A warming winter soup

 Winter has suddenly arrived, we woke to falling snow. I love to take a snow walk around my local space  to enjoy the change the snow brings as the familiar looks different & it becomes very quiet too. 

It is soup weather - fortunately last night I did a large tray of roast vegetables - I cut a whole butternut in to slices, removed the pips from the section that had it & cut them slices in to blocks. I did not peel it because the skin is good fibre & it softens as it cooks. I cut up a whole white onion in to smallish bits, added it to the tray. I peeled 3 large carrots & cut these in half then in to chunks too. Drizzled it all with olive oil, sprinkled over sweet paprika (my favourite spice with oven veg), garlic & pepper. I covered it with foil & roasted it for about 40 min then uncovered it to caramelise the onion & veg. It was served hot alongside local sausages, mash & aubergine too. 

I knew I would have vegetables for soup  & another meal too (we love roast vegetables) so it is a good way to do it. 

This is how I turn it in to a quick & nutritious soup. 

I added 1 stock cube to boiling water in a pan, added a few heaped serving spoons of the roast veg. I brought it all to the boil, covered it while I made an open toasty to go with it. 

The small baguette was sliced in half, spread with tomato sauce that was seasoned with garlic & pepper, the sliced sausage arranged on top, then grated cheese to top it off & under the grill to bubble away. 

The soup was blitzed with a stick blender to a  smoothish consistency, a spoon of mascarpone cheese stirred through it then put in to bowls to enjoy. These soup bowls with lids keep the soup warm & they are a perfect size too. 

It was absolutely delicious & nutritious after our brisk walk in the snow. Winter is soup season, so enjoy. What is your favourite soup recipe? Please share, 

Dee 

#11 Circular Stitching - Wispy mists

Like many, I am not the best at completing long tasks & when I joined this year long challenge, I had my doubts if I would complete the 12 monthly tasks.  I was buoyed by the idea that each task is only given out at the start of the month & you have a whole month to complete - that made it less daunting. 

The format was uniform across the year - 6x6 inch squares with a 4inch circle that the work is done on.  A stiffening board is inserted in between the front & back layer to give it strength then the edges have to be finished in a sturdy blanket stitch. 

To keep me on track, I cut 13 identical fronts, backs & the stiffeners & placed them in a small plastic container along with the roll of thread I would use to blanket stitch each months work. That was the deciding factor for me because I could take out what I needed without having to go through the process of finding the same fabrics, cutting the 3 needed for each task each month. 

I decided to machine embroider the monthly name on black fabric & fabric glue it to the back of each one to remind me what the challenge was. That will be a good reminder down the line. 

Here are the previous monthly challenges:

1 - Snow blanket 

2 - Conceal & reveal 

3 - Renewal 

4 - New Life a New Life alternative 

5 - Blossom Time 

6 - From Source to sea 

7 - Radial Symmetry 

8 - Seed Dispersal 

9 - Seasonal Secrets 

10 - Fascinating Fungi 

11 - Wispy Mists 

The final one will be revealed in December then we will learn how we are presenting all 12 challenges. 

The wispy mist brief was to overlay a fine fabric over a landscape like trees to suggest the autumn mists. Paula offered several suggestions & having weekend visitors, I did not start it immediately. 

However, while on a walk around Stafford Castle on Saturday, an idea came to mind for the task - a path of autumn leaves with trees & suggestions of the green foliage too. 

I decided to do my 4 inch circle with free hand machine embroidery & after roughly drawing it on water soluble film, I did the image in several tones of each colour needed. That part is a little laborious because of the thread changes & rethreading the machine so often. 

I did some swirling grey misty shapes over the trees & then took it to the basin & dipped the film in it. 

It dissolves almost instantly leaving a good shape. However, I did not like the swirling mist embroidery over the trees - it was too distracting so I got out a little scissors & cut the threads loose. It was the last threads to go on so that was manageable but fiddly. It looked better without it. 

I put it on the front square then added a bit of green voile where the bushes would be & tacked the edges of the circle to the square. I covered the whole 6 inch square with a fine voile I had, pinned it then machined the edges like the previous ones.  The linen I used for the  fronts frays & isn't secure enough for the blanket stitching so a line of machine stitching gives support to the edges. 

It was then  blanket stitched in the same thread as the others. 

I felt it had lost its definition with the wispy mist overlay so when I came back to it a day later, I decided to put tiny stitches around the edges of the tree shapes to give them definition & it definitely did. 

Some soft wool was couched around the circular edges to finish it off as swirling mists & it is ready for the machine name to go on the back. 

I am pleased that my interpretation worked - this stitching challenge has encouraged us to think out of the box - it is suggestive rather than prescriptive which is so creative. 

Just one more challenge, I look forward to it. 

Thank you for stopping by, taking the time to read, share or comment. It is much appreciated. 

Dee 🪡🧵📍🌳

Drinking in the history of Shrewsbury's pubs ...

A recent newspaper article debunked the myths of many pubs nationally claiming great age to them. 

Our county town of Shrewsbury was used to film Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol in 1984 & has several pubs / inns with the age noted (as is common) and the Henry Tudor Inn gets a mention. I walk past it often on my trips so read the note with interest. 

The article (from a book) says that the claim on the front of the Henry Tudor Inn that it was established i 1429 is actually true. The timbers have been carbon-dated to 1426 - how fascinating is that to have been serving drinks for 600 years. 

THE CLAIM – DATES BACK TO 1429

Owner Joule’s Brewery claims that the pub has ‘carbon-dated origins from 1429’.

IS IT TRUE? Yes it is.

James writes: ‘The front range of the property has been tree-ring dated to 1430-31 and was probably built as a mixed-purpose commercial enterprise – including a brewhouse and taproom - for the Shrewsbury MP Hugh Wygan.

‘The southern range, where the present bar is located, has a slightly earlier felling date of 1426.’

I have not been in the pub but I might be tempted on my next visit to pop in. 

The Henry Tudor Inn is next door to The Lion Hotel which is famous for its connection to Charles Darwin. Its website shares this info

 “For most travellers, The Lion Hotel is the end of their journey as they arrive in Shrewsbury for a short break to explore this historic town. However, for one intrepid traveller, The Lion Hotel was the start of an epic adventure. Twenty-two-year-old Charles Darwin departed the hotel in haste on Monday, September 5, 1831, by stagecoach to London on his way to join HMS Beagle for a five-year trip, which would end with him writing his controversial book on evolution, The Origin of Species”. – John Butterworth, ‘Four Centuries at The Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury’.

What fascinating times these must have been. This guide mentions some of Shrewsbury's old pubs

Just over the road from the above two Inns is The Nag's Head , a 14th Century Historic Pub

The Nag's Head

One of Shrewsbury's best-known pubs, The Nags Head dates back to the 16th century. Whilst the building is a classic Tudor timber frame, the front is now hidden behind a stucco facade. The unique side-opening sash windows that grace the front elevation are sandwiched between carved beams, considered to be the finest examples of Tudor carving in Shrewsbury.

Attached to the rear of the pub are the remains of Nags Head House, which dates back to the late medieval period. This structure was moved here in the 1950s.

Some may recognise Nags Head House from A Christmas Carol (1984) which was filmed here in Shrewsbury. It is, according to Scrooge, the “foulest part of the town” and is where the ghost of Christmas Future brings him to watch as his belongings are sold.

I have not visited The Nag's Head either. 

Higher  up in town there is The Loggerheads circa 1665, used as a pub from 1780.

I hope you have found this as interesting as I have,  our county town, nestled in the loop of the Severn River is always interesting. 

Thank you for stopping by & taking the time to share or comment; it is appreciated. 

Dee 🏯🏨🍂

I go to feed my soul ...

I go to lose my mind & feed my soul 

This well known quote describes how I live my life - I need spaces that feed my soul & am happy to seek them out on my own because I enjoy quiet & solitude. 

Solitude is when your inner voice speaks to you, how you ground yourself. 

You are familiar with my favourite local abbey Ruins - there is something there that draws me to it & I visit often when I need space. 

However, the gate is now shut for winter so a walk is needed to it & having the wrong shoes with me for the muddy road, on a whim I decided to visit Buildwas Abbey which is a mere 15 minutes away. 

The joy of driving in to the parking & being the only car & person there - absolute bliss. 

These places take on a different atmosphere when quiet; they almost resonate with their spiritual past & this is what feeds the soul. 

I have visited Buildwas Abbey less than a handful of times only, even though it is not far. This is a comprehensive history of this fascinating space, dating right back to the early 1100's. 

It was a Cistercian abbey with a 12th century church and an original Chapter House with interesting tiles on the floor. 

The tiles are small with many patterns & varied markings. If they could only speak & tell us of the interesting lives who have walked over them for centuries ... 

The vaulted ceilings on these side rooms are impressive but I always find the dark ones a little off putting. 

The River Severn is very close by & that would have supplied the Abbey with all their needs. 

I am glad I stopped off on a whim & even more pleased that I had the space entirely to myself, except for some squirrels who were darting about in the Autumn foliage. 

I hope you have enjoyed this return visit with me, thank you for stopping by, 

Dee 

Infused date & banana loaf on a damp autumn morning ...

 I think we all have times when we look at the fruit bowl & think; how did the bananas go soft so quickly? 

Today was such a morning & as I picked up the last 3 bananas, I thought - I have everything in so waste not & turn them in to a banana loaf. This is a recipe I bake regularly with variations including with cranberries

My store cupboards usually contain everything needed for these impromptu baking times, as well as some extras.  Everyone likes a homemade treat so I took out some dates, desiccated coconut & even a shake of chocolate bits that usually end up in cookies. 

This is my tried & trusty recipe that I often double to make a loaf & some muffins, today just a loaf.  I used a paper lined loaf tin. 

Infused date & banana loaf

The dates felt a bit underwhelming so I cut up about 100g & put them to soak in a warm Earl Grey / Rooibos (Red Bush) tea mixture to just cover them & plump them up again while I made up the rest of the mixture.

Preheat the oven to 175C (for a fan oven)

Ingredients

130g butter 

150g dark brown sugar

2 medium eggs

3 large ripe bananas, mashed

240g self raising flour & 1 tablespoon baking powder 

1 tsp of any spices you like - mixed spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger etc 

1 tsp vanilla extract. 

Line a loaf tin with lining paper or grease & flour a loaf tin. 

Cream the butter & sugar until pale  & fluffy.

Add the eggs to the mixture, along with a bit of the flour to stop the mixture curdling. 

Add the mashed bananas & the drained chopped dates & mix well. Sift in the flour, baking powder, spices, vanilla extract & mix in well. 

Pour in to the loaf tin or lined, deep muffin tins & bake in the middle of the oven for about 50-60 minutes or until a knife comes out clean from testing. 

Cool on a cake rack & enjoy with a hot cuppa. It  can be eaten as is or lightly buttered. 

The house smelt absolutely wonderful with the spices & a hint of the tea infusion (you can naturally skip this step if you don’t like infused fruit) 

Do let me know if you make it or what variations you prefer.

Thank you for stopping by, liking, sharing or commenting. 

Dee 👩‍🍳🍪🍞🍌