Mince pies and traditions.

Last time I looked, it was the first day of Christmas and now it’s very nearly Christmas Day. Perhaps unsurprisingly, our household, like many,  has been struck by a couple of bouts of sickness and more than a couple of sniffles and sneezes, all rounded off with a healthy measure of weariness that comes with the time of year, racing to get everything done, a joyful and busy toddler and being really rather pregnant simultaneously. However, given the recent horrendous shooting in the USA and other tragedies closer to home, we do well to hug our loved ones extra tight, to take time to cherish traditions and, if the mood takes you to bake a few mince pies. The most onerous step is chilling the pastry for a couple of hours, really.

Last night, we welcomed our neighbours for mince pies and a glass of festive cheer. It feels terribly grown up and as I didn’t have a family or other trusted mince pie recipe, I knew as soon as I tasted this one that I’d struck gold. And, doubly so as we were also given homemade mincemeat (thank you so much N).

One of these mince pie delights, was my first of the season a couple of weeks back and it’s not only significant for that reason but also because it’s the time of year for traditions and mince pies are certainly one of them. It is lovely to be able to share this story, a friend's Christmas tradition and recipe and to weave it into what I hope will become an annual baking for our family too. 

The clementine pastry is delicious and there’s something about weighing out a recipe in pounds and ounces and using lard (actual lard), that allows us to recreate a moment from years ago. As I rubbed the pastry together, I sent my most Christmassy thoughts to my dear Granny, Eva’s namesake and a lady whose elegant hands, baking skill and warm hospitality is always remembered.

I’ll hand you over to the Mince Pie Maharani now.

I have not always been a Mince Pie Queen. I can remember finding all things non-chocolate based quite repulsive in my school years. In fact my love developed at University in Edinburgh, when every year through my six year course, as of mid-October the mince pies would be introduced into the supermarkets and my flat mates and I would immediately snatch as many boxes as possible. I can’t imagine there is a mince pie that I haven’t tried- puff pastry, iced, budget, deep filled you name it I have tried it from most high street stores.

Every week-night, as the end of the Winter Term approached and exams loomed, after an evening of studying we would congregate at 10pm for a cup of tea and heated mince pie, chats and gossip and the latest reality TV catch up. The weekend of course was not quite so civilized! As poor students we couldn’t afford to eat our mince pies in true style with brandy butter, but would sometimes heat some custard from the cupboard and have mince pies and custard. Or virgin mince pies. Either way it was bliss. Happy Memories.

However, although this was our yearly ritual the mince pies were not up to the standard of those I would get on my return home to Yorkshire for the Christmas holidays, post exams. My Mum has always made a few dozen mince pies, and these are usually devoured before Christmas Eve. The recipe has been passed across several generations in the village where I live, and was passed to my Mum from a very special lady Mrs T or AP as she is affectionately known to me. The origins of it are uncertain, however I am informed it is one of the first handwritten recipes in a recipe book which must be at least 40 years old and I am certain as the Queen of Mince Pies that this recipe, for all its simplicity (and quite possibly the shortest pastry ever!), makes the tastiest mince pies in the World. Ever. Fact. Enjoy.

Makes approx 20-24 mince pies.

You will need:

1Ib plain flour

8oz butter

4oz lard

Rind and juice of 1 or 2 oranges or 4 clementines

Mincemeat [ 1 jar was just enough using a small teaspoon]

Full fat milk for glazing

What to do:

Rub ingredients together to make pastry dough. [Tip - Soften your butter and lard out of the fridge first].

Cover with clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for 1-2 hours or longer if you have time.

Roll out to 0.5cm thick or more.

Cut bases [using a round cutter] and place in [tart or Yorkshire pudding] tray.

Spoon in 2 teaspoons of mincemeat [lucky us, we were given a jar of homemade mincemeat by one lovely supper clubber].

Brush the edges of each pie with milk. Place the tops [or stars] on. 

Brush with milk again and snip/pierce two holes in the top to allow the mince pie to cook.

Cook until browned. Approximately 15-25 mins at 180 degrees.

Enjoy with mulled wine or tea or custard [and neighbours].

Guest post: tales from an oyster lady

Possibly the ultimate food of love, oysters can be a little daunting if you've never tried them before. So if you need an excuse to try them, or maybe even to dish them up to someone special, then we'd like to hand over to a lady who knows a lot more about them than we do. Scottish oysters are the best we've tasted, so here is a guest post by Judith Vajk, offering an insight into life as a oyster farmer, top tips and oyster facts, just in time for Valentine's Day:

"I had my first oyster in 1984 in Saint Vaast, a small seaside town in Normandy known for its oysters. I had moved to France for work and was introduced to Hugo, who worked on an oyster farm. I cannot say I enjoyed my first oyster; I do find that the first one can take you by surprise as you are unsure of exactly how it will taste. However, after a couple more I enjoyed the pure flavour of the sea that is indeed the true taste of an oyster.

[At The Caledonian Company] we farm the Pacific oyster which does not spawn in Scotland but grows happily in our clean, cold waters. The Pacific oyster is an easier oyster to grow than the native Scottish oyster. Natives are slower growing and are not so happy grown in bags – they would rather lie on the sea-bed. We grow our oysters in mesh bags, with varying sized holes depending on the size of the oyster. The bags sit on trestle tables on the sea-bed. At low-tide we drive out on a tractor and get to work, turning the bags, bringing in oysters to be graded for sale. If we did not turn the bags regularly the oysters would grow into each other and we would not be able to sell them individually.

In Scotland, we sell oysters throughout the year. Because they do not spawn here they do not become very milky in the summer months. However, they are probably at their best in the colder months – and naturally chilled! The most common question I get asked about oysters is with regards to their aphrodisiac qualities – surely, that depends on who you are eating them with! But I do know they are the highest food source of zinc – very important in the production of the male hormone, testosterone. The second question is whether to swallow or chew an oyster? I definitely advise to just give the oyster a couple of bites to release all the flavour that is contained within the oyster.

The best way to open an oyster is carefully and with a proper oyster knife! Place the oyster, cup-shape shell down, on a tea-towel; this helps keep the oyster steady. Hold the oyster firmly and taking an oyster knife, put the point into the natural space that is between the two shells at the hinge (pointed) end. With careful pressure gently work the knife between the two shells then twist the knife to ‘pop’ the shell. Bring the knife along, between the two shells, cutting the muscle from the top shell, and remove the shell. Sweep your knife along the bottom shell, releasing the oyster muscle there too.

Oysters are wonderful with a squeeze of lemon, and we do like one or two drops of Tabasco with the lemon. Chopped shallots with red wine vinegar is a delicious alternative and adds a rosy glow to the oyster.

We do supply one wholesaler, Charlie Magee, who distributes our oysters in Edinburgh to fishmongers and restaurants in the city [including supplying Tom Kitchin]. I also attend Perth Farmers’ Market on the first Saturday of the month. Though saying that, I won’t be there in March as we are going to the European Oyster Shucking Championship in Sweden to cheer our son on who is the Scottish champion.

So, how did I get into oyster farming? Well, I married the man who fed me my first oyster!"

Shortbread for the weekend

Holly makes the best shortbread and I asked her to share her secrets and her recipe here. You can check out other wonderful things she makes and her quest to feather her nest over on her blog. In fact, make some shortbread, grab a tea, coffee, whisky or wine and click here.

Weighing.

Dough.

Ready to bake.

Ready to eat.

I have tried many different shortbread recipes in the past, but this one is by far the tastiest. It is adapted from a recipe by Anta who serve up big mugs of tea and generous portions of cakes and biscuits at their Highland showroom in Fearn...definitely worth a visit if you're ever on the north-east coast!

Since I began using this recipe it has been baked in heart shapes to celebrate weddings and engagements, in holly leaf shapes to be given as Christmas presents, and in sweet little rounds just to be enjoyed at home.

To make 25-30 small biscuits, you will need:

8oz butter - I use salted
3 and a half oz caster sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)
3 and a half oz corn flour
8oz plain flour
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 150C. Grease and line a baking tray or two.
Mix together the butter and sugar.
Mix in the corn flour.
Mix in the plain flour and pinch of salt.

My mixer is not very good, and there is a lot of flour, so I have to use my hands towards the end to bring the mixture together. But once you have a soft, but not sticky, dough, flour a work surface and roll out to a depth of about 2cm.

Cut into any shapes you like and use a fork to prick holes in the tops.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Transfer to a cooling rack, and while still warm sprinkle with caster sugar (the heat will make the sugar stick to the tops and in the holes you made with the fork).

Enjoy with tea, coffee, whisky, sweet wine, the list is endless - this shortbread goes with everything!

*Step by step photos by Holly except for the ready to eat shot which is mine!

Setting the table

There's something immensely enjoyable and almost ritualistic about setting Charlie and Evelyn's Table, or any table, for supper. Over the course of the last twenty suppers, I have revelled in each opportunity to create a different look for the table, mostly reflecting the seasons but also reflecting my mood and the amount of time I've left myself!

It seems obvious writing this, but one of the main ways to change the look is through a centerpiece, enhanced with crockery, cutlery and glassware. For me this predominantly means flowers.

Over the last year, Charlie and Evelyn's Table has been decked with pine cones, daffodils, pink and red roses, gypsophila, buttercups, hydrangea, sunflowers, vintage fressia, peonies, homegrown sweetpeas, crocosmia, cream roses, yellow roses, munchkin pumpkins, sea holly, anemones and cala lillies.

I have always loved having flowers in my room or home and even in the office, they bring beauty and smiles. This love was certainly deepened during our wedding planning and thanks to our very talented and patient florist at Bels Flowers. And, while I have enjoyed creating very simple arrangements for our table, I have often wished Helen was closer with her beautiful blooms and top tips.

I'm very excited and grateful to say that she agreed to share her thoughts on creating effective arrangements for dinner parties right here. Woo hoo! So, it's over to her:

"Over two years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Rachel and Chris to plan their wedding flowers.

Rachel came to me with wonderful ideas for their wedding, bubbling with quaint touches and we have since become great friends, I’ve even been lucky enough to become part of their family Christmas tradition, supplying a gorgeous family wreath each advent {more on that later}. Part of planning the flowers for Rachel and Chris’ big day involved learning about the history of both of the lovely couple’s family, including Charlie and Evelyn. So it’s now an honour to be a guestblogger and part of the next step of Rachel and Chris’ future...

In this post, I'll be talking about flowers for dinner parties. All the finishing touches to a special dinner really make a night stand out from all the rest... with Rachel and Chris providing the scrumptious, eyecatching and unique food here’s some tips on the finishing touches for your table.

How do you create a simple, stunning arrangement?

I often start with memories from the times when I've received flowers, the ones our parents and grandparents had on the sideboard and in the garden when we were growing up or, maybe, the flowers friends, family or we had at weddings and celebrations.

So, a personal favourite flower of mine to start... the rose. Many different coloured roses have different meanings: the white rose for innocence and purity; peach for desire; pale pink for grace and joy; red for happiness.



Making a rose centrepiece will depend on the type of vases you have. You could do a number of designs or just one. Here are some tips to consider:
With a cube vase, try arranging nine medium/large headed roses for a modern, neat design. Clean and fill the vase with around 5cm of water. Measure one rose stem against the vase, positioning the base of the head on the rim of the vase and cutting the stem at the base of the vase. Be sure to cut the stem on a 45 degree angle and cut the rest of the eight roses to the same length on the same angle. Next, place three roses down each side of the vase and one in the middle. Once the roses are placed in the vase you can perfect the position of the roses to be symmetrical... Done!

Using a fishbowl, you’ll need around twenty roses (depending how big your fishbowl is!) and gather some foliage to add to this natural, handpicked design. Clean and fill the vase around half full of water. Strip the stems of the roses and foliage so they are clear of any leaves which will be below the waterline in the vase. Cut the roses stems on a 45 degreeangle so the stems will sit in the vase with about the half the length of the stem again coming outof the vase. Place one rose at a time going clockwise (so all the stems are going the same way in a spiral) with some foliage stems in between... tweak and position once in situ... Done!

And, for a dish, a very simple, subtle design with three to six roses. Fill the shallow dish around half full up the sides. Cut the stems around 2cm from the head of the roses (the amount you’ll need will depend on the size of the dish). With the last rose carefully remove the petals and scatter across the water to float elegantly! Done! "

Feel free to contact Helen, or comment here if you have any questions and, watch this space as she has very excitingly agreed to share a step by step guide to creating your own Christmas wreath - coming soon.

Shop Scottish

Now then, how to follow a post on knobbly veg. When you live in a top floor tenament, growing your own is not always an option, while you can try. Having someone nearby, or at least in the same country grow their own for you, is however, so you can happily eat Scottish and Craigie’s Farm Deli and Cafe has the answer. Anna Thomson is a big fan and has written this guest post to tempt us and give us an idea of what to expect and some of the unmissable highlights. Our most recent Craigie's treat was this delicious garlic, which is lasting well and appearing regularly at our table.



Here's what Anna has to say:

I remember first visiting Craigie’s about six years ago and it literally consisted of a few shelves of jams and vegetables in a wee farm outhouse. A great example of local produce and farm diversification but a far cry from what you witness when you visit these days.



Wee customer Aidan who won their recent competition to create a new sausage flavour for the butchery.


Craigie’s is one of the most forward thinking farm shops I’ve ever visited. They not only think about the shopping element of their customers’ visit but also emphasise family fun and dining at the same time. Perfect for families, Craigie’s have their own hens and pigs for visitors to say hello to, as well as nature walks, a tractor to climb on and even a dedicated doggie menu for canine members of the family. The cafe sells a huge range of products, catering to every preference.


The dog cafe

Local produce {including knobbly veg - ed} is at the centre of the Craigie’s philosophy. Many of the vegetables on sale are grown on the farm and those that aren’t invariably come from within 50 miles away. The onsite butchery has a superb range of meats from Puddledub Porkand Puddledub Buffalo as well as elsewhere in Scotland. The shelves are packed with local milk, local cheeses, Scottish salmon, oatcakes, muesli, chocolate, British fruit juices and so much more – including the same superb Jam Kitchen jams that I saw on the shelves all those years ago!




The onsite butchery.

A new partnership with Edinburgh School of Food & Wine means that you can also pick up recipe cards in the shop, buy the ingredients whilst you’re there and then cook them once back in the comfort of your own home.

Young mums are starting to find their way to Craigie’s as it offers a great child friendly location that provides plenty of space with fresh and healthy food and drink.What could be better than a natter and a great lunch?!

Increasingly, young professionals are starting to care more and more about the provenance and traceability of what they are eating so there is no better way of guaranteeing quality and high credentials than shopping in a farmer shop like Craigie’s.

I would highly recommend a visit - you’ll always find some Connage Highland Dairycheese, some (OK they’re not Scottish!) of the yummy olive selection and some Puddledub bacon in my basket.

Guest Post: Erin’s Indulge Me Goddammit Weekend Breakfast

I still have one meal left to go today but I'm already onto thinking about Saturday's breakfast. Sometimes simplicity is all and, I am so frying my crumpets. The only other thing is to have enough wine tonight for a teensy hangover as Erin suggests: "So this is barely a recipe really but it’s so bloody good for Saturday late-morning breakfast, when you’ve got a teensy hangover and want something substantial, but you’ve got enough zip to get into the kitchen and faff about for ten minutes."

Thanks Erin, I just wish you were the right side of The Atlantic to share this with me.

Serves two (or one if the person is as greedy as a bear in a salmon filled river):

4 crumpets
4 large free range eggs (courtesy of Uncle Joe)
Big chunk of salted, good quality butter
Fresh flat leaf parsley
Black caviar
Crème fraiche

Either toast the crumpets or do what I do and fry them slowly in butter in a frying pan. This is disgracefully fatty but so delicious. In the meantime, fork your eggs about and oh I don’t need to tell you how to make scrambled eggs do I. So, in the meantime, make scrambled eggs to your liking (I like them just-cooked). When the eggs are done, put two crumpets on each plate, divide the eggs between them, then add a dollop of crème fraiche on top of each. Top with a teaspoonful of caviar, then sprinkle with torn-up parsley. Might want a squeeze of lemon. Yuuuuummmmm.

Happy weekend x

Guest Post: A taste of PNG

I'm very excited to present our first, intriguing guest post.

I'm also very proud to say it was written by dear friends, adventurers and now ex pats, giving us a taste for their new life. Thank you.

Lots more excitement and fabulous images here.

And so, without further ado over to M...

Papua New Guinea is a country made up of over 800 different language groups. This fact sounds straightforward when read from the page, but in reality it means that communities that face each other from opposite sides of a river or a valley can each have mutually unintelligible languages and, by extension, vastly different ways of seeing the world. In such a cultural chaos, establishing your identity has always been, and remains, critically important. It is who you are, it is what you are, and it represents who you can rely on. And in Papua New Guinea, ‘identity’ means only one thing - land.

PNG is a country where over 85% of the population still depends on their land for their daily subsistence. Even in the centre of Port Moresby its common to see crops being grown next to bus stops, and in scrub land behind smart apartment blocks, and every family has a smallholding or access to one. No matter what your position in society, government minister or bus driver, everyone remains a landowner, and has a connection to their land, their ‘mama graun’ (lit. their homeland, their mother’s land). This connection to land also translates into a strong connection and a love for food, and is probably an understudied part of national identity. If you eat sago, you will probably be from the Sepik, taro and reef fish makes you an islander, and sweet potato and pigs puts you firmly in the Highlands….

A whole new perspective on ‘you are what you eat’.

As life continues to change rapidly for the majority of Papua New Guinean’s, the symbols of land and food will only become more important as tools in asserting their identity in future years. In many ways the development of a ‘cuisine’ could be seen as the ultimate expression of this search for identity, just as neeps, haggis and tatties define the Scottish internationally, and fish and chips define the British. Perhaps a Scot in a kilt eating a haggis on Burns Night has more in common with a Sepik man with crocodile skin scarification tucking into a crocodile foot than we might first think, and in the most unexpected ways!

An identifiable cuisine in PNG is still some way off, and perhaps this reflects the difficulty of homogenizing a presentable national identity in such a diverse culture. Food and eating for visitors can still be a bewildering experience, and is definitely adventurous. Outside of the hotels, which produce the usual range of international compromise (not quite local, not quite European, and nowhere in between), food is still an adventure. Most locals have a diet of superb (and organic!) vegetables, most of which I have never seen outside of the country, combined with a sometimes excellent, sometimes terrifying selection of animals. A meal can therefore range from superb fresh pork, cooked underground on hot stones in a banana leaf with roasted sweet potatoes and vegetables in coconut milk, to skewered monitor lizard, grilled over an open fire with its intestines as a side dish. It is that random. Many people still hunt, fish and gather for their daily meal, so it depends what can be caught or what is in season as to what you might end up with on your plate. And, as meat is a rarity whatever form it takes, so every last piece is always savoured - bone marrow, nails and all. Be warned, and remember that next time that C sneaks his trademark haggis into your next meal (what’s next – haggis dessert?), he’s only re-asserting his identity….