In the shop today

1. and 2. Flowers for a party at The Olive Branch, actually they are going to 3 parties there, i think everybody should have 3 parties per birthday. They will be brought back next Friday to have their dancing shoes polished, and then sent off to dance one last tango, next Saturday

3. Christmas Wreath of blue spruce, rosemary, copper beech, kew green skimmia, myrtle, senecio, mimosa, larch cone, mushrooms, hydrangea, and viburnum tinus. Why use 1 foliage when you can use 11?

4. Amnesia roses for next Saturdays wedding. Yes, next Saturday. These roses need a full week to burst open and stop looking so stiff. With a little know how and care a rose can easily last 2 weeks if not longer. Knowing exactly when to get things in for a wedding is an art form, I like things to look as though they are almost about to fall apart.

Leftovers

from a bigger arrangement.

Simple pleasures.

Currently loving.....White cyclamen

I love them quite a lot.

Fill dressers with them, plant them in slate, tin, or vintage.

Or you could put them in pots outside, but then you would miss out on their delicate lily of the valley scent

Dresser painted in blackboard paint, slate vases are fibreglass, vintage pots from antique, useful information for those that like to copy my posts and pass it off as their own.

We'll say no more, but seriously if you are going to go to all that effort to copy the flowers and the books, why not do something of your own design? Weird.

Rant over.

Can somebody come in and buy some white cyclamen please?
Merci beaucoup.

A Quirky Christmas

Plastic trees, Ilex in old bottles, mushrooms for wreaths and coloured toadstools.

Some years we scour the magazines for what is going to be on trend for Christmas. This year we are abandoning all hope of being en vogue and doing our own thing.

Snow tipped plastic trees it is.

Are you excited?

It is all I can do to stop myself from bursting into Good King Wenceslas.

A lady from Russia came into the shop asking if she could take a picture, I tidied the shop, applied another slick of lipstick, and readied myself for the chat about the flowers i choose, and the like.

But no, she wanted a picture of The Hound.

Spirograph

As a child I didn't have a Spirograph.

79p and a few years later

I do now.

I am hoping Kirstie will use one tonight, and then i can sell it tomorrow morning for £20.00. (one for the retailers)

Christmas has arrived

It has danced it's way into the shop, dressed in a finery of feathers and silvery tones and blushing a delicate shade of pink.

The promise of dark evenings curled up in front of a log fire, the scent of mulling spices and the never ending "bite size food"

Scarlet will burst through the door a little later, the bright brash ilex berries and the trumpets of amaryllis are always late to the party.

I have always though it a little crass to put Christmas in too early, but then if you read this blog, you will doubtless have worked out I can be the most frightful snob.

If you can't beat them, join them.

There are still a few spots left on our Christmas evenings, come along and learn how you can recreate in the look in the comfort of your own home.

Flowers for a party and a really big squash

Have you ever fed a lover with just your hands?

Have you ever thrown a fist full of glitter in the air?

Last night we settled down to watch River cottage everyday, and HFW made soda bread. soda bread requires no excessive kneading, proving, or knocking back and seemed like my kind of bread.

I adore bread, i think it might be my favourite food type, but the making of the most expensive loaf in the world had put me off. I gave 2 months of my life to that loaf.

During the ad break i knocked up a loaf and whizzed it in the oven. The official recipe is here
This is my late night version.

388g of plain flour - all that was left in the bag.
2 tsp bicarb
1 tsp maldon sea salt crumbled in the fingers
274ml buttermilk - a week past it's sell by date. It comes in cartons of 274ml.
a splosh of milk

I didn't sieve, i just mixed it all up and kneaded it for a bit, shaped it, cut a cross in it and put it in the oven at 200. The oven was cold when the bread went in. It was baked just as the titles came up.

It should have been a disaster, but it wasn't. The disaster came in burning my arm on the baking tray.

You can see the picture of the actual loaf, live as it came out of the oven here. I tweeted it, River Cottage retweeted it. #famousfor5minutes.

The lyrics? It's P!nk

Woodland Buttonholes

Buttonholes for a soiree. The imagination and creativity of my customers is inspiring. I wish i was attending this party, it sounds most interesting, if not a little risque. The pheasant feather, pink peppercorn and Spanish moss combination is my favourite, and is forming the basis of a few Christmas wreath designs.

In other news, I am shamefully addicted to that Essex programme. I am transfixed by the amount of make-up, and how everybody seems to look 15 years older than they actually are. I love Nana Pat.

and i am still waiting to find out which wallpaper Kelly went for. I hope it is the musicians.

also i am quite famished, but can't decide what to eat, any suggestions?

Christmas evenings

We are doing it again. Twice. Hardcore.

An evening of Christmas flowers with supper.
To be held at The Garage Deli

December 1st OR 8th at 7pm

Whilst you sip on mulled apple, Miss P. Will demonstrate how to make a Christmas wreath, how to make fancy for your table, and even tips on gift wrapping.
Followed by a supper of Wood-fired Antipasto and pizza.

Tickets £35.00

To book call Miss P. on 01780 482961, or email on flowers@misspickering.com


The Garage Deli, 2 Stockerston Road, Uppingham, LE15 9UD T 01572 823 247
Miss Pickering, 7 St. Paul's Street, Stamford, PE9 2BE T 01780 482961

There will also be an opportunity to purchase gourmet presents, and Christmas wreaths - should you not want to make your own.......

Will you come? It is sure to be a hoot.

Is it a stew or a casserole?

Is there a difference between the two?

Juniper berries
Bay
Dried porcini
Venison
Stock
wine
Onion
Carrots - locally grown obviously
Celery - ditto
Bacon, pancetta or some other such pork based product
Suet
Self raising flour
Thyme

You don't need me to tell you how to do it, such is the joy of a casserole/stew. You can make it up. Saute the things that need to be sauteed, chuck it all in a pot, cover with stock, wine and the liquor from soaking the dried porcini and cook in a low oven for hours.

For the dumplings, add 50g of suet to 100g of SR flour, season added chopped thyme leaves and a spoon full of mustard powder. Form into a ball and pop on the top of the casserole for the last 20 minutes with a lid on.

Flowers tomorrow, and details of our Christmas evenings....finally.

Dressing like the girls on the blogs

I adore blogs, they inspire, entertain, but some have the (unintentional)habit of making one feel a little inadequate in the style stakes.

The girls on the blogs all wear striped tops, vintage dresses, skinny jeans and accessorise with the perfect bag.

Here are some examples of stylish bloggers

A cup of Jo
Rockstar diaries
Simple lovely

Now thanks to the hard work of The Other Miss Pickering and quite a few other people one of the bloggers' favourite brands Lands End Canvas is available here in the UK. I for one am putting the bag, and striped top on my birthday list.

Before you know it, The Hound and I will be popping up on The Sartorialist

and in other blogging news i discovered this blog at the weekend. I have a serious girl crush.

Did you spend the weekend clearing out your wardrobe too?

Trick or treat

Trick - teaching an old dog new ones

Treat - pink peppercorn and viburnum tinus berries

Woodland

I didn't carve any pumpkins last year, and decided against doing them again this year.

Instead we are going "Woodland Kitsch"

It is making people giggle, or making them think i have finally lost my marbles. Whichever.

A marvellous thank you to Dixon, who patiently sifted through the enormous log pile as I examined each one for it's artistic merits. A gentleman indeed.

I want a tilt shift lens now.

If this was Twitter i would add #princess after that statement.

Happy halloween and all that jazz.

xx

Flower school with cameras

What happens when a photographer with a passion for flowers meets a florist with a passion for photography? If truth be told a lot of squealing and chatter, but Emily Quinton and I are instead combining our expertise and passions to bring you the ultimate course.

Flower school and botanical photography

May 10th 2011

at Miss Pickering 7 St. Paul's Street, Stamford, PE9 2BE

Cost £385.00*


*The price includes all flowers, lunch, wine and tuition, flowers in the morning, photography in the afternoon.

You don't need to have a fandangly camera to attend. Emily will be teaching the fundamentals of light and composition, which apply whether you are using a digital SLR or a Polaroid camera from the 1970's. I have a Polaroid camera from the 1970's, I am bringing it.

Obviously there will be flowers, lily of the valley, ranunculus, locally grown stocks, the first of the peonies, and a few surprises.

To book your space please email either Emily on hello@emilyquinton.com or myself on flowers@misspickering.com

Gift vouchers for this course are available if you would like to present it to somebody on Christmas Day.

Stamford is a beautiful stone built town, picture postcard in fact. Anyone wishing to make a mini break of it, will find plenty to photograph. Details of accommodation and other sights worth a picture will be included with your booking confirmation.

Yes, Emily is the photographer from the television

Sundries so loathsome they should be banned.

I thought we might start on sundries, having looked at flowers and foliage. We are coming into the festive season, which is bound to supply us with some real chestnuts. Red glitter pine cone picks anyone?

Weddings are the subject of todays's post, and the oasis bouquet holder is our star.

I don't understand their role in life, they serve only to make things look stiff, and seriously dodgy in the saggital plane. Evidently you still need to wire and glue, so they seem not to elivate any work? and that handle?

Am i wrong? do you find them useful, do you insert flowers into them and think they are heaven sent? Do you? Please share.

Romanesco and Romona

Romanesco, the freak vegetable.

Add a spoonful of plain flour to
a spoonful of butter.
Heat and stir until you get a paste.
Remove from the heat and add about a pint of milk
Whisk until you get a glossy sauce.
Add a big teaspoon of English Mustard and season.
Remove from the heat and throw in 2 handfuls of strong cheese.

Floret the Romanesco and steam or boil until al dente - i used 2 heads.
Arrange in a suitably precious oven dish.
Pour over the sauce.
Sprinkle with brown breadcrumbs, and more cheese of you are not on a diet.
Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and drizzle with truffle oil.
Serve with crusty bread, roast chicken or other such delights.

Leftovers make a perfect pasta sauce, chop the florets into smaller pieces, and stir into a pan of penne with butter and nutmeg.

Re:Romona - The Hound isn't sure there is room on the sofa. We are in "consultation"

Garden rosemary

Making it's way into wedding bouquets, and just about every type of bouquet. The scent is beguiling, and like the pied piper, or the Bisto advert, has brought customers to our door.

I think some of it may also work it's way into the kitchen.

Other plans for the weekend include: Christmas, and restyling the house on a budget of £0.

Wish us luck, and for Mr Hamilton in Korea.

Do i need matching pair? - please say yes.

Don't fence me in

Another day another escapade.

The Hound was on the end of his lead one minute, and running free the next.

The lead had snapped.

It was so very dark, and he was so very determined to make me pay for having gone out for dinner and left him in the shop.

I can laugh about it now, but there were a lot of tears last night.

A tearful phone call to The Mother Hen, who came out into a cold night to search for The Boy Wonder. He was never far away, but just far enough to avoid capture. Laughing at us.

This time it's personal.