So today is our last full day at the farm house in Devon. What a lovely week it has been, so relaxing. We’ve done very little other than sleep, eat, read, sit in the sun and hang out with the various animals there are around. As much as we love the tent and our two hob camping chef it’s been amazing to have a real kitchen, and the chickens have provided us with a huge amount of eggs which have contributed to some very tasty meals. Quiche recipe coming up.

I’m going to really miss the chickens. They’re so funny. The way they walk is ridiculous, and the way they run even more ridiculous. It’s as though their head is attached to their legs by a string through their body and it wobbles backwards and forwards faster the faster they go. They hear you coming out of the back door and if they’re not already there by the time you have got outside they’ll come racing across the yard sliding to a stop by your feet. Bwoooooooaaak! Can’t wait until I have some of my own.

Despite their cheeky bean eating behaviour I’ll also miss the cats. In fact I’d rather they were eating beans than their habit of bringing various animals in for us. They seem to have been brought up with great manners and like to eat them at the table. The sound of the cat eating my beans was much more enjoyable than the sound of it crunching through a mouse’s skull. Still they are very cute and seem to like hanging out with us on an evening, which is nice.

I think we’ll both be sad to leave tomorrow. We’ve had a great time, what a lovely place, and what lovely people for trusting us to look after it despite the fact the really don’t know us at all, very grateful to them we are. I couldn’t imagine that kind of thing having happened in Manchester. Anybody else in need of a friendly pair of house sitters feel free to contact us. This is my kind of job. Just pottering around doing very little for a week. Nice.

Here’s the recipe for the quiche I made last night. I was worried after an attempt some years ago that it would go horribly wrong somehow, but it was really easy and incredibly tasty. Andy was making some very strange faces and noises while he was eating it.

Broccoli and Blue Cheese Quiche

For the pastry:
6oz plain flour
3 oz butter
pinch of salt

For the filling:
1 small head broccoli
8 eggs
1/2 pint milk
100g blue cheese
150g mature cheddar
black pepper

Mix all pastry the ingredients together, rubbing the flour into the butter until it is like fine breadcrumbs. Then add a tablespoon of water and mix it together. Add a tiny amount more water if necessary to bring it together. Not too much or it will go sticky. Put this in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190.

Line 25cm quiche dish with pastry. Line the pastry with silver foil and fill with baking beans. Bake for 20 minutes covered up , then remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes.

Lower the oven to 150

Put the broccoli into boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and put in the pastry case.

Mix together the eggs crumbled or grated cheese, milk and pepper and pour them into the case with the broccoli.

Bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for 35 minutes until golden brown. The quiche will begin to rise up a little and should feel fairly solid to the middle. Well not like rock hard, just not sloppy eggs.