Raspberry Cake and Jam

It's been an emotional weekend here - the results of IBO 2017 are more than excellent for our modest team - gold for Dimitar, silver for Gaby and bronze for Maria, the best ever results for the Bulgarian Biology team. The contestants and teachers arrived last night and we had a small family celebration with a home-made raspberry cake:

The team in Warwick University before the award ceremony:

Silver medalists:

The team on arrival:

And more raspberries - we love raspberry jam!

My latest most favourite recipe:

• 1000 g clean raspberries
• 750 g sugar
• 5 g apple pectin
• 5 g citric acid

Clean the raspberries, cover them with the sugar and leave over night in the fridge. Add the apple pectin and cook at average heat for 45 min. Add the citric acid, cook for another 5 mn. Pour the jam in clean jars while boiling hot, close with the cap and turn over until the jars have cooled. No further treatment of the jars is necessary, store in a cool and dark place and consume within a year.

I love it with pancakes!

Greece After the Season

One of my dream travels has always been a sea resort after the season is over, but winter has not just yet stepped in. Before we started for Prague husband and I talked how nice it would be to go on a holiday just the two of us, where we could just relax, go for walks, eat simple food, read books and knit (that's just me). And thus a plan was born for a late October holiday in Greece.
We stayed in Asprovalta, had daily long walks on the lonely beaches, frequented only by fishermen and sea birds, and traveled to other nearby small resort villages - Nea Vrasna, Stavros and Olympiada and visited Ancient Stagira.
The weather was mild, cloudy some of the days and quite sunny others, luckily without rain and no wind, so it felt very warm. This was probably one of the best holidays we've ever had - so heavenly relaxing and satisfying. I think I've mentioned it before that although I don't speak or understand Greek and I have no Greek ancestry, apart from my home country, Greece is the place I feel very close to my heart, I am oddly at home among the ancient ruins, green-blue sea, low dusty shrubs and olive groves. I only wish the Greek language wasn't so difficult to learn ...

Asprovalta and Nea Vrasna::

Stavros::

Olympiada::