Introducing two of my mother-in-laws: Suzanne and Gina. They visited us in Exeter from Vancouver the week before last giving Levi and I The perfect opportunity to play tourist. I would like to point out that the photos with GA next to them were taken by Gina.
We went to the old tourist favourite, Totnes, on a bright sunny day with its castle, quirky shops and brewery. I've written about the town at least twice before and don't wish to repeat myself too much but only say that it is absolutely super and well worth visiting if you're in Devon.
Ga
In the grounds of the castle I came across my first foraging opportunity spotting amongst the weeds some horseradish. I remember when I was little my dad showing me how to recognise its leaves and dig up its root on the caravan site we used to stay in by the sea in Norfolk. Sadly, without a shovel or trowel I wrecked my fingernails but oh! What a prize!
We had lunch in the Albert (had my usual: suet pudding) and a very nice barman showed the in-laws the little brewery out the back where the beer is made.
Ga
Out the back I found some windfall apples which I took home with me. They were naturally a little sharp as they fell off too early but I decided to make them into fruit leather to snack on during the week.
It was a long arduous process, first boiling the apples then adding cinnamon, ginger, lemon and sugar, before drying it out on a low heat in the oven.
The end result was very tasty, though I'm not sure whether I could be bothered to make it again any time soon. Maybe I need to invest in a food dehydrator at some point. To make something similar please see here: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_fruit_leather/
Ga
Also worth mentioning was our awesome dinner at the rusty bike's sister pub: The Fat Pig in Exeter. Though not cheap the food is truly excellent, convincing Gina for the first time, that English Food can on occasion be really tasty. We had mussels, squid, pulled pork etc and as you can see it was so delicious there was practically nothing left. The fat pig also brews it's own beer and sources it's ingredients from local farmers. And it makes it's own gin. This one is raspberry.
On the last day we enjoyed a very pleasant excursion to Topsham to the Bridge Inn. In the graveyard I spotted some walnuts which was quite exciting. They're not ready yet, but will keep and eye on them over the next few months.
We then walked to Dart's Farm (it's a whole food farm shop) which has a massive collection of locally brewed ale and a lovely guy called Larry let us sup cider. Yummy.
We then walked to Lympstone where I got talking to a guy called Jason who let me hose down my sandals (I'd got stuck in the mudflats) and he showed me his catch which he was sending off to various restaurants and supplyers. The lobsters looked pretty vicious.
And to finish off we enjoyed some good quality fish and chips, and tried out the elderflower wine. It's still got a bit to go, but was very drinkable. Though the inlaws are now enjoying the delights of Northern Italy, we hope Devon made a good impression. I had fun playing the tourist anyway.
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