we wish you a merry christmas....

and a Happy New Year!  

Here's a bit of Christmas exuberance, courtesy of someone who lives nearby:

And here's Jake, the Greenbaskets mascot, having a great time in the snow. He really enjoys it and doesn't appear to notice the cold, unlike the rest of us for whom the novelty has now worn off! Sorry Bing Crosby but I'm not dreaming of a white Christmas - I'm dreaming of warm, balmy days when I can wear only one layer of clothing!

So Happy Christmas to one and all and I hope to see you in the New Year. This is Greenbaskets first year and it's been an absolute pleasure to meet everyone who's come to the markets and fairs.

Hope everything you want is under your tree.

last whiteladies of the year.....

Yesterday was the last Whiteladies market of the year. Here are our very own Charlies Angels, from left to right, chief greengarland elf (Sue from Greengarland), yours truly and Helen from Bordeaux Quay (http://www.bordeaux-quay.co.uk/). Thanks to Wendy from Organic Blooms for being the photographer (organicblooms@ironacton.plus.com).

As you can see, it was a chilly day and we were all wearing as many clothes as is humanly possible while still being able to move! Snow on the ground but the sun came out, the market was busy, there were stalls with beautiful bread, hand made pottery, fresh fish, lovely cheeses and meat, cakes and chutneys, plants and organic wine......oh and Sue's lovely wreaths and my baskets, of course!

So Merry Christmas to you all!

For more information about the market, go to www.sustainableredland.org.uk. 

christmas is a coming.....

Went and bought the tree yesterday and decorated it with all our old, favourite decorations. There are Chinese dragons bought in Hong Kong, papier mache leopards, majestic stags and unicorns, cuddly teddies and furry bears, wooden toys from Italy, jolly santas, stars and hearts and strings of blue fairy lights. The loveliest of all are the ones made by little hands at nursery and ones sent as gifts from loved ones, some of whom are no longer here.

Hanging from the curtain rails we have strings of handmade decorations from India featuring elephants, horses and birds, with dancers and riders in fabulous costumes, all in the brightest of colours. And at the base of the tree there are strings of lights made of paper flowers in red and green and others of dancing blue dragon flies.

So this is Christmas 2010. It might even be a White Christmas.

busy, busy, busy....

Three weeks to Christmas! Horribly behind with my Christmas shopping. No tree, no turkey, no presents.....oh dear! However, I have made a Christmas cake which is a gluten free version of one of Nigel Slater's recipes. I was a little creative with my adaptation so goodness only knows what it'll taste like. I randomly added and omitted various ingredients. I also used the wrong size cake tin. Hmmmm - doesn't sound promising, does it? I'm hoping that if I put enough brandy in it over the next three weeks, noone will notice it's inedible!

It's been a busy week. Fabulous venue and lovely carol singing at Clifton College's Christmas Fayre, complete with the Stig! Followed by a bustling Bishopston Christmas Market where there were friends and good company:

Here's Sue from Greengarland with her lovely wreaths and Christmas decorations:

And then there was a very busy Whiteladies Christmas Market, complete with choir and hot, spiced apple juice (thanks Robin) which helped to combat the cold and damp!

And that was followed by a packed Henleaze Christmas Fair where the choir sang, the children got very excited and everyone played games and drank mulled wine (well, the adults did!). Here's a young volunteer balancing a Bolga basket on his head!

So, off we go. Only three shopping weeks left - here's hoping there's something left in the shops that I want to buy and my nearest and dearest will want to receive!

Hope you're all on top of the situation better than I am!

christmas comes to whiteladies...

This Saturday is the first Whiteladies Christmas Market. We've got food, Xmas goodies, lots of suggestions for presents, friendly stallholders and christmassy weather. All we need is you.....

If you can't make this one, there'll be another on 18 December....

Hope to see you there.

clever people and beautiful things...

The great thing about going to Christmas Markets is seeing all the fabulous things that people make and sell. The rest of the year, they're beavering away but you don't get to see them, unless you know where to find them.

So at yesterday's Winterbourne Christmas Market it was a pleasure to meet Laurie who makes fantastic hats. We had a ball trying them all on, admiring some of the results and laughing at others, giving each other advice on which looked best and which to buy. Here's Laurie and you can find her at: http://www.fuzzpotlane.co.uk/

And here's Nadia with her wonderful handmade jewellery using stones from Brazil and other countries. You can find Nadia at: http://nbjewellerycreations.wordpress.com/ :

We all went home with hats, having made more new friends. The hat's already turned out to be a good buy - today it's -5C and the weather forecast says it's going to be cold all week. Thanks to Laurie for keeping my ears warm!

snow!

It snowed at the Hambrook Christmas Fayre tonight - the first time in living memory! The children couldn't believe it. They ran around, trying to catch the snowflakes, chasing each other, sliding on the slippery surface, getting more and more excited.

And then it stopped so everyone could enjoy the food stalls, watch the dancing, and join in the games.

And inside we were glad of the warm. Children came to buy presents for their mums, adults bought secret Santas and presents for their families, there were lucky dips and raffles and goodies galore.

Christmas is a'coming and tonight was full of Christmas cheer!



happy thanksgiving....

....to all my friends and family in the US.  Enjoy!

let's hear it for green baskets...

One of the reasons I sell baskets is because I believe we should reduce our use of throwaway plastic bags. Despite the best efforts of M&S and others, we still throw millions of them away every year.

Ireland introduced a plastic bag tax in 2002 which resulted in a 90% reduction in the use of plastic bags. The Irish wanted to reduce the amount of litter, waste and damage to the environment and wildlife caused by plastic bags. Many cities around the world have also taken action. San Francisco was an early adopter (2007) and Los Angeles County last week became the latest authority in the US to introduce laws to restrict plastic bag usage and promote reusable bags.

Of course, in France, the tradition of taking a basket with you to go food shopping has never disappeared. While not shopping, baskets can be used for a hundred other purposes around the house and garden. The baskets I sell are handmade, mainly in Morocco and Ghana, using natural materials like grasses, reeds and leaves from local, renewable sources. And what's more, they're beautiful.

So let's hear it for the basket! If you'd like to see why I love them so much, come and take a look. I'll be at the Whiteladies Christmas Farmers' Markets on 4 and 18 December. And there's a list of other events where I'll be selling in the next few weeks on my website (http://www.green-baskets.co.uk/). I have lots of limited edition and one-off baskets that will make great presents....

Hope to see you there.....

market blues...

It was cold, cold, cold at yesterday's market. Thermals, two fleeces and two pairs of gloves couldn't keep out the chilly winds and the damp. The wind was whipping round our corner and we were all feeling it. The french onion seller was stamping his feet and walking up and down to keep warm. Thank goodness for Chris' fabulous soup. Yesterday he had one of my favourite winter warmers: beetroot and roasted tomato. Just what I needed to keep the chill at bay.

But we have great fun on our corner, the market is full of fabulous produce and our customers are lovely. Here's my friend J's basket, filled to the brim with market produce.

And here's some lovely pottery, made by Liz, one of my fellow market traders:

We'll be there again on 4 December so if you're local to Bristol, come and see us. It'll be a Christmas market and, whatever the weather, you'll receive a warm welcome!

For more information about the market, have a look at: http://www.sustainableredland.org.uk/next-farmers-market/.

knitting baskets for the discriminating knitter....

People are telling me that these Bolga baskets are the perfect knitting basket. They're nice and open so you can see what's in there. They're light and easy to store and move. The inside is smooth so it doesn't snag the yarn. And they look much, much better than plastic boxes!

The big ones are great for stashing all those 'must have' buys ("it's such a beautiful colour, it's so soft, it'll come in handy one day..."). Whereas the little ones are ideal for current projects...

Maybe this will inspire me to get out the needles, buy some lovely new yarn and get going.......how about a nice pair of socks for Christmas? Last time I tried, they turned out a very odd shape. Couldn't quite negotiate the corners....need some tuition here, C, when you get back from your travels....

a Coventry kid...

Today is the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Coventry, which is where I was born. That night, 14 November 1940, the medieval centre of the city was all but destroyed. While I was growing up, the city was rebuilt, a new cathedral was consecrated, the city attracted new industries. But I was always drawn to what remained of the old city, particularly the old cathedral spire, which stayed defiantly upright amidst the destruction.

Although most of my family were there during the Blitz, they didn't talk about it much.  Most of them were conscientious objectors and worked at the hospital, helping ambulance crews and ferrying patients, or in the factories, making parts. I can't say that I thought about it much when I was growing up. We were preoccupied with other things, the things that all teenagers are concerned with. I'm the same generation that produced The Specials and The Selecter, Coventry bands who captured the mood of the late 1970s and early 80s.

But it's strange the way these things start to resonate as you get older. There are questions I'd like to ask my family about what happened and what it was like but they're not there to ask any more. So today, listening to the Remembrance day coverage, it makes me thoughtful. Today's other major news story is the release of Aung San Suu Kyi who, in her first speech after 7 years of house arrest said, "I bear no grudge".

And it makes me wonder how I'd react in any of those situations, what it must be like to see your world falling down around you, how you keep going in the face of adversity and persecution, what happens when your family and life get torn apart. I don't think I'd do very well. So today is a good day to remember those who are made of sterner stuff than me, be glad that they had (and still have) the courage to do things I could never do and wish I had principles that strong.

with thanks to BS9....

We had a lovely time at our shopping evening last night. A big thanks to Sue for hosting the event and to all who came. We chatted and laughed, compared notes about hormonal teenagers, commiserated over the horror of vets' bills (alongside how much we love our pets), wondered at Sue's wreaths and jams, Gabriel's handmade bags and Jenny's cards, and admired ourselves and each other in Judith's fabulous jewellery.

Here's Sue's lovely fireplace, decorated with kissing balls:

and here's a close up of one in a mini Bolga basket...

Thanks to Karen for all the help and to Bob for the advice. So, BS9, until the next time....

we're having a party.....

Sue Amesbury, Judith Hodges, and I are holding a Christmas Shopping Evening on

Thursday 11th November.
I'll be selling my new range of baskets, including these which have just arrived from Ghana:

Sue will be selling her new designs, including these fabulous kissing balls:

Judith's bringing contemporary silver jewellery from Bob Adams Designs - lots of new pieces at discounted prices. And Jenny Williams will be bringing some of her great range of Phoenix Christmas Cards and Advent Calendars.

If you're local to Bristol and would like to come along,
contact info@green-baskets.co.uk for more information. 

Looking forward to it......

van morrison royal albert hall

So, it was the big night.  Expectations were high. Travel arrangements were in place. Friends were greeted (glad you were there, FTFSOT).

Here's the Royal Albert Hall (built by Prince Albert to promote arts and science, opened in 1871) looking spectacular:

And here's the poster (no photos allowed in the auditorium):

As ever he came on very promptly. His early arrival on stage often catches out the new audience member but you could tell that most of the people there had been many times before. Despite the high ticket prices, it was full. This was an audience of die-hard fans, willing him to be at his best. It was billed as a concert of classics and, depending on your definition of what constitutes a Van Morrison classic, this was.

I knew I'd need the tissues and I did. I cried all the way through Fair Play and Into the Mystic. I wasn't much better during In the Garden and Ballerina. By the time he went off (promptly after 90 minutes), I was an emotional wreck. The only consolation was that I wasn't the only one.

But that's the problem with music that represents the soundtrack to your life. It touches you in places that nothing else can. All you need are the opening bars and vaboom....you're off.....you're there, in the exact emotional moment you were in the first time you heard it.

And after he'd gone and the band had brought Gloria to a foot stomping end, the audience ebbed away and the crew arrived to clear the stage. Those few of us that were left, hanging on to the last few magical moments before heading for home, were delighted to see Jay Berliner, legendary guitarist on Astral Weeks, who came back to pick up his guitars. Several people went up to say thanks.

And then it was time to go, until the next time. It was a crisp, clear night and we walked back to South Kensington, caught the tube to Victoria and went our separate ways.

So, once again, thank you Van Morrison. I hope you enjoyed it at least a fraction as much as we did.

an apple a day...

Today is Apple Day (for more info see: http://www.england-in-particular.info/cg/appleday/a-events.html). To show willing, I thought I'd cook up some of the apples that have been sitting in the fruit bowl for a bit too long in some butter, demerara sugar and cinnamon. Here they are getting sweet and sticky...

I'll eat these for breakfast tomorrow morning with some greek yoghurt, presupposing there's any left by then! Not sure that the nutritional content of these is as good as it might be, given all that sugar and butter. But hey! It's still apple! 5 a day anyone?

autumn song

Leaves of brown they fall to the ground
And it's here, over there leaves around
Shut the door, dim the lights and relax
What is more, your desire or the facts

Pitter patter the rain falling down
Little glamor sun coming round
Take a walk when autumn comes to town

Little stroll past the house on the hill
Some more coal on the fire will do well
And in a week or two it'll be Halloween
Set the page and the stage for the scene

Van Morrison (Autumn Song, Hard Nose the Highway).

Photos:

Beech wood, River Frome.

Florence, Italy.



bolga baskets

Just received a new batch of Bolga baskets (thanks V). It was a beautiful day so I spent the afternoon reshaping them. They come squashed flat so need to be dampened, pushed back into shape and then left to dry. Here they are, colours glowing in the late afternoon sun.

I have some cute little ones which are great for storage, as gift baskets filled with lovely bits and pieces, or for children, who absolutely love them....

And some fabulous big ones, which have a hundred different uses....

Now the sun has gone down, I've brought them into the house to finish drying. A wonderful smell of sweet grass is filling the house....

apples and quince

October 21st is Apple Day. So at the market yesterday, there were apple tastings where people could try different locally grown varieties. These are tree ripened Cox and Bramleys..

One of my friends brought along a huge bag of quince from the tree in his garden which has gone mad this year, producing around 200kg of fruit. He's giving them away to anyone who'll take them, along with a recipe for quince jam which is great with cold meats and cheese (or so I've been told - I've never tried it). They're rather strange furry fruit which look like large knobbly pears.

In case this puts you in the mood for cake, here's a recipe for Nigel Slater's English Apple Cake: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/food/recipe226.shtml
Or you might feel like having a go at this variation on Nigel's Apple Cake which incorporates crumble: http://www.libertylondongirl.com/2010/03/22/recipe-caramelised-apple-topping-cinnamon-cake/

I haven't tried either of these but will be experimenting with gluten free versions.

And if you feel like trying some quince jam (presupposing you can find any quince!): http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/quince_jam/

fresh fruit

I went to my local Indian supermarket today. It has the most wonderful array of produce you can imagine. Bursting at the seams with fresh herbs, vegetables, fruit, spices to tempt the palate of the many nationalities who shop there. It's one of the few places where the fruit is properly ripe when you buy it, packaging is minimal and most things can be bought in exactly the quantity you want, from individual to industrial.

I bought mangoes (Brazil), figs (Turkey), coriander, mint and basil (UK), tomatoes (Spain) and bananas (Colombia). And then I thought about how many air miles were represented in just those few items.

And that's the dilemma all of us face. Nobody can disagree with the principle of local sourcing and eating seasonally. But we're never going to grow bananas, oranges and mangoes. So am I prepared to give them up?

windfalls

Behind where I live, there used to be a farm. There are lots of old apple trees so this time of year there are lots of windfalls. My old dog used to see it as his personal responsibility to clear them up by eating as many as he could every time we went for a walk. He also liked to pick his own blackberries. And in the garden, his own strawberries and tomatoes (no wonder I never had a crop!). It's remarkable how many crab apples, cooking apples and dessert apples a labrador's stomach can digest without any apparent consequences!

Fortunately, my current labrador doesn't share this enthusiasm. But he does share with his predecessor a liking for the bread which people take to the lake for the ducks. I try to steer him away as best I can, anxious to prevent toddlers being pushed aside by his eagerness to get to the bread before the ducks do!

I bring home bags of blackberries and apples and make them into compotes for breakfast or desserts. And on days when lots of people have been to the lake to feed the ducks, and the ducks are so full they can't eat another crumb, I also bring home a labrador who's about 7lbs heavier than he was when we left the house!

berry crumble

Made this blueberry, blackberry and raspberry crumble today. Ate it with lashings of icecream.

Generally speaking, I'm not a huge fan of puddings and desserts. Partly, I think, because I love chocolate so much that I can't quite see the point of anything else that's sweet. And partly because, as a coeliac, the gluten free version of many puddings leaves quite a lot to be desired.

But there's something irresistible about crumbles. They're comfort food. They remind me of my childhood when my mother was always to be found in the kitchen making apple crumble with Bramleys from the tree in our garden.

And the good news is that crumbles made with gluten free flour are fine. So, if you feel like giving it a go, try this lovely seasonal plum and ginger crumble:
http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2005/09/best-crumble-you-will-ever-eat.html

child's play

This is a photo of Evie, who came to say 'Hi' while I was at the market. She thought this basket was just the right size to carry round her favourite friend. So thanks to Evie for posing so beautifully....

van morrison is my football team

I have this thing about Van Morrison. People who don't share my enthusiasm find this inexplicable. He's grumpy, they say. He ignores the audience, shouts at his band, is wildly unpredictable and prone to bizarre musical excursions. And they're right, of course. But here's the thing.

When I was a teenager, I used to listen to Le Pop Club on France Inter every night. The DJ, Jose Artur, used to play all sorts of things that you couldn't hear on the BBC. And that was where I heard 'Sweet Thing' when Astral Weeks came out in 1968. And that was it. I was hooked. 

As a fan, I've had my ups and downs over the years. I've gone to concerts that were dreadful, concerts that were very, very short, concerts with no encores. Concerts where he played everything at twice the speed you were expecting and nothing that the audience wanted to hear. But I've also been to concerts that were sublime. The Rainbow, 1973, was the best concert I have ever been to in my life. It set a benchmark against which all others have been found wanting.

So when I tell people that I'm off to the Royal Albert Hall in two weeks to see him again, they say 'again?'. And I say yes. This time it might be a corker. It might make me cry like last year when I went to see him play the whole of Astral Weeks and it was like being back in 1968 and hearing it for the first time.

And I travel optimistically because that's what fans do. We turn up week after week, year after year. And sometimes our team loses or scores an own goal. But sometimes they hit a winning streak, or get promoted, or win the FA Cup. And when that happens, there's no better feeling. And that's why I'll be there, come rain or shine. Because Van Morrison is my football team.

"Well, it's a marvellous night for a moondance
With the stars up above in your eyes
A fantabulous night to make romance
Neath the cover of October skies....."

Van Morrison, Moondance

October

'No chance of an Indian summer as Autumn rain sets in' said the newspaper headline as October arrived, wet and windy. So, on this Autumn morning, there are dogwalkers, heads bent against the wind and rain, stoically tramping across the fields, their dogs delighting in the downpour. And children on their way to school, the younger ones in their waterproofs, hoods pulled up, book bags clasped tightly, their mothers shooing them past the puddles. And the older ones, teenagers too cool for coats, the boys with rain dripping off their noses, nonchalantly shaking their soaking hair. The girls, shivering under their umbrellas, shrieking as cars go by and sheets of spray shoot onto the pavement.

To cheer myself up, I look at the weather forecast for Florence, one of my favourite places. But it was the same as here, heavy rain. So, here's a photo of Florence, taken in October, on a day like this.

real life

One of my friends has just come back from France and sent me this great photo.

I love those blue doors. Last time I was in the Vendee, the doors and shutters on all the houses were painted a fabulous shade of blue. It reminds me of those glorious blue, turquoise and white combinations that you get in the Greek Islands, particularly places like Santorini, where every building looks like it was specially made as a photo opportunity.

It always makes me want to paint my house the same colours when I get home. But it's never the same. The geraniums you plant to remind you are never as bright. And the ouzo/retsina/local wine you bring back makes you wince in a way it never did under a brilliant blue sky.

Which is why my doors are boringly white. And I try (not always successfully) to only bring back things that fit in with my real life and not my virtual one!

couldn't give a fig....

I don't know what happened to yesterday's lovely weather but today it's 10 degrees cooler and drizzling. I'm resisting the temptation to switch on the central heating by using the woodburner and pretending it's not really a form of heating!

I was reading Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries last night, seeing what seasonal dishes I could/should be making with all the lovely things I brought home from Love Food yesterday.  But today I want to pretend that it's not really grey and damp and that I'm not really cold (which I am) so decided (somewhat irrationally) to make a summer snack. So here's the fab cheese I bought yesterday (see http://wootton-dairy.com/) with some lovely ripe figs. All I have to do now is close my eyes, concentrate hard and pretend that when I open them, I'll be in Tuscany.......

Love Food

So this is today at Love Food (http://www.lovefoodfestival.com/). Here's the glorious fruit and veg stall.

A beautiful day at Love Food. The sun shone, the music played, the sausages sizzled and small children ran around to their hearts' delight! Faces were painted, mouths were filled with tasty morsels, the stallholders laughed and a good time was had by all. 

I came home with some fabulous vegetarian, organic Jersey cows' cheese (yum) from a Somerset cheesemaker, a box of organic vegetables, some pickled garlic and really tasty lemon and herb marinated olives. (And I sold some baskets!) What a way to spend a Sunday!

on the waterfront

Went down to the harbourside this morning to take some baskets to one of my customers, an award winning cookery school, restaurant and deli. Here are the baskets in the deli, alongside the handmade organic chocolate, olives, home made bread and other fabulous things they sell. I never manage to get out of there without buying something irresistible - far too much temptation!

The restaurant's in a great location and it was another lovely morning. There's something magical about this time of year, suspended between the seasons, when every extra sunny day feels like a privilege.

pet baskets (sort of)

Don't know what it is about baskets that animals like so much, but they do. People keep sending me photos of their pets snuggled up inside baskets that weren't bought with pets in mind.

Here's Bobo, a well travelled dog who knows what he likes:

And this is Lily, who likes to take her toys to bed with her:

And this is Jake, who's mine. Not strictly speaking in a basket (he's a bit too big) but he likes to lie on top of them (if he gets the chance) and, if not, to lean on them, particularly if they're warm from the sun:

 

And yes, that's him on my profile pic, looking his usual lovely self.