Monday, 28 November 2022

Recipe Creamy Brussels Sprout Gratin With Cornish Gouda

My wife and I love sprouts! So we were pleased to receive this recipe from the Trewithen Dairy, Creamy Brussels Sprout Gratin With Cornish Gouda.

No Christmas dinner would be complete without the requisite Brussels sprout dish. The humble sprout comes alive when swathed in a rich and velvety sauce of Cornish clotted cream, Cornish Gouda and a generous twang of mustard. 

This woolly blanket of a dish is the perfect winter antidote - delicious served simply with crusty bread or as a festive side dish for the main event.

Serves 6

Ingredients

20g Trewithen Dairy Salted Butter

600g Brussels Sprouts, halved and outer leaves discarded if necessary

1 Onion, sliced

3 Anchovy Fillets, drained and chopped (optional)

120g Trewithen Dairy Cornish Clotted Cream

100g Cornish Gouda, grated (can be substituted with Gruyere, Parmesan or a good cheddar)

300g Chicken Stock (or veg stock)

1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

2 tsp Dijon Mustard

Generous grating of fresh Nutmeg - or ½ tsp Dried Nutmeg

Breadcrumbs

2 slices of Stale Bread

20g Cornish Gouda

6-8 Sage Leaves

Method

Preheat the oven to 200c.

Blanch the halved Brussels sprouts in salted boiling water for two minutes, then remove from the heat and drain immediately in a colander. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, or oven-proof shallow dish over a medium heat. Saute the onions gently for five minutes. Stir through the anchovies if using and cook through for another couple of minutes before tipping in the blanched and drained brussels sprouts. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, while stirring. Reduce the heat, add the clotted cream, cheese, vinegar, mustard and nutmeg. Season generously to taste.

Tip the mixture into a shallow oven-proof dish, cover with foil (a used butter wrapper works well) and bake for 25 minutes.

In the meantime, put the bread, cheese and sage leaves in a food processor and pulse until you have breadcrumbs.

Remove the foil, tip the breadcrumb mixture over the top and return to the oven for a further 15-20 minutes or until bubbling and golden and crispy on top.

https://www.trewithendairy.co.uk.

Congleton, Cheshire Christmas Market car incident

Cheshire Police have released the following news following an incident at Congleton Christmas Market.

Three teenagers have been bailed following incident in Congleton town centre.

A police spokesperson said: "Three people who were arrested following an incident in Congleton town centre have now been bailed.

"At around 3.55pm on Saturday 26 November, officers asked the driver of a silver Volkswagen Golf to pull over on Mountbatten Way, Congleton.

"The vehicle failed to stop and turned into Market Street and went on to drive down the pedestrianised area of Bridge Street while a Christmas market was taking place.

"The incident caused alarm and distress to shoppers, but fortunately there were no injuries.

"Officers quickly attended and three people were arrested nearby.

"The three suspects, two 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old girl, were all arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle and dangerous driving.

"All three have since been released on conditional bail.

"The incident is not being treated as terrorist related and enquiries remain ongoing."

Inspector Jim Adams, of Congleton Local Policing Unit, said: “I understand the concern this incident is likely to have caused in the local and I would like to reassure residents it is not being treated as a terrorist incident.

“We will continue to have increased patrols in the area and I urge anyone with any concerns to speak to an officer.

“The three teenagers who were arrested in relation to the incident have now been released on conditional bail while we conduct further enquiries.

“As part of our investigation we would like to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident and saw the occupants fleeing the vehicle.

“The same goes for anyone with any CCTV or video footage of the incident.”

Anyone with any information in relation to the incident is asked to please contact Cheshire Police on 101 quoting IML 1422052, information can also be reported online at www.cheshire.police.uk/tell-us.

Sock it to them this Christmas!

There's a double delight consisting of a Christmas gift and Coronation celebration. You choose from the three colours Red, yellow and blue and the three designs to make a very nifty personalised gift.

Crowns, Royal silhouettes, or a real favourite Chicken Coronation.

After all, we don't get a coronation every year !

The choice is entirely yours

£19.99 for three pairs of socks and they are available here 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1329134078/coronation-socks-socks-fit-for-royalty



Double your donation to Our Sansar in Big Give’s Christmas Challenge 2022 starting on Giving Tuesday

Our Sansar are taking part in the Christmas Challenge to raise £15,000 in just 1 week starting on the 29th November, the Giving Tuesday! These funds will be used for our End to Child Labour Project in Nepal that was reported on by Sahar Zand in the VICE World News documentary.

They support children like 11 year old Arvind, who until April this year was working 7 days a week, dawn to dusk, making and carrying heavy bricks. Now Arvind goes to school - and he loves it!

Donations to End to Child Labour Project will be generously matched by The Big Give’s Champions during the campaign, meaning your money can support twice as many children.

Julia Krepska, Founder of Our Sansar said: "These are very challenging times and the need for our support is even more apparent than before. We hope that we will raise the amount needed to help the children receive education and to help their families. 

"Our main goal is to end child labour, particularly in such hazardouns settings as brick factories. We understand that these are very difficult times for everyone and really appreciate any support.'

How can you get involved? Visit https://cutt.ly/oursansar_end_child_labour and make a donation from 12pm (midday) on #GivingTuesday (Tuesday, 29th November). The campaign will close at 12pm on Tuesday, 6th December. 

Watch Sahar Zand talk about her experience with Our Sansar and the impact of the charity's work on the lives of the children who were involved in child labour, here 

Julia finished by saying: "Please spread the information amongst your contacts!"

Christmas Concert with Seaford College Chapel Choir

A much-loved Christmas event will take place for the first time in two years on Monday 12th December, as West Sussex Charity 4Sight Vision Support holds its wonderful Christmas Concert with the Seaford College Chapel Choir. 

Proceeds from the concert will help the charity in its work supporting blind and sight impaired residents of all ages throughout the county.

The Concert will be held at St Mary de Haura Church in Shoreham from 1 - 2pm. This year is particularly special as the event was cancelled due to the pandemic for the last two years and has been sadly missed by the members, staff and volunteers from 4Sight Vision Support, as well as members of the general public.

Tickets for the Concert are just £5pp including festive refreshments, and can be pre-booked or bought at the door, first come first served.

For further information about the Concert and to purchase tickets, please call 01243 828555 or email fundraising@4sight.org.uk

The image shows the Chapel Choir at a previous Christmas Concert.

Home Bargains for Christmas

Home Bargain is well-geared up for Christmas. There are artificial Christmas trees, low-energy LED Christmas lights, Christmas decorations galore.

There are also a wide range of Christmas gifts for children, parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents and friends. Also Home Bargains is an ideal location to pick up some workplace Secret Santa gifts.

And do you have a pet in your family? Then Home Bargains is the place to sort out their Christmas presents, too.

Also it sells foodstuffs from tea to rice, Christmas goodies, cheese and a whole range of confectionary, besides.

Check out what is available and learn the location of your nearest branch or to buy online visit https://www.homebargains.co.uk.

World Cup fans swap traditional burgers and sausages for Christmas party food as they stock up for the tournament

World Cup footie fans are swapping their traditional burgers and sausages for tempura prawns and other Christmas party food to snack on during the four week soccer tournament.

Tesco is already seeing an earlier than normal high demand for its festive party food treats as a result of the tournament taking place in the winter and not, as usual, during the summer months.

The top five party food lines for the World Cup, based on early demand are:

Pigs In Blankets

Tempura prawns

Frozen Mozzarella Sticks

Chilled Mini Duck Spring Rolls

Chilled Cheese and Bacon Loaded Skins

Other predicted World Cup food and drink sales across the whole tournament include:

Christmas party food – Over 13 million packs

Nearly 8 million pizzas

Nearly 3.5 million pies

Nearly 2 million packs of peanuts

5 million bottles/cans/packs of beer

Over 16 million bottles of wine

8 million bottles of fizz

22 million packs of crisps

Tesco party food buyer Natalie Linden said: “In the past with World Cups taking place in June and July it’s always usually BBQ favourites such as burgers and sausages that top football fans’ shopping lists. 

“But with this tournament being nearer Christmas for the first time ever, it’s pigs in blankets and tempura prawns that are going to be the new hero foods.”

For Christmas, Treat Pub Lovers With the Perfect Gift

Looking for a Christmas gift idea for a small budget? 

CityStack is the perfect gift for pub lovers! Get a stack of beer mats for £20 and offer £100 worth of food & drinks at ten amazing independent pubs across London.

This pack offers ten money-saving beer mats, each giving £10 off a £20 spend at one of the ten pubs that are part of the collection: it's a total of £100 worth of food & drinks offered per pack! 

The deals are available on any item on the menu (food, drinks...) at any time, and you can redeem your beer mats up to December 2024. 

With this pack, you save money, you discover, and you support a selection of great independent pubs at the same time, it's a win-win! 

Using their advanced ranking model and visiting scores of venues, they have hand-picked some of the very best pubs with meticulous care. All have something particularly special to offer: craft beers, a hidden garden, an incredible menu or unique design. Whether you want to grab a seasonal brew or try genuine local ale, you'll know that when visiting a CityStack pub, you won't be disappointed.

A unique gift to support independent pubs

The decrease in revenues caused by Londoners' budgeting less towards going out, added to the increase of costs, results in a serious challenge to keep the hospitality businesses running. Not to mention the massive staff shortage disruptions.

While big chains may be well equipped to weather the current economic situation, it's much harder for independent businesses to keep their business afloat.

It is imperative that they keep supporting the independent businesses that make London tick! That's why they launched CityStack: to encourage people to go back to independent pubs!

They have limited stocks, get your pack now! If you plan to treat pub lovers for Christmas, don't wait and order it now to make sure you receive it on time for Christmas!

https://www.citystack.co

Sunday, 27 November 2022

Remember! With Christmas lights it's safety first, second and last

After 12 months packed away in the loft, Christmas lights can easily have become electrically unsafe.

To help prevent the most common electrical problems with Christmas lights, and to enjoy a safe and happy festive season, we recommend the following simple precautions and checks.

Electrical Safety First is the UKs leading electrical safety charity and they have issued Christmas lights safety guidelines: 

Always

read and follow manufacturers' instructions

Check your Christmas lights are undamaged and not broken before you use them use and watch outlook for loose wires

Only use replacement bulbs of the same type and rating as those originally supplied with the lights

Ensure all outdoor lights are connected using a 30mA RCD protected socket

Replace failed lamps immediately to prevent any risk of overheating

Make sure plugs and transformers are plugged in indoor outlets, even if the lighting is suitable for use outside

Switch your lights off and always unplug them before you go to bed or go out

Keep lights away from flammable decorations and materials that can burn easily

Never

Use lights outdoors unless they are specifically designed and rated for use outdoors

Connect different lighting sets together

Connect lights to the supply whilst still in the packaging

Remove or insert lamps while the chain is connected to the mains supply

Overload sockets, -try to avoid the use of extension leads or adaptors whenever practicable

Attempt to repair faulty lights. Always replace them

Use lights that are damaged or faulty

And That's Christmas joins Electrical Safety First in recommending the use of  LEDs over traditional filament Christmas lighting because:

They operate at extra-low voltage which significantly reduces the risk of electric shock.

They use much less power, generating little heat and so reducing the risk of fire and burn injuries, thus making them safer to use.

They are estimated to use 80-90% less electricity than filament lamps so are much cheaper to run and typically last up to 60 times longer, too.

They are more durable. Because LED lights are made of a special plastic and have no filament, there are no glass lamps to break.

They are a great deal more efficient to run and good at saving energy so are more environmentally friendly.

To learn more about electrical safety please visit https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk.

(Image courtesy of  Sergei Akulich and Pixabay) 

Make it a Voshie good Christmas this year with their online marketplace

Voshie is an online retailer that is dedicated to giving you the very best of independent businesses across the UK with a great variety of thousands of products, while being eminently affordable too.

Voshie was founded in 2019 by Faye who had a lightbulb moment whilst sat at her Northampton kitchen table! Over the past three years Voshie has come a long way and is continuing to develop and grow.

Faye's background was in online sales and she was becoming disillusioned and more than a little frustrated with the deductions of selling fees. Faye was still very passionate about selling online and keeping a strong presence, making a good profit was becoming harder and harder. Rather than struggle to work out selling fees, website costs and being left disappointed it made her realise there must be a more affordable way to sell online, which is when she launched Voshie.

With Voshie being remarkably cheaper than any website builder and with packages suitable for all budgets and business needs, Voshie makes selling online more profitable for you and your business. There are plenty of added features as a Voshie seller too.

Faye knows that footfall helps any business to make sales and that’s why Voshie advertises on and off social media. It's seen in magazine articles, Google ads, brochures or radio advertisements to showcase their retailers amazing products.

So, what's available on Voshie for people looking for Christmas gifts? There are retailers selling exclusive Christmas cards, Christmas clothing for adults and children, Christmas homeware, gifts for ladies, gifts for men, gifts for kids, gifts for pets, confectionary, personalised gifts and so much more, besides!

As well as Christmas-themed gifts there are small businesses selling a whole range of other products including bags, jewellery, candles, maternity wear, nightwear, etc, etc.

To check out their wide and growing online catalogue please visit https://www.voshie.com and take a look at their online marketplace.