A plan, the prep and a photo or three!

The plan is to make the pastry case in the middle of the week when I have time and then wrap and freeze. I can promise you that this pastry recipe is the easiest you'll make and is very kind – by that I mean that you have to work very hard indeed to make a mess of it!

I'll weigh out the cheeses, they can all go into the same bag and then fridge, ready to add the remainder of the filling. The onions can be softened, boxed and fridged, ready to use.

On the morning of the lunch combine the filling ingredients, take your pastry case from the freezer, add the filling, cover and fridge until you're ready to bake. To serve your tart warm you need to bake it for 40 minutes and allow for resting, so you need to work backwards from when you're expecting your guests to arrive. If all else fails set your kitchen timer, just in case you get sidetracked!

Here's the pastry case 

Here it is again, wrapped ready to freeze

Hey presto – the freshly baked tart!

More recipes from the menu to follow.

The cracking Three Cheese Tart!

I don't normally “blow my own trumpet” but on this occasion I will – if you're a cheese lover it'll be right up your alley!

Here's the recipe :

Three Cheese Tart

The pastry case

8oz/225g Wholemeal Flour

4oz/110g unsalted butter – sliced, cubed or grated

Pinch of baking powder

Ice cold water to bind

The filling

2 medium onions, chopped

knob of butter, drop of rapeseed oil

12oz/350g grated cheese, 4oz/110g each mature

cheddar, Red Leicester and Gruyere

1 egg, beaten to bind

Black pepper

ice cold water to bind

Grease and line a 9”/22cm dish or spring clip tin. Cling film to wrap.

For the pastry case, use a food processor if you have one, pop in the flour, baking powder and butter and blitz until breadcrumbs. Add a drop of ice cold water and pulse until the pastry comes together - do not over do it. Tip the pastry out onto a sheet of cling film, using the film gather the pastry together into a ball and fridge for 30 mins.

Soften the chopped onions in the butter and rapeseed oil.

Add the cheese, onions, black pepper and beaten egg, set aside and fridge until you are ready to roll!

Roll out your pastry and fridge again until you are ready to bake.

Pre-heat your oven to 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

When you are ready to bake put the chilled filling into the chilled pastry and bake for 35/40 minutes until golden.

Leave the tart to cool, ideally serve it warm. If you cut into the tart when straight out of the oven the cheese filling will ooze – you need to leave it to settle.

This tart is excellent warmed the next day – if you're fortunate enough to have any leftovers!

Coming next a plan and the prep.

Back to reality – a birthday lunch

We're back home and to reality too. It's our friend's birthday and we're hosting a Sunday Lunch to celebrate.

The lunch is salad – boring, I hear you say – absolutely not is my reply.

I love to serve a combination of both hot and cold dishes. The hot dishes are such that they can be made ahead, at least in part and then pulled together easily on the day.

I love potatoes with salad and I don't mean potato salad, I mean hot potatoes. There are two potato dishes I have in mind – Dauphinoise or Tartiflette – both, as you may have guessed, are French and both delicious. Oodles of flavour – tick! Not had Tartiflette for ages – the downside is it contains bacon, so not suitable for the veggie, the upside – smoked bacon bits in a bowl on the side so no-one is short changed. Another tick!

I also love cheese, in any form, and even though I say so myself, make a cracking (meaning excellent!) Three Cheese Tart – my own recipe.

The attraction of both these hot dishes is I can prep and part cook ahead.

There are the usual “salad” suspects – have a look at my menu :

Sunday Lunch for Shirl

Cubed Halloumi Fries

Tartiflette

with smoked bacon pieces on the side

Sweet baby peppers and asparagus

Three Cheese Tart

Beetroot – relish or honey roasted or baby beets

Sliced Ciabatta with Balsamic Vinegar and Extra Virgin

Olive Oil to dip with black olives on the side

Smashed Avocado

Tomatoes

Green Stuff

Large salad bowl with lettuce, cucumber and whole

spring onions – easy for the onion avoider!

Mixed meat antipasti

For the fish lovers

Smoked salmon

Scallops and king prawns stir fried in

black bean sauce

The cracking Three Cheese Tart recipe up next.

Hive Beach Café … and finally

We didn't go for lunch but went twice for breakfast. Our gang chose the Chesil Smokeries kippers, the Hive Beach (English) Breakfast and the Vegan Field Mushrooms with melted vegan cheese on toasted sourdough – verdict – yum!

Honestly a week wasn't long enough. There are so many coastal paths to walk – we could have stayed in Hive Beach alone for a week.

A word to the wise … the beaches vary and get mixed reviews. Alot have large pebbles which are difficult to negotiate both for humans and dogs alike.

There are other “branches” :

The Club House

West Bexington

Watch House Café,

West Bay, Bridport

Check out their website – www.hivebeachcafe.co.uk

for comprehensive information

Just before I finish I should mention another gem – Felicity's Farm Shop – the perfect stop off on the way back from Hive Beach to Lyme Regis on the A35 at Morcombelake, DT6 6DJ. An Aladdin's Cave of fantastic local produce – the fruit and vegetables are as fresh as you can get, the bread too and the icing on the cake – this is a rare thing – the best flat white I've ever had in a paper cup! I'm sure you won't be surprised to know that we called in more than once and this is the view you can enjoy sat outside drinking your coffee!

not too shabby!

Www.felicitysfarmshop.co.uk

Hive Beach Café

If you like a relaxed, chill-out kinda thing, this is the place for you.

A small amount of planning is required, they don't take bookings so if you're not an early bird be prepared to queue.

Opening hours are – Sunday and Monday 9.30 – 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday 9.30 – 8pm.

They open for breakfast – 9.30 – 11am. They re-open for lunch – 12 – 3pm, Late lunch/dinner – 4 – 7pm.

They do exactly what they say, everything is sourced – or caught – locally. I realise you have to like fish, but if you're not that keen you can have poached eggs on toast for breakfast!

I have to say the best poached eggs I've had in years. No moulds or fancy kit, they'd been poached au naturel – the colour of the yolk was stunning and the flavour positively wonderful. I'd go back for the eggs alone. If however you're partial to smoked salmon, try the Smoked Salmon Benedict – outstanding and generous in every way.

I didn't want to let the side down and so couldn't leave without popping in to the shop. I had to buy Rose their home-made dog biscuits (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it). H's treat was a mixed carrier of the Hive Beach lager, beer and cider. My treat – no prizes – a copy of the Hive Beach Cookery Book.

you'd have been

disappointed had I not treated myself

It's been a while since I've been enthusiastic about trying out recipes – there are a few so hang on to your hats!

The Holiday Snaps – Part II

A view of Hive Beach Café from the

beach

Inside the Café

The morning catch, complete with samphire

There's a shop!

The Menu

Rose watching breakfast!

Best of all, your view from the Café

It's going to be difficult to top this!

The Holiday Snaps – Part I

… from the beginning with a contribution from Rose too :

The view from the back of the house -

stunning don't you think?

The honey bees loved the lavender on the

terrace

and from Rose :

It's really hard trying to relax but I

found myself a favourite chair

My first visit to Hive Beach and the sea x 2

the cliffs on the left and the sky, sea and sand

More to follow!