Fried Green Tomatoes and the £1 Wardrobe Saviour

When it started snowing on Saturday morning I came to the sudden realisation that this year's tomato crop definitely wasn't going to ripen any time soon and rushed outside to rescue them from frostbite. So what do you do with a glut of unripened tomatoes? You could do the conventional thing and knock up some chutney but, if you're anything like us, it'll just end up festering in the back of the cupboard. Pacha Thakkali Mezhkkupuratti (South Indian style sautéed green tomatoes) is, in our opinion, a far better and tastier alternative.

1 kg diced green tomatoes
3 finely chopped red onions
6 cloves chopped garlic
6 sliced green chillies
Sprig of curry leaves (fresh or dried depending on what's available)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp sambar powder (I used a dollop of brown sauce!)
Salt
4 tbsp veg oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1. Heat oil in large pan and splutter mustard seeds
2. Add onions, chillies, garlic and curry leaves. Sauté until onion is translucent
3.Add turmeric, cumin and sambar powder (or brown sauce) and stir fry for a minute
4. Add chopped green tomatoes. Sprinkle salt on top, cover and cook on a medium heat for around 10 minutes
5.When tomatoes become soft remove the lid and increase heat. Sauté for 3 - 4 minutes until liquid has almost evaporated.
6. Serve with rice or wholemeal chapati.

It freezes well so you can adjust the quantity depending on how many tomatoes you've got.

Who remembers these jumpers? If, like me, you were around in the 1970s, you'll no doubt have owned a few of these.  Growing up I didn't have a winter wardrobe, I wore thick tights and ribbed polo necks under my summer dresses. Clothes weren't cheap back then and although most of my clothes either came from jumble sales or were hand-me-downs from the older daughters of Mum's friends or work colleagues, she liked me to get as much wear as possible from my garments.

I found the vintage polo neck pictured above in the charity clearance shop for £1. It's the first one I've found that hasn't got a St Michael label but, just like good old M&S back in the day, it was made in Great Britain.

I bought this '70s colour blocked maxi dress from a neighbouring stall at August's Classic Car Boot Sale, I'd only worn it once over the Summer and was reluctant to pack it away just yet so, taking inspiration from my Mum, I've maximised the number of times I can wear it by wearing my new-to-me polo neck underneath. What are the chances of finding a perfect match to that zingy coral coloured centre panel?

1970s colour blocked maxi and polo neck jumper worn with a wool felt hat (bought last winter from a charity shop)) and a vintage Moroccan enamel pendant (bought from Vintage Village at Stockport Market Hall, 2014)

'Cos it's bastard freezing at the moment, I also added thermal leggings (bought new from the British Heart Foundation for £3) and a coat when I left the house today.

In other news,we traded in leafy Hampstead in London with Pop Up Vintage yesterday. The magnificent venue, the Neo-Gothic St Stephen's Church, was consecrated in 1869 but fell into disuse in the late 1970s. It was occupied by squatters for a number of years until it was awarded a combined National Lottery and English Heritage grant in 1999. It is now run by a trust made up of members of the Hampstead community including, amongst others, Dame Judy Dench.

Although Dame Judy didn't grace us with her presence, one of yesterday's customers was an actor currently starring in a BBC prime time drama. The fair was so good that we've broken our rule of not trading in December (or mentioning the C word so early) to go back and join Pop-Up Vintage for the Xmas Extravaganza at St Stephen's on 9th December. We've also booked our India flights and our first nights' accommodation...yay!

We've got this weekend off and we're looking forward to resurrecting our almost extinct social life, the fun starts at Wetherspoons on Wednesday lunchtime. Watch out Walsall!

Linking to Patti and the gang for Visible Monday and The Style Crone, Judith's Hat Attack #64