Rolleston Market

Two posts in one day? I think that might be a record! I will be back at the Rolleston Community Market tomorrow. If you feel like an outing, pop out for crafts, fresh produce, food and coffee, and come and say hi! I will have a new product debuting, so you can be the first to check it out. The market will be held later than usual, due to it being Anzac day. It will run from 1pm till 4pm on the grassy area next to the Community Centre. If it's raining, it will be held indoors at the stadium. Click here for directions.

Recipe for gluten free Anzac biscuits

I made a batch of these the other day from the Coeliac UK cookbook, and have been asked for the recipe by Mel of Wildflower Designs, so I thought I'd share it on the blog. I've always been partial to Anzac biccies, so was happy to find a recipe for a gluten-free version. They are very easy to make too. The only ingredient that might be a bit tricky to track down is the millet flakes. I popped down to my local wholefood store Piko, who had some, along with what seemed like every other gluten free ingredient you might need!

Ingredients:

110g millet flakes

110g caster sugar

110g desiccated coconut

50g rice flour

50g tapioca flour

50g ground almonds

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon golden syrup

110g butter

2 teaspoons baking soda

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160˚

Mix together all the dry ingredients except the baking soda in a bowl.

Put the water, golden syrup and butter into a small saucepan, bring to the boil, then remove from the heat, add the baking soda and stir. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Roll mixture into balls and place onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Space them sufficiently far apart for the biscuits to spread as they cook. Flatten with a ford and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Leave to cool on the baking tray for about 5-6 minutes, or until firm enough to handle, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Stash reHash and Quail Island

Stash reHash on Sunday was yet another great success. From where I was standing in line, it appeared to be even busier than last time. I arrived bang on opening time at 11am, and waited in line for 40 mins before getting in – a sure sign of how popular this market is. Due to some bad planning, I wasn't able to stay long, it was literally a circuit round the room for me. I bought some of these beautiful vintage kimono remnants from Cherry Blossom as my token purchase. I have some plans for them, which will be unveiled when I return to the Rolleston Community Market on Sunday. For those of you who can't make it out to the market, I will list them up on felt in the following days. Due to Sunday being Anzac day, the market will run from 1pm - 4pm instead of the usual time.

I had to rush off due to having a ferry to catch in Lyttelton out to Quail Island. We had planned to go the day before, but just missed it, so rebooked it for the next day. My husband had been wanting to go there for a while, as he remembered staying there on a school camp back in primary school. It was a lovely day for it. We walked all around the island, and I took a few photos. With the island being right in the middle of the harbour, the scenery lent itself to some panoramic shots, so I put these together using photoshop's photmerge tool. It is so much faster than doing it manually!

The head of Lyttelton Harbour, with Governor's Bay somewhere in the middle.

These shipwrecks are rather haunting. It is a ship's graveyard, old ones were brought here once they were no longer serviceable to decompose away.

The Port of Lyttelton.

Diamond Harbour

Another panorama with the mouth of the Harbour and Lyttelton.

Stash reHash returns!

After the roaring success of the inaugural Stash reHash, held last year, it is back again for more fabric coveting goodness. Come to the Scottish Society Hall, corner of Edgeware and Caledonian Roads, St Albans this Sunday the 18th of April, from 11am - 2pm.

There will be loads more fabric to peruse, and the Arthritis Society's donated goods stall is yet again going to be overloaded with fabric, notions, haberdashery and other crafty items. If you want it, it's sure to be there. As well as stalls from people clearing out their stashes, there will be three internet fabric shops in attendance. So if you like to look and feel before you buy, this is the perfect opportunity to check out all their fabric.

There will also be coffee available, and yummy baked goodies from the St Albans school PTA. You don't really need any more reasons than that. Look out for me browsing through all the stalls, and quite possibly with an overstuffed shopping bag or two.