Runner Bean Pickle

One thing all this rain is good for is growing the vegetables.  The runner beans are growing profusely, and by the time you have eaten as many as you can, and given loads away, you still have more than you can deal with, why not make the yummy runner bean pickle.  My Grandmother always made it, so did Mum, and each year I get the overwhelming urge to make it too.

Runner Bean Pickle

2lbs beans - ribbed and sliced
1 1/2lb onions - chopped
1 heaped tablespoon cornflour
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1lb demerara/soft brown sugar
1 1/2 pints vinegar.

Prepare the vegetables.
Cook beans until tender.
Cook onions in 1/2 pint vinegar
Mix dry ingredients into a smooth paste
with some vinegar.
Strain the beans, add the rest of vinegar and cook
for 10 mins.
Add sugar and other ingredients.
Boil further 10 mins.
Put in jars.

I like to add a couple of eating apples to
the recipe, which adds sweetness. But it is a personal choice.

Somerset never looks better than in the summer, but the name does mean Land of the Summer People.

We had our middle grandson staying at the end of July, and Somerset wasn't living up to it's name that week. Lots of rain. But we still had a great time. 
We went to Avon Valley Railway, and enjoyed a ride up and down the line.

They also had one of the Bristol gorilla's there.
Joseph loved having his photo taken with it.
You can find the gorilla's map on this link
Bristol Zoo gorilla map

Another wet day took us to Puxton Park, where Joe spent hours climbing and clambering over their huge play equipment.

We also had a day at Bath Races. It was glorious sunshine while we had our picnic, but halfway through down came the rain.  But we had a good time, and Joe had fun at his first experience of horse racing.

We also went to Horseworld one of our favourites.
 Joe hadn't been before and we fell in love with a horse called Ginger.  If only our back garden was a thousand times bigger!


He finished up with a ride on the Weston Wheel with Grandpop, and when given the choice of a trip on the Grand Pier or a Domino Pizza, amazingly the Pizza won!  Which probably saved me some money in the end.

We then took him back to Wales, meeting
his parents and little brother for lunch in
Builth Wells, and a walk along the river to
the play park.
We had a lovely week with him, and
next time little brother will stay too.