Catherine Rix
Thanks for dropping by.
Hello and welcome to my website.
In 2017 I had what I will refer to as a mid-life epiphany. I turned my back on a well paid career, with excellent holidays and a stress level which was stratospheric, to live my dream life as a writer.
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About
Behind the Author
I was born in South Shields, a town on the North East coast where I lived and worked until my husband and I moved from Tyneside to the neighbouring county of Northumberland, where my daughter was born.
After spending almost thirty years working as a teacher of English and Drama in a range of schools across the North East of England, I took a leap of faith and I am now living the dream, working as a writer, deep in the heart of Northumberland.
The Grassroots Series
Horsing Around
Book 1 in the Grassroots Series
While the local equestrian community are focused on the hunt ball and One Day Eventing, Abigail finds herself caught up in the world of horse thieves and dodgy dealers.
Who should she trust? Is anyone who they seem to be?
What secrets are being hidden and how is this all connected to a dead pensioner?
Sex and saddle soap, this book has it all!
The books in the Grassroots Series follow a group of amateur equestrians as they pursue eventing goals and romance . The stories, set against the stunning backdrop of North Northumberland in the North East of England, are a blend of horses, humour, mystery and sex.
Abigail's Cake Recipes!
Grassroots Madeira Cake
240g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
210g self-raising flour
90g plain flour
Loaf tin, lined
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Pre-heat the oven 170°C / gas mark 3. Take the butter out of the fridge and allow to come to room temperature. If the butter is hard it will fly around the bowl rather than creaming into the sugar.
Cream the butter and sugar together until the mixture is no longer gritty. Abi uses an electric hand whisk, but a wooden spoon works well, it just takes longer.
Add the eggs one at a time, adding a tablespoon of flour with each one.
Use a metal spoon to gently stir in the rest of the flour.
Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract.
Pour the mixture into the tin and sprinkle with a couple of spoons of caster sugar immediately before putting into the oven.
Bake for about 45mins. to an hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Abi listens to hear the cake ‘singing’ as it cooks. I the cake is still cooking it will sizzle and crackle, the sound will be softer and barely audible when the cake is done.
A good Madeira cake will be golden yellow and have a long crack running down the middle.
Phoebe's Favourite Lemon Drizzle
200g self-raising flour
100g caster sugar
3 large eggs
90ml vegetable oil
180ml water
Juice and (optional) grated zest of a large unwaxed lemon
To finish
175g granulated sugar
Juice of 1 large lemon
or icing sugar
Lemon juice
Optional finely grated lemon zest
Preheat the oven to 180°C or gas mark 4.
Mix the flour and sugar together in a bowl.
Stir the eggs, oil and water into the dry ingredients.
Add the lemon juice and zest.
Beat well.
Pour into a lined tin. Abi uses a rectangular tin for most recipes, it is approx. 30 x 20 x 5cm. or a loaf tin.
Bake until golden brown and a tester comes out clean. About 30 mins.
To finish either:
Prick the surface of the cooked, warm cake with a fork.
Met the sugar and lemon juice together in a pan then pour over the warm cake.
Or
Allow the cake to cool.
Use the lemon juice and stir into the icing sugar to make a spreadable icing. Cover the cake then sprinkle with the zest.
Abi's Signature Ginger Cake
150g unsalted butter
125g dark brown or muscovado sugar
200g golden syrup*
200g black treacle *
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 heaped teaspoons ground ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger and 2 teaspoons grated or finely chopped fresh ginger
250ml milk
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda dissolved in approx.. 2 tablespoons warm water
300g plain flour
*Use more golden syrup / less dark treacle or vice versa depending on preference. More golden creates a sweeter cake, more dark treacle produces a denser and grown-up version. If you alter the quantities ensure a 400g total of syrup and treacle is used.
Preheat the oven to 17°C or gas mark 3.
In a pan melt the butter, syrup, treacle, sugar. As the ingredients begin to melt and blend together add the ginger and cinnamon. Allow all ingredients in the pan to met together. Do not allow to boil.
Remove from the heat.
In a jug or separate bowl beat the eggs and milk together. Add the dissolved bicarbonate of soda to the eggs and milk.
Measure the flour into a bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour.
Add the eggs, milk and bicarb. to the pan of warm melted ingredients. It is important to allow the melted ingredients to cool slightly or the eggs will scramble.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour and beat together.
Pour the very runny batter into a lined rectangular tin approx. 30 x 20 x 5cm. Bake for 45 / 50 mins.
Remove from the oven when the cake is well risen and springs back from a gentle touch, it continues to cook as it cools.
The lemon icing (not the syrup) works well with this cake.
Cheat's Chocolate Mousse -Grown-ups Only!
1 packet of instant chocolate mousse. Abi uses Angel Delight.
Milk as per instructions on packet.
Fresh raspberries and / or fresh strawberries
Cointreau
Peach Schnapps
Individual chocolate cases (Optional)
Chop the fruit into small pieces and soak in a bowl with a good glug of the alcohol. Abi uses equal measures of Cointreau and Schnapps.
While the fruit is soaking mix the milk and Angel Delight as per the instructions but replace a tablespoon of milk with a tablespoon of Cointreau. Don’t overdo the alcohol as it will interfere with the setting of the mousse and will overpower the chocolate flavour.
Use a slotted spoon to lift the fruit out of their boozy bath and transfer to a serving bowl or individual dishes. If you can get them (or be bothered to make them) individual chocolate cases make a delicious addition to this recipe.
Cover the fruit with the chocolate mousse mixture and chill.
Take the alcohol which was used to soak the fruit and carefully pour into shot or liqueur glasses. Chill and serve either with the mousse or when your guests arrive to get the party started!
Pierre's Favourite - Naughty Ginger & Cream Log
1 packet of ginger snap biscuits
1 bottle of sherry
500ml double cream
Grated chocolate or a couple of bashed up flakes
The quantities of this super easy dessert are variable and depend solely on how much, or little you want to make.
Pour about three-quarters of the cream into a bowl and whisk until it thickens.
Pour half the sherry into another bowl.
Dip 2 ginger snaps into the sherry. Take care not to over soak or they will crumble and fall apart. Use a small knife or a spatula to sandwich the biscuits together with a small amount of whipped cream. Dip another ginger snap into the sherry and using more of the cream, join it to the first two biscuits.
Continue dipping the biscuits into the sherry and joining together with cream until you have a long boozy creamy sandwich. Add more sherry to the dipping bowl as needed. Abi usually assembles this on the board or plate to be used for serving as the ‘construction’ soon becomes difficult to handle.
When you are happy with the length of the log, whip the remaining cream and cover the log, taking care to cover the ends. Sprinkle liberally with the grated chocolate or bashed up flakes and ginger crumbs then refrigerate for a couple of hours. It is tempting to dive straight in, but believe me, it is worth waiting until the mixture has set in the fridge!
At Christmas add a sprig of holly to decorate before serving, obviously the holly should not be eaten!
A twist is to use cherry brandy rather than sherry, then soak some stoned dark cherries in the remaining alcohol while the log is in the fridge. Use these as decoration / an accompaniment.
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Maddy's Choice Chocolate Cake
200g plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
375g muscovado sugar
3 large eggs (beaten)
225g unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g dark chocolate – use the best you can find; it really makes a difference.
250ml boiling water
A well-lined loaf or rectangular tin
Preheat the oven to 190°C or gas mark 5.
Sift the flour and bicarbonate into a bowl.
Melt together the butter, sugar and chocolate.
Whisk the eggs and vanilla into the mixture. Don’t overbeat, you are mixing or combining not trying to make a light froth!
Add a heaped spoon of flour and bicarbonate mixture and stir.
Add a spoonful of boiling water.
Continue to add alternating heaped spoons of flour and spoons of boiling water until all ingredients are combined.
Pour into the tin and bake for 30 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 170°C or gas mark 3 and bake for another 15 minutes in a rectangular tin, another 25 or 30 minutes will be needed for a loaf tin. The cake will continue to cook as it cools so a tester will not leave the cake clean, it will be sticky.
Margaret's Jam
1Kg jam sugar
Juice of a lemon
1Kg of clean fruit such as blackberries/ raspberries / red or black currant / a combination of different types. The jam Phoebe eats with a spoon is a mixture of blackberry and raspberry with an approximate ratio of 2 parts blackberries to 1 part raspberry.
A saucer
A big pan – the bigger the better because the jam needs to boil rapidly without boiling over and out of the pan.
Clean jars for the finished jam.
Start by putting the saucer into the freezer.
Put the fruit, sugar and lemon juice into a large pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Stir gently with a wooden spoon.
Increase the heat and bring to the boil.
Keep the mixture at a rolling boil, where large bubbles rise quickly to the surface of the liquid until the setting point of the jam has been reached.
To determine the setting point, serious cooks use a jam thermometer, Abi takes the pan off the heat when the liquid begins to thicken. Take the saucer from the freezer and drop a dollop of jam onto it. Push the jam with a finger or the end of a wooden spoon. If the jam wrinkles, it is done, if not return to the heat.
Once ready carefully pour into the clean jars.
If you do not have a massive pan or special jam sugar, substitute the jam sugar for castor sugar, use smaller quantities and use the following method:
Equal quantities of fruit and sugar. Raspberry works particularly well, and I suggest 200g as a quantity.
Preheat the oven to 180°C or gas mark 4.
Put the fruit into a shallow oven proof dish and the sugar into a separate oven proof bowl. Put into the oven and leave for about 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and add the sugar to the fruit, not the other way around.
Stir to ensure an even mix then pour into a clean jar.
Allow to cool then store in the fridge.
Inspirations behind the books
A bit about my first book...
Miss, Me Daddy Has Ya Knickers In His Pocket – tales of survival from the chalkface.
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The book is a collection of short stories and anecdotes which prove that I survived for almost thirty years at the chalk face working as a teacher of English and Drama in the North East of England.
The collection recognises some of the countless students it has been either my privilege or bad luck to teach. Some of the tales are funny, some sad and some are almost unbelievable.
Everything in the book really happened, and most of it happened to me. I am still traumatised and suffer occasional nightmares as a result of accidental sexual voyeurism, abduction, and close encounters with sharp objects.
Names have been changed to protect the guilty.
Initially, I wrote this book as a form of cathartic release. When Olympia Publications offered to publish this work it gave me the confidence to continue writing.
Books For Younger Readers
Available as paperback and Kindle e-reader
My collection of books for children follow the adventures of Emma and her friends in a series called The Ponies of Stonebeck Farm
The Golden Pony
Book 1 in the Ponies of Stonebeck Farm Series
Emma has always longed to have a pony of her own. Spending time in the Lake District with her parents is perfect, except for one thing: there are no horses. When Emma suddenly encounters a runaway pony  a chance meeting leads to unexpected friendships and adventures.
The Red Pony
Book 2 in The Ponies of Stonebeck Farm Series
Emma spends every minute of her spare time at White Ridge Riding School. When she returns from a holiday with her parents, her happiness is threatened when a bully creates problems.Â
Horse shows, bullies and ponies. Will Emma's love of horses help her to find the strength to stand up to the bullies?
Some Reviews...
Non-fiction
Easy Drama Lessons is exactly what the title suggests, a collection of ready to use lessons.
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Resources and Key Skills listed with each lesson.
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Perfect for busy teachers.
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A step-by-step guide means the ideas are easily accessible to teachers regardless of experience.
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Links to other curriculum areas are identified.
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Ideas for differentiation included.
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Lessons can be adapted to suit a wide range of ages and abilities from Primary to GCSE!
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All ideas have been tried and tested in the classroom.
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Written by a Drama teacher.
