A new way of doing poached eggs
I always looking out for ways of poaching eggs – not just for me but for the followers of my blog. Jamie Oliver came up with a novel way of poaching eggs the other day, and I thought I would try it. There was no demonstration, so I just had to experiment
I put a piece of cling film on top of a small dish – such as a ramekin. Plopped the egg on top and twisted the cling film before putting it in a pan of boiling water.
However, I found that I couldnt see when the egg was done because the cling film obscured my view. The second egg – I left the top open so that I could see better
The result was quite good. No quite as free form as a poached egg floating freely in boiling water but pretty good.
Eating at The Red House, Lilleshall ( on A518)
This old inn has an unusual erratic on the corner at the front. Erratics came down with the glaciers in the Ice Age and are often found at ancient crossing places. They became marker stones for prehistoric travellers before sign posts.
After the history, what about the food? The Red House is now all painted grey. It has recently changed management and the food, while not having a very large choice for vegetarians, is very good.
We have been there three times since it changed hands last year. On an ordinary day ( Mon – Sat) the choice is veggie burger or a butternut quash risotto made with pearl barley, which is in itself very unusual. Mike found the risotto a little bland, but I enjoyed it. The veggie burger made of beans and cream cheese was really delicious. Plus the onion rings look like home-made (bottom left); what a nice surprise
I have to say that the flatbread as a starter was poor but the inn is certainly worth visiting for some of the other offerings.
The difficulty is that you don’t know what its going to be! In respect of the other possible dishes, it is difficult to work out from the web sites what will be on. There are two web sites (http://www.redhouselilleshall.co.uk and http://www.redhouseinn.co.uk). On the first site we have a ‘winter menu’ pdf. This has Cheese and Broccoli Bake and Mushroom & Spinach Penne Pasta. On the second site we have Slow cooked Vegetable Casserole ( which would be excellent for vegans) and on the burger section, the veggie burger. Last time we went in on a weekday the vegetable casserole was not on the menu. This is all very confusing. Also, on a Sunday it is different again – mushroom risotto. This really needs sorting out. Howverm the food is interesting and pretty good; a chief experimenting maybe?
RAF Cosford

Hanger 1. Image courtesy of RAF Cosford website
RAF Cosford – about a 10 minute drive from us – has an international air show in June, but what does it have for the rest of the year? The museum is the counterpart to Hendon. it is a national museum and as such now has ‘free’ status. Apart from the huge array of old aeroplanes, it have a wide range of special events and exhibitions

Black Hawk simulator
From 24th march to 30th April there is an exhibition on Sir Alan Cobham’s Flying Circus.
Always popular is the Open Cockpits Evening – Saturday 20th May 2017 commences at 6:00pm on Saturday 20 May with a wide range of aircraft available for closer view
We have seen the Large Model Aircraft Rallies and they are brilliant. This year its on 15th – 16th July 2017. Hundreds of scale models of iconic aircraft will be taking to the skies at the annual Large Model Aircraft Rally.
and surprisingly many car clubs rallies –
19/03/17 – Ultravaux
09/04/17 – Swedish Metal
09/04/17 – Rolls Royce Enthusiasts Club
23/04/17 – Donmog Centre – Morgan S
23/04/17 – Jaguar Drivers Club
07/05/17 – Club Lotus
14/05/17 – Scammell Register
03/06/17 – Soviet Auto Luxury Tours – SALT
04/06/17 – Shropshire Morris Minors
25/06/17 – 300ZX.co.uk
09/07/17 – Jaguar XJ40 Owners Club
05/08/17 – Scirocco Register
13/08/17 – Capri world
27/08/17 – Volvotuning.net
17/09/17 – The Mercedes Benz Club
Something for everyone!
We are so lucky to have this venue our doorstep. In addition, I have a link with this museum. My dad’s cousin -Arthur

Arthur when he first joined up
Dunn – died in an RAF plane crash at Shawbury in 1918, and I gave them a picture of him in uniform and a letter from him to my dad’s brother saying what a great time he was having. He was only 18 when he died. They gave me a lot of information about his training and his accident. I am hoping to visit his grave in Manchester Southern Cemetery in 2018, and lay a wreath on his grave – one hundred years on.
Moving on from that rather serious note, my tomato seedlings are starting to emerge – the start of a new growing year, and I am looking forward to it already
Best wishes
Linda