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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

I have gone full autumnal with a Crusty Bramble, a Bramble with rum instead of gin. The rum is called Crusty Juggler, and is made by the people behind my favourite St Ives bar. It is delicious! (Both cocktail and rum - recipe is also theirs). #ConfinedCocktails

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

A Dot (gin, fino, apricot liqueur, orange curaçao) to start the weekend.

A hand with metallic peachy-beige nails holds a cocktail glass containing a pale yellow liquid in front of a vase of cream and pale brownish orange flowers.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Autumn baking: no-knead focaccia. I think the kneaded versions are probably better, but this was good and low effort.

A golden coloured square loaf of bread, on a round wooden board, two slices cut off one end so the crumb is visible.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

As it is grey and wet today, I am not planning on leaving the house, so here are some #UnconfinedWalks pics from the last few days that I haven’t got around to posting.

A river, with a willow tree growing next to it, screening a brick building built across the river.

A red multi petalled flower with a yellow centre

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

A very autumnal dinner tonight: roasted squash with tamarind and garlicky orzo, recipe in Helen Graham’s Centrepiece.

A pile of rice shaws pasta, with four wedges of roasted squash in a blue bowl.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

It’s 6pm on an October evening and I am sitting in the garden with my (non-alcoholic, it is Monday) spritz, contemplating the changing leaves. Lovely weather, but also rather terrifying.

A hand with orange painted nails holds a wine glass containing an orange liquid, in front of a bush where the leaves are turning from green to brown.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

#UnconfinedWalks from yesterday that I didn’t get round to posting - a stroll round the Franciscan Gardens before they close for the winter.

A path by a river, with a flower bed and trees

An old stone and brick building, with a large copper beech tree next to it, seen across a green field.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Ottolenghi fennel, grape and olive tarte tatin for dinner tonight.

A rather brown but delicious puff pastry tart

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Cheers! I have a Tulip, which is Calvados based. All feeling very autumnal, for better or worse (as a summer person I’d probably say worse, but I try to stay cheerful…) #ConfinedCocktails

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Been quite a busy post-holiday domestic week, so nice to relax with this Suit & Tie cocktail.

A hand with brownish pink painted nails holds a short fluted glass containing a clear liquid, in front of a vase of pink and orange flowers.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Have just swept the garden, so now having #TeaUp (coffee) in it. Finding it hard to believe it’s October. Mostly because of the weather, but also having been in hospital and then recovering earlier in the year, it feels like I lost a chunk of time.

A hand holds a white and pale green mug of coffee in front of a plant with lots of bright pink flowers.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

#UnconfinedWalks to see some animals today. Star of the show this wild boar (an animal my husband feels a deep connection with).

A hairy pig (wild boar), happily dozing in the sun.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Cheers! Just got home after the long journey back from St Ives, so don’t have a drink (yet), but do feast your eyes on the pink Cornish sparkling I was drinking yesterday. #ConfinedCocktails

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Today in St Ives: lunch on Porthminster Beach, ice cream sundae and a last drink in my St Ives local. Home tomorrow.

A town seen in the distance across a beach and sea.

An ice cream sundae, with a flake and wafer sticking out of a glass full of ice cream and whipped cream

A hand holds up a champagne glass full of pink wine, in front of an open window, so the light shines through it. The sea can be seen in the distance

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

One more time, with feeling… further #UnconfinedCocktails in St Ives - a Cucumber Vesper.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Definitely #UnconfinedCocktails tonight: an El Presidente in St Ives.

A hand with taupe painted nails holds a cocktail glass, in front of a rather busy bar room.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

This is the piece of Black Forest Gateau (hand for scale) we got from our local bakery in St Ives. It is delicious, and we have some left for breakfast.

A very large piece of chocolate cake. Five layers of cake with cream in between. Next to the cake in its box is a considerably smaller hand.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Hello from St Ives. Had a good wander round, including dragging husband across a stretch of beach.

A view across a harbour, with boats moored in it. There is a planter full of pink and orange flowers in the foreground. A section of beach is visible on the right of the image.

A red sailed boat sailing across the harbour, in front of a grey stone church on the far side.

Looking up at a small rust streaked white lighthouse, with light clouds behind it.

A view along a sandy beach, to a green but slightly rocky hill with a grey stone church building on top of it.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Cheers! I have just arrived in St Ives! Fortunately I brought cocktails with me. This is a Hawaiian themed pre mix from NIO. It’s fun. #ConfinedCocktails

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Not the most practical place to put a railway, but a good view from the train…

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Cheers! I’m glad Nantes is good. I have had a day which has involved too much DIY (any, tbh), so after wrangling gate hinges, I feel I have earned this Rose-Hyp Martini (elderflower and rose liqueurs, plus the usual martini things). #ConfinedCocktails

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Tonight’s cocktail is a delicious Rosehip Gimlet, with syrup made from the results of an #UnconfinedWalks foraging expedition a few days ago.

A hand with pale pink nails holds a cocktail glass containing a very pale pink liquid, in front of a vase of mostly pale pink flowers.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Made the Sichuan pepper and black lime zucchini fritti from Helen Graham’s Centrepiece, and they were fantastic!

A small bowl of delicious deep fried courgettes

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

#TeaUp (coffee) in the garden, because it is just (and I do mean just) about warm enough.

A white and green mug full of coffee, held above some decking. There is a plant with pink flowers and some pots of green herbs in the background.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Interesting bit of marketing (I presume) spotted on #UnconfinedWalks this morning. I haven’t been - should I go?

An oval yellow sticker on a black painted metal surface. It says: Not bad. But have you ever been to Baden-Wurttemberg?

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Cheers! As I failed to take a picture of the lunchtime cocktail, it’s fortunate I have this HSL Special, which I am (just about, it’s getting cold) drinking in the garden next to this plant. #ConfinedCocktails

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

For scheduling reasons, I am once again drinking on a Thursday instead of Friday, and I have this seasonally appropriate September Morn - a sort of Daiquiri with added grenadine. It’s very good.

A hand with pink painted nails holds a cocktail glass containing a dark pink liquid, with a wedge of lime on the rim, in front of a vase of flowers, including a pink rose and two sunflowers

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Back home now, and out for #UnconfinedWalks this morning - looking dangerously autumnal out there.

A hawthorn bush with lots of red berries, in front of a cloudy sky.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Cheers! After that experience, you are definitely a woman of the world! I have a Low Tide Negroni, appropriate for a seaside holiday. A good drink, a lovely break. But home tomorrow, and with the weather it all feels very end of summer… #ConfinedCocktails

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Made it out for a bracing walk between showers.

A grey-green sea, behind a shingle beach. A concrete pier sticks into the sea from the left, and there is a ship on the horizon. The sky is full of threatening clouds.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

It’s raining and I’m on holiday. What else do you expect me to do?

A glass of sparkling wine sitting on a wooden table, next to a small glass vase containing pink flowers. There is another glass of wine on the table behind the vase. There is an open door in the background which looks surprisingly bright considering how much it was raining outside.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Tonight’s cocktail: a Fig Leaf Martini at The Rose, Deal. (Followed by fish and chips).

A hand with bright pink painted nails holds a cocktail glass with a clear liquid with three drops of green oil on top. The glass rests on a white table, next to a small vase with a yellow rose in it.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Greetings from Deal, where we are spending a few days. Pictures of the view with today’s lunch, and yesterday’s Elderflower Gimlet. It keeps raining - not sure how I feel about that after the summer we’ve had.

Sea and sky, seen through the window of a wooden building.

A hand with pink painted nails holds a cocktail glass containing a pale liquid. The glass is resting in a wooden table next to a candle and a small vase of white flowers.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Cheers! Had a lovely lunch in London with some visiting family (husband’s) only slightly marred by total chaos on the Piccadilly line. Now back home using up the last of my bourbon with a classic Manhattan. (Nails matched what I was wearing at lunchtime!) #ConfinedCocktails

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

For scheduling reasons I am having my Friday night drink tonight: this Reggatta de Blanc (Pisco, Calvados, Suze and white wine). Strong, but good.

A hand with red painted nails holds a short cocktail glass containing a yellow liquid, in front of a vase of flowers, including some red gerberas.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Cheers! I have a pre mixed Welsh Negroni by a company called Still Wild- a normal Negroni, but all the ingredients are Welsh, including a Campari substitute called Rhudd (pronounced something like reeth). It’s good - quite herbaceous. #ConfinedCocktails

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Today’s #UnconfinedWalks were around Whitstable, for the Harbour Festival. Then we ended up in a wine bar. Funny how that happens…

View over the edge of a harbour, into the deck of an old sailing ship.

A wooden walkway to the sea, with two old sailing ships anchored just off shore.

Two glasses of pink sparkling wine on a table in a shady interior.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

A South Pacific Contessa for tonight - a sort of Negroni made with pisco, Aperol and dry vermouth (I’m using @asterleybros ). Fairly delicate, a nice one for this terrifyingly hot weather, which is even getting on my usually heat-loving nerves at this point.

A hand with orange metallic painted nails holds a short glass containing a large ice cube and an orange liquid, in front of a vase of yellow and pink flowers.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Drinking this Royal Bermuda Yacht Club in honour of my brilliant surgeon, because he’s into sailing and is a yacht club member (although not in Bermuda), while waiting for the eclipse to start.

A hand with pale yellow painted nails holds a cocktail glass containing a pale yellow liquid, in front of a vase of pink and yellow flowers, including pale yellow chrysanthemums.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Having a last drink (Banana Boulevardier) in the garden, appreciating my new garden lights.

A hand holds a small glass containing a dark red liquid, in front of a tree with a string of lights hanging behind it.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Cheers! I have the latest from the Negroni Society, the Peach Negroni - like a summer evening in a glass. #ConfinedCocktails

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

A distinct pink theme for tonight’s cocktail, a Lychee & Rose Petal Martini, a delicious little fruity number.

A hand with bright pink painted nails holds a martini glass containing a pink liquid, in front of a vase of pink and purple flowers, including some deep pink roses, one of which is picked out by a shaft of sunlight from the left hand side

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

This is Gus from our local cat cafe. He and I send you good luck with surgery and recovery. I hated having bare nails for surgery too!

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

#TeaUp (technically #CoffeeUp) in the garden to the sound of cathedral bells (and lorries doing a theatre get in).

A hand holds a mug in front of a plant with bright pink flowers.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Cheers! It is apparently National Spritz Day, so I have a Blood Orange Spritz. #ConfinedCocktails

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

#UnconfinedWalks around the Deanery garden in Canterbury Cathedral - not usually open to the public.

A deep orange rose on a bush in front of flint building with a diamond patterned leaded window.

Pots of dahlias and other plants cluster around the stone porch (with wooden door) of the Deanery.

The tower of Canterbury Cathedral in the background, behind a range of brick and stone buildings of various ages. In the foreground, a rather dry looking meadow.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Had a day out in Whitstable. Only took photos of booze. We did also walk along the beach and eat ice cream.

A hand holds a plastic cup of sparkling wine, in front of a wooden picnic table, with a beach and sea behind.

Two glasses of wine sit in a wooden table, in a shady interior.

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Kate Evans @borderminstrel.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Last night’s dessert, which I forgot to post: Peach and vanilla jelly from the latest Honey & Co book, to celebrate a good end to the week - our shared consultant is happy with both mine and husband’s progress/condition. His scan was clear, and I’m healing nicely.

A hand holding a small dessert glass containing orange coloured jelly. On top there are raspberries and cream.

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