Judges have come to a decision on our recipe competeition, after a short delay.  Witha clear majority in the public voting and high praise from our judges the winner is Selina Bocskei with her exceptionaly tasty Chicken Burgers with Red Salsa and Butter Beans.

Chicken Burgers

300g (10 oz) minced chicken (chicken thigh fillets are better than breast fillet just mince the meat in a food processor)
2 x teaspoons tamarind paste
Rind half lemon (use small grater to do this so there are no big bits of peel in the burgers)
1 x teaspoon soy sauce
1 x spring onion, chopped very finely (use two if the onions are thin) chop the green bit of the onion too.
1 x fresh chilli, deseeded and chopped fine
1 tablespoon olive oil
Chopped corriander to taste
(I also put in a clove of garlic very finely chopped or crushed.

1. Combine the minced meat with all the other ingredients (except the oil) in a bowl.
2. Add the chopped chilli.
3. Divide the mixture into 2 burgers.

1. Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan, preferably non-stick, over a medium-high heat.
2. Drop the burgers into the oil and fry on one side for a couple of minutes, the turn them over to brown the other side for a couple of more minutes.
3. Turn the heat down and continue frying until the burgers are cooks (approx. 4 to 5 minutes more). Ensure the burger is thoroughly cooked.

The above recipes are for two people but they are quite small servings.

You can serve them with a Red salsa – recipe below:

Half a small red onion, finely chopped
1 medium sized tomato, skinned and chopped
Half a red pepper, chopped
A couple of good springs of fresh basil, finely chopped
1 spring onion – finely chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Season with some freshly ground black petter and serve in a small dish or bowl.

Butter beans with tapenade

Tapenade:

150g (5 ozs) olives, pitted and finely chopped
6 – 7 Anchovy fillets, rinsed and dried
Scant tablespoon capers
Olive oil
Lemon juice

Put the olives, anchovies and capers in a bowl and mash them well together
Add a dash of olive oil and a few drops of lemon juice (to taste). This can be stored in a screw top jar in the fridge.

If you have a small food processor, put all the above ingredients into this and blend, you don’t need to chop the olives first.

Butter beans:

1 x tablespoon olive oil
1 x small onion, chopped
150 (5 oz) x small mushrooms, chestnut or exotic mushrooms give a better taste
8 x cherry tomatoes or baby plum tomatoes
2 x tablespoons of your tapenade
Juice half a lemon
1 x teaspoon of soy sauce
Either a quarter teaspoon of chilli powder or a fresh chilli de-seeded and chopped (you don’t have to add this though)
1 x 400g (13oz) can butter beans, rinsed and drained
chopped fresh corriander to taste

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan and soften the onion and the fresh chilli (if you use fresh) for a few minutes.
2. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and cook for a further minute.
3. Stir in the tapenade, lemon juice, soy sauce and chilli powder if not using the fresh chilli.
4. Tip in the butter beans and heat everything together for 3 to 4 minutes to combine all the flavours.

Well done Selina, you will recieve your Amazon Kindle shortly.

Thanks to all who entered and we will be announcing our next recipe competition shortly, watch this space.

After a meeting of the judges this weekend, the winner of our Spring 2012 photographic competition has been selected.  The judges looked for a balance of technical ability and composition in the winning image, which was selected from the 10 entries to receive the greatest number of public votes.

The winner is Wallflowers by Jeanette Markle.  Congratulations Jeanette an Amazon Kindle will be winging it’s way to you shortly.

Commiserations to all the other people who entered this competition, there were some outstanding photographs and the judges have been bowled over by some of the images, many of which didn’t even make the shortlist!  Remember, it is the voting that gets your picture onto the shortlist, which is then judged, so to stand a chance, you’ve got to motivate friends and family to vote for you.  Some entrants, didn’t even vote for themselves!

With so many entries from outside the UK, we have decided that the next competition will allow anyone to qualify to win the Kindle, regardless of country of residence.

Watch this space for details of our next competition, coming shortly.

Well, the voting is closed on our Spring 2012 photographic competition and the shortlist of the most popular 10 images has been drawn up.  The standard of photographs has been outstanding and the judges are pleased that at least the shortlist is selected for them, by the number of votes received.

The pie chart shown here represents the votes cast for the 10 most popular entries, but it is now the judges who will decide on the winner, regardless of the public votes any image received.  There were some absolutely stunning images entered which got no votes at all, so, sorry if your image didn’t make it to the shortlist. (You should have voted for yourself, at least!)

Deliberation will take place over the weekend and the winner will be announced on Tuesday.

If you made the shortlist, good luck.  If you didn’t, commiserations and watch this space for the next competition, which will also be announced next week.

We’ve just put up a big batch of entries on the site.  If one of those is yours, get people to vote for your picture, by sending a link to your friends and family.

If you’d like to view a slide show of the current entries, which is an easier way to view them, follow this link.  Use the options menu, in the top right, to get information and details, or to change speed and size

http://www.flickr.com/photos/68787474@N02/sets/72157629116524231/show/

Those following our Blog will know that we’ve been watching the situation in Iran for some months; as has the rest of the world.  It seems that there has been no let up in the rising tensions over Iran’s nuclear plans.  In fact, as mentioned in my last posting on the subject, Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, has met with Obama to discuss how to confront Iran.

Obama has stated that ‘all options’ are available to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran and Netenyahu said that Israel must remain ‘the master of its fate’, in deciding if it is necessary to launch a military strike on Iran.

Not surprisingly, oil prices and, therefore, heating oil prices rose, as a result of these comments!  This is despite China downgrading its prediction for economic growth over the next year to 7.5%, the lowest in four years, which would normally cause prices to fall.

Industry analysts have said that “We are rising and falling on the latest Iranian headlines” and that “There is no clear, overall price direction”.  However, one thing is clear, if tensions continue, prices are unlikely to fall in the near future.

There is an old adage; If it looks to good to be true, it probably is.  Never has this been more relevant than in the supply of heating oil.

As domestic heating prices rise there are increasing numbers of doorstep salesmen, offering discounted or cheap heating oil.  Quite often this oil will have been stolen from another heating oil user.  The cycle of theft and illicit doorstep sales is an obvious reflection of the rise in heating oil prices.  However, buying the ‘cheap’ fuel, as well as leaving the purchaser open to ‘recieving stolen goods’ charges, leaves the purchaser open to potentially costly problems; the fuel may be contaminated.

The risk comes from the way the fuel is obtained and delivered.  Thieves and ‘bandit’ suppliers care little for the quality of the oil or the containers it is transported in.  Paint and some of the pigments used in the manufacturer of plastic drums have the potential to damage the fuel pumps on oil fired boilers. In some cases there can be physical contamination in the of foreign objects, such as soil or plastic particles.

The ‘dealer’ may also dilute the heating oil, using cheaper and lesser quality bulking agents to make it seem like an even better deal!

So, tempted users be warned, the cheap deal you’ve been offered may lead to hundreds of pounds worth of repairs.

Well, after a few weeks away from the ‘Blogosphere’, whilst dealing with a busy period of heating oil demand, I’m back and it seems proper that I should take a look at what’s been happening and what predictions might be made.

Over the last few weeks, crude oil prices have risen to a nine month high, the longest rally in two years, but the last few days have seen the price roll-off a little, due to fears that the high price itself may cause a fall in demand.

The main reason for the high price is the continued fear of an escalation in the dispute with Iran, over the development of its nuclear capability.  “There’s an undercurrent of fear about the Iranian nuclear situation and what that will mean for global supplies as people scramble to replace Iranian barrels,” said Gene McGillian, analyst and broker at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut.

There is also little hope of a resolution in the near future, with the US and Israel due to meet for talks next week, wherein it is expected that Israel’s PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, is expected to publicly harden his line against Iran and urge Obama to threaten Iran with military action.  Watch this space!

Domestic Heating oil prices have been at an all-time high, riding on the back of crude prices, but also driven by the recent cold snap and restricted supplies due to a refinery tanker driver’s strike.  Again, the future for heating oil prices looks bleak for heating oil users; the Unite Union are balloting their members over a further proposed tanker driver’s strike which, if agreed, could effect up to 90% of all fuel deliveries in the UK.  The prospect for the seasonal drop in prices that we have traditionally enjoyed in the summer months up to 2011.

Visit the blog again for updates.

Domestic heating oil prices are at an all-time high, pump fuel is up and nothing looks likely to bring them down in the near future.  So it is exciting to know that great advances in electric vehicles are being made.  The Nissan Leaf won the WhatCar award of 2011, but Teslar motors of California is predicting that 2012 will be the year of the Model S.

Teslar haven’t actually started production of the outstanding new sedan, yet the ‘Signature’ limited addition is already sold out.  The company who brought us the Teslar Roadster, the first electric ‘supercar’, for want of a better phrase, heralds the Model S as the first electric ‘Performance Sedan’ and, with a top speed of 130m/hr and 0-60 in just 4.4 seconds, I have to agree with them!  Incidentally, the Roadster does 0-60 in around 4 seconds!

The outstanding performance and incredible handling, due to the low centre of gravity produced by the low-slung central battery, comes with a starting price of $49,900.  The ‘Signature’ model, however, rolls in at a mere $97,900.  Whilst this may well be out of reach for most of us, it does put hope in my heart for a revolution in personal transport.

Mind you, if I win the Lottery………………………..Take a look and have a dream!

So, it looks like the snow that was forecast for last October is finally here, as many parts of the UK woke to snow this morning (27/01/12).

It seems that the Siberian-style weather we have experienced in the last 24 hours may stick around for the whole of February, according to George Goodfellow of the Met Office, who said ‘It seems like we are edging toward a scenario where lower temperatures last for the next four weeks. It is going to be a contrast to the weather we have had this winter. Widespread frosts and snow could affect large areas.’

The snow is apparently down to a warm Atlantic weather system from the west clashing with cold air in the east.

The Met office has issued a ‘ Yellow’  warning stating, ‘Icy stretches are expected to form on untreated surfaces, especially in places affected by showers.  The showers will fall as snow above about 250 metres, but there may be temporary slush deposits to lower levels. The public should be aware of possible travel disruption.’

This will end the warmest winter for 350 years and cause domestic heating oil users to take deliveries at a time when heating oil prices are at a peak.  I’m sure I don’t have to say it but, if you wait until the bad weather is upon us, you may be disappointed.  Not just because of the price of heating oil, but also with supply problems.

It would just take Iran to do something in retaliation to the oil embargo, imposed earlier this week, to see domestic heating oil prices rocket to an all-time high, just when we need it most.

Even without blocking the Strait of Hormuz, Iran seems to have plenty of tricks up its sleeve, according to a report by Reuters news agency today (25/01/12).

It appears more likely that Iran will try a number of different techniques in order to bring pressure to bare on the EU, US and Australia, as Iran’s previous attempts to block the Straits resulted in two thirds of the Iranian navy being wiped out.

Whatever destabilising approaches they take, the signs are looking poor for any down-turn in domestic heating oil prices and road fuels.