The last week of March was one of the busiest of my life, filled with lovely things to watch and see but not a moment to stop. Showcases at the end of term, both for my big girl and myself as a teacher; choir competitions, which saw them through to the finals this week; brownies’ end of term activities; final dance and gym sessions; piano exam practice … you name it, we fit it in!
Meet:
But the final week all began with a weekend away with friends in Belfast, a city (and in a country) I’ve never visited before. The absolutely perfect place to meet up with people you haven’t seen for a while, or good friends you spend every minute with. We fit so much in from arriving late on Friday night to leaving mid-afternoon on Sunday…we just didn’t stop. Saturday morning started with a drive out to The Giant’s Causeway, free to visit but maintained by the National Trust. We stopped en route for a hearty Irish Breakfast at Logan’s of Cloughmills and left with several ‘take away’ items for later in the day, including raspberry scones and pork, apple and caramelised onion sausage rolls! The interesting part of breakfast was the ‘vegetable roll’: When we enquired what this was, we were told “Well, it’s sausagemeat with leeks and herbs and spices!” We all opted to keep it on our plates and it was particularly delicious, along with the potato and soda breads.
Another half hour later and we were walking along the coastal path to The Giant’s Causeway. It’s one of those places that sort of calls you, as sirens call to mariners, and keeps you there, wandering silently, staring into the sea, pondering life. The hexagonal columns don’t cover as much area as I had imagined, but encourage climbing, scaling and contemplation.
A little way further up the coast is the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, created by salmon fishermen in 1755 to cross to the little island. Book timed tickets ahead of your visit from the National Trust. Most of the island was closed of when we visited, I’m guessing to prevent tourists disturbing the pairs of breeding birds nesting against the cliffs and in the grasses, but I can imagine views from the top must be wonderful.
It was then back down through Bushmills, the only sadness being that we couldn’t take any whiskey home on the aeroplane, and off to Harry’s Shack on Portstewart Strand for lunch. The menu choices were great, but after a busy morning, we opted for fish and chips, which were delicious, walked off with a 2/3 mile beach amble afterwards. And the sun shone!
The evening began with cocktails in the beautiful piano bar of the world’s most bombed hotel, the Europa. What a way to start your evening…cocktails, music, a comfy chair after all that walking, 14.5km by the way, and lots of laughs. A pub crawl through several other great bars and pubs afterwards and topped off with what was probably the best pizza in the whole of Belfast from Reggie’s Pizza, made for a great end to a great day. Reggie was kind enough to stay open for us when we stumbled in around 10.45pm, and the hand stretched, stone baked pizzas were just delicious…I’m a firm believer that the taste of food is not only about the food itself, but the place, people and atmosphere … those things have to combine for it to be perfect. And it was.
Sunday began with more walking to St. George’s Market but we were rewarded once we arrived. A plethora of craft, fresh artisan produce and delicious food greeted us and we spent over an hour just wandering and taking it all in. Those who know me know I love a good market! From there we went on to Titanic Belfast, only stopping to gasp at a seal, let’s call him Nyx, we spotted in the River Lagan! I was really impressed with the museum. Very interactive and I discovered so much, which I never normally do as I get bored quickly! Tickets include a visit inside the only surviving White Star ship, the SS Nomadic. Highly recommended.
We finished our visit with a short turn inside at Crumlin Road Gaol, another fascinating place, full of history, both recent and Victorian. And after another 8.5km covered, finally boarded a plane back to London.
If you’re looking to book a weekend away with friends, or with family, I really couldn’t recommend the city more. Just brilliant!
Make & Munch:
So, for the first time, the Make and the Munch fit together this month. Inspired by the recent release of the Ooni Koda has fired pizza oven, and its sisters, the Ooni 3, 2s and Pro, I made the decision that if we wanted gas fired pizza, we may as well cook it on the bbq or in the oven, something I tested last summer using a baking stone. It works well but you don’t get the leoparding (spotting) or browning on the edges, or that smoky taste. So I decided, as you do, to build us a wood fired pizza oven. Having seen Jimmy Doherty make it look easy on Jamie and Jimmy a few years ago, I gave it a go: purchased two pretty hefty frost proof terracotta pots, an insulation blanket and some fire cement. It’s not difficult, and actually quite a quick process to make once you have what you need.
1) Use a flagstone big enough for your biggest pot and lay out your red clay bricks.
2) Build a quick, nailed together, wooden frame around them and remove the bricks.
3) Use sand on top of the base to level the bricks, no need for mortar or cement. I left an area of lower bricks in the middle as I wanted to use a pizza stone as the main cooking area, not bricks.
4) Place your stone, if you’re using one, on the lowered bricks, ensuring the top is level…use a hammer and piece of wood to tap them into place to the correct level.
5) Use an angle grinder to cut a 10cm by 30cm opening in each pot at the rim. Up-end your smaller pot centrally and cover with the insulation. Use a mask and gloves while you cut it to shape and form it around the pot.
6) Cover the small pot with the larger pot and seal around the base with the fire cement.
7) Light a small kindling fire centrally within the pots, not near the edges, to prevent sudden heat cracking the pots, although this will happen at some point no matter how carefully you build the heat as you’re using pots, not making it from thick clay walls! Keep this small fire in for several hours to begin to ‘cure’ the cement.
And you’re ready to go! Light a small fire, build it gradually. Once it’s hot and nearly burnt out, add a larger piece of wood and push to the edges. To be certain, using an infrared thermometer on the cooking surface will ensure your stone is hot enough (between 420 and 450 degrees c) but I winged it on our first use. Simply make your pizza, launch, and watch the deliciousness cook in front of your eyes!
You can find a list of products and links I used at the bottom of the post for your convenience, although the bricks, slabs, wood etc, we already had in the garden! I opt for a basic Ooni dough, topped with a homemade tomato sauce with pepperoni and mozzarella. Don’t forgot to dash a few basil leaves around and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over the top before cooking too.
For the tomato sauce, fry a little chopped garlic, season well with salt, pepper and a little sugar to combat the acidity of the tomatoes, add a can or two of tomatoes, rinse the cans with a small amount of water and let it all bubble down and reduce for a couple of hours. I then bag up into portions and freeze.
Pots from local Abercorn garden centre
The Chimney House 