The stuff of dreams...

Today I was reading a blog called Inspire me Heather, which brings together ideas for projects in the craft and DIY vein. They had a post called Project: Chicken Coops which I read in great detail and then promptly followed all the links from it to other people's blogs.

What this really made me realise is that I can't wait til Husband and I can sell our house in London and move to a bigger place further out. I would love to have space for our son and our cats to run around, and space where I can breathe! As much as I adore London, and I really really do, I sometimes long for a bit of fresh air, a veggie garden, a Rhodesian Ridgeback dog and some Chickens...

I must admit that the chickens are a major lure. My best friend Bexy's family used to have chickens til all but one chicken got eaten by foxes. The final chicken became more of a pet, known as Mrs Chicken and she would wander in and out the cat flap, sit on top of the aga and torment the cats and dogs of the house by pecking them when they least expected it.  She had a fetish for tomatoes and would chase guests with red toenail varnish on, mistaking their toes for cherry tomatoes - very funny to watch!!

When we moved into my parents current house about 28 years ago, there was an old chicken coop in the garden that looked a bit like a gypsy caravan. I wasn't allowed in it as I was only 3, it was rotten and had rats - my dad chopped it up and burnt it on the bonfire. I thought it looked like the coolest thing on earth!!

Ever since then, I would periodically try and get my parents to get some chickens. They had tonnes of space for them and my mum thought it would be brilliant. My dad always resisted as he said we would only be all upset when the local foxes killed them, as they did to our neighbours chickens from time to time.  So I have never owned any chickens.... yet!

But on this blog today I saw some of the coolest chicken coops ever, and it reminded me that Husband and I should most certainly get chickens, to go with my husband's longed for veggie patch when we have more space.

Thanks to debra prinzing

Sure, our son will probably let them out once or twice and our cats will have to be kept far away, and the fictional dog is something to consider, but I am determined that one day, in the not too distant future, that we shall have chickens, and fresh eggs and a chicken coop to be proud of.

"People who count their chickens before they are hatched act very wisely, because chickens run about so absurdly that it is impossible to count them accurately."

Oscar Wilde

I think one of the reasons I love chickens is that I love egg sandwiches, especially ones made by my mum which are frankly just superior to any others I have tasted anywhere. I asked her to show me how she made them. She assured me she did nothing different to what everyone else does to make egg sandwiches, but I replied she must, as they are so much nicer.

We made them together a few months ago, and I was right! She does do something different!! So I shall now share with you the recipe of my mum's superior sandwich.

Super Egg Sandwiches:

8 eggs (large, organic, free range)

Heinz Salad Cream (a large squirt) - or Mayonnaise if you prefer

Knob of unsalted butter

Pepper

Cress (if liked)

Large Free Range Eggs

8 slices of wholemeal bread

Unsalted butter for spreading

1. Place eggs in boiling water until just hard boiled (about 5-6 minutes). 
2. Immediately run under cold water until cool enough to handle - the cold water also stops them cooking any further and ending up too hard.
3. Peel all eggs of their shell and inner "skin" bit (tap at one end, slide your finger gently under the side of the shell and push along under the shell, it should come away stuck to the skin and in largish pieces)
4. Place in a large bowl
5. Using a sharp knife, begin chopping the eggs roughly in the bowl
6. Once all the eggs are roughly chopped into inch or so pieces, add the knob of butter and continue chopping - it is the butter that makes this a superior sandwich, as the eggs are still slightly warm from cooking, the butter melts and blends with the egg, making it a little richer, a little smoother and just more delicious. This is the bit my Mum does that no other recipe says to do...
7. Once the pieces of egg are smallish, you can switch to a fork, to squash the egg/butter mixture but don't make it smooth - you still want small chunks about the same size as chocolate chips you get in a cookie.
8. Squirt in your required amount of Heinz Salad Cream - I am not sure if they have it in the USA but you could use mayonnaise and a tiny bit of white wine vinegar instead.
9. Mix everything together (including cress if you fancy it) and season with pepper (white pepper if you are being fancy) as required
10. Butter the wholemeal bread and pile on the egg mixture
11. Top the sandwich and then cut each set into 4 squares or triangles, depending on your personal favourite (I like squares myself)

Superior Egg Sandwiches

Its pretty much my dream afternoon, sitting in a gorgeous garden, with sandwiches made from eggs from my own chickens, bread baked by my husband and our family all around us.

God knows how practical all this wish making is, my job only really exists in London or other major cities and I don't want a huge commute or I would never see my son during the week.

So maybe it is all just the stuff of dreams, but at least in the meantime, I can make my dream sandwich...


"Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field."
Dwight D. Eisenhower

The above quote could easily apply to any farm aspiring blogger, such as myself...