Imbolc.....Spring is Springing!

Pronounced: EE-Molc
Incense: Rosemary, Frankincense, Myrrh, Cinnamon
Decorations: Corn Dolly, Besom, Spring Flowers
Colours: White, Orange, Red

This holiday is also known as Candlemas, or Brigid's (pronounced BREED) Day. One of the 4 Celtic "Fire Festivals.
 Commemorates the changing of the Goddess from the Crone to the Maiden. Celebrates the first signs of Spring. Also called "Imbolc" (the old Celtic name).

This is the seasonal change where the first signs of spring and the return of the sun are noted, i.e. the first sprouting of leaves, the sprouting of the Crocus flowers etc. In other words, it is the festival commemorating the successful passing of winter and the beginning of the agricultural year.

New beginings and the returning of the sun to our cold land... something to celebrate....Happy IMbolc to you all......

A little festive bake...

As the word "Imbolc" comes in part from the phrase "ewe's milk," so dairy products become a big part of February celebrations. For our ancestors, this time of year was hard - the winter stores were running low and there were no fresh crops. The livestock was typically preparing for birth, and the lambing season would begin soon. At that time, the ewes came into milk, and once milk arrived, you knew your family would have a source of food again. Sheep's milk is highly nutritious, and sheep were considered a dairy animal long before cattle. If you have eggs and some stale bread, then you had the makings of custard, a perfect dairy dessert.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Custard Ingredients:

4 eggs

3 C. milk- one cup being roughly 240ML in uk terms

1/2 C. sugar -1 cup sugar = 225g

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

A pinch of salt

Leftover Bread, croissants or bagels for Custard Cups

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 350. Combine all the ingredients except the bread into the bowl of a food processor, and blend for about 15 seconds, or until well mixed.

Spray ramekins/tart molds with non-stick cooking spray. Cut croissants (or other breads) lengthways, and press firmly into each mold forming the crust (number of cups depends entirely on the size of the mold...). Overlap bread as necessary to create a firm, flat, circular cups that are pressed against the shape of the mold.

Pour custard mix into Breadcups. Place the ramekins or tart dish into a baking dish, and fill the dish with hot water up to a depth of about ¾". Bake the custards for one hour or until crust is brown and the center is firm.

Garnish with a sprig of green from the winter garden.

Winter at last.

Happy new year .... wanderlust has the better of me already and so took the camera off to the snowy Lake district, always feels like I'm home when I'm in the mountains and there is only one person per square mile....not being anti social but....well maybe a bit. Thought I would deposit a few pics and a soup recipe as its that time of year....  

 A walk from Keswick around Derwent water where they have just recovered from terrible floods...

Fast mountain streams..

 Beautiful Borrowdale from Little castle crag...

Force crag mine was the last working mine in the Lake District , prior to it’s final abandonment in 1991. The site was mined for lead in 1839 until 1865 and for zinc and barites from 1867, whatever that is?! The job of the mill was to separate the minerals from each other and the rock. It’s not scheduled as an ancient monument and has been site scientific interest status, great location at the head of Coledale valley.

More from Derwent water

 

   
Something to warm you up now.... 
                                                                                                     

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large onion, chopped 
• Knob of butter
• A little oil
• 1 large potato (about 200g), diced
• 1 litre fresh ham or chicken stock
• 675g frozen peas, defrosted
• A good handful of finely chopped fresh mint
• 180g shredded ham hock or chunky torn roast ham
• Fresh crusty bread to serve

Enjoy!

METHOD

1. 01.Fry the onion in a knob of butter and a little oil for 10 minutes until soft. Add the diced potato and cover with the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes until the potato is tender.
2. 02.Add 600g of the peas and the mint, then season well. Take off the heat, cool, then whizz in a blender until smooth. Stir in the rest of the peas and the ham hock or roast ham. Season to taste, then serve with fresh crusty bread.

Winter Solstice...

So I really just wanted to let you know that the light is on it’s way; both literally and emotionally/physically. That causes for a celebration me thinks!

So amidst the chaos of all the last minute prepping for Friday taking place; try to take a little time today to celebrate the day that our oldies understood the importance of acknowledging – knowing that each year, this cycle of birth, death and rebirth took place; and that after every period of cold and darkness, the sun does indeed return.
Have a lovely, wintry day, and a happy winter solstice....Yule......festive holiday whatever that brings for you and yours.

"Yule, is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half.   Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day.  Known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, much celebration was to be had as the ancestors awaited the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth and made her to bear forth from seeds protected through the fall and winter in her womb.  Bonfires were lit in the fields, and crops and trees were "wassailed" with toasts of spiced cider."

Whatever you are doing.....have a wonderful time my lovelies.....xxx

 

 

Autumn apples

We've not had a recipe for a while so as we've got more apples around that we can shake a stick at thought we'd have
Apple and butternut squash soup.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
4 cups apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 quart chicken stock
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and pepper
½ cup walnut halves
4 ounces goat cheese, sliced in ¼ -inch rounds

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent about 3 minutes. Add the squash, apples, carrots, stock, and cinnamon and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer until the vegetables are soft when pierced with a fork, 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Ladle the vegetables and half of the broth into a blender or food processor. Puree until very smooth. Return soup to the pot and stir in the remaining broth, one ladleful at a time, until you reach the desired consistency. Season well with salt and pepper.

3. To serve, place a few walnuts in the center of a soup bowl. Shingle 2 slices of goat cheese on top of the walnuts and ladle the soup around the goat cheese. The idea is to have the goat cheese visible atop the soup. (Hint: it may be easier to ladle the soup into a large measuring cup with a spout and pour from there.)

Chunky bread and eat by the fire :)

Serves 6

ALSO............Baked apples!

Shrooms!

Another yummy something to try......

Wild Mushroom Stroganoff

When selecting fresh mushrooms, choose dry, firm ones, which are not too dark and wet, as these will add a greyish tinge to the sauce. Dried wild mushrooms make a good substitute, but need soaking in hot water for 2 –3 hours before use.Serves 4 (80 kcals / 1.3g fat per serving)

Preparation time – 10 minutes

Cooking time – 10 minutes

Ingredients
2-3 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
150ml (1/4 pint) vegetable stock
1 tablespoon plain flour
450g (1lb) mixed fresh wild mushrooms eg. Oyster, ceps or shiitake
2-3 sprigs fresh lemon or common thyme
1 wine glass white wine
2 teaspoons mild Dijon mustard
300ml (1/2 pint) virtually fat-free fromage frais
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh flat leaf parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper
paprika to garnish

Method

Preheat a non-stick frying pan. Dry-fry the shallots and garlic for a few minutes until soft. Add 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable stock to the pan and sprinkle the flour over. Stir well, ‘cooking out’ the flour for 1 minute

Add the mushrooms and thyme, seasoning with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Gradually stir in the remaining stock and white wine. Add the Dijon mustard and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the fromage frais and parsley. Check the seasoning and serve immediately, dusted with a little paprika, with some plain boiled rice.

All Aboard...

MM,MM,MM, love, love, all the texture and colours of autumn, moody Sky's, great sunsets/sunrises and wrapping up and going berrying for the making of various fruit treats, leaves everywhere, bonfires, baked potatoes and Tomato soup..........I COULD go on like that all day.....but I won't....

This weekend saw us with Friends at Swanage wandering along the beach all wrapped up and skimming stones followed some time at the steam gala, big steam engines roaring up and down the line to Corfe castle and back carrying Pullman carriages in which you can sit supping a glass of something bubbly , lots of other various running stock,  watching the world go by .....and a very civilized day turned into a fun filled evening of wandering up the pier, fish and chips with sea view and a string of pubs with Rock bands on and a 2AM run along the beach.......finishing Sunday with a trip to Stour head on the way home to wander round the house and gardens with the trees beginning to change colours and little folly's everywhere.... My kind of weekend!

The bits that shake rattle and roll....

The day was peppered with trips on various trains and various drinkypoos!

 Loved walking along the coast

 Thanks to the people that made it great!...love you lots x

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A place to deposit thoughts, ramblings, photography, recipes from the garden and hedgerows to talk about things that amaze the eye, excite and bewilder the mind, Art, old folk tales, poems, stories, Music... who knows where this will lead.........I'm sure Sir Bertie will put in the odd apprentice or two, he is my big black cat that never stops amazing me with the ridiculous things he does.....

Blackberry and apple cobbler...

As the blackberry bush is now full to the brim, get yourself out and fill your boots, and bowls and any other container you see fit, one of  tastiest free delights from our hedgerows...happy picking! 

Ingredients 

Serves: 6 

• For the fruit
• 700g blackberries
• 700g cooking apples (or use dessert apples and reduce the amount of sugar to about 4 tbsp)
• 6 tbsp sugar
• 5 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp melted butter

• For the topping
• 150g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 60g butter
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 120ml buttermilk (or fresh milk with 1/2 a tbsp lemon juice)

Method
Prep:30min  ›  Cook:40min  ›  Ready in:1hr10min 

1. Peel, core and roughly chop the apples and mix with the blackberries, sugar, melted butter and flour. Place in a 22x33cm ovenproof dish.
2. For topping, sift flour and baking powder together. Rub in butter until mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in sugar and buttermilk.
3. Drop spoonfuls of the topping mixture on to the fruit; it doesn't have to be completely covered.
4. Bake at 190 C / Gas 5 for about 30-40 minutes or until fruit is soft and topping is risen and golden.