October 2021
We're so excited to share another monthly journal written by the lovely Lola Jones, also known as @pocketfullofbuttercupson Instagram. Lola is a wonderful photographer and all round creator of beautiful content, raising her twin daughters Maya and Chloe & her baby Thea from her house near the Peak District. Each month she will give us a small glimpse into her world, inspiring you with activity ideas, recipes and more.
If I had to pick a favourite autumn month it would without a doubt be October. It’s the month when the leaves start to really turn to all the bright colours, when the foraging possibilities are endless. And let’s not forget visits to the pumpkin patch and of course Halloween.
This month we are sharing a delicious soup recipe for you to try on one of those chilly, rainy autumn/winter days and a couple of simple halloween themed crafts.
Raw tomato soup with butter beans and chorizo
I have perfected this recipe over the years to make it relatively quick, delicious and full of goodness. It is also very filling, so can easily serve it as a main meal. One of my girls doesn’t eat tomatoes on their own, nor in a salad, but she adores this soup!
This recipe serves about 7-8 depending on the size of your bowls. I usually make a batch and we have it a couple of times as a family of 4.
Ingredients:
- tomatoes (about 1.5 - 2kg)
- 1 x tin chopped or peeled plum tomatoes (optional)
- 1 x bunch of fresh basil
- 1 x onion chopped
- 1 x carrot chopped
- 1 x clove of garlic (optional)
- oil (I use rapeseed)
- 2 x vegetable or chicken stock pots (I generally use Knorr) - 330g pack of Brindisa cooking chorizo
- 700g jar Brindisa butter beans
- salt and pepper for seasoning
Method:
Start by chopping your onion, carrot and garlic (if using). Heat a large heavy based saucepan, add oil and sweat the chopped vegetables on a low heat until soft. Wash and cut your tomatoes in half. Put the cooked vegetable mix in the freestanding blender, add tomatoes and tinned tomatoes (if using) and the full bunch of basil (you may have to do it in two parts, depending on how big your blender is) and blitz everything together into a puree.
Once all nice and smooth, return the mixture to the pan, bring to the boil and add stock pots/ cubes. Chop chorizo into rings or smaller chunks if you like. Rinse your beans under cold water and add to the soup along with the chorizo. Simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes.
I have used different types of beans and chorizo, including supermarket ones, but there’s nothing better than good quality products, so I would strongly recommend using Brindisa or an alternative premium brand, as it really makes a difference. Enjoy!
DIY witches broom
Whether you are a fan of Halloween or not, this is a really great seasonal activity to enjoy - a Hermione Granger worthy DIY broom. Perfect for a dress-up game.
You will need a sturdy broomstick for your broom. We found our perfectly imperfect ones in the local woods. You will also need a bunch of twigs for the end of your broom (thin bendy ones are best) and some garden twine or a ribbon. Once you have all your supplies, start by giving your twigs a little tidy - make sure they are roughly the same length, get rid of any leaves, gather them all in a bunch, wrap around your broomstick and tie together with a garden string or a ribbon.
Nowadays it is easier to buy these things from a supermarket isle, but I think there is something satisfying about making your own, don’t you?
Friendly Halloween pumpkin design
We are trying something different this year with our Halloween pumpkins - instead of cutting the eyes out, we are making our own and adding them on.
Start by emptying your pumpkin of its insides. To do this, cut out a circle on the bottom of your pumpkin. It needs to be big enough for your hand to fit through. Scoop all the seeds out so it is nice and hollow.
Then cut out the mouth. We went for “Jack the pumpkin king” style mouth, but any will work. Make another opening above the mouth - this is where your eyes will sit, so the size of your eyeballs will determine how wide the opening needs to be. You may find it easier to draw your design with washable felt pen before carving.
You could make your own papier mache eyes and stretch this activity over a couple of days, but we bought ours online and painted them with black and white acrylic paint. You could also use décopatch mache baubles. Our eyes are 6,5 and 5cm.
Once your pumpkin is carved and eyes are ready, you can either place them straight in the gap you cut out or stick them on a skewer and insert the skewer in the gap so the eyes sit on the outside.
