0 Blog hop nominated by Vintage Folly

Right everyone, I've been nominated by my fellow blogger Vintage Folly for a blog hop, thanks Rachel for the nomination.

Our hens in the garden

Basically a blog hop is were I answer a few questions and then nominate a couple of other bloggers to do the same, its great fun and a chance for everyone to explore new blogs and gain an insight into bloggers that they may not have come across before.

I love blogging and like Rachel have met (virtually in a lot of cases) people I now consider friends, although Rachel is a bit different in the fact that I have actually met her in the flesh on numerous occasions being a member of my WI (yes I know, but we both love it and its a "young" WI) and she is also a member of the clandestine cake club like me.

The food blogging community is very friendly and supportive and I have learnt loads from others which has enabled the quality of my posts to improve over the years. Blogging has also raised my profile to others and without this blog I would have never had the opportunity to be published in several recipe books, appear on radio and television and also write about food in magazines. I have worked with some amazing people and love the "voice" the blog provides me with,  happily food photography has also become something my husband has excelled at so we now have a great shared hobby.

Mr and Mrs Lancashire Food

                         

Why do I write ?

I write as I love sharing, whether it be recipes or just my thoughts on the latest food fad.The blog started off as a way to share recipes and images of what I was cooking and eating but has grown over the years to become alot more.

The blog is now my hobby and I know this sounds weird but my stress relief from my "day" job and exactly like Rachel over at Vintage Folly a way of keeping in touch with my "virtual" friends and acquaintances, its so much fun linking up and sharing your creative ideas with others and seeing their ideas too.

What am I working on ?

Currently I am researching and writing my next months article for a magazine I write for, along with banking a few blog posts ready for publishing over the next few weeks and planning my posts for the next month or so. I am also planning a WW2 outfit and some suitable food for our next WI event and making jam and practising cake recipes ready for the WI county show.

How does my blog differ from others of its genre ?

It's focused very much on Lancashire Food which is different that other food blogs, we proudly promote and support local Lancashire food products, producers and venues. We also enjoy creating recipes using homegrown or locally foraged food and letting people know where in Lancashire you can buy some great local produce or eat out well. We really get a great fillip when one of the small producers or venues wins an award, its so humbling to see the hardwork and determination that has gone into growing a local food business.

How does my writing process work ?

I write on a laptop normally in the loving room, grabbing spare time whenever I can, often this is inspired by a new recipe I have been planning or seasonal product that I have spotted in the market or growing in the garden. I tend to do some reading around whatever I am planing on writing about and then set about the planning the post and the images that will go with it. Its then that I am off to the kitchen to play and cook up a storm ready for the photography later. Some posts and particularly the photographs takes hours to perfect before its something that I'm happy to let loose on the world.

Nominations

My nominations are Irwin Kraus author of The Amateur Peasant a great food blog which displays Irwin's Italian food heritage and  the thought provoking Whispers From the Ledge, he's based in New Hampshire in the States.

My other nomination is Janice Pattie who writes Farmers Girl Kitchen blog from the borders area of Scotland.

Over to you two ........... you have until the 15th September to publish your post, go on share some blog love.

Detail: Blog hop nominated by Vintage Folly

0 The TV shoot !

No Winnebago,  no make up, no rider ! Recently I had the experience of being filmed by a TV production company for a programme which will  feature black pudding recipes which will hopefully be shown later this year on the BBC. Other than a tiny snippet on a fungal foray a few years ago, I have never featured on camera doing the food thing, yesterday all that changed.

As the programme was about Black puddings we met the film crew at the home of Lancashire Black pudding. Bury - the world famous market to be precise. I was to be filmed buying black pudding for the recipe I was to cook later and generally browsing the market. Frankly it was all a little surreal at first as I felt like Nigella wandering round the market browsing the produce, before purchasing some lovely black pudding from the famous Bury Black pudding company. In the words of Cliff Richard, I was wired for sound with a mobile mike and filmed from various angles. Bury Market by the way is very impressive, a great market just like I remember markets from the 1970's and 80's being like, lots of  fab local produce and a wonderful array of stalls where you can buy just about anything at great prices, the position is great as well, right in the town centre but handy for parking and the other shopping facilities and competing wonderful well with the supermarkets in the area too (go market !).

Later in the day I was filmed in the kitchen cooking the recipe, against whilst being shot from several angles, I am so glad our kitchen is pretty spacious as there were lights,reflectors and the like, as it got very warm in there.  I now have a lot more admiration for the teams that put together the cookery shows I so enjoy on TV, but it was great fun and fortunately the recipe turned out well.

I 'll blog the recipe and more details about the programme later in the year when I know more about when it will be on TV. As you would expect the recipe features homegrown and local produce.

Update : the clip was used on Paul Hollywood "Pies and Puds" on the 27th November 2013 on BBC1 , here is a link to an edited clip 

Detail: The TV shoot !