Blackberries and Banana Bread

Finally! Summer has arrived… a tad late, but no matter! Baby Grace, boys, Pebbles (the handsome hound, above) and I went down the boreen for a walk in the afternoon, hoping for a delicious crop of blackberries. Didn’t come back with quite as many as I would have hoped for- but then again, Grace and Liam ate their body-weight in blackberries, so maybe that’s why I only ended up with a few…

…I picked some other gems along the way….

And then we came home to another batch of delicious Banana and Chocolate Bread, just as Fergal walked in the door (which necessitated a large pot of tea of course!!)

One of these days (maybe even today?) we are going to walk down to the bridge with the kiddies and my camera and photograph it in detail, for it’s the details like the old gate, autumn leaves and ancient walls that make it such a treat.

But before I go any further, here is the recipe for:

Banana and Chocolate Bread

 

(I use a loaf tin lined with greaseproof paper & preheat the oven to 160’C)

Needless to say I just turn on the Kenwood Mixture and start flinging the ingredients in… Queen of Finesse, thats Me)

Cream 1 packet (approx 125g) of unsalted butter (softened) with 125g caster sugar.

Break in one of 2 large eggs, mix completely, then break in the other egg. Mash 3 large over-ripe bananas and add to the mixture.

Add between 100-200g of chocolate-we favour a good milk chocolate (i.e. one with about 35% or 45% cocoa solids- can get this in Lidl) The more chocolate, we find the chewier and delicious (and, strangely, flatter) the cake is. (I’m getting light-headed at the thought!!)

Add 200g of self raising flour to all of this, then scrape the mixture into the tin and bake for about 50 mins- 1 hour. Then when it is cooled, turn it out, or else like what happens in our house, I’m taking it out of the oven, find “someone” (a.k.a. Fergal) has made a pot of tea then the resident savages start into it and demolish it, still hot and runny (be careful of the very hot chocolate!). 

Stores well for a good few days (and that’s why I made four for our “Bat Walk” tonight, and now I’ve only 1 left which I doubt will last till evening… I think I’ll have to crank up the mixer for another few loaves)

 

While I was out photographing the garden:

            

I decided to photograph our shop displays-I’m always putting these off because I think I need the light to be a certain way etc etc (procrastination) but anyway, I went and gave it a go, and was quite chuffed with the result. I want to do some more, set up specific things, but as I was doing it at speed while Grace was asleep (she loves helping/dementing me when I have the camera in my hand- takes twice as long) I didn’t get quite that far. But at least I’ve made a start… 

 

I’m off now to make up a spiced mulled fruit-wine for tonight, something warm and sweet and delicious to set us up for tramping around a wet, dark forest with a bat detector… oooh, I can’t wait!!!!!

• garden,
• mulled wine,
• tea,
• toyshop,
• walk