We created a simple but effective outdoor shade for our terrace, with a bit of imagination and work! It’s been a seriously hot summer so far here, with temperatures getting up to 45°C. One of the big drawbacks of our house is it sits on an exposed hillside and we get full sun from dawn to…
Living in Portugal
My top 5 heritage & frugal recipe books
These are 5 recipe & cookbooks that I couldn’t live without. We live in a place where you can’t ‘pop to the shops’ or pick up that all important ingredient you need for the meal you planned. Out here I use what we have in the larder to cook dinner so these are the books…
A short ride in the Alentejo!
A day out riding horses in the beautiful Alentejo landscape. I had a wonderful day today, out riding a friends horses across the Alentejo countryside. It’s been years since I was on a horse and I’ve wanted to get back in the saddle for a long time. It also gave me chance to see more…
The Mira River
A walk down one of the most beautiful rivers in the region. Last time we visited Santa Clara a Velha we took the opportunity to have a walk along the picturesque Mira River in the Alentejo, Portugal. The river flows from the Santa Clara Barragem down past the village then on to Odemira and out to…
Santa Clara-A-Velha in the Alentejo
A visit to the beautiful village of Santa Clara-A-Velha in the Alentejo. Santa Clara-A-Velha village sits on the Mira River in the south of the Alentejo, and just below the great Santa Clara Barragem. It’s a wonderful village and the people are some of the kindest and most welcoming in Portugal. The old village consist of traditional…
Super simple melt and pour orange and jasmine soap
Making melt and pour soap, scented with orange and jasmine essential oil, is incredibly simple. I love scented soaps, and used to enjoy buying nice soaps in the UK. However, shopping opportunities are very limited around us here. We have 3 small local stores within about 15 minutes’ drive, or we do the hour car run to…
Starting our vegetable garden
We start a vegetable garden in the Alentejo, Portugal. One of my biggest goals in life is to create a vegetable garden that can feed us throughout the year. Everyone near us in Portugal grows their own, and every vegetable garden both in and around the Alentejo villages are a joy to see. All year they…
Quick Quince Chutney
How to make a quick, simple and delicious quince chutney. ‘Tis the season for quince here, and the quinces that grow around us are amazing. They are large, yellow, fragrant fruit that grow plentifully on trees in the local kitchen gardens. We don’t have a quince tree on our land – something I hope to remedy…
Olive picking and processing – Alentejo style
I’ve been learning all about picking and processing olives in Portugal. This has to be one of my favorite moments in the Portuguese year, along with the cork cutting and sardine festival. It’s wonderful to see the olives growing black and shiny on the trees, and then to see everyone out picking for days on end. The…
Autumn in the Alentejo
We’re enjoying autumn in the Alentejo at the moment, and these are the things that make it special. Autumn is something of a relief after the intensity of the summer months; the land starts turning green again, and trees and plants start blooming. It’s a beautiful time of year, and cooler temperatures mean it is easier…