Apple wine and Prosecco

Miss SMBW and I trotted off to the Alexandra Palace Farmers' Market yesterday. Except that it was at a school in Crouch End! We scoffed cake and coffee whilst perusing the stalls and came away with some fab apple wine, soda bread so dense it was like cake and a melt in the mouth goats cheese.

Over lunch we ate pears wrapped in parma ham baked with dollops of goats cheese. With this we had a Prosecco - an M&S one - 11%. It was almost white gold in colour, barely a bouquet of lemon and golden delicious apples.

Not hearty enough for the main part of our meal but a wonderful appertif this evening (a day later) and it went well with the salad.

Psychedelic cauliflower

It is with trepidation and excitement that I open our fortnightly veggie boxes in autumn.

At this time of the year challenging vegetables appear.

Hefty, bloated specimens that can't be readily chopped up and chucked into a stir fry. Items that require identification (last year it was kohl rabi) and searches for suitable recipes. Or ones that are tough and demand knives to be resharped and repeated bashing on the kitchen counter.

Oh what joy to get a purple cauliflower.

And what better way to serve it than to smother it in cheese sauce, preferably made with Red Leicester cheese and baked in the oven.

Austin Powers on a plate. But tastier. Groovy baby.