Big Apple Autumn 2009

Another wonderful Big Apple Festival this year! We supped cider and perry at Gregg’s Pit orchard…..

…whilst watching Morris Men dance.

We admired the vast variety of apples on show…

..and watched fruit being pressed ready to make next year’s cider.

My husband also managed to fit in a spot of cider and perry-making so we have our own little batch to look forward to – although I’m not very good at the whole waiting thing….. especially where cider is involved

Food Fest

Well, the Abergavenny Food Festival has ended for another year and we’re left with happy memories, a full fridge and even fuller bellies.

I didn’t take pics this year (was too busy shoveling food into my mouth) but you can get a sense of things from last years photos here.

As usual, I blew the weeks food money in a single weekend but it was worth it! I got to try my first ever oyster (which I loved, much to my surprise), bought indecent amounts of cheese and ‘sampled’ every perry available. We certainly had a merry time!

Highlights included Kid Me Not Goat’s Milk Fudge, Simon Weaver’s Blue Brie, Menai Oysters, Wernddu Perry (yes, I know I’m biased but it really is good), Gorwydd Caerphilly (the best Caerphilly cheese in the world), Lahloo Tea and the wonderful Made in Monmouthshire area which I hope to be part of next year.

Wonderful Wonderwool

What a fantastic time we had yesterday! A friend and I spent the entire day immersed in woolly goodness at the rather wonderful Wonderwool Wales, a festival of welsh wool and natural fibres where we made some fluffy new friends….

and admired some woolly beauties…

We oohed and aahed over the creations of talented designers as they strutted their stuff on the ‘sheepwalk’….

and oohed and aahed some more at all the yummy yarns on offer.

Oh, and naturally I came back with a whole heap of goodies…beautiful hand-dyed tops by Spindlefrog and Artist’s Palette Yarns…

…rather a lot of raw alpaca fibre in gorgeous natural shades…

…a new lightweight hand-turned spindle plus handcarders…

…a little light reading…..

…and some natural dyes from Pure Tinctoria.

I think this little lot should keep me busy for a little while! I also got to take a closer look at some wheels and think that I might have finally reached a decision and, if everything goes to plan, I will be the proud owner of my very own spinning wheel very soon!

Oh how I wish every weekend was a wonderwool weekend!

xxx

Wassail!

Yesterday was Old Twelfth Night, the time when wassailing in orchards traditionally takes place. Waes haeil means ‘be healthy’ and wassailing apple trees was believed to encourage a good crop.Traditionally, the largest or oldest tree in the orchard is selected as the focus of the wassailing, but, lacking either an orchard or a large apple tree, we decided to wassail my mother’s recently planted apple trees!

We hung some cider-drenched toast in the branches and poured cider around the trees roots. In keeping with tradition, a large quantity of cider was also consumed (although we did this part after the baby had gone to bed)! You can read more about the wassailing tradition here and here.

Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fayre

Yesterday we spent the day at Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fayre. It’s becoming something of a christmas tradition for us as we’ve been 3 years on the trot now and I suspect we’ll be there next year too. It’s just such good fun! 

One of the things I really like about the Ludlow Fayre, is that it’s not just about buying things. I’ve been to a number of christmas fairs over the years that are really just a collection of stallholders selling stuff – but Ludlow is different – there’s lots of entertainment for a start – carol singers, comedy acts, medieval minstrels, falconry displays and wassailers plus plenty of activities for children too: storytellers, ‘have-a-go’ archery and puppet shows. 

However, after saying that, there are plenty of things to spend your money on too and I’m always very impressed with the quality of the goods on offer. I also like the fact that, in keeping with the spirit of the fayre, there are a lot of medieval-themed crafts on display such as hand-made longbows (which my husband was very taken with), beautiful naturally-dyed yarns (I wanted to buy them all), medieval-style pottery, historical costumes and weaponry, green man plaques, leather drinking vessels and illuminated manuscripts. 

I do have a tendency to eat my way around events such as this and yesterday was no different. I chomped on a venison burger, slurped mulled wine, munched mince pies and consumed an alarming amount of fudge! It was all delicious. In fact, it was a really great day out – if rather cold – and I think the baby enjoyed it too. Well, that was until we reached her usual naptime and she became quite vocal about how tired and cold she was – we decided it was time to get the train home then!

A Bonfireless Bonfire Night

Last night we took the baby to see the main fireworks display in town. It was very different to the bonfire nights of my youth and I must confess I was a little disappointed. The main reason for this was the fact that there was no bonfire. For me, the bonfire is the best part of bonfire night (and the whole point!) – yes, fireworks are pretty and the kids seem to love them but I’ve always loved standing close to the bonfire, listening to the roar of the fire and  feeling my cheeks glow with warmth. I guess it appeals to my more primitive side! 

Also lacking were sparklers – instead every child I saw seemed to be waving a huge plastic glowstick. I know bonfires are not exactly environmentally friendly but I dread to think how the glowsticks are made! I don’t want to sound like a total killjoy. We did have a very nice time and the display was very impressive. The baby seemed to enjoy it too – well, by enjoy, I mean she didn’t cry! She did jump when the first few fireworks went off but she soon became transfixed by all the sparkliness! Next year, however, I will be seeking out a more traditional bonfire event with sparklers, hot potatoes, a Guy and, most importantly of all, a bonfire!

Happy Apple Day!

You can view all my apple-themed posts here.

Autumn Apple Feast

In order to celebrate Apple Day, I wanted to cook an apple-themed ‘feast’ for our little family. I don’t have much time to devote to cooking during the week so I decided to hold it a little early. This is what I cooked on Saturday:

Chicken in Cider with Apples

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs

1 medium onion, finely sliced

1 clove of garlic, crushed

2 russet apples, cored and cut into chunks

200ml cider (I used Westons Organic)

a few sprigs of thyme

flour for dusting

olive oil and a little butter for frying.

In a frying pan, fry the onions in a little olive oil until soft and golden. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Transfer to a flameproof casserole dish. Next coat the chicken thighs in flour and fry in a little butter and oil to seal both sides. Add the chicken to the casserole then add the apples and pour over the cider. Bring to the boil then simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.

I served this with some potato and celeriac mash.

Apple Tart

Much quicker than making a full-blown apple pie, and just as tasty. The recipe can be found here.

and on Sunday we ate:

Sausages Braised in Cider

Absolutely delicious. I used some of my butcher’s “prize winning” Pork, Apple and Cider Sausages and they were wonderful. I strongly recommend you give this recipe a try. It turns bangers and mash into something very special!

Pears poached in Spiced Cider

Ingredients

4 firm pears

500ml bottle of cider (I used Dunkertons Organic)

40g vanilla sugar or caster sugar

1 large cinnamon stick (or 2 small)

6 cloves

Peel the pears but leave the stem on. Place in a saucepan with the cider, sugar and spices. Bring to the boil then transfer to a casserole dish and bake in a low oven for 1 hour. Turn the pears over and bake for a further hour. Can be eaten warm or chilled. 

We ate very well this weekend! Hopefully, one or two of you might be inspired to cook similar apple-themed meals to celebrate Apple Day – if you do, I’d love to hear about it!

The Big Apple, Herefordshire

This weekend we were blessed with some wonderful weather and what better way to enjoy it than supping cider and perry in an orchard whilst watching Morris dancing? Ok, so Morris Men might not be everybody’s cup of tea but we had a wonderful time celebrating all things appley at the Big Apple Festival in Herefordshire. The festival is held twice a year at Blossomtime (May) and Autumn (October). Each festival has it’s own unique delights, with the autumn events being held in and around Much Marcle and the Blossomtime celebrations focusing on the nearby village of Putley.

Despite having attended the festival quite a few times now, I never cease to be dazzled by the huge array of apples on display in the Great Barn at Hellens. It’s amazing just how many varieties there are and I think it’s a great shame that so few of these varieties are available in the shops. I confess to not being much of an apple fan when I was younger, regarding them as ‘boring’ when compared to exotic fruit like mangos and pineapples. However, I’ve since realised that this was largely due to the bland, woolly tasting apples that tend to fill the supermarket aisles. Now, thanks to the likes of the Big Apple and various Farmers Markets, I know just how delicious apples can be. We returned home with 2 big sackfuls of apples and we’re getting through them very quickly. 

For me, I think the highlight of the weekend was the open day at Gregg’s Pit. Here we strolled around the orchard, watched a pressing demo and sampled some delicious cider. The staff from Truffles Delicatessen in Ross-on-Wye provided a wonderful ploughmans lunch and some irresistible cakes which we enthusiastically munched on whilst watching the Morris Men dance in the orchard. In fact, I think we became Morris Men groupies – every time we turned up at a venue, the Morris Men seemed to just be starting up!

All in all it was a wonderful weekend and I eagerly look forward to Blossomtime – especially the grand cider tasting!

Apples, Apples and more Apples….

The 21st October is National Apple Day and, in celebration of this fact, my next few posts in the run up to Apple Day will have a distinctly appley flavour.

To check for Apple Day events in your area, please take a look here.