Price Points: Gutter cleaning tools

Gutter cleaning tools

We have two absolutely humongous sycamore trees in our garden. Between October and November each year, they shed what feels like a metric tonne of leaves and whirlygigs; onto the ground and onto the roof of the cottage.

For the first few days, it’s an easy job to just bend down and collect up the scant leaf litter on the paths and begin to store it into a large bin liner. We save it all to turn it into leaf mould, a process that takes about 2 years. If we have a windy period or cold snap, the leaves fall in a veritable avalanche overnight. That’s when it becomes a bigger job to clear.

The path isn’t such a big deal; however, the leaves that fall on the roof quickly block up the gutters and downpipes. That’s why we’ve been looking at these gutter cleaning tools. The choice is an easy one for us… it has to be #2.

The Home Valet option seems all well & good, but it doesn’t look like it would easily cope with the volume of leaves. The Guttersucker is the kind of kit that would suit a professional window cleaner who could do a seasonal sideline in gutter clearing. Or else, someone that lives in a huge mansion or towering home. Our favoured option would only need to be installed the once – and then unblocking gutters will be a task of the past!

    1. The Original Home Valet® gutter care kit: £8.95, eBay
      Clears 4 metres of guttering without the need for you to move your ladder along
    2. Gutter protector: £12.79, Coopers of Stortford
      Comes in 4m (13ft) lengths. It has a hook at either end making it easy to join together to form a continuous run along the entire length of your gutter, or it can be cut to length.
    3. Guttersucker Junior: from £462.00, Gutter Sucker Direct
      A safe & effective way to keep gutters up to 12m/30ft/4 storeys, free-flowing

shop gutter cleaning tools

Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission - at no cost to you - if you click through and make a purchase.
Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Guttersucker Junior
Guttersucker Junior
£462.00
Gutter protector
Gutter protector
£12.79
The Original Home Valet® gutter care kit
The Original Home Valet® gutter care kit
£8.95
Guttersucker Junior
Guttersucker Junior
£462.00
Gutter protector
Gutter protector
£12.79
The Original Home Valet® gutter care kit
The Original Home Valet® gutter care kit
£8.95
Guttersucker Junior
Guttersucker Junior
£462.00
Gutter protector
Gutter protector
£12.79
The Original Home Valet® gutter care kit
The Original Home Valet® gutter care kit
£8.95
Guttersucker Junior
Guttersucker Junior
£462.00
Gutter protector
Gutter protector
£12.79
The Original Home Valet® gutter care kit
The Original Home Valet® gutter care kit
£8.95
Guttersucker Junior
Guttersucker Junior
£462.00
Gutter protector
Gutter protector
£12.79
The Original Home Valet® gutter care kit
The Original Home Valet® gutter care kit
£8.95

Get their look: Autumnal vintage lounge

 

 
 
 
 
 
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It’s the equinox, and the day began – as if there was an obligation that needed to be fulfilled – with a chill in the air. That late summer spell we’ve been enjoying seems to be over.

This autumnal vintage sitting room feels like a perfectly accurate representation of this time of year; the colours and the lengthening shadows. Don’t get me wrong, although I’m always sorry to see the back of summer, I love this time of year too. There’s bountiful foraging to be had in the countryside, deciduous trees are showing off their golden, seasonal attire and the scent of firewood is in the air.

Get their look

Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission - at no cost to you - if you click through and make a purchase.
Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Vintage rocket floor lamp
Vintage rocket floor lamp
Green Lady poster
Green Lady poster
Yellow macramé plant hanger
Yellow macramé plant hanger
Leather-clad vintage BT telephone
Leather-clad vintage BT telephone
Blue tasselled cushion cover
Blue tasselled cushion cover
Zinc velvet 3-seater sofa
Zinc velvet 3-seater sofa
Dakota wallpaper
Dakota wallpaper
Vintage rocket floor lamp
Vintage rocket floor lamp
Green Lady poster
Green Lady poster
Yellow macramé plant hanger
Yellow macramé plant hanger
Leather-clad vintage BT telephone
Leather-clad vintage BT telephone
Blue tasselled cushion cover
Blue tasselled cushion cover
Zinc velvet 3-seater sofa
Zinc velvet 3-seater sofa
Dakota wallpaper
Dakota wallpaper

Home-made damson cheese

Home-made damson cheese with cheese board | H is for Home

After making use of some of the plum crop in our garden, I needed to find something to make with the damsons.

Cooking damsons in a jam pan | H is for Home Cooking damsons in a jam pan | H is for Home

We inherited two mature damson trees – both about 20 foot tall. This autumn, they’ve both been laden with fruit, some we gave away, some we couldn’t reach to harvest. We kept about 5 kilos of fruit for ourselves.

Sieving damson purée | H is for Home Damson purée and bag of granulated sugar | H is for Home

I found lots of recipes for jam and jelly – however, it was a Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall recipe for damson cheese that I fancied trying. There are only 2 ingredients; damsons and sugar – and you don’t need to undertake the time-consuming task of de-stoning the fruit either.

Spooning damson cheese from heavy-bottomed saucepan | H is for Home Damson cheese setting in moulds | H is for Home

The damson cheese mixture sat bubbling away on top of the simmering hob of our new Esse for a couple of hours until it resembled a thick chocolate sauce. All it needed was the occasional stir to make sure it didn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. I could get on with other little jobs while it did its thing.

Damson cheese with grapes and cheese & biscuits | H is for Home

Like jam and jelly, damson cheese keeps for months once wrapped and refrigerated. Have it as a component on your cheeseboard – it’s lovely with a ripe brie. It’s also a great accompaniment to hot & cold meats.

Home-made damson cheese recipe | H is for Home #autumn #damson #damsoncheese #damsons #food #fruit #garden #gardening #HughFearnleyWhittingstall #preserves #recipe

Click here to repin the recipe to Pinterest

Home-made damson cheese with cheese board | H is for Home

Home-made damson cheese

Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall
Course Condiment
Cuisine British

Ingredients
  

  • 5 kg damsons washed
  • 2 kg granulated sugar approx.

Instructions
 

  • Put the damsons in a large preserving pan, add a couple of tablespoons of water and bring slowly to a simmer, stirring as the fruit begins to release its juices. Leave to simmer until completely soft
  • Tip the contents of the pan into a sieve and rub it through to remove the stones and skin, leaving you with a smooth damson purée
  • Measure the purée by volume. For every 500ml, add 350g sugar
  • Combine in a large, heavy-based pan bringing it to a simmer over a low heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then cook gently, stirring regularly so it doesn't catch, until reduced to a thick purée. It's ready when you drag the spoon across the bottom of the pan and the base stays clearly visible for a second or two. This can take up to an hour of gentle, popping simmering and stirring
  • Pour the 'cheese' into very lightly-oiled, shallow containers and leave to cool and set
It will keep almost indefinitely in the fridge. Serve in slices with bread and cheese
Keyword baked cheesecake, damsons, fruit




Cakes & Bakes: Spiced plum crumble

Home-made spiced plum crumble | H is for Home

Our garden has an abundance of fruit at the moment; especially apples, damsons and plums. The plums are beginning to go over and rot on the tree, but that’s OK – butterflies, wasps and other insects have been feasting.

Sliced & stoned plums in a saucepan with Demerara sugar and mixed spice

Every time I walk past the tree, on my way to the compost heap or washing line, I grab a couple of the low-hanging fruits. A quick snack on the move! Yesterday, I took a colander out into the garden and picked as many of the just-ripe plums as I could reach. I had in mind to make a spiced plum crumble.

Cooked, spiced plums in a clear Pyrex casserole dish

The fruit was given just a hint of flavour with some mixed spice. You could try, instead, a smidgen of cinnamon, clove or ground ginger, or leave the spice out entirely – whatever is your taste preference.

Spiced plum crumble before going into the oven

I like a chunky crumble topping that doesn’t go all wet & claggy from the fruit syrup. Simply squeeze handfuls of the mixture in the palm of your hand and gently prise them apart until you get the size of morsel you prefer. Adding oats and hazelnuts to the flour/butter mix helps create the crunchiness and gives a nutty taste. Chopped almonds, Brazil nuts or pecans will work equally well.

Cooked spiced plum crumble with serving spoon

It’s such a hearty, comforting, autumnal dessert; served piping hot with a pouring of creamy custard or dollop of cool, thick cream… mmmmmmm!

Bowl of spiced plum crumble with thick double cream

Save my spiced plum recipe to Pinterest to try later!

Home-made spiced plum crumble recipe | H is for Home

Home-made spiced plum crumble | H is for Home

Spiced plum crumble

Course Dessert
Cuisine British

Ingredients
  

For the plums

  • 1 kg/2.2lbs plums; washed halved & de-stoned
  • 100 g/3½oz Demerara sugar
  • ½ tsp mixed spice

For the crumble topping

  • 125 g/4½oz plain flour
  • 125 g/4½oz rolled oats
  • 50 g/1¾oz hazelnuts; roasted & roughly chopped
  • 50 g/1¾oz Demerara sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 100 g/3½oz cold butter cubed

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas mark 6

For the plums

  • Put the plums, sugar and mixed spice into a saucepan over a low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. This should take no more than 10 minutes
  • Spoon the mixture into a large, oven-proof casserole dish. Set aside while you make the crumble mixture

For the crumble topping

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, hazelnuts, sugar and salt
  • Rub in the cold butter until the mixture is lumpy
  • Turn out the mixture on to the spiced plums and spread evenly over the top. It's not important to cover the entire surface
  • Bake for 45 minutes to an hour - until the topping begins to turn a golden brown colour
Spiced plum crumble ingredients
Serve with thick pouring cream or hot custard
Keyword crumble, fruit crumble, plums