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POWER CUTS SUNDAY 21ST MARCH
I'm so sorry for the customers who came in for their Sunday breakfast, only to smell the bacon cooking and POW, powercut. No electricity to operate the extractor which makes the gas work to finish cooking the bacon. DISASTER. We are fortunate to have a glass roof, so we can at least see what we suddenly can't do. No hot drinks, no hot food, no card machine. Still in the usual Burdfield way, we managed to produce sandwiches and salads for those wanting lunch, washed down with beer or wine or water. We were able to serve customers with bread and milk and vegetables from the shop. The tills weren't working, but those of us who can add up, did.
The electricity did come back on just as we were closing the shop at 4 o'clock only to go off again a couple of times during the night apparently. Next day a large hole appeared outside the China Brasserie, so let's hope something is going to be done!
LUNCH TIME MENU
For those of you who have tried our Lamb Shanks and BBQ Pork Ribs, you'll know how our menu has developed. Steak & Kidney Puddings, Home made Lasagne, Chilli, Macaroni Cheese and Moussaka are still the all time favourites, but we are always looking to develop the menu more. Our home made soup with a roll for just £3.50 is also very popular. The aforementioned main courses are just £6.95, all served with freshly cooked vegetables from the shop, and the deserts are just £3.25. There have been some lovely home made scones, cakes, and, of course, the bread pudding, in the cake fridge, as a welcome new addition.
We'll always have the good old sandwiches, jacket potatoes, toasties, salads and breakfasts, if it's a quick lunch you're looking for.
THE VILLAGE MARKET: THURSDAY, 18TH MARCH, 2010
What a fantastic day, weather wise, for the village market. Such a shame more stall holders couldn't come. Never mind, we had Carol, with her hand made jewellery in the shop and Cathy with her amazing scarves and necklaces outside next to Kay with her home made Gluten Free Cakes and yummy bread. Gemma was there too displaying her amazing items made from wood from local woodland. Her coffee table and benches were absolutely amazing. Hopefully they will all be here at the next market on 15th April. So, if you missed them, do pop along on the 15th and have a look. Some of Cathy's scarves are usually £45 in the shops, and she sells them for just £12! Bargain!
This has now been changed from 3rd Wednesday of every month to 3rd Thursday of every month, so our next market is to be on 18th March, outside the shop in the Library Car Park from 9 am until about 2 pm - weather willing. If it is dreadful weather, then it will probably be held inside in the shop. We'll have our fresh delivery of veg and fruit and Rex the Fish man will be here. Justin should be here sampling his home made sausages. The scarf lady, Cathy, hopes to be here as well as a chap who sells olives and sun dried tomatoes.
HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE BILLY BAKE A CAKE COMPETITION?
To be held on 20th March, in the Six Bells Pub at 3 o'clock. We've entered Tina's bread pudding, so if you think you can beat us, why not enter something you can bake.
Then on GOOD FRIDAY, 2ND APRIL, the Ferraris will be back. Let's hope it doesn't rain like last year. They should all be with us at about 11 o'clock. Last year I counted 28 red ones and 1 blue one. All parked outside the shop.
BURDFIELDS RECIPE EXCHANGE
With so many of you coming in and discussing your favourite recipes, and the great idea the Hairy Bikers have with their "Mum knows best" programme, I thought it would make a great fund raising event if we all wrote out our favourite recipes, whether they be our own or our great grandmothers, and on a given date, bring them in and exchange them, for a small sum, say 50p to go to a local Charity, such as Chestnut Tree House.
Let me know what you think.
FEBRUARY, 2010
Last month we must have sold about 200Kg of Organic Seville Oranges to all the great marmalade makers of Billingshurst. We still have about another 30Kg, but that will be the end of them for this year. We still have pickling onions, pickling vinegar and pickling spices.
I hope everyone enjoyed their Valentine's Day. We now have Pancake Day to look forward to on Tuesday and then, of course, Lent. Mothering Sunday during March and then 2nd April will be Good Friday. So, I have a lovely recipe for Simnel Cake (see below). All the ingredients, especially the marzipan, are in the shop.
The Herbs and Spices rack is getting bigger and just when I thought I had everything, someone comes in and asks for something I haven't in stock. The wholefoods are popular too, so we intend to increase the range there too. Please let us know if you want anything in particular and what quantity you would like to buy it in. We can do anything from 5g to 25 Kg.
Mothering Sunday and Easter
Mothering Sunday was traditionally the only day in the year when servant girls could take the day off to visit their mothers.
Easter, which falls between March 22 and April 25, is the most Holy festival in the Christian year, although many of its customs are pagan in origin.
The custom of exchanging eggs goes back to pre-Christian times when eggs, as a token of new birth/new life, were exchanged at the Spring festivals. These were usually hard boiled eggs which had been decorated with food colourings. Of course, in modern times, we have swapped the traditional poultry egg for the large chocolate egg.
SIMNEL CAKE
A dense, rich confection of dried fruit and spices which was traditionally served by servant girls for Mothering Sunday, but is now baked for Easter in England. The eleven balls represent Jesus’ faithful Aposltles, excluding Judas. This Easter-tide cake keeps well and is best made about six weeks ahead.
4oz(110g) butter, softened
2½oz(70g) demerara sugar
3 free range eggs
6oz(170g) fine wholemeal flour
Pinch of salt
1 tsp ground mixed spice
½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp lemon juice and/or orange juice
Grated zest of ½ lemon & ½ orange.
8oz(220g) Mixed Vine Fruit
For the topping and middle: Marzipan
and, if necessary,
apricot preserve
can be used to help stick the marzipan to the cake.
Method:
1. Grease and line 8” (20½ cm) cake tin and preheat the oven to: 170oC/325oF/Mark 3.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together, and beat in the eggs, one at a time, until light and fluffy.
3. Sift the dry ingredients together and fold into the mixture.
4. Stir in the dried fruit, lemon juice and zest, and mix thoroughly but gently. (If necessary, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk).
5. Pour half the mixture into the prepared cake tin.
6. Roll out slightly less than half the marzipan, and cut out a circle 6½” (16½ cm) diameter and about ¼” (½ cm) thick. Place in the cake tin, pressing down lightly.
7. Spoon on the rest of the cake mixture, smooth the top of the cake and make a slight depression in the centre so that the cake will bake flat.
8. Bake in the centre of the oven for 1½ – 2 hours, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
9. Allow the cake to cool in the tin before removing it to decorate it.
10. Roll out the rest of the marzipan and cover the surface of the cake with it so that it overlaps about ½” (1 cm).
11. with the trimmings, make suitable decorations: eleven small balls to represent the eleven faithful Apostles, eggs, nests, chickens, whatever you think suitable.
12. Brush the top of the cake with the remaining beaten egg and put under a hot grill for 8-10 minutes to glaze, take care not to let the surface burn.
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