Lard + Leftovers = Happy Birds!

As we've seen, using up leftovers in exciting and unusual ways is not only delicious, but incredibly satisfying! But as the leftovers get more and more sparse there is one way to use up the last bits and pieces after you've enjoyed the treats!

As the first few frosts of the year hit the south coast I've been supplementing the chickens with warming treats but the wild birds don't have as many luxuries. I always have feed on hand for the garden birds, but surely everyone deserves a homemade treat now and again!

First grab those leftover bits and pieces... I used some digestive crumbs from the bottom of the biscuit barrel...

 And the last knockings of the Christmas cake...

I added in some of the chicken's mealworms... (these are super-high in protein - hence why they are great for chickens, especially when they are moulting)

Some Niger seed (this is great for seed-eating birds like goldfinches and siskins)...

And any other seed mixes you have to hand...

And peanuts for the tits (I'm especially proud to have a colony of long-tailed tits in the garden at the moment!)

Mix it all together...

And pop it into a suitable container. I'm using the coconut husk from an old shop-bought bird treat)...

As well as a regular pot so I can pop one on the bird table for those birds that prefer not to hang to feed (robins for example).

Next take a cheap pack of lard and melt it in a pan. Pour into your containers and pop in the fridge for a few hours.

Once it's set the lard will revert back to it's usual opaque state and once it's nice and hard it's ready to hang up in the garden!

Now all that remains is to sit back and wait for the grateful garden birds to enjoy the feast... it's also the perfect opportunity to get ready for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch on the 28th and 29th January. This annual nationwide count monitors changes in numbers of different bird species in our gardens. A great way to help look after our precious native species. Check out the RSPB site for all the info.

More leftovers!!!

If like Katy and myself you are keen veggie growers you are probably starting to think about what you might like to grow this year. But do you have any leftover seeds from last year that you could put to good use first? A few weeks back, I had a rifle around and came up with some half used packets of salad leaves and radish seeds. I sowed them and so far, so good.....in a couple of weeks these tender shoots will be ready to add crunch to my salads and make my sandwiches extra yummy! I planted mine in the greenhouse but they would do really well on the kitchen windowsill too. Not sure how much of it I will actually get to eat, Kitty and her 3 friends will try to get there first I'm sure.....

Quick and Easy Cheese Straws

Another ingredient that will inevitably be haunting you after Christmas is the traditional cheese platter. After munching through countless crackers, something different, but still worthy of showing off to your visitors, to use up the leftovers is always welcome!

You will need

4-6 oz of cheese (hard enough to grate) - I used regular mature cheddar and a bit of red leicester.

Ready rolled shortcrust pastry - I use a light version! (or you may have some leftover from making mince pies)

1-2tsp of mustard (hot), if you have milder mustard you might need a bit more.

1tsp paprika

Unfurl the ready-rolled pastry and spread the mustard over with a knife.

Grate most of your cheese over the top. Save a bit for later! Sprinkle with a little paprika.

Scrunch up the pastry and kneed to mix the cheese thoroughly through the mix.

Roll out using a pinch of flour to stop it sticking your surface and pin.

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over and lightly squish it in so it doesn't drop off.

Slice into inch strips and twist each strip. Sprinkle with the rest of the paprika.

Bake for about 10mins at 180C.

These straws are simply yummy and look good enough to offer up for a post festive-season gathering! I like to nuke the cold ones for a few seconds in the microwave as they are super-delicious when hot!

Mincemeat Bread and Butter Pudding

After Christmas we inevitably have a motley crew of leftover bits and pieces that are just gagging to be used up before the festive spirit deserts us....

Back in the summer I was lucky to receive a glut of home grown plums from Sandie and made some of the chunkiest and most delicious mincemeat. After creating countless mince pies and foldovers there were still a couple of jars of said mincemeat lurking on the preserves shelf of the pantry. so the search was on for some cunning ways of using it up without resorting to yet MORE mince pies!

Sandie came to the rescue again with a simply delicious and traditional mincemeat bread and butter pudding.

You will need.

1 small fruit loaf
Butter
Half a jar of mincemeat (about 4 tablespoons)
Milk - Half a pint
2 medium free range eggs
Vanilla Essence - 1tsp

Butter the fruit loaf slices and cut in half to make triangle and cover the bottom of a ovenproof dish butter side down (this saves you from greasing the dish!)

Spread 2 tbsp of the mincemeat over the bread.

Add a second layer of bread as before.

Add your second layer of mincemeat and the remains of the bread butter side up.

In a separate bowl/jug, beat the eggs and add the milk. Add the vanilla essence. Pour evenly over the bread and leave to stand for half an hour to let the milk soak into the bread.

If you like, add a sprinkling of soft brown sugar depending on how naughty you feel!

Bake at 180C for 25-35mins depending on your oven!

The pudding was served with cream (Elmlea as a vain attempt to be healthy!) and was just as good the next days warmed up in the microwave and topped off with cream! A wonderfully festive feeling put! Yum!