Cinnamon and Apple Pie

We have a bumper crop of deliciously sweet apples this year that are dropping off the tree quicker than we can eat them, so I've been trying out new recipes to make the most of them. 

This recipe has a very autumnal feel with the cinnamon being a nice contrast to the sweet apple and it is so simple to make especially if you cheat a little with the pastry and buy pre-made like I did. I used jus-rol shortcrust pastry which was just the right amount for the pie. 

Here are the ingredients and steps I followed:

Ingredients:

350g shortcrust pastry

50g caster sugar

8-10 apples

1 tsp cinnamon

1. Peel and chop the apples and place in a bowl. 

2. Add the caster sugar and cinnamon powder and mix to ensure an even coverage.

3. Transfer to a pan and cook on a low-medium heat for about ten minutes until the sugar caramelises. Then turn off the heat and allow to cool. 

4. Roll out half of the pastry so it is 5mm thick and line the dish. Roll out the remaining pastry and either cut into strips for a lattice cover or one whole piece with slits for the steam to escape. Spoon the apples in and cover the pie with the lattice or lid. Brush the pastry with milk.

5. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes on gas mark 6 until golden. 

6. Serve with custard or cream and enjoy!

Kerylos Villa Beaulieu

In July I went to Nice for a few days of sunshine, warmth and relaxation. I've been to Nice quite a few times now and seen most of the popular tourist spots of the French Riviera such as the beautiful Villa Ephrussi de Rotschild in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, the perfume factories of Grasse and the palace in Monaco, so it is getting harder to find new things to see and explore. 

This time round though I popped into the tourist information centre for a map and spotted a leaflet for the Villa Kerylos in Beaulieu so we took the next bus and spent the morning exploring the Greek villa.

The audio guides gave a lot of information about the history of the villa, which was built in the early 1900s by French archaeologist Theodore Reinach and is filled with copies of Ancient Greek furniture and statues. 

After our tour of the villa we sat on the veranda and ate lunch whilst enjoying the idyllic views over the sea.

Horsley Park

Last week I had a few days off from work so we spent a few days in Horsley Park, enjoying the crisp autumn air, countryside walks and rare lie-ins. We were very lucky with the weather, it was sunshine and blue skies although there was a definite chill in the air signalling that winter is well on it's way.