Just updating again to say Sorry!
Mr Fox and Mrs PB have just returned from an epic voyage. We’re still having a little rest, but we’ll be back with avengeance soon!

Mrs PB is not impressed.

We’ve decided to take a breather for whilst we decided what to do with Mr Fox and Mrs PB on flickr. We think we’re going to move away from uploading something everyday! It’s going to be a bit weird.. but we think in order to do the world’s favourite fox and polar bear justice we need to give ourselves a bit more time!

Don’t come after us with pitchforks!

For a polar bear who primarily eats beans, Mrs PB is a remarkable chef.

Her steak and ale pie is famous the world over.

Mrs Emily has one saving grace. Every so often, she has enough patience to help Mrs PB produce Steak and Ale Pie for Mr Tom. This recipe comes from an edition of Delicious magazine from a few years ago…

Ingredients (serves about 3)

• 600g stewing steak, diced
• 250g mushrooms
• 2 onions, sliced
• 300ml brown ale
• 300ml stock
• 5tbsp oil
• 25g butter
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed
• 2tsp sugar
• 1tbsp tomato puree
• 3tbsp worcester sauce
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 25g(ish) flour
• salt and pepper
• puff pastry

Method

1. Season the flour well and cover the meat in the flour. Shake the excess flour off the beef, keeping the remaining flour. Heat 3tbsp of oil over a high heat and then brown the meat. Once browned, take the meat out the pan and set aside.
2. Add half the butter and the mushrooms to the pan and fry briskly for 2 minutes. Then remove the mushrooms and set aside with the meat.
3. Add the rest of the oil to the pan along with the onions and the sugar. Cook over a medium heat for 20-30 mins until caramelised.
4. Add the crushed garlic and the rest of the butter to the onions and cook for 1 minute.
5. Stir in the reserved flour then add the stock, ale, tomato puree, worcester sauce, thyme leaves and bring to the boil. Add the meat and mushrooms, partially cover the pan and simmer for around 1 and a half hours.
6. Heat the oven to 200C. Put the filling in a pie dish, roll out the puff pastry and place on top of the pie filling. Glaze the pastry with a beaten egg or milk and then cook in the oven for around 20 minutes.

Yummy yummy yummy.

Mrs PB suggests you use beans not mushrooms. Baaaaaah.

Mr Fox and Mrs PB on Flickr

Mr Fox and his master have a lot in common; their love of machinery, science, design, military history, potatoes, pie and chocolate and ‘difficult women’ to name but a few.

Mr Fox is a little more handsome, and more of a gentleman than Mr Tom, but the similarities are plain.

They cherish their time together. Especially when it involves eating ice cream!

flickr.com/photos/tommy_toast/2732354045/in/photostream/?…

Mr Fox and Mrs PB on Flickr

Once his scout uniform is ready, he hopes to teach his well honed bush-craft skills to the little bears.

You never know when being able to tie a knot, skin a rabbit, or build a den with your bare paws might come in handy.

And who could be better to teach these essential skills than Mr Fox!?

Mrs PB is one such bear.

Here are the signs she’s disobeyed so far.

Click on the pictures to read the stories

This isn’t a sign Mrs PB’s disobeyed, but she finds it amusing nonetheless!

Mr Fox and Mrs PB on Flickr

It being Shrove Tuesday, Mrs PB set about making pancakes. She has been perfecting her tossing technique this year.

Unfortunately for Mr Fox, not only does this mean he’s been demoted as pancake tossing champion, he’s also been acting as the “tossee”.

Recipe & method from The River Cottage Family Cookbook

Ingredients (makes about 6/7)

• 125g plain flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 250ml milk
• sunflower oil

1. Sift the flour and salt into the mixing bowl, then make a crater in the middle of the flour and break the egg into it.

2. Pour in half the milk and start to mix the eggs and milk with a balloon whisk, whisking in the flour from the edges a little at a time. Add the rest of the milk and keep whisking until there are no lumps in the flour. Pour the batter into a jug (it may need a little more milk, it should be about the consistency of single cream).

3. Put the frying pan on the hob and switch it on to not quite full heat. Add about a tablespoon of sunflower oil, swirl it round, then pour it out leaving a thin film of oil.

4. When the oil is hot, but before it smokes, pour a little batter into the pan, then tilt the pan so that it spreads out over the pan.

5. As it sets, loosen the edges (ideally with a palette knife, but we don’t have one so used a fork!). Flip the pancake over and cook the other side (it will be much quicker).

6. Slide the pancake onto a warm plate and add your filling! Mrs Emily’s mum always says to discard the first one because it normally doesn’t work, they get better as they go on!

For filling choices, Mrs PB is (unsurprisingly!) fond of beans. Mrs Emily is a sugar and lemon fan. Mrs PB says BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

Have fun!

Mr Fox and Mrs PB on Flickr

2009

Mr Fox and Mrs PB on Flickr