December 6th - Gluten Free Chocolate Brownie

You’ll need -

• 125g butter
• 1 c sugar
• 1/3 c cocoa
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 3/4 c rice flour
• 1/4 c cornflour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 c chocolate pieces - dark

How to -

• Melt butter, whisk in cocoa and vanilla.
• Add sugar and eggs gradually, alternating and mixing between additions.
• Sift the dry ingredients together and mix in with the chocolate chunks.
• Bake at 160degC for 45 minutes.
• Needs to cool before cutting and eating!

  December 5th - Broadbean dip

Pod broadbeans until you  have half a large bowlful and cook them in lightly salted water. Drain and cool a bit, then gently squeeze the tender bean halves out of their grey outer - usually a small split appears in the outer when cooked so this is easier than it sounds. Put the bright green bean bits into a food processor with 3 cloves of garlic, a fistful of fresh mint leaves, a pinch of salt, the juice of a lemon and a drizzle of olive oil. Blitz til smooth. If it’s too thick loosen up with a little water or oil. Check for seasoning and add more salt and some pepper as needed. This is fresh (mint) and super tasty!

    December 4th - Rose Champagne

I went to make this and dragged out a lovely 5 litre drink dispenser with a big cork - perfect! Broke it on the side of the sink as i was cleaning it, so now i am using a  large stockpot. It's important for this and the ginger beer to use non-reactive containers - glass or stainless steel are a good shout. 

You’ll need -

• 1 kg rhubarb, chopped finely
• 3 c sugar
• 4.8 litres of water - some boiled
• 2 lemons
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cider vinegar

Dissolve the sugar in boiling water then add the rest of the water. Leave to cool. Juice the lemons and chop the rinds small

Add rhubarb, lemon and cider vinegar to cooled syrup, cover and leave for 48 hours.

Strain and bottle. Leave somewhere cool and dark for 2-3 weeks.

  December 3rd - Satay tofu sticks 

Catering for vegetarian or vegan visitors doesn't have to be a problem! These satay sticks are so good and will genuinely only take you 15 minutes to make.

You'll need -

  December 2nd- Jelly Oranges   

I asked a team member about family Christmas traditions, and he said in his family they always have jelly oranges. This is what they look like on the inside... Cut oranges in half cross section, scoop out the flesh, fill with jelly and set til firm. Cut carefully into wedges - sharp knife and care required. So much fun! 

.    December 1st - Start a gingerbeer bug 

WHY start a gingerbeer bug?

One bug will make about 3-4 litres of gingerbeer a week. It’s lemony, fizzy, gingery, refreshing, no alcohol and very cheap to make. Someone else can be given the job of feeding the bug each day (think of it as training for pet ownership). In a week you'll bottle the first batch, and then in another few days to a week you can drink it...

HOW to start a gingerbeer bug -

• Get a medium sized jar (a big coffee jar or an old preserving jar, a gherkin jar - you get the idea)
• Add 300 ml warm water and 1 Tbsp of sugar, stir to dissolve the sugar.
• Add 2 tsp of dried yeast, stir and leave til it’s foamy
• Add 1 dsp of sugar and 1 dsp of ground ginger - if you put the ginger in first the weight of the sugar will carry both to the bottom where the bug is forming.
• That’s it. Every day for the first week feed it 2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp of ginger
• From then on just 1 tsp each sugar and ginger

The paper towel hat is to allow the bug to breathe while keeping fruit flies out... The other thing you need to do is build up a stash of empty fizzy drink plastic bottles, 1.25 or 1.5 litre. Ask your friends (in exchange for a returned one full of gingerbeer?)

Instructions on making up a batch will come later this week!

(Pro tip - my daughter alternates fresh minced ginger and ground ginger for daily feeding…)

December can be stressful... or it can be fun (and still a bit stressful). The little Nativity scene here was gifted to me by my first music teacher, and it's older than i am. She and her sister did a tour of Europe in 1960, and happened to be at Oberammergau when the Passion Play was being performed. This little nativity is made from woods native to the area around Oberammergau, and they brought it back with them.Treasure.