Worth a visit – whatever the weather

They say life is better in flip flops: I think wellington boots would be more appropriate! Looking out of my window, anyone would think that we have missed July and August and accelerated to early autumn. The holidaymakers here are busy dodging showers and making the best of the glimpses of sunshine when they do appear. Fluffy white clouds and blistering sunshine has made way for unbroken leaden grey and winds more at home in October.

Redlands Yard in Broadwindsor is certainly worth a visit. Formerly known as Broadwindsor Craft Centre, this quaint place has evolved over the years. A large courtyard peppered with interesting independent shops encircles a cheerful conservatory restaurant. Its shabby bohemian country style décor is comfortable and welcoming, its menu offers uncomplicated, straightforward traditional fare, generous portions at very reasonable prices. A huge choice of impressive cakes sits invitingly under sparklingly clean glass domes and depending on your appetite there is plenty to choose from.

So many places use cheap ingredients, which as someone with a sensitive palate I can taste. But the shortbread I had was made with butter; it was a lovely, chunky round of buttery deliciousness. This place is worthy of a visit on a grey or sunny day.

Recently my grandson contemplated becoming a vegan, not on moral grounds – mainly as an experiment. Living at home, my daughter decided to do the same, making it less complicated for shopping. It was, I guess, a social experiment and they gave themselves a reasonable target to see how it worked for them. I enjoy vegetarian food, but veganism is for me a huge step.

When I had my restaurant, we had a booking which included a vegan, in those day it was unusual. Vegan creations were made which she greatly enjoyed. But when it came to dessert, she chose the sherry trifle, full of creamy custard made with eggs, jelly and topped with lashings of cream. To be honest I found it difficult to take veganism seriously after that.

However, it’s good to reevaluate what you eat occasionally, it’s important to listen to what your body is telling you. If your body craves something, indulge it, there is something in that craving the body needs. My grandson buckled after a week; he decided it wasn’t for him. My daughter tiptoed across the finish line but enjoyed making that journey, learning a lot about her own body’s needs.

Mum’s Kitchen... with Diana Holman

Raspberry Crumble Squares

This is a very simple and quick recipe, using raspberries in season at the moment. My squares turned out quite rustic in appearance, which somehow added to their appeal!

Ingredients:

180g butter

125 golden granulated sugar or soft brown sugar

125 jumbo oats

175 plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

250g raspberries, lightly crushed

15g cornflour

40g caster sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/160 fan. Grease and line a 20cm square cake tin.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar, then stir in the flour, oats and baking powder to form a crumbly mixture. Press half the mixture into the prepared tin to create a smooth base. Prick all over with a fork and bake for 15 minutes

Vittles (food & drink)

Lizzie Crow – AKA Lizzie Baking Bird – is a self taught baker and has recently moved into her own bakery. She also has a stall outside The Old Ship Inn in Upwey each Saturday. See her scrumptious eats at lizziebakingbird.co.uk or find lizzibakingbird on Instagram.