Tasty Tomato Chutney

I wanted to make full use of all the beautiful tomatoes we have grown in the garden this year so I have developed this Tasty Tomato Chutney. It’s been our best year so far with our tomatoes and I am pleased as punch with how it has turned out.

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We set about with our raised beds  this spring at the end of our garden. It’s been a learning experience which is still playing out due to it not being the end of the season yet for root vegetables. I’ll let you know how we get on soon. However, our tomatoes are coming on fantastically and growing up and around our patio pallet garden which is brilliant.

Tiger tomatoes starting to ripen

The tomatoes which we have used are a combination of tiger tomatoes which are striped hence the name I guess and standard red tomatoes which my youngest and I grew from the seeds of a fresh tomato which was bought from the supermarket at the start of the year. We were preparing our lunch one day and he asked if we could plant the seeds and we did. I honestly didn’t think much would come of it but low and behold it did and the plants are strong and producing lots of fruit.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and see how easy it is to make fresh chutney with a few ingredients.

Use a really sharp knife to cut a cross in the skin before pouring the boiling water over. This way after 5 minutes you can push the tomatoes out of their skin which isn’t needed in the recipe.

Tasty Tomato Chutney

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Tasty Tomato Chutney

The chutney is ideal as a little accompaniment to most other supper or lunch dishes and can even be added to vegetarian or meat stews for added richness.

Tasty Tomato Chutney
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Cooling time
10 mins
Total Time
55 mins
 

A super easy Tomato Chutney packed with flavour

Course: Side Dish
Servings: 8
Author: mainy - myrealfairy
Ingredients
  • 500 g Tomato
  • 250 g Onions
  • 100 g Brown sugar
  • 1 clove Garlic
  • 75 ml Red or White wine vinegar
  • Half tspn Paprika Optional
Instructions
  1. Cut a cross in the skins of the tomatoes and pour over boiling water in a bowl.

    Leave to stand for 5 mins and then carefully remove the skins which should peel off easily now. 

    tomato chutney
  2. Chop the onions roughly and then mince the garlic. Place in a large heavy bottomed saucepan.

    tomato chutney
  3. Place all the other ingredients on top and bring gently to the boil stirring all the time.

  4. Simmer gently, stirring frequently for approx 45mins

  5. You are looking and feeling for a soft jam like consistency.

  6. After about 30 mins, spoon out a small amount, set aside to cool. Then try it for personal taste.

    When you are happy, continue for the full amount of time.

  7. Leave to cool slightly then place in your sterilised jars and leave to fully cool.

    tomato chutney
Recipe Notes

Enjoy with cold meats or cheese. Also try out my Soda Bread recipe as these goes amazing well together.

Have Fun! Mainy

Tasty Tomato Chutney

Let me know how you get on if you make yours. Also rate the recipe please.

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I’m Getting Married!

I’m Getting Married! The time has come to make an honest women of me! But what will I wear, eat, say and do? The pressure is clearly on now.

Is that the right thing to say or should it be ‘we’ are getting married to be more inclusive? Whichever it is, the big day has been set and we are on the path to saying I Do. Beyond excited and having tummy backflips when I think that in 8 months the day will be mine all mine, oh and his too;)

I'm getting married

My OH finally took the plunge and asked me in May after years together and knowing that I was so excited about getting married and he had no idea or need to ever even consider that he would. Our German/English pairing never ceases to amaze me in the way we approach things, coupled with the men are from mars and women are from venus scenario, our lives are interesting.

Those of you who regularly drop by know that I talk about the boys and my OH but don’t delve too deep about our relationship. I do let out the odd gushy poem like this one on the plane from Munich which says it all in a moment of hormones and fear of flying panic.

How did it all begin…

Finding love in my forties after a fun-filled, crazy, sometimes sad and always challenging life came out of the blue. I was scheduled to pick up a visiting professional who had travelled down from London to where I am on the south coast  from the train station. I had known him for over a year through my work in social care by having the odd meeting and email.  I was stood by my car looking through the glass door of the train station, trying to peer over the heads of the crowd bustling through, when his face came into view and I was suddenly smitten…shocked at how this came out of nowhere…but smitten all the same. Once I had greeted him and got us seated and belted up I almost shook my head at myself as I had that silly smile that you get when you like someone but I tried to tuck it deep inside me and keep my super professional facade up as this was a work thing and I’m normally good at painting the picture of being in control onto a nervous face.

The drive should have been  10 minutes from the station to our meeting room, I took the scenic route to make the hop feel like a road trip.

On the way back he asked me for coffee in the station cafe, I paid. Romance my dear readers is not dead!

Skip forward 7 years and our combined families are now one happy bunch and planning a wedding.

Tomorrow is a day with my girlfriends trying on wedding dresses!!  I am pinching myself that I am actually going to be trying dresses on. In my mind I have low-key sophistication, but then I realised that I don’t even really know what that means!

This isn’t too much is it???

via GIPHY

The coming months are going to be crammed with planning. Planning for the wedding and planning for the loft conversion we are having done. Never do things by half should be our motto.

I’ve set up a Pinterest board today so please pin away with any wedding thoughts. If you’ve been somewhere and loved an idea please share it with me on the board. Drop your email or Pinterest link to me so I can add you.

The theme….Beach – Rustic – Chic, ridiculous but true! I can’t wait.

I’ll be writing about the lead up more and more over the next few months. Rings…will he wear one? Speeches…should be bother…. Being given away….is that even relevant these days? There’s alot to clog the brain with. I’ll need tea and help along the way.

I’m in the wedding bubble and it’s all about the ‘me’ at the moment!

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Best Friends Forever Notebook Giveaway

I’ve got a fantastic giveaway for you today with this Best Friends Forever Notebook.

With summer starting to fade its glorious sunlight into the dusk of autumn it is time to start thinking about Christmas. It’s hard to believe but it will be on us before we know it. This could be just the thing for school aged children to love and cherish.

This Best Friends Forever Notebook  sets down lasting memories of childhood friends.

With pages to write contact details, to have photos and to pop little messages that are recorded forever, it’s ideal to take to school during the last week of term.

My Best Friends Notebook Giveaway

My Best Friends Notebook Giveaway

My Best Friends Notebook Giveaway

So, all you have to do to win this notebook is to enter using the rafflecopter entry below. Good luck and forget to come back each day for a bonus entry tweet!

Here’s the Giveaway!

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Open to Worldwide Entrants.

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Run by myrealfairy.com See my contacts page for t&c’s

Honeycomb Birds Giveaway

The giveaway I am pleased to be sharing with you today actually shows how you can have wonderfully elegant decorations in the house which can represent the outside wildlife so well. This is a favourite giveaway of mine as they are so beautiful.

 

bird decoration www.myrealfairy.com

They can be used as wedding party decorations, imagine a flock of these in one corner on a lovely summers day…beautiful!

Great at a christening, childrens party or any occasion that you want your decorations to stand out from the crowd. Much nicer to have your party talked about for all the right reasons.


These 3 birds can be used inside or outside and if handled carefully can be used again and again. The pack contains 3 x 6″ paper honeycomb birds.

They are beautiful and add a touch of something a bit different. You can enter using the rafflecopter widget below. Good luck and thanks for visiting today.

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Open to UK address holders only

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Summer Notelets Giveaway

It’s summer and I’m in the mood for more and more giveaways!

Social Soiree Pack of 12 Blank Notelets & Envelopes for Invitations & Thank You Cards

Summer Notelets Giveaway

As they say, you’ve got to be in it to win it! Throughout the summer I will be putting on as many giveaways as I can. Laced in between my family, recipe and guest posts I hope that you have everything you need here to spend a little time and see what’s on offer.

I love my blog and being able to talk about so many different subjects in my own space is massively rewarding. I hope you have fun here and are enjoying the summer too. Drop me a line in the comments section and let me know what you are up to.

Have fun!

Mainy

Giveaway Special – Enter in the rafflecopter box below

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Good luck

Open to U.K. based entrants only. Full t&c’s on my contacts page.

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Fairy Pools

[metaslider id=326]

 

Once again I have been overtaken by the sights and images I’ve been collecting. For the past few weeks I’ve been researching the fairy pools in Scotland at Glen Brittle, the Isle of Skye during my blogging time excursions.

The mysterious fairy pools have become one of the most talked about internet tales…

Amazing little havens with beautiful sparkly waters.  There are tales of folklore creatures, small prickly backed, two legged imps, who inhabit the banks.

Have you heard of the fairy pool magic?
Have you heard of the fairy pool magic?

Legend has it that if you visit during the spring months when there is a ‘blue moon’, or second full moon in the month, which is the  rarest of sights and believed to hold magical qualities. Then this feature will bring out the little magical creatures.

I haven’t found anyone who has put a name to them yet despite searching extensively. It got me to thinking that maybe we could name them here…. If you fancy a try, then pop your suggestion in the comments box. You may of already heard of the name and can enlighten me, or you can just join in the fun and offer your own suggestions. I’d love to hear how creative you can be…….

 

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fairy pool

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Ear Cuff Jewellery

I’m a lover of all things sparkly and love browsing either on the internet or around the shops on the high street. However, with the blog now taking up alot of any spare time I have after working full time, tending to the little ones and finding time for my partner. I seem to shop or browse on-line far more when everyones tucked up in bed. I doubt if I’m totally alone in this and when I talk to my blogger buddies and parents alot of them seem to be in agreement.

So, on one of those evenings I found these beautiful ear cuffs when I was actually on a search for whimsical inspired pictures for my blog….we’ve all done it:) Always a bit of a magpie when it comes to pretty jewellery, I was drawn to the site to have a bit more of a look.

Screen Shot 2016-03-09 at 18.31.02

I really loved these ear cuffs and found out that the  owner of the company ‘ValkenWolf’ is Amber Frettingham who is based in Lincoln. I contacted her to let her know that I would love to write a piece about her products because I loved them so much and I wanted to find out a bit more about her inspiration when designing such unusual jewellery.

ear cuff 1

Amber came across so lovely and  explained that she has always loved nature, forests, mythical beings, magic & mystery. She said that ValkenWolf is her way of expressing this and sharing her passion with others.

When you see these delicately made wings and the other bespoke items she has created you can see the attention to detail. She lives and helps on a farm near the woods and make all manner of unique items in her spare time.

These fairy wing sparkly ear cuff are all made to order. They can be made for the left or right ear and be used if you have  pierced ears or not.

All of these ear pieces are made by hand with Glitter, Acetate, Glue, Magic and Fairy dust!! They look stunning and fun to me.

Screen Shot 2016-03-09 at 18.30.35

Fairy wing sparkly ear cuffs are available in a rainbow of different colours- you can even ask ValkenWolf for a custom made one!

If you like the look of them then you can get yours here- www.etsy.com/uk/listing/256930884/fairy-wing-sparkly-ear-cuff?ref=pr_shop

I think that it is becoming harder to find those special pieces and these are something a bit different and reminded me of when I was travelling in South America. Thats for a different piece but it has started to bring back that feeling of natural expression that those years gave me.

My aim is to help bring a bit of magic and beauty into your everyday.

I was inspired by faery folklore to make an accessory that will turn heads and sparkle magically wherever the faeries lead you!

Amber Frettingham.

I think that this says it all, welcome to spring folks and I hope today is a magical day for you!

Mainy @myrealfairy

Disclaimer: I have not received goods for this review….I loved them and wanted to share:)