Winter Archives - Savour the Moment

31 December 2018

A New Year message from Savour the Moment

An explosion of colourful fireworks above the Edinburgh skyline taken in 2015 by Eric Richardson

Hope… for the New Year

A New Year message from Savour the Moment

The beginning of a new year is a time of resolutions and fresh starts. Dark, winter days can make staying positive very difficult. But for now, we have hope.

‘Once you choose hope, anything’s possible’.

Actor Christopher Reeve

Dark days

Written in 1908 a poem was brought to the attention of King George VI in 1939, when the days were very dark indeed. He included it in his radio broadcast to the empire. Who knows what the New Year holds for us? It is so full of uncertainty. Here is that poem, a message of hope for us all.

The Gate of the Year

by Minnie Louise Haskins

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night.
And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.

New Year fireworks Photo credit: Eric Richardson — New Year fireworks
Photo credit: Eric Richardson

Happy New Year…

and as the comedian Dave Allen, popular in the 1970s famously said: ‘May your god go with you’.

27 October 2018

Savour the Homemade Christmas Mincemeat

Mincemeat – it goes back a long way…

About thirty years ago a friend convinced me that homemade mincemeat was the best. She was not wrong and pointed me in the direction of Delia Smith https://www.deliaonline.com/. Yes of course I had a Delia Smith cook book (well four actually), seriously who didn’t back in the 80s? I loved that book, I never had a failure from it! However, I did adapt and ‘improve’ a little and put my own spin on certain recipes. But in the main, we have Delia to thank for this delight.

Ingredients for mincemeat — The glorious ingredients for mincemeat

The origins of mincemeat

I love the origins of the mince pie too. The ingredients for the mince pie we know and love can be traced back to the return of the crusaders from the Holy Land. Middle Eastern methods of cooking (which sometimes combined meats, fruits and spices – Heaven forbid!) were popular at the time. Pies were created from such mixtures of sweet and savoury foods (I am not sure about that either!) In Tudor England, shrid pies were formed from shredded meat, suet and dried fruit. The addition of spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg was, ‘in token of the offerings of the Eastern Magi.’ During the English Civil War they were banned, on account of its connection with Catholicism. Crikey! The hubster would never have survived. I also believe it is ‘bad luck’ to refuse a mince pie (I avoid being offered one) and… you should always make a wish as you bite into the first one of the season.

Everyone loves a mince pie… well nearly everyone

They are well-loved in our household. My son loves them with an almond paste/marzipan top. The hubster just loves them! Fortunately (or unfortunately) I DON’T. Anyway, here is my recipe for homemade Christmas Mincemeat:

The equipment you will need:

Ingredients

450g cooking apples, peeled cored and finely chopped
225g shredded suet http://www.atora.co.uk/
350g raisins
225g sultanas
225g currants
225g ready mixed chopped peel
350g dark, soft brown sugar
Grated rind and juice of 2 oranges
Grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
50g ready chopped almonds
4 teaspoons mixed spice
Half a teaspoon ground cinnamon
Half a teaspoon ground nutmeg
120 ml brandy

What to do:

Fresh fruit prepped for mincemeat — Prep the fresh fruit

Mix all the ingredients (except the brandy) in a mixing bowl. Put the bowl into a preheated oven 120^oC for three hours.

Fill your house with the amazing Christmassy aroma.

After three hours remove from the oven and allow to go completely cold – then stir in the brandy. Fill some clean, sealable jars or plastic containers.

The finished product, Homemade Christmas Mincemeat

It makes this much! Enough for probably 100 mince pies! It will keep for a very long time. Yes, it is a faff but it is definitely worth it. Savour the Homemade Christmas Mince Pies!

15 October 2018

Yes, even more Soup

Celery Soup

Today’s soup recipe is not to everyone’s taste but most people I know like it. It’s smooth delicious and nutritious! A quick and easy recipe. Almost impossible to go wrong and it freezes well. This soup has a lightness and it’s great for filling a flask to accompany a Winter walk.

Recipe for Celery Soup

(Makes enough to serve 8).

The equipment you will need:

a sharp veg prep knife and chopping board
a large soup pan
a wooden spoon
a hand blender

Soup making ute sils — Equipment for making soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large or 2 small onions, peeled and chopped
1/2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 large baking potato, peeled and chopped
1 whole head of celery, washed and chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Few shakes of ground white pepper
2 veg stock cubes I used https://www.oxo.co.uk/ made up into 1 litre of stock
150 ml milk

Step 1

Peel and chop the veg

Step 2

Heat the oil. Sauté the onion and garlic for 3 minutes until translucent. Add the diced potato. Cover and cook on a low heat until potato is tender about 5 minutes. Add the chopped celery, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the hot stock, stir well, cover and cook for 10 further minutes. Add the seasoning. Stir well. Cover and cook until all veg are tender.

Step 3

Remove from the heat. Blitz with a hand-blender add the milk. Serve hot, or portion and freeze when cold.

Variation

Sprinkle on grated mature cheddar cheese and serve with crusty bread. Or crumble some Blue Stilton cheese on top.

28 July 201813 January 2020

Hello, this is me…

This is me Sharon Richardson

Hello this is me,

My name is Sharon, welcome to my blog. Please make yourself at home and have a browse through my meanderings. Here is a little insight into me! My views are wry and often dry but always my own. Thank you for dropping in!

Retirement? You must be joking!

I am ‘retired’ and now live an active rural life (with the odd quick fixes of city-life). I live in a cottage in a village, that is Nottinghamshire’s best kept secret. Together with my husband I am involved in all kinds of things that keep us out of mischief.

I have a lot of interests and ‘Savour the Moment’ is my personal blog. This is where I share my thoughts on a variety of topics with anyone who might be remotely interested. I’ve been involved with marketing communications for most of my adult-life – and by default, the written word. ‘Savour the Moment’ fulfils my need to write.

I can also post product reviews and will share my feedback.

It’s all about this and that really

I really don’t know what I’ll be sharing from post-to-post. So, if you’re looking for a consistent topic blog you are out of luck. The only consistency you will find is that I’m consistently inconsistent. It depends on my current obsession, at present it’s ‘Couch to 5K’ or me trying to run (for run read ‘gentle jog’)!

I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog and will happily respond to comments.

My favourite things

The kind of things that I like are: Christmas, winter, home, log-fires, the hubster, the kids, the grandkids (with a passion), writing, reading, listening (to Radio 4, to audio books, to people), Paul Simon, James Taylor, Harry Nilsson, Christopher Cross, Andy Williams, Neil Sedaka, Barbra Streisand, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Gerry Rafferty, oh and Harry Potter, Dustin Hoffmann, Alan Rickman, (sigh)… walking, cooking, my friends, making things – anything, red wine, gin and tonic… are you getting the picture?