One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest

Photograph by Sergey Yeliseev (available under a Creative Commons Licence)

"The Cuckoo comes in April, sings his song in May, changes his tune in the month of June, and then he flies away".

"The humble British cuckoo has been added to the ‘Red List’ of the UK’s most threatened birds. Numbers of the famous singing bird have dropped by 59 per cent since the 1960s, with only 10,000-20,000 breeding pairs migrating from Africa.
Experts predict the drop in the number of caterpillars could be partly to blame for the near-extinction of the cuckoo, as the bird relies on these for its food. The Red List aims to highlight the birds most in need of conservation measures."  (Virgin Media)

I have heard a cuckoo only four or five times during my life.   On Tuesday I went with a group of children to a Worcestershire Wildlife Reserve again.  On arrival we heard the Cuckoo almost straight away, he was calling his little heart out.  I did not expect to see him.  One of the children spotted him through binoculars and managed to point him out to me.  It was sitting at the top of a Hawthorn tree, throwing his head back and calling like crazy trying to find a mate.  We had him in our sight for over ten minutes and when one of the children made a 'Cuckoo' call he actually flew closer.  The reserve is a perfect habitat for Cuckoos as there are nesting Reed Warblers.  The Cuckoo empties the nests of smaller species of  bird such as warblers, lays its eggs and leaves their chicks to be reared by the exhausted 'Foster Parent' smaller birds.  Again it was nice to see the children on task and fascinated by the wildlife.  We also saw Ducklings, Coot chicks and a Little Grebe.  The 'Prima Ballerina' from last week was the one to spot and call the Cuckoo this week, he also made me laugh when we got off the bus back at school, he was quite cross as another child bumped into him, so he said in a Macho voice 'Oi, watch my 'Forget me nots' will ya!'   He had picked a small sample of wild 'Forget me nots' to add to our display and was guarding them safely.  I am sure we will all remember trips like these.  Magic!  I am hoping in the half term holiday to take my own kids, a couple of jam sandwiches, a flask of tea and some binoculars.  It is a bit like owning up to reading 'Knitting Fiction' I am somewhat of a 'Closet Twitter' and have always liked watching birds!  You heard it here first!!

British Asparagus - The King of Vegetables

Today I managed to buy some fresh locally grown Asparagus in Bidford on Avon.  Bidford is a small village on the banks of the River Avon in Warwickshre but it borders Worcestershire   Worcestershire is believed by many to be the home of the best Asparagus in the World.  Top restaurant and hotel chefs travel from far and wide to bid in Asparagus Auctions for fresh 'Vale of Evesham Asparagus'.
You can find out more about Worcestershires British Asparagus Festival here.  This is celebrated in earnest in Worcestershire.  The Festival starts on Saint George's Day and runs for two months.  It is marked with many local events and celebrations.  Asparagus growing is a big part of this counties Cultural Heritage.  Asparagus is known as 'The King of Vegetables' and is considered one of the most luxurious of vegetables.  In our house it is eaten as a seasonal treat and I would feel very cheated if I didn't have any within a season.   I only buy locally grown.  I usually steam 'Sparrowgrass' ( as it is known locally) and serve it with melted butter.

I have decided to attempt to steam this Asparagus and serve it with Hollandaise Sauce.  I have never made Hollandaise before but after reading 'The Quince Tree' blog post about 'Asparagus and Hollandaise Sauce'.  the recipe and instructions looked so delicious I decided it was worth a try.  I have previously felt it was out of my league.  Sue, the writer of 'The Quince Tree'  also lives in Worcestershire, I love reading all of her posts especially the cookery.

Ingredients for Hollandaise Sauce
3 tablespoons of white wine
2 tablespoons of water
3 beaten egg yolks
275g of butter cut into 25g pieces

Method
Make a white wine reduction with the wine and water, until one scant tablespoon is left.  Pour it into a dish to cool.  Add the beaten egg yolks to the cooled wine reduction and place in a dish over a pan of simmering water.  Whisk continuously.

Add the butter 25g at a time whisking continously.  Whisk until the sauce is thickened to a coating consistency.  Pour over the Steamed Asparagus.  (I steam my Asparagus for five or six minutes).

What it lacks in presentation it sure made up for in taste.  It was absolutely delicious.  It is an indulgent, calorific, buttery, food heaven.  I will definitely be making this again.