This wonderful vintage starburst clock was our ‘star buy’ at yesterday’s auction.

Also referred to as sunburst clocks, this one has a brushed metal face with a radial pattern of wooden star/sun rays.

Produced by the very good maker Seth Thomas in the 1960s, it wasn’t cheap – but it’s a great example. The condition is superb and it’s keeping perfect time.

The clock seems very happy in our bedroom. We know we shouldn’t be keeping shop stock, but it won’t do any harm to look at it for a while.

The modern, stylised shape and brushed metal is softened by the warm wood, providing a great link between old & new when going for that eclectic look.

We already have an example of this type of clock in our top floor lounge/bedroom.

It dates from the same period, but this one is made by Metamec.

This one was also bought as shop stock – two years ago!!

On the same day we bought our vintage Anglepoise lamp, we bought this fabulous 1960s radiogram.

We’d actually  been on the look out for an amplifier to go with a record deck we had – but suddenly, as bidding was about to stop at £30, we couldn’t resist this beauty!

It’s a Garrard Dynatron – radio, record player and speakers – housed in a teak cabinet.

Not only does will it provide music in  lounge – we think it’s a great looking piece of furniture. Streamlined & good proportions, it fits the space exactly – the teak is a lovely warm colour too.

Justin was very impressed with this particular feature… the slow, soft-close lid – no danger of records jumping.

And most importantly – it sounds good too!

We’re super-pleased with this purchase we made on Thursday. We’ve been on the hunt for a club chair for some time…

…then not only did we get a club chair, we got two club chairs… and a matching 2-seater sofa!!

It’s an original 1930s Art Deco suite, re-upholstered in the 1960s in a tan leatherette. Fantastic shape, comfortable with lovely stud detailing.

And a little extra… the lady who sold it says it was re-covered in the same leatherette as was used for Concorde. We’re trying to track down some old photos from the plane or Concorde airport lounge interior.

Fudge approves – and has made himself very much at home!

It’s found a home in our top floor bedroom/lounge. We spent the entire day re-arranging everything to accommodate it.

It was worth it though… there’ll be many books read in these chairs…  cups of tea /glasses of wine drunk, crackling fires watched.  We love it already!

This year we decided to grow more of our own – and we’ve got no excuse, as Todmorden‘s the home of Incredible Edible.

We have a variety of crops to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Most of them are growing in containers as much of our garden is paved with stone cobbles. It also makes protecting them from the ubiquitous slugs & snails much easier.

We use lots of the old galvanised metal ‘dolly tubs’, buckets and bins.

The plants seem to like it!

Potatoes, beetroot, carrots, tomatoes, rhubarb, strawberries, broccoli, courgettes, squash, peashoots, salad leaves, a variety of herbs – and yes, those are figs.

There’s still a little room for some flowers.

Perennials like the hostas, astilbes and lupins return each year like old friends. Although this year’s harsh winter saw a few losses.

To these we add a few annuals – osteospermums,  lobelia and the like.

We’ve enjoyed working in the garden this year. We don’t think self-sufficiency is here just yet – but hopefully we’ll reap some rewards!

We’ve been experimenting with bread recently…

…in particular, sourdough bread.

It begins with making a starter. This is a living, breathing culture. There are various methods of making a starter – flour & water, flour & apple juice – ours is a mixture of flour, milk & natural yoghurt. No extra yeast is added, it relies on naturally occuring yeast in the flour and air. The starter is ‘fed’ daily – we feed ours with:

• 4 tablespoons strong white bread flour
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon natural yoghurt

Some bakers have nurtured the same starter decades – even centuries!

A portion of starter is added to flour & water for each new loaf – along with any additional ingredients such as seeds, cheese, honey etc.

We’ve been very pleased with the results!

The bread has a lovely open texture and distinctive sourdough smell & taste.

It’s great with all kinds of food – it’s particularly good with different cheeses, cooked meats, pickles etc – it was, in fact, ideal as part of this traditional ploughmans’ lunch.

And when it’s past its best, it makes great breadcrumbs for future use!

If you fancy having a go yourself, here are a few links to websites & books that we’ve found helpful:

Our delicious.com ‘bread’ web bookmarks

The Handmade Loaf, Dan Lepard

Bread: River Cottage Handbook No 3, Daniel Stevens

Bread Matters: Why and How to Make Your Own, Andrew Whitley

Dough, Richard Bertinet

Crust: Bread to Get Your Teeth into, Richard Bertinet

ARTISAN BREAD IN 5 MINUTES A DAY: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking, Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois

No, H is for Home hasn’t actually thrown in the towel – we’re just doing a short blog about the humble but sometimes wonderful, everyday object… the tea towel.

It was the acquisition of this example last week which brought it to mind. This vintage Irish linen tea towel was manufactured by ‘Old Bleach’ in the 1960s.

We already had a very similar one by the same maker – we love the period designs with their stylised birds and foliage.

They’re both in pristine, unused condition – we think we might get them framed.

Tea towels are always popular on the website. We’re always on the lookout for vintage aprons, cloths etc… They’re quite hard to find in excellent condition.

Here are a few favourites that have passed through the shop…

…and no blog post about teatowels would be complete without mentioning Skinny laMinx!

Her designs are fabulous!

Here are the tea towels we have in store at the moment!

We bought this lovely vintage cream-coloured telephone yesterday. It was in a bit of a state when we got it – but it’s cleaned up beautifully.

This particular model is the BT 746 which was manufactured in the 1970s.

We’re always on the lookout for nice telephones…

…they’re functional items – and they’re also great for adding a vintage touch to home or office.

Phones have proved popular in our shop – we’ve had a variety of shapes and colours…

…even a fantastic leather clad model.

If you’re interested in finding out more about vintage phones, this book is a great place to start – Design Icons: The Telephone

Our berry picking has started early this year. We were out gathering bilberries at the weekend. They love acid soil and are found on low-growing bushes in the surrounding area. The berries are small and picking them is quite time consuming – but, be patient, they’re well worth the effort!

We put some in the freezer for future jam making and used the rest of our crop to make this bilberry custard tart. Here’s the recipe:

You’ll need to collect about 225g/8oz bilberries. Remove stalks and stray leaves and rinse in a sieve. Dry carefully on some kitchen towel (Don’t use a tea towel unless you don’t mind it getting stained purple).

Shortcrust pastry
125g/4oz plain flour
pinch of salt
55g/2oz butter, cubed
30-45ml/2-3 tbsp cold water
(or you can buy a pack of ready-made in the chilled section of most supermarkets)

• Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and add the cubes of butter
• Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs with no large lumps of butter remaining
• using a knife, stir in just enough of the cold water to bind the dough together
• wrap the pastry in clingfilm and chill for 10-15 minutes before rolling out
• flour the table and roll out the pastry to about 1/2cm thick and 25cm/10inches in diameter (or large enough to fit over the dish you’re using)
• carefully lift the pastry and lay it over your dish, moulding it to the bottom & sides
• cut off any excess bits using a sharp knife
• pour in the fresh bilberries

Custard
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
475ml/1pt milk
55g/2oz caster sugar

• heat the milk gently in a pan
• whisk the eggs & egg yolks
• slowly add the milk to the egg mixture whisking continuously (make sure the milk’s not too hot or the eggs will scramble!)
• pour the mixture carefully through a sieve on to the bilberries in the dish

Preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4. Cook the flan for 45 minutes or until the top begins to brown nicely. When cool sprinkle a tablespoon of caster sugar over the top.

The tart looks fabulous with the deep purple juice seeping into the creamy custard…

…and it tasted good too!

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We often feature mid-twentieth century items in our blogs, but we also have a real passion for old country furniture.

We picked up this wonderful piece of rustic kitchenalia – we think it’s a potato masher.

Perhaps Irish in origin, although we’re not sure at this stage… a bit more research is required.  It’s a very unusual piece.

BLOG UPDATE: 22nd  June.  We now think that the object in question is actually a cheese press. The wet cheese, contained within a cloth is pressed by the wooden block, the excess liquid draining through the holes. We’re still not sure about the country of origin. British/Irish is still likely, although continental Europe is a possibility – and we were also sent pictures of a very similarly designed piece which was in a U.S. auction of farm machinery. (Thanks to Erik Schepers).

If you like cottage interiors or country furniture, these books are well worth a look:

Irish Country Furniture (Amazon UK)
Irish Country Furniture (Amazon US)

English Cottage Interiors (Amazon UK) English Country Furniture (Amazon UK)
English Cottage Interiors (Amazon US) English Country Furniture (Amazon US)

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A new cake has been made for the tin by the kettle – a rather nice chocolate sponge with a coconut chocolate topping.

The recipe is taken from ‘Delia Smith’s Cookery Course Part Two‘ book. It’s based on her quick & easy ‘All-in-one sponge’ recipe:

• 4 oz/110 g self raising flour, sifted
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 oz/110 g soft margarine, at room temperature
• 4 oz/110 g caster sugar
• 2 tbs cocoa powder
• 2 large eggs
• 2-3 drops vanilla essence

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3/325ºF/170ºC

Lightly grease a 7-inch/18 cm sponge tin and line its base with greaseproof paper (also greased) or silicone paper.

Take a large roomy mixing bowl, and sift flour and baking powder into it, holding the sieve high to give the flour a good airing. Then simply add all the other ingredients to the bowl, and whisk them – preferably with an electric hand whisk – till thoroughly combined. If the mixture doesn’t drop off a wooden spoon easily when tapped on the side of the bowl, then add 1 or 2 teaspoonfuls of tap-warm water, and whisk again.

Add to the prepared tin, level off and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for about 30 minutes. When cooked leave it in the tin for only about 30 seconds, then loosen the edge by sliding a palette knife all round and turn it out onto a wire cooling rack.

To finish:

Melt 100 g milk chocolate in a bowl over hot water (bain marie). Add 1 tbs dessicated coconut to the chocolate and spread over the top. Finish with a further sprinkle.

It can be tweeked with all kinds of other flavours, fillings & toppings – vanilla, ginger, dried fruit etc. We also like the look of this new version that Delia has on her own website

If you prefer a thicker cake with a middle layer of butter cream, jam etc, just double the quantities, and use two tins.

It’s delicious – give it a go next time you have a few minutes to spare – and enjoy it with a nice cuppa!

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