i'm not a fan of zoos

but i sure do enjoy a safari park. who knew lions and zebras and giraffes lived in england? alex and i ventured to longleat safari park on the way back from glastonbury a few weeks ago and i just realised that i didn't tell you all about it.


you basically drive around this HUGE estate for a couple hours and see all the animals. you can walk around a small bit but for the majority you have to drive which is slightly unfortunate. you can have your windows down for everything but the monkeys and big cats. the monkeys climb all over your car *and in your car if the windows are open* and the lions could eat you if your windows are open.


it's really alot of good fun. i'm not sure about the ethical issues behind keeping animals in a colder climate than they are used to but they really have vast areas to wander in and that makes me feel better about it. it's something i suggest you see if you're in england. check out flickr for some more animal photos.

recipe of the week: broccoli soup

have you ever seen a recipe and thought, 'that could be good, i think i'll try it'? and then you make it and you almost fall over because it's so good. this is what just happened to me. and i'm going to take full credit for this soup...i got the idea for adding nutmeg from a recipe but everything else is me.

broccoli soup
dab of butter
good grating of nutmeg
1 large head of broccoli, chopped (stalks and florets separated)
1L of vegetable stock
lashing of double cream
2 large handfuls of pea shoots (or watercress or some other green leaf/shoot)

optional additions
bacon rashers, chopped and fried crisp
goat's cheese, crumbled
parmesan twists

heat the butter in a large soup pot.
fry the nutmeg and the chopped broccoli stalks for a few minutes until almost tender and slightly golden brown.
add the florets, stock and double cream and simmer for 10 minutes or until everything is tender.
*if you're keeping this as vegetarian soup remove a few scoops of broccoli florets so the soup will have some bite, if you're adding bacon bits later keep all the broccoli in the pot*
remove from the heat and stir in the pea shoots.
blitz with a hand blender until smooth.
serve immediately with some bacon bits and goat's cheese sprinkled in and some parmesan twists for dipping.

happy beltane

hail thalia, grace of flowering and mirth!

hail to the lord and the lady!
hail to the king and queen of faery, to blessed flora,

and to maia majestas!

hail to the summer! hail to the summer!
the season that drives the cold winter away!
hail to the summer! hail to the summer!
light your bonfires - today is beltane