Mince Pies

I baked my second batch of these yesterday and, having tasted the results,  I have changed my mind in that from now on I will definitely be using this recipe for my mince pies. They are delicious. Here it is, for those who would like it (and also that I can keep my favourite recipes in one place). This makes 18 mince pies.

You will need:

225g Plain flour

140g Butter

2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon

30g Caster sugar 

55g Ground almonds

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons of cold water

Around 400g mincemeat (I use a stores own luxury brand)

Brandy

To make the pastry, sieve the flour and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl and rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the caster sugar and ground almonds, then mix together using the egg yolk and water to form a soft dough (I use the back of a fork to do this). Finally, knead lightly, then cover and leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Empty the mincemeat into a small bowl and stir in one (or two 😆) tablespoons of brandy. Mix well.

Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and cut out approximately 18 rounds and stars. Place the rounds in a greased tin, dividing the mincemeat between each, then top with the stars.

Bake for 20 minutes at 150°C. Allow to cool and sprinkle with icing sugar. Dont be alarmed, it's not unusual to discover one or two have 'disappeared' during the cooling process.

 J. X

Into December

So, here we are, at the beginning of the final month of the year, and it made me so happy that it arrived with the most wonderfully bright and crisp weather. Overnight, the landscape turned into a winter wonderland. It looked quite magical and I couldn't think of a better way to get me in the festive spirit, except for maybe some gently falling snow. ❄❄❄

Last weekend the advent stockings were hung in preparation for the annual countdown to the big day and Lily could hardly get to sleep with the excitement of it all. Goodness knows how we will get through Christmas Eve this year! And yet, I still haven't got any further with my preparations. I know I said I wanted to take a relaxed approach but I really do need to get on and make a proper start.

On Saturday morning I was up nice and early in order to make some mince pies. I have a favourite recipe which I use every year but wanted to try something a little different for a change. The pastry called for some ground almonds and cinnamon, whilst some additional brandy was required for the already 'enhanced' mincemeat. They were delicious. In fact, they have all disappeared already! And, although I think I will return to my usual pastry recipe for my next batch, I will definitely include the extra brandy in the mincemeat in future. 😉

Sunday brought with it another early start but this time it was for a walk in the beautiful Borrowdale valley. Another hard frost had made for a sunny but bitterly cold morning, the shores of Derwentwater were iced over, and I was grateful to be wearing my woolly sweater, hat, scarf and mittens. We began our walk through the woodland. Frosted branches glistened in the sunshine, the ground was crunchy underfoot, and we needed to remain vigilant for patches of ice as we continued along the rocky track, then upwards towards the final steep climb to the summit. As well as the cold frosty weather, cranberry sauce in our sandwiches, along with mince pies in our lunch boxes provided a delightfully festive feel to our day.

During our descent we made a brief detour to visit Milican's Cave, where we rested a while and Lily enjoyed some hot chocolate. It wasn't long before she discovered an icicle which she really, really wanted to bring home with her, however, she soon changed her mind when her gloves  became cold and wet. Fortunately, I had some spare gloves with me, while Lily took ownership of my already warm mittens.

Following an early Christmas meal out with friends on Friday evening, this weekend has made  a lovely start to my festive season. Plans for the week ahead include making a Christmas wreath, visiting a Christmas tree festival and possibly baking some more mince pies.

A glass of mulled wine, anyone?
J. X

Making a Start

The gloomy weather continues, and so I've been keeping myself busy in the kitchen making preparations for Christmas. It's creeping ever closer and, although I don't like to start too early, I also don't intend to leave things until the last minute. At the weekend I baked the cake and made the cranberry and apple sauces. I've put the cake in an air tight tin and it will be fed with brandy over the next few weeks, while the sauces have been tucked away at the back of the freezer. I have yet to make any mince pies and I'm putting off straining the blackberry vodka too soon, so as I'm not tempted to drink it, but that's a few jobs off my list, at least, and for a while the house was filled with the most delicious aromas, lifting my spirits and allowing my mind to wander to activities and plans for the festive season.

There are a few places we'd quite like to visit during December and I must remember to book to go ice skating very soon. It's been a few years since I've been on the ice, so there's a chance I may regret this particular activity, but Lily is so very excited to go that I simply can't disappoint her.  In the next few weeks I've a Christmas wreath to create, cards to write and gifts to buy, but first things first, I need to hang the advent stockings in time for the weekend.

Last weekend, during a break in the wet weather, we went for a morning walk from Wray castle. From the castle, our route took us along the shore of Windermere, through woodland and up over Latterbarrow fell. An early start, along with the misty weather meant it was lovely and quiet and we hardly saw a soul the whole time we were out. Unfortunately,  the weather also meant the views were rather limited (apparently, on a clear day, you can see the sea from the summit, we could barely see the lake!) but it was a very enjoyable walk nonetheless, and we rounded it off nicely with some delicious soup and hot tea in the café back at the castle.

The forecast for the next few days is cold and sunny, which will make a lovely change from the grey days we've been experiencing lately. I hope this will mean we can get out and enjoy a longer walk. I might even bake some mince pies.

J. X

November Gloom

It's been a little while. The last couple of weeks have felt like an uphill struggle and I've neglected this little space as November began to take its toll. A combination of dark, damp days and various other trivial issues have left me feeling just a little disillusioned and low in spirits.

I'm happy to say there's nothing serious, and some of the issues which are troubling me don't even affect me personally - my tendency to overthink and dwell on things does nothing to help in this situation. I have been making sure to take more time for myself and focus on the positives, which has helped enormously. I've also managed to continue running several times a week and I am finally noticing some improvement.

I find that getting outdoors always has a calming and restorative affect, so with this in mind, at the weekend Lily and I went for a walk through the fields and into the woods. The trees are looking rather bare now and I'm sure the recent frosty weather will have since seen off many of the remaining leaves. Dampness hung in the air and I could feel the chill rising up through the earth. A brief pause for some chocolate and a decision was made to return straight home into the warm rather than visiting the nearby café for a hot drink.

In the afternoon we baked biscuits. At Lily's request - gingerbread, and definitely heart shaped. Simple, delicious and all gone now! I think I will use this recipe for our Christmas gingerbread house this year.  Yes, I've allowed myself to start planning ahead for the big event and there is a gentle simmering of excitement here. This week I've been browsing magazines and I've sourced the ingredients for my Christmas cake. I might also have watched a cheesy Christmas film (or two).

Gingerbread Biscuits:

75g butter
60g light brown sugar
3 ½ tablespoons of golden syrup
175g plain flour
pinch of bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons of ground ginger
Put butter, sugar and syrup in a pan and heat gently until sugar is dissolved. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix well together to form a dough. Chill in the fridge for half an hour then roll out to around 4mm thickness between two sheets of greaseproof paper and cut into shapes.
Bake at 150° for approximately ten minutes. This makes around 18 biscuits.

J. X