkle the fruit on, then I add another spoon of mix and sprinkle more fruit on top. That way the mixture rises up through the fruit and it all ends up more or less evenly distributed through the cakes.

I'll take a couple to the local farmer who can't walk any more but loves to hear of all the bilberry picking places he has enjoyed going since a boy.


Now, for Helsie, the potato bread recipe. I have put it in metric for you. I hope that's OK.

Goat's cheese, onion and potato bread.
( I cannot stand goat's cheese. Makes me want to retch. So I used cheddar)

110g firm goat's cheese, peeled and cut into small cubes
4 - 5 spring onions, finely sliced
1 medium potato weighing about 175g
175g self raising flour
1 level teaspoon salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1 rounded teaspoon chopped thyme leaves ( I just used dried)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 rounded teaspoon grain mustard
a little flour for dusting

Preheat oven at 190C. Peel the potato and grate it into a large mixing bowl. Sift in the flour, salt and cayenne. Add spring onions, thyme and two thirds of the cheese. Blend everything together thoroughly. Beat the egg, milk and mustard together and add to the mix. Bring it together into a loose, rough dough. Transfer to a well greased baking sheet and pat into a 15cm diameter round. Lightly press the rest of the cheese into the surface, dust with the little flour and bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Remove to a colling rack. Serve slightly warm if possible.