Autumn Soup, toasty van.

Hello hope your well, 

So this week has been all about food, well harvesting actually. We went down to the allotment after being away in Norfolk for nearly two weeks and how the squashes and pumpkins have started to show themselves. the pumpkin patch was just a mass of green leaves before but as the weather is changing we are starting to see orange and grey (crown prince pumpkin). Plus a crazy glut of courgettes.

Whilst in North Norfolk we went to Felbrig hall a national trust after a very stressful morning we just wanted some comfort so we went to our safety net, a warm bowl of soup and a chunky bit of bread. This soup was courgette and garlic and I admit I did pull a bit of a face but it smelt so good. It was amazing so tasty! ever since then its all I can think about so I found a recipe online and just gave it ago and I can tell you its all we have eaten for days that and roast red Kuri squash [yum,drools] I used this recipe I was to nervous to ask at the national trust for their one.

https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-zucchini-1-32520 to make it vegan I just used sunflower spread instead and used vegan stock I had in. Tip :- to save faffing you can use frozen chopped onions I had fresh but if you love soup like me and you want it quick frozen wins. The only down side is that I haven't yet mastered making fresh soup in the camper van as I don't no how I would blend it, [bit chunky] so I batch make it and freeze it to take with us when we are in the van plus acts as a little ice block for our fridge without stealing space.

Nights in the van our getting colder but whilst away we also picked up a vintage patch work quilt and a recycled wool blanket [from national trust shop in Morston in Norfolk] which as the nights get a chill will be much appreciated, however the weather has been pretty warm so we are lovely and toasty in our little cabin on wheels. I love this time of year its so cosy in pig and although the real cold hasn't yet set in which will find me and Adam searching for a bed in a house of anyone who will let us; we get to get cosy and warm under our quilts with our fairy lights on and read books. Don't get us wrong the weather can be mean and sometimes we are lucky if our hands aren't to cold to hold a book out of the quilt but I wouldn't change it for the world every night is like sleeping in a tent you made in your bedroom as a kid.

How are others loving the change in weather and if anyone has some cheap tips on staying warm in the van do let us no!

Hope your having a good week everyone catch us up on

Our Instagram

we love a chat or check our out youtube to see what we been up to lately

Our Youtube

Sarah

THE NORFOLK COAST

The Norfolk coast on the east coast of England is known for its incredible sunsets, friendly locals and 

gorgeous coastline, A Perfect place for a camping trip.

We loaded up the car and headed to a lovely sea side town of Sherringham 

We arrived at our campsite and with the sun beating down on us as we set up the tent. Once we had 

put up the tent it was time for a cup of tea and plan our travels in Norfolk 

West Runton beach is famous for its fossilised mammoth that was discovered in 1990, it was one of 

the oldest fossilised elephants to be found in the Uk and you can still find fossils on the beach today.

As hard as we tried we could not find a fossil but we did explore the rock pools and found some 

rather interesting creatures living among the rocks 

We often like to explore as much as we can so we always have our trusty map ready and a camping 

stove so we can make food and tea on the road.

As we travel down country lanes through small villages and fields we are often treated to beautiful 

scenery and countryside, And the east coast did not disappoint 

The sunsets are truly some of the best England has to offer we sat on Wybourne beach and watched 

the fisherman all lined up casting there rods into the sea as the sun was setting into the ocean beyond.

The best part of camping is waking up with the sunrise and feeling the warm rays heating your tent 

up. you wrap up in your coat and unzip the tent door and a cold rush of fresh air rushes past you. 

There is something so peaceful as you sit outside boiling the kettle and making breakfast on your 

camping stove whilst listening to nature arround you 

As many of you know we love the National trust and will always try and visit one on our travels. We 

decided to explore the rich history of Blickling estate a house that is in the doomsday book and was 

home to Lord Lothian who was said to have influenced chortles actions in world war two.

Being keen gardeners ourselves we love seeing the walled gardens to help inspire us with our own 

allotment 

After a long day we watched the sun set across the fields behind our tent before wrapping up warm 

and playing a game of cards before bed 

After a nice weekend of camping we spent the day at the beach before making up the car and heading 

home ready to plan our next adventure with we can say involves Snowdonia and a VW T25 camper 

van.

Thermos King flask review

This is a little different then our usual blog of exploring the countryside but we think it is 

important to have the right equipment whilst adventuring, and for us the thought of an 

adventure without tea would be unbearable.

Finding a good flask can be a tricky job as we found out our first flask eventually exploded in 

Adam's face one day it was cheap and did us well for a few trips but it was time to invest in 

a quality bit of kit.

We started looking at the internet for reviews and brands and eventually set our sites on the

 Thermos king, and after using it for a good year can now write a review to hopefully help 

anybody needing a new flask 

WHY THIS FLASK OVER OTHERS?

we have always wanted a Stanley flask as we love the look of them and they have always 

been a sturdy flask from our grandparents memories,  but reading reviews of the newer 

Stanley flasks we were saddened to hear that a lot of people though it was a of cheap

quality than the original this of course put us off and upon researching more found the 

Thermos king.

This flask is sturdy and holds 1.2l of tea which is more than enough for the two of us it works 

out about 6 or 7 cups and it is stainless steal meaning it is not made like the cheaper glass 

vacuum flask which we have learnt from experience are much weaker and often brake if 

dropped or in our case water thats two hot.

It has a pour stopper which means you can open the lid half way to pour your tea or coffee 

without taking the lid fully off which is useful if you spill it like Sarah

It really keeps tea warm for 24 hours we left ours down the allotment in the shed all night 

and when we arrived the next day our tea was still warm 

The flask is easy to transport its not heavy we have taken it on a lot of camping trips from 

the cotswolds to the lake district and it has hold up well.

On some reviews people have mentioned about the handle making noise as you walk but 

we have not noticed this on our adventures

We have however one downside to mention and that is the lid of the flask can get very warm 

once you have poured your tea of coffee into it so it can be a little hot to hold but it is just a 

very minor problem we just pop it down for a few minutes then its usually fine.

It retails at £27.95 from the official Thermos website but with a bit of hunting could be found 

for cheaper but from the website it comes with a lifetime guarantee 

It comes in 3 colours matt black which is the one we have red and blue we use flasks a

lot on our travels and none of them have held up as well as this one if you are looking for a

 flask and are willing to pay that little extra it really is worth it in the long run 

Happy adventures everyone 

Woodchester park a hike through the past

We were starting to miss our long hikes in the lake district and decided to find a beautiful place to walk closer to home. 

We looked at our old faithful National trust book and found Woodchester park a secluded valley hidden amongst the Gloucestershire countryside.

 A lost landscape from the 18th to 19th century it was a former landscape park left to become overgrown

With its five lakes a heronry and old unfinished gothic mansion it sounded right up our street 

We arrived after a pleasant drive through rolling hills with views of the Malvern hills along the way.

Adam had packed soup so we got out our camping stove but he had forgotten to bring a pan, being the resourceful types we used the can and a pair of socks 'clean, spare ones ' as oven mitts. 

The walk started in a forest full of wild garlic we were following the longest trail that let us explore the whole park 

 

Hidden amongst the trees and overgrowth were reminders of the past from crumbling ruins to old benches 

The mansion was never finished and has been left abandon over the years.

 It was built in the place of a grand Georgian hunting lodge

Capability brown designed its landscape that is now overgrown, the National trust are currently using historical documents to transform it back to its original glory.

Along with the abundance of wild garlic there were signs of spring and colour 

There were even a heard of Jacob sheep with there lambs 

The old boat house was uncovered by the trust as it had been hidden by the overgrowth

It is now home to Horse shoe bats with fly across the lake at dusk 

A hike would not be complete without a flask of tea 

After a long day we had explored the whole park seeing lots of wild garlic wildlife and hidden streams we would definitely recommend Woodchester park.