Phew! What an exhausting week it has been! I can barely keep up with everything that is going on right now!

Well, to begin with, Mr.P and I arrived shell-shocked in the middle of the countryside, proud new owners of our own establishment but a bit dazed by the prospect of how much work there is to do.

There we stood with the keys in our hands and stars in our eyes, and a whole load of boxes to unpack! It wasn’t long, though, before an army of workmen trooped in and brought us back down to earth and onto the job in hand.

Almost immediately, carpets were ripped up, woodwork was being sanded, walls were being painted, and the hectic creation of the British Larder, Suffolk is in full swing – if slightly hard to visualise in the midst of a building site!

It really rang home when I

Finally the elderflowers have shown their face, slightly later than last year as I had all my elderflower goodies made by this time. I’m a firm believer that all good things comes to those who wait. The trees are looking heavy in bloom and a bumper harvest is predicted. In the meantime, whilst waiting for the flowers to mature, prepare to make that all important elderflower cordial. I found it quite difficult this year to find citric acid, an ingredient important in the preserving stage of the cordial. I had to resort to buy it from the internet and my purchase was not as satisfactory as I hoped it to be. The reason for that is that the citric acid I purchased was crystals instead of the powder, not great for cooking. Make sure you select the correct type of citric acid, do not make the same mistake

I’m a fool for all things nice and nothing beats the combination of toasted oats, raspberries, whisky and a spoonful of heather honey. This dish is a classic, so I did not tamper too much with it apart from sourcing the best ingredients I could find. I did substitute half of the cream with crème fraîche, I know it’s not traditional but I added it to lighten the dish. This way you can enjoy and even lick the glass without feeling ill and in need of a lie down.

The inspiration for making this dish came from spending time out in my kitchen garden admiring the bees at work pollinating the raspberry bush. Last summer Mum visited and she gave Mr.P a small bee house as a birthday gift. We attached the bee house to the wall in between the raspberry and blackberry bushes. There were no occupants last year

The greatest thing about this wonderfully exciting time for me is all my lovely readers and followers of my website, who have helped put the very heart and soul into the British Larder and made it what it is – a genuine, honest, foodie haven designed to inspire people.

The British Larder, Suffolk, will be a translation of this digital world we have all created together, and will really put into a nutshell what we are all about. It will be a place where inspiration, imagination and creation all come together in a colourful fusion of taste, smell and touch; seasonal, local food at its very best.

To celebrate this amazing journey we are embarking on in the rural idyll of Suffolk, we are going to be holding a fabulous launch party in early August to unveil the British Larder, Suffolk (Currently known as The Cherry Tree, Bromeswell) .

Everyone