Baked Creamy Leeks
This is an absolutely fabulous accompaniment with any Sunday roast chicken dinner. I'm thinking I might even make it on Christmas day! My leeks are ready in my raised beds so I used them to make this dish. It was beautiful and easy to make! Not for those counting calories! But sure what you eat on Sunday doesn't count ya?! ;-)
This serves 4-6 people
How to make it?
Preheat your oven to 200C.
Get 800g of Leeks. Peel back the scruffy leaves, trim the ends and discard, then quarter the leeks lengthways and roughly chop them. Put them into a sieve, give them a really good wash to get rid of any dirt. Then drain them.
Peel and finely slice two cloves of garlic.
Put a large pan on a medium heat and add two knobs of butter, a lug of olive oil and the garlic.
Pick the leaves off the 6 sprigs of fresh thyme, discarding the stalks. I have the thyme growing in my raised bed also.
Just as the garlic begins to take on the smallest amount of colour, add all the leeks and thyme leaves and give them a good stir.
Turn the heat up and cook for about ten minutes until the leeks have softened.
Grate 100g of cheddar cheese.
Remove the pan of leeks from the heat and season with a good few pinches of salt and pepper.
Add 200mls of single cream and half the grated cheese.
Mix everything up and transfer into an earthenware dish. I used my Chasseur Dish. It is perfect for this.
The leek mix should be about 2.5cm thick in the dish.
Sprinkle over the rest of the cheese and bake in the preheated oven for 20minutes until golden and bubbling.
Enjoy! I did!
A Leek soup is next on my agenda, anyone got a good recipe?
Don't forget you can keep up to date with Countryside Mumsie on our social media accounts facebook and instagram.
Thanks for reading,
Orla & Kerri
Gardening With Children
Gardening combines many of the elements that children love most; exploring, watching things grow and making a mess. Add a few worms, bugs and mud pies and you have the recipe for a constant source of activity.
Introducing your children to gardening can create a passion, that will last a lifetime.
Children enjoy growing things that they can pick and eat. Fruit and vegetables are ideal for small hands to poke around in without causing too much damage. Try potatoes, courgettes, strawberries and tomatoes. Even the fussiest eater should be delighted by growing and harvesting their own supper. In our house this is usually soup for lunch!
Lack of space need not be a restriction. Even the smallest patio or window ledge can provide shelter and sun. Use any container, yoghurt pot, tin can, old tyre. All can be decorated and turned into a perfect plant pot.
Tips for gardening with children
Give them
their own garden beds.
Whether you use raised beds, containers or ground plots, be sure to
give each child his or her own separate plot. Keep it small, very small for
young kids. Put their plots right in the middle of the action, with the best
soil and light. Set them up for success.
Reuse the sandbox. If your children have grown past
their sandbox years, consider converting the old sandbox to a garden bed. This
gives the child continued 'ownership' of a familiar space and encourages a sense
of responsibility to the gardening project. Of course, a productive garden bed
needs to be in good sunlight and soil should be free of tree roots. It may be
necessary to relocate the sandbox if growing conditions are less than
ideal.
Give them
serious tools. Cheap
plastic child's gardening tools are worse than no tools at all; they break
easily and frustrate the user. It can be hard to locate good tools for kids,
especially work gloves that fit a small hand. With some garden tools, like a hoe
or spade, you can easily saw the handle shorter. Let them use your tools if need
be; in this way you're acknowledging the importance of the work they're
doing.
Engage them
through the entire process, from seed to table. Children learn better when they
understand the context of their activity. They will learn that gardening can be
fun, but far more than idle play; they are contributing to the family
well-being. Besides planting and nurturing their garden beds, be sure they alone
do the harvesting and preparation of their crop for the table, no matter how
modest the offering.
Start from
seeds. While it's a convenient shortcut to buy starters,
children will learn more by seeing the growing process as it begins, from seed.
The care given to sprouting seeds and nurturing the young seedling are a
valuable part of the gardening experience. Seeds will need to be started indoors
in a warm room and once sprouted they can be transplanted into pots until ready
to set out
Cheat a
little. Depending on the age of the child, you may need to
help out a little 'behind the scene'. Not every garden task is pleasant, and the
child may not be ready at all times for all chores. You may need to go out in
the evening to pick a few slugs off the lettuce, or be the one to run out and
move the sprinkler. They don't have to know about every little help you offer -
the child's 'ownership' of the plot is the main thing.
When all else
fails, make a scarecrow. The best time to engage
children in gardening is when they're in the mood for this activity. If their
attention wanes, or the garden tasks become boring, let them build a scarecrow.
This activity is still a contribution to the gardening effort and adds another
layer of interest to the garden scene. It also reminds the child of the
importance of the garden crops.
Show off their
work. When giving
'garden tours' to friends, be sure to point out the children's beds. Take a
photo of their harvest and send it to the grandparents. The attention given to
their work is the best motivator for children to stay involved with a project.
People of all ages can enjoy gardening, but children in particular will have lots of fun and gain special benefits. Gardening is educational and develops new skills including:
- Responsibility – from caring for plants
- Understanding – as they learn about cause and effect (for example, plants die without water, weeds compete with plants)
- Self-confidence – from achieving their goals and enjoying the food they have grown
- Love of nature – a chance to learn about the outdoor environment in a safe and pleasant place
- Reasoning and discovery – learning about the science of plants, animals, weather, the environment, nutrition and simple construction
- Physical activity – doing something fun and productive
- Cooperation – including shared play activity and teamwork
- Creativity – finding new and exciting ways to grow food
- Nutrition – learning about where fresh food comes from.
Here is a list of the fruit and vegetables that the girls have grown that have been a success;
Runner beans
Strawberry
Radish
Lettuce
Courgette
Carrot
Potato
Spinach
Swiss chard
Beetroot
Pumpkins
Thanks for reading
Orla & Kerri xx
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My Favourite Family Places
I (Orla) am based in Co Limerick. I decided to write a short blog on my favourite family places in Co Limerick. There are four playgrounds/parks in Limerick that I feel are really excellent. They truly are worth a visit and feel lucky to have them on my doorstep in Co Limerick.
The first playground I would like to mention is the Adare Playground in The Manor Fields, Adare. This is a super playground. It has sand, a digger in the sand, a zip line, climbing frames, balance beams, cubby house, hammock, swings, slides, tunnels and picnic benches. It is both enjoyable for adults and children and is very clean. I have spent many days there!
The second playground/park I would highly recommend is The Croom Playground. There is a lovely playground there with a seesaw, slides, climbing frames and swings. On looking the playground is an amazing restaurant/café called The Riverside. Great to grab a takeaway coffee in before heading down to the playground. They do a fabulous Sunday lunch also. The playground is situated on a park that runs alongside the River Maigue. There are tarmac paths perfect for bikes and buggies. At the end of the park is a insect hotel, the kids love it. It is surrounded by a wildflower meadow. You could spend the day in Croom, give it a go, it will not disappoint.
The third playground I want to tell you about is Currachase Playground and Park. I love this park. There is so much to do! You set off on the loop around the beautiful lake, first you meet the ducks and amazing swans. You can climb into the forest up the steps and discover hidden gems. Climb the fallen trees then head to the playground where there are climbing frames and swings. There are other longer bike and walking/running trails set out, you just have to follow the map. Bring a picnic you will want to spend the whole day here. You can always try out the new café in Currachase called De Veres. The barrier is now up in Curraghchase at weekends since the café opened. It is a an amazing free facility! Give it a go. It just keeps getting better every time I go back!
Just last week I finally got around to visiting Castleconnell Fairy Woods. I heard it was an amazing place to visit with the kids. It is located on the river walk just left of he playground in Caastleconnell.. We arrived at the car park at 11am and didn't leave until 3pm. It was just fantastic there. The weather was good, so we set off to the forest walk first to try and find some fairies. We stumbled across them very easily and the girls couldn't get enough of it. They were so captivated by the fairies and their houses, their washing line, their beach house and finally the fairies blue castle where everyone drops their doodies in; to give them up for good. The fairy takes the doodies! Brilliant Idea!! Personally it took us getting a large trampoline to get rid of the doodie at bedtime!! If only i'd known! You can walk along the forest and the long bridge, then after head back to the playground and have a small picnic. It was a super day out with the family, we all really enjoyed it! we will certainly be back in the future.
Is there any places you just love to visit with your family? We would love to hear.
Thanks for reading
Orla & Kerri xx
Don't forget you can keep up to date with Countryside Mumsie on our social media accounts facebook and instagram.
