The Food of Love

The weekend was cool and drizzly and the weather gave me a good excuse just to enjoy it with Keith who was home for one of those rare weekends. The universe opened its heart this weekend.We saw two rainbows on our way home and on Sunday morning as I opened the bedroom curtains there was another rainbow over the orchard.

Watching Keith enjoying the property as if he sees it for the first time makes me realise that I sometimes forget just how amazing it is. I get so focused on what needs to be done that I go from one task to another without taking a moment just to enjoy this special place.

Potbread with a Linseed Heart

As it was Valentines weekend the town was caught up in the buying of flowers, chocolates and pink sparkling wine. Friday night I watched the frantic buying of gifts at the local supermarket. A young guy stood in front of the small selection of fresh flowers and reached for a bunch of Inca lilies. I was silently impressed because the Inca lilies were the freshest looking, but he decided against the lilies and bought the last bunch of roses that should rather have been sold the previous week.

For the young lovers it will remain special because the heart that bought the flowers will last longer than the fleeting gift. For one moment it will be the most amazing flowers that his lover will ever receive. I chastised myself for allowing my need for perfect detail to rob me of appreciating a moment of innocence where a worse for wear rose as a token of love is more important than the perfect lily.

In front of me at the till a farm labourer was buying a tiny bottle of pink sparkling wine with two glasses filled with chocolates and other snacks wrapped in cellophane with lots of red ribbons. Clearly it was a special gift for somebody special and for that moment it did not matter that he was paying nearly a day’s wages for it. Sometimes we just need to do something that is bigger than the moment for that special person in your life.

The weather beaten face was soft as he tenderly put the gift in a carrier bag, who knows how far he still had to walk to give his lover this gift that will bring a moment of lightness into their life. His tred must have been light going home because his heart must have been filled with the unbearable joy of knowing the happiness he carries home tonight.

For all the dislike I have for the commercial machine that drives these special days it warms my heart to witness these small acts of love.

To celebrate this day I thought I will put my heart into the evening meal to share the love and care that goes into my vegetables.

Yellow Tomato and Leek Soup with an Ashton Creme Heart

Roasted Tomatoes and Brinjals

Lamb Roll with a Mint Sauce, Roasted Tomato and Brinjal Mousse Heart and Roast Potatoes

Keith's Roasted Potatoes

Pear and Plum Pancake with Ginger and Honey

The Food of Love