Fetternear Hall housekeeping information

 I’ve visited the hall to see the changes as a result of the refurbishment work and here are a few things you need to know:

There is no longer access into the hall via the kitchen, so please come in through the main front door.

As usual the small hall will be laid out as our dining room - please leave any cold food on the “buffet table” in there.

If you are bringing food that needs to be reheated, bear in mind there is no longer a microwave. If a number of folk need to be reheating/cooking, please agree amongst yourselves who will take care of watching / stirring to minimise the number of people in the kitchen at one time. Where possible, bring hot food through to the small hall for serving.

Update: you can bring food to share or your own packed lunch - whichever you prefer.

There is a brand new urn in the kitchen for teas/coffees (so no more waiting for kettles to boil!). Mugs, milk, sugar and a selection of teas will be available in the small hall.

We will use the hall’s plates and mugs and I will bring cutlery and some basic utensils. Feel free to bring your own plate / mug / cutlery if you prefer.  

We will use the dishwasher in the kitchen rather than washing up by hand. If you have anything you don’t want to go through the industrial-strength machine, then please take it away with you to wash at home.

The notices in the hall stating that masks must be worn apply to events open to the public. You may wear a mask if you wish, and guidance is to wear a mask if <1m from another household. As always I’m sure you’ll be considerate of your fellow students - remember you may not be aware of their personal or household situation and circumstances.

Regarding payment for the workshop, I can take cash on behalf of Mark. Let me know if you are paying by bank transfer and also if you need Mark’s payment details. 

If there is any other information you need I’ll see what I can do to help. See you soon!

Changes to this weekend's schedule

Due to unforeseen circumstances the schedule for this weekend's workshops has changed. We will now meet up 1-5pm Saturday and Sunday only, followed by a shared meal each day. Please get in touch with me if you need any more information.

Autumn workshop - venue information

If anyone intending coming along to the Aberdeenshire Autumn workshop didn't get my email with information about the impact of the hall renovations, please get in touch so I can send you the relevant details.

Also I've just noticed there was a typo in the printed invitations saying accomodation is available in the hall. That only applies to the summer intensive at Kingston, so if you need somewhere to stay then let me know as some local folk still have room available.

davina[at]greatrivertaichi[dot]co[dot]uk

Workshop news

We had a lovely start to warm up the hall tonight with partnerwork, thanks to those who came along.

Tomorrow, if everyone brings a little food to share, that'll be great.
There are no pans at the venue as the Scouts are taking them on camp today, so bring any pots you need. I will bring a few from home today too.

On Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, could those born on even number years bring food.

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, could those born on odd number years bring food.

Keep an eye on tea and milk, and help out by replenishing it if it's low and you're passing a shop. There is also no rubbish collection at the venue, so if you are driving and could take recycling or rubbish home each day, that would be ace. I will bring home the used tea bags and uncooked fruit and vegetable waste for the compost. There's a bowl and liner available by the kettle for this. Paper, glass and plastic can be cleaned and placed in the recycling tubs under the counter.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone. Photos tomorrow. Sleep well!

Jars and small bottles- a request

Can you help? I appear to have used up all my jars by filling them with jam and then giving them away! Any clean empty glass jars with lids would be gratefully received at class over the next few weeks, as I still have Christmas preserves to make.

I am also after small glass or plastic bottles with screw lids, such as people get for 'ginger shots', which appear to be a thing... Ink bottle sizes for my oak gall ink, sample toiletry bottles may also be ideal. I will recycle any I can't use. Many thanks.

The Way of Dorset

Back in my beloved Dorset. Immediately passed a sign declaring May Day 'Dorset Knob Throwing'. Brilliant, sweet foodstuffs, vigorous rural exercise and innuendo all in one sentence. I'm not in Surrey now.

Chorizo

What a difference a day makes...

We had plenty of comedy moments making these yesterday. All that it now requires is patience. I must get some of that. 

Something sweet, something ancient

Making mead at Gosnell's in London It will be ready in another week. Possibly the oldest alcoholic drink made by humans. certainly one of may favourites - for nights off class obviously.

Another beautiful fossil coral from The Burren.

Happy New Year!

I wish you a peaceful and loving 2017. 

Slainte!

Crabapple Row

I got another basketful of windfalls from "Crabapple Row" and there's still plenty fruit on the trees.

A fruity request

If anyone has or knows of any spare crab apples, quinces or similar small hard fruits for making jelly, please let me take them off your hands! All our local wild apples were cut down last year or pruned very badly, and the quinces I know of are no longer near where I live. Happy to swap for finished jelly.

I was at the allotment today clearing yet more weeds and freeing the currants, jostaberry and raspberry bushes from a year's worth of bindweed and mare's tail growth. Keeps me fit for T'ai Chi. 

Walking home I saw this lovely troup of parasol mushrooms. 

Palm oil

...No, not that greasy feeling after lots of push-hands. Oil from the imported tropical palm fruit has no business being in food that didn't need it until now, in my opinion. This is happening because companies put profit over environmental or even flavour concerns. Palm oil is traditionally and legitimately used in Caribbean cuisine, of course. We have plenty of sunflower and rape seed oils grown locally in Europe and the UK. Even 'sustainably grown' palm oil is a misnomer, as it travels so far to get here. Why this rant? Even my staple snack - oatcakes, seem to be full of it now, even Nairn's brand. When was palm oil a part of traditional Scottish oaties? I tried a few locally made oat cakes whilst I was in Aberdeenshire, as I remembered buying them at roadside stalls and eating them when I lived there. Sadly they were actually quite revolting - lardy and over salted. So- prizes will be given for helping me find a regular source of tasty oaties and also crackers (yes even Carr's water biscuits...) which do not contain palm oil. I have hear that Lidl or Aldi do some... I will have to look. perhaps it is time to make them myself, as I do with bread, yoghurt, and other staples. This is also happening with added 'high-fructose corn syrup'. The EU couldn't stop the US dumping this industrial by-product on us and gallingly having to label it with a sort-of healthy sounding name. Even worse than ordinary sugar, it is finding its way onto labels on items I have been buying for 20 years or more. If you haven't checked the label of your regular products recently, you may be in for a shock. look up 'clean label': it's a ruse by the food / chemical companies to not really tell us what's in the food they make.

A radical idea: create products with as few non whole-food ingredients in the food as possible, no additives unless needed. There are still producers trying to achieve this, but 'the market' values cheap and crappy. This is why our dairy farmers suffer; their animal welfare and costs are so much higher than elsewhere in the world. The side effects of cheap and easy are low welfare sources of meat and milk, masses of plastic waste, toxic levels of sugar, fat, additives and cheap thickening agents in our food, and this is supposed to be progress?

If wanting simple, safe, ordinary foodstuffs is going to be a cranky left-field project, what is going on? I shall go and water my rocket and lettuce seedlings...

Wild food

Here's a story from today's BBC website about wild food featuring my friend Fergus Drennan, who is an excellent wild food and forging expert. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-30015052

British Grown Quinoa

We were talking about this at the dinner table at the workshop, here's the link I mentioned:
hodmedods

Fruity Union

Scottish rowans and English quinces will fuse to make a jelly tomorrow to eat with venison at the weekend for a meal with friends. Being 1/4 Scots, having lived in Aberdeenshire for 6 years and still travelling there most months to see my wonderful friends and students, I shall be sad if the Union is dissolved. However, I wish all of you a peaceful polling day, and feel that those who live in a country should decide how it's run. The famous 'Westminster elite' mean as little to this fruit foraging Dorset girl as they do to any Highlander. Which ever way the vote goes, I shall continue to come north and teach as long as I am wanted, even if that means changing my Euros at the border!

Workshop celebration cake recipe

My mum just sent me a photocopy of her hallowed recipe. As soon as I get time to type it up I will blog it for those who requested it, including my chocolate topping.

Recipes lost - please help

I was just sitting down to compile all the T'ai Chi recipes I have collected over the last 10 years for our website, but they are nowhere to be found on my PC and backups. I am surprised they have gone missing, but will just have to start again... Please email me recipes that you would like to share, (including all the regulars please,) when you have a mo. Please send:
Neil: nut roast
Anneke: beetroot salad
Janet: carob cake and butternut squash tart
Sandy: hot smoked fish, stir fry
Marie: choc swiss roll or other delight
Paolo: torta di riso
Davina: koftas, cobbler, soda bread
Scott: anything you'd like to add!
Everyone one, also send any other favourites that have gone down well.
I'll add my channa dahl soup and goats cheese.

There's no hurry, but thanks in advance. Pictures would be a bonus.

Glass bottles

If anyone has a few glass bottles with either screw tops or cork stoppers, such as contained sherry, madeira, port, vinegar or whatever, that were going to be recycled, may I have them at class this week? Last Spring I made beech leaf noyeaux, a liqueur made with the youngest translucent beech leaves, plus gin and sugar and now after a year it is ready for bottling (and drinking!)

Thanks!

Merry Christmas!

A sunny Camden morning with birds singing in the garden: I am in the kitchen prepping food for our evening meal, much preferable to lunch-time for us. I found huge fragrant Turkish quinces on a Kentish Town veg stall yesterday and after finding a Nigel Slater recipe online, have just baked them. An unconventional lunch of quince & cream lies ahead and the quiet kitchen smells of spices and fresh coffee. Merry christmas!

Food for the venue

On the Saturday let's all bring a little something to share.

If your age is an even number for this year's event, could you bring food on the 2nd, 4th and 6th days (Sun, Tues and Thurs)
If your age is an odd number this workshop, please bring food on days 3, 5 and 7 (Mon, Weds, Fri)

Thankyou!