by Helen | Oct 24, 2023 | Slovenia, Travel
Autumn is our favourite time of year to visit Lake Bled in Slovenia. It’s only just over a couple of hours from our home in Istria, and if coupled with a break in Ljubljana, it makes the perfect out of season get away. The little town of Bled, on the shores of the lake, started to become famous in the nineteenth century, when visitors started coming to benefit from the good climate and thermal springs, discovered by Arnold Rikli, a Swiss hydrologist, who founded the Institute of Natural Healing. However, people had been coming to Bled since the Middle Ages, as the church on the island in the middle of the Lake – The Church of Mary the Queen (also known as the Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Mary, or Our Lady of the Lake) – was an important pilgrimage place.
It’s a picture perfect town nestled at the entrance to the Julian Alps and very close Slovenia’s beautiful Triglav Park. It’s small, so is easy to get around on foot – although apart from enjoying the many restaurants along the lake shores, most people do seem to head off around the lake and the surrounding sights, of which there are many. As well as the iconic lake in the middle of the island, Bled Castle stands high up on a towering cliff – an impressive sight in its own right. There are plenty of hotels if staying over is on your agenda, and many are situated lakeside, so the views are amazing.
Obviously, autumn is when things are a lot quieter and the weather isn’t anywhere as warm as in the heady summer months – but the lack of tourists, for us, is a good thing. No crowds, no queues in restaurants, much less expensive accommodation, a quieter experience on the lake and around the trails and walking paths. And, of course, the autumnal colours and atmospheric mists…
A highlight of any trip to Lake Bled, is a ride on a traditional pletna boat to the church on Slovenia’s only island. After disembarking from the gondola, you are free to roam the small island for 30 minutes.Climbing the 99 steps to the church is really the only thing to do on this tiny island – as well as taking in the sights of the church and its surroundings – so half an hour is really about all you’d need to spend on it. Make sure your phone is well charged as there are plenty of instagramable spots on the island and when crossing on the pletna.
We’ve been to Bled a few times now, but have only stayed over on once occasion, at the very grand looking Villa Preseren, dating back to the nineteenth century, right on the shores of the lake. There’s no doubt this hotel has the most amazing views – and a pretty fabulous restaurant – but when we stayed, our room (albeit with a big balcony and lake view) seemed a little bit tired. This didn’t spoil our stay in any way, as I doubt much could dampen a trip to this beautiful part of Slovenia. And, one of the the best things about the location of Bled is that it’s less than an hour away from the capital, Ljubljana, so it’s very easy to combine a trip and see both places, even in one day. The advantages of doing a roadtrip in a very small country, with excellent roads and not too much traffic.
by Helen | Oct 23, 2023 | Lifestyle
If you are a fan of curry, then this is a perfect recipe. I found this on Instagram, and just had to give it a go as I couldn’t believe that a curry – or, soup, as the recipe calls it – could be anywhere near tasty with so few ingredients. How wrong was I?
It genuinely is possibly the easiest meal we have EVER made, even taking into account the recent mashed potato soup. Even though the original recipe calls it a soup, it really is more like a substantial veggie curry, without all of the prep. And, there are only five ingredients. Four, if you discount the water…
- red lentils
- spinach – we used tinned spinach as we had no fresh or frozen
- curry powder
- halloumi
- water & black pepper
method
1. Simmer one cup of red lentils in two cups of water for about an hour, with a big tbsp of curry powder & pepper. Chilli flakes could probably also be added for an extra kick;
2. When the lentils are cooked and creamy in consistency, start to pan fry halloumi cubes, turning until golden brown on all sides;
3. Add the spinach to the lentils, stirring in & simmering for a couple of minutes. (The tinned spinach actually added a bit more creaminess to the mixture);
4. Serve the curry and add the halloumi cubes on top – we served with pitta breads
This was a meal in itself and really tasty, served with pitta breads. It could be bulked up with rice or more substantial naan breads, and it could definitely be served as a curried soup if more water was added, but it’s perfect either as a main dish, or a side dish. We took our time over the cooking of this, but it could be knocked up very quickly if you were short on time, or save on time by doubling/tripling the ingredients, batch cook and freeze. Great for those autumnal nights when you want something quick, easy and warming.
by Helen | Oct 21, 2023 | Interiors
When we lived in West Didsbury, we renovated our three bedroom terraced house, knocking down internal walls, and eventually creating a very contemporary, open plan home, which included a large L-shaped concrete bench, with storage underneath.
When we bought our house in Istria and set about renovating it, one of the things we were sure about, was that we wanted another concrete table, to sit in The Well Room, under the windows, just where the cabinet, with our West Didsbury mosaic sits, in the photo below.
The builder who was working with us on the house, in between other jobs which we regularly threw at him, got on with the job of creating our concrete table, in The Well Room, which was also, at the time, doubling as a kitchen. As a new kitchen was also being built at the same time.
We did toy with the idea of not having the plinth underneath, and leaving the table “suspended”, but as one of the other jobs was to expose the well chamber and cover it in safety glass (and illuminate the chamber), we felt that the combination of a table hanging over a 10 metre drop, might freak some people out, so we decided to go along the Health & Safety route. Polished up, the beautiful grey concrete table top did look very smart…
We had a period of time, pre-Covid, when we hosted Workaway guests. Kaiti and David, from Ohio, worked on few projects with us, and when David told us he had worked with resin before, our interest was piqued when he said he could do this treatment on the concrete table. It wasn’t a cheap job, as resin is expensive, but we liked the sound of how it could look. And, to be fair, I did love the finish, with its hard, hard sheen – just maybe not the way it changed the colour from a gorgeous light grey, to a mottled bronze. I think if we had thought about this more carefully, we’d have invested the time and money in having it polished to perfection, but hey, you live and learn. The plinth was painted dark navy, to match the floor, and a brushed gold trim was fitted, to complement the new look of the top. At the time, all seemed to fit together, as we were introducing dark navy colours and gold accents.
As we’ve started to re-transform the house, the table has started to bug me. It’s not really what I envisaged and even covering it up with runners etc wasn’t working. We investigated having the resin removed – prohibitively expensive. Then investigated painting it – after much googling and speaking to specialist paint supplier, we discounted this as we didn’t think we’d ever get the finish we wanted. So, the decision was made to have it taken out and rebuilt in the garden, where the finish wouldn’t bother me as much. But, as often happens, you just sometimes have a light bulb moment and decide to try something – if it didn’t work we’d already decided it was going outside.
So, what was this light bulb moment? White undercoat and a few coats of white matte paint, rollered on carefully…
An unbelievable result! Hard wearing and durable, there’s no way this beaut is now being consigned to the garden. With new wooden benches either side, and now set against a white floor and newly painted white walls and white woodwork, the concrete table has had a new lease of life…
by Helen | Oct 20, 2023 | Lifestyle
Yep, you saw that right. We really did use a packet of IKEA frozen mash in a recent soup recipe. And, believe you me, it was a bit of a game-changer. Our freezer often has a few packets of this particular brand of mash – containing apparently 82% potato – because of we run out of potatoes, which we eat a lot of, we can’t just nip across the road to the shop to stock up. So, we do need to think ahead, and these are ideal for those moments when we’re caught short.
Only we weren’t caught short the evening. We’d just returned from a trip over to Trieste and had done a big supermarket shop, so had loads of potatoes – but we were also shattered and wanted something quite simple, but tasty and nutritious to eat. We’d also been to IKEA and as well as various bits and bobs, we’d also thrown some mashed potato into the trolley and there it was, when we got back, just sitting on the counter in the kitchen. Usually, we’d do sausages and mash, but soup seemed to be what we both wanted, and so decided to try something a little different.
The mash was defrosted in a large pan over a low heat, with a large knob of butter – it’s best to keep an eye on it and keep stirring so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Once it was quite creamy in consistency, vegetable stock was added, along with black pepper, and then a roughly chopped head of broccoli. This was heated for about 50 minutes, on a medium to low heat, until the broccoli was cooked and a bit mushy. To mush it up a bit more, but still keep some consistency, the mixture was mashed with a potato masher. A block of blue cheese – roquefort was used as it’s got a strong, salty taste – was then crumbled into the soup and simmered for about 10 minutes. While it was simmering, a dish of pine nuts was toasted in the oven and these were sprinkled over the soup.
So, the verdict?
Suffice to say, you probably wouldn’t notice that frozen potatoes had been used instead of fresh. In fact, the soup had a really creamy consistency – even before the cheese was added – which you don’t normally get with fresh potatoes. No additional salt was added, as I figured there’d be enough salt in the frozen mash and veggie stock cubes, and the cheese definitely had a salty taste. Served with warmed up focaccia bread (frozen, again, as we’d bought a few when friends were here and didn’t eat them all), this was an absolutely delicious broccoli, cheese and potato soup – and we’ll be giving the frozen mash a few more soup outings over the winter.
by Helen | Oct 12, 2023 | Lifestyle
Stilton cheese and brussel sprouts, combined, to form the filling for a quiche. I mean, what’s not to love? We adapted this recipe slightly – the original recipe called for the sprouts to be halved and steamed, but we wanted them to be shredded, so did things a little differently, and combining them with the onions and garlic initially. And, because we often cheat when we cook, we didn’t make our own pastry. Sorry pastry purists. Anyway, here’s our take on Thomasina Mier’s recipe.
what you’ll need
- 400g brussels sprouts, peeled and shredded
- 2 large onions, peeled and sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- A few thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- 350ml double cream
- 1 egg, plus 3 egg yolks
- 100g cheddar, finely grated
- Nutmeg
- Pack of Stilton cheese
- Ready made shortcrust pastry
what you’ll need to do
- Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6;
- Peel and quite finely chop/shred the sprouts and slice the onions and garlic;
- Sweat the onions in the oil on a medium heat for five minutes, then add the sprouts, garlic and thyme and cook for a further 10-15 minutes, until softened;
- Roll the pastry into a buttered quiche tin, allowing extra pastry for an overhang later, pressing it into shape with your fingers. Prick with a fork, cover with grease-proof paper and baking beans, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans, brush the base with the remaining egg white and return to the oven for five to 10 minutes, until golden brown, then turn down the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4;
- In a large bowl, whisk the cream, egg, yolks, cheddar and a generous grating of nutmeg. Break in half-walnut-sized chunks of stilton and season lightly, remembering that the Stilton will be salty already. Tip the sprouts, onions and garlic mixture straight from the pan into the baked tart case, pour over the cream mixture and add a final grating of nutmeg. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until puffed up, golden and just set.
- Serve, with what ever takes your fancy – we did home made sea salt oven chips and peas and it was absolutely delicious…
Perhaps making your own pastry might make this even more delicious, but to be absolutely honest, supermarket pastry, for me, is a shortcut worth doing. This quiche was creamy delicious with that unmistakable tang of brussels sprouts. Which if you don’t like, this definitely isn’t the quiche for you!
by Helen | Oct 11, 2023 | Renovation
When we bought our house in Istria in 2016, it looked very different to how it does today. It was kind of quarter renovated. The roof was new. The guttering was new. Windows had been fitted. And that was just about it. But, we saw the potential – even seeing ahead, to how the actual entrance to the house could look. Which, at the time admittedly, as awful as it was, wasn’t number one priority. But, recent works have meant that I’ve looked back to 2016 and reminded myself of what we – and visitors – were greeted with…
To be fair, once we moved in, this SHOCKING entrance to the house was power washed very quickly, immediately making things look slightly better. But, with a full on house renovation, everything else took priority and it was a good while before we even thought about what to do with here, apart from add a few potted plants, in the early days.
The biggest improvement came, when we had the well, which originally sat inside the house, relocated to the platform outside the front door – but it still took us quite a while longer to do anything further.
There was a big gap between the well and the front wall of the house, which wasn’t really that dangerous – it wasn’t too high and we kept away from the edge, but it definitely didn’t look great. So, we came up with a solution and fixed a wooden palette in place, which had the advantage of planters being able to be hung from it, so immediately making the entrance look a lot cheerier.
The concrete patio, in front of the house, and steps were painted in an attempt to make them look better. However, in hindsight, it was a costly error as it took an awful lot of specialist outdoor paint and within a year it had started to peel and crack. We also painted without addressing first the real issue – the terrible state of the steps. These had been poorly made and were definitely in an unfinished state, something we should have dealt with, but we didn’t, until very recently, because at the time we couldn’t find anyone to do the work, and we certainly couldn’t re-concrete them ourselves.
However, having finally found a reputable, and quite frankly brilliant, builder we added this small(ish) task to his list. And what a transformation. As well as the whole of the garden area being covered in white pea-gravel, and the side access road covered in larger white stones, the steps now look very smart, especially as the paint has been reapplied correctly. The window shutters, which were way past their best despite our best DIY efforts, have been removed. They were so dilapidated that we couldn’t even close some of them, so the decision was made to just get rid. We did have new shutters costed but as they were rarely closed – we prefer light flooding in – we decided against having them made. Why we didn’t tackle this a long time ago is a mystery, but we’ve tackled it now, and what a massive difference it has all made to the entrance of the house, with relatively little effort on our part and all done not too expensively, either…
Obviously, the painted wooden palette has been long gone and so we also requested that a wall be built between the well and the house wall and painted the same colour as the steps and the small balcony outside the front door, and we left the builder to it, thinking “it’s just a wall”. But look at this beautiful join. The way the wall just melts into the well. Now, that is attention to detail.
So, another job ticked off the House List. And it’s ironic really isn’t it, that when you just start to get your house exactly as you’ve always wanted, your head and heart shift, and you’re planning to be on the move again…
by Helen | Sep 15, 2023 | Lifestyle
Over the years, our gardens have evolved. The front garden has become more private as we have had walls constructed, not only to denote our boundaries, but also to provide us with privacy. The rear garden had been designed from scratch, after the demolition of our small stone cottage. Over the years we’ve tried to add colour and interest, by planting bulbs and having potted plants with many kinds of blooms and flowers. But, come winter, we always felt that the gardens were a bit on the depressing side. No more colour. Bare plants. Fallen leaves on concrete or faded bark chippings.
So, this year, with two new gardens which fill us with so much happiness because they are both EXACTLY what we want, we’ve ditched the colour and gone for green, The new walls are rendered concrete and painted white and we wanted to create a feeling evocative of the Mediterranean – southern Italy, Greek islands and Andalucia. No more pinks and yellows and reds and purple. Just green. Structural in design and with the promise of still looking largely the same in the winter. With white walls, white pea gravel all around the gardens and house and minimal furniture, I think we can now sit/lie back and enjoy the remains of the summer in our structural havens…
A tiny splash of colour – silvery grey – with the succulents, which are now tumbling out of this beautiful vintage, wrought iron basket.
An IKEA yucca plant, which seems to be thriving well in its new concrete planter.
Australian laurel, planted up in the well which we re-located to outside the front door.
Yucca Gloriosa : Spanish Dagger plant
Potted bay trees
Pennisetum alopecuroides – fountain grasses
Miniature ornamental grasses
Miniature potted palms, in concrete pots
Aromatic potted rosemary
Potted bamboos
Tall, potted bamboos outside the garden wall, for additional coverage
Potted olive trees
Late summer evening in the garden
The one plant we have made an exception for, is the flowering jasmine. We have two of these, already quite tall when we bought them, which are potted and sit on the small balcony outside the french doors. They are now intertwining beautifully, meaning that we have a natural screen beginning to hide the building work beyond our garden. Our neighbour is building a small stone cottage, and we’re at the stage where the roof is about to go on, so we need to disguise the crane – and this flowering jasmine is definitely beginning to hit the brief.
by Helen | Sep 13, 2023 | Lifestyle
When we go to Lidl – either here, or in Slovenia, which is probably the closest one to us – and they have a Special Week, we often stock up. When it’s Greek Week, the trolley is full of smoky tuna, halloumi, pitta breads, olive oils. Spanish Week and it’s olives, Manchego, tortillas, chorizo. Italian Week – and well, we’re just in heaven so everything gets chucked in, even though we can be in an Italian supermarket in Trieste in forty minutes. Recently, alongside French Week – Brie overload! – the store was also having an Irish Week. And there, staring out at me from the cooler section – packs of rashers of smoked bacon. Now, we don’t eat a lot of meat at all, but a smoked bacon butty is utterly irresistible and so with a use by date at the end of September, we bought a few packs to keep us going. And with a glut of bacon and brie, I set about finding a recipe which would use these ingredients, and found this delicious bake online.
With very few ingredients, and little to prepare, it is the most mouth-watering recipe. Perfect for this time of year, as still quite light but with a hint of autumn about it. If you’re a lover of bacon and brie, I’d definitely recommend giving this a go…
what you’ll need
- pack of smoked bacon rashers
- about 8 medium sized potatoes, very thinly sliced
- brie, sliced up, with rind left on
- tub of single cream (500ml)
- about 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- fresh thyme
- salt and pepper, to season
what you’ll need to do
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°c;
- Place a large, oven-proof frying pan over high heat then fry the bacon until crisp and golden;
- Remove from the pan, leaving the rendered fat and add olive oil as necessary (so that your first layer of potatoes don’t stick to the bottom of the pan);
- Layer the potatoes, brie cheese (reserve a few slices for the topping), bacon and garlic in the pan, seasoning the layers as you go;
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Season the cream with salt and pepper then pour over the potatoes, and sprinkle the fresh thyme across the top;
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Cover the potatoes with foil/a lid and place in the oven;
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Allow to bake for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are soft;
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Top with the remaining brie cheese then place back in the oven and allow to bake until golden brown on top;
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Remove from the oven and serve.
This recipe – and more – can be found here. Photos of the bake also come from the original recipe, as once served, this was so, so tasty, we wolfed it down, without even thinking of taking any snaps. Served with warm, crusty bread, it was just perfect and will be definitely made again in our house.
by Helen | Sep 6, 2023 | Lifestyle
A while ago I discovered the easiest bread recipe using just four ingredients – plain flour, baking soda, salt and 0% fat plain drinkable yogurt. For the record, Siggis yoghurt is the best. By far.
Since making the initial loaf, we’ve experimented with different ingredients and toppings, and this recent one, was just an absolute belter. It does add to your list of ingredients, but the taste is out of this world. The original recipe is here so just follow that and add the additional ingredients at the mixing stage, to produce the most wonderful cheesy bread. Added to the bread mix, were very generous portions of strong cheddar cheese (cubed) and slices of pungent French blue cheese and a good lot of parmesan. Chopped fresh rosemary was also added. Before putting in the oven, more parmesan cheese was grated across the top, and coarse rock salt sprinkled over. About ten minutes before the loaf was finished cooking, a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary were added to the top, to infuse the aroma and taste.
I’d like to say we waited until evening to serve with dinner – unfortunately, the loaf was eaten as soon as it had cooled down sufficiently, for lunch. And that’s the worst thing about this bread – there’s no way you could make it and hope to keep it until later. It’s far too delicious for that, but luckily it’s so quick and easy, you could always make another for dinner…
by Helen | Sep 4, 2023 | Italy, Travel
Redipuglia is pretty unremarkable Italian town, on the road out from Trieste. We usually pass through it on our way to IKEA. It’s one of those Italian towns where the houses sit alongside the road – it always seems as if everyone lives on the roadside, as detached houses, usually with the shutters closed to keep the heat out in the summer and in, in the winter, string out along the road. Every now and again, there’ll be a bar or a store. But nothing much really to write home about. Until you are just about to leave Redipuglia, and you are greeted with the most astonishing sight. Rising up from the road, a stepped monument, topped with three huge crosses.The Memorial of Redipuglia, Italy’s largest and most majestic memorial dedicated to the soldiers who fell in the Great War. Locally referred to as Sacrario Militare di Redipuglia, is the largest war memorial in Italy and also among the most significant war shrines in the entire world.
Built on the slopes of Mt. Sei Busi and designed by architect Giovanni Greppi and sculptor Giannino Castiglioni, it was opened on 18th September 1938 after ten years of construction. This massive monument, also known as Memorial “of the Hundred Thousands”, accommodates the remains of 100,187 soldiers who fell in battle in the surrounding areas; some of them had been initially buried on Colle Sant’Elia nearby. Strongly advocated by the fascist regime, this monument intended to celebrate the sacrifice of the fallen soldiers. It is structured on three levels, symbolising the army descending from the sky, led by its Commander towards the Path of Heroes. On the top, the three crosses evoke Mt. Golgotha and the crucifixion of Christ.
Twenty two large steps (2.5m high,12m wide) rise up from the foot of the memorial, containing the remains of 39,857 identified soldiers in alphabetical order. Each burial niche is surmounted by the wording “Present”. In the centre of the first large step, you can find the niche of the only woman buried here, a nurse named Margherita Kaiser Parodi Orlando. At the end of the lateral stairs and the large steps, two large tombs covered with bronze plates contain the remains of over 60 thousand unknown soldiers. Past them, you can reach the top of the memorial and visit a small chapel which houses a “Deposition” and the panels of the Stations of the Cross by sculptor Castiglioni. Three bronze crosses stand above the chapel.
In the rear of the last large step there are two museum rooms, with pictures of the first Memorial of Redipuglia, documents, war relics and paintings by Ciotti that used to decorate the tomb of the Duke of Aosta, originally located in the chapel on the top of St. Elias Hill. There are many personal artefacts, housed in glass cabinets, which really convey the sense of horror of the losses. Pocket watches, rings, spectacles, medals, shoes, photographs, hand written notes. All belonging to someone, now long buried.
The memorial and museum rooms are free to visit and is open to the public 24 hours a day. If you don’t fancy the climb from the bottom – and it’s not overly arduous, I promise you – there is a car park at the top of the site. It’s not very clearly marked and you do need to cross the train track, but it does cut out a lot of walking if your main aim is to get to the top quickly. I’m really pleased that we finally took the time to actually stop here, and not just drive past. A very sobering and evocative tribute to the many fallen in the war.
