The Garden Of all The Senses

With Spring not so far away Sharon has had an idea for a Garden of All The Senses that would give blind and other disabled people an opportunity to enjoy the pleasures of the garden.

“Before I went blind and then had my stroke I was a very keen gardener and loved bringing things on from little iddy-biddy things to fully-fledged plants, especially herbs.

“My idea for a Garden of All the Senses is so that those people who cannot garden themselves because of their disabilities can come to the garden and enjoy smelling strongly perfumed herbs and flowers and seeing bright patches of colour even if they are blind or have low vision. I think it would be a perfect opportunity for immense pleasure in people who have difficulty with more traditional gardens.

“I think it will probably be temporary during the summer months and feature mainly potted plants that can be moved. I would like people to lend plants for display that they think might be suitable and, of course, they can have them back afterwards.”

Sharon knows that other sensory gardens have been established around the country but hasn't heard of any near her home in Wigtown, Dumfries and Galloway. She would like to hear from anyone with ideas and suggestions.

She has put the idea to a group and it is currently being considered by various people.

“I think it would be lovely to have it in the public garden in the middle of Wigtown,” she said. “There is plenty of parking, it is all on the level and ideal for the disabled,” said Sharon.

www.sharonskitchenworld.blogspot.com

***

Souper time for Sharon

At this time of year with the continuing freezing weather people have been turning to soup for warmth and comfort.

Sharon enjoyed a visit to Wigtown's County Buildings for a soup lunch organised to raise money for the Guides and Brownies. The place was packed and there were all sorts of soups on offer. She chose Italian courgette soup, served with proper fresh bread and butter and said it was: “Creamy, tasty, and delicious. So warm and filling.” After the soup the sweet treats arrived, with “proper-sized” cups of tea. She enjoyed the chocolate shortbread and the Malteser squares, an open-topped mini mince pie, and other temptations.

Sharon is not the only one enjoying soup at the moment. Heinz has announced that soup sales have soared during the big freeze. In January, it sold 57.3 million tins of tomato soup, a 23 per cent rise on the same period last year. Households stocked up nine Olympic swimming pools worth of tinned soup.

Lentil soup is always a good standby for a warming boost.

Take a couple of handfuls of small red lentils and rinse them in a strainer. Chop a large onion finely and soften it in a little oil or butter with a couple of rashers of bacon chopped finely. Then add the lentils to the pan with the onion and bacon, add some stock (use a stock cube), salt and pepper and a scattering of herbs if you like. Simmer until the lentils are soft. A can of tomatoes or a squirt of tomato puree can be added during cooking.

www.sharonskitchenworld.blogspot.com

***

Try a recipe for real haggis

Scotland's national dish is, of course, the haggis. Our local supermarket even sells a frozen haggis pizza.

If you would enjoy making your own traditional haggis, here is a recipe from an 1847 cookbook:

Sheep's Haggis. The principal national dish of Scotland is the Haggis, of which there are two kinds, sheep and lamb. We believe that the following is the best receipt that has been published for making a genuine Scotch haggis.

Procure the large stomach bag of a sheep, also one of the smaller bags called the “king's hood,” together with the pluck (the lights [lungs], liver and heart). The bags must be well washed first in cold water, then plunged in boiling water, and scraped. Great care must be taken of the large bag; let it lie and soak in cold water, with a little salt, all night.

Wash also the pluck. You will now boil the small bag alone with the pluck; in boiling, leave the windpipe attached, and let the end of it hang over the edge of the pot, so that impurities may pass freely out. Boil for one hour and a half, and take the whole from the pot. When cold, cut away the windpipe, and any bits of skin or gristle that seem improper.

Grate the quarter of the liver (not using the remainder for the haggis) and mince the heart, lights, and small bag, very small, along with half a pound of beef suet. Mix all this mince with two small tea-cupfuls of oatmeal, previously dried before the fire, black and Jamaica pepper, and salt; also add half a pint of the liquor in which the pluck was boiled, or beef gravy. Stir all together into a consistency.

Then take the large bag, which has been thoroughly cleansed, and put the mince into it. Fill it only a little more than half full, in order to leave room for the meal and meat to expand. If crammed too full, it will burst in boiling. Sew up the bag with a needle and thread. The haggis is now complete.

Put it in a pot with boiling water, and prick it occasionally, as it swells, to allow the air to escape. If the bag appears thin, tie a cloth outside the skin. There should be a plate placed beneath it, to prevent its sticking to the bottom of the pot. Boil it for three hours.

It is served on a dish without garnish and requires no gravy, as it is sufficiently rich in itself.

From: A Household Book of Practical Receipts, by Susannah Frances Reynolds and William E. Hall, London, 1847.

www.sharonskitchenworld.blogspot.com

***

Sharon at the market

Sharon went to the market this morning at the County Buildings, Wigtown. In the summer the stalls are set up outside but at this chilly time of the year things move inside.

First stop was the cake stall where Sharon was keen to select something to keep her going over the next few days. Cheerful baking expert Katie was happy to explain that the moist lemon-iced cake studded with walnuts was carrot cake and Sharon quickly snapped it up. Beetroot cake had also been available earlier but we were too late for this as customers had bought them all. On asking what “Border Tart” was Katie explained that it was a very sweet traditional Scottish favourite. Some people say it is like an Ecclesfachan tart but others disagree with this. As we have never tasted either this is a debate we could not enter into. The ingredients are lots of mixed dried fruit butter and egg in pastry and a Border Tart was quickly added to the shopping bag (see picture).

Katie comes from a long line of bakers and cooks and her great grandfather, whose surname was Brodie, worked long ago in North Berwick, East Lothian. So famous were his skills that he was charged with the important duty of cooking the king's Christmas pudding. The king did not like candied peel so the pudding was made without it. We made a mental note to buy our Christmas pudding from Katie later this year.

Next stop was a stall run by a very friendly lady who had a range of spices. Sharon's stroke has made her mouth very sensitive and so she can't enjoy curries as she used to. But the lady recommended a gentle tandoori masala powder. All you have to do is to mix a little with some plain fresh yoghurt and marinate chicken fillets before putting into a tray and baking in the oven. Serve with boiled rice. A packet went into the shopping bag.

Next stop was the book stall where a copy of “Old England At Play,” by Lynette Feasey was picked up. This was published in 1943 and it is a collection of traditional town festival plays, such as the Coventry Nativity Play, the Play of the Yorkshire Shepherds, the Play of Noah's Ark, St George and the Dragon and Punch and Judy. The bookstall lady said: “I knew someone would buy that one day.”

At the vegetable and freshly-baked bread stall Sharon bought a large parsnip and a nutty multi-grain loaf.

Moving on we came to the stall of Barlochan Highland Beef where Sharon had a long chat with Nigel Taylor, who, with his wife Angela, raises the long-haired long horned cattle at their farm near Castle Douglas. Nigel's enthusiasm was infectious. Three calves have recently been born. Two of the mothers take little interest in their offspring but the third is a really good mum. However, her calf keeps wandering off with the other two youngsters to play, leaving his mum looking everywhere for him.

Nigel and Angela also raise lambs and sheep and it was a real treat to see that he had mutton on sale. This rich meat, from sheep more than 24-months old, was once a mainstay of the British diet but it has almost disappeared being displaced by lamb. Mutton is delicious and rich and Sharon bought a pack of diced mutton which will be cooked in Guinness in the slow cooker. A real treat ahead. Sharon has even been invited to visit the farm and said she would love to do so once the weather is a bit warmer.

Sharon said: “The Border Tart was delicious. There was a layer of something like toffee on top of the pastry base which obviously helped to make the fruit juicy. It was very sweet and it was perfect to go with my afternoon cup of tea.”

***

Haggis treat for vegetarians

Scotland is famed for its haggis and there are haggis-flavoured crisps and even haggis pizza to tempt gourmets.

Haggis is actually a sheep's stomach stuffed with sheep's offal, such as the heart and lungs, and it is Scotland's national dish, often eaten with a wee dram or two of the national drink – whisky.

But vegetarians can feel a bit left out and so here is a recipe for vegetarian haggis.

Half a pound of flour
Half a pound of breadcrumbs
Six ounces of butter
One chopped onion
A cup of oatmeal
Half a cup of cooked lentils
Two eggs
Vegetable stock.

Put the butter in a pan and melt it before adding the other ingredients and stirring together with a bit of stock to moisten. Add salt and pepper. Tie up in a cloth and simmer in a covered pan for about three hours.

***

A very brave flower

One of the most beautiful sights at the end of winter are the carpets of snowdrops that are everywhere in the woods and gardens of Galloway.

These snowdrops were spotted at the Kirroughtree Hotel, near Newton Stewart. Sharon says: "They are very brave for such tiny, delicate looking flowers."

Snowdrops are native across a wide area of Europe but they were introduced to Britain. Popular legend has it that they were brought by the Romans but experts say that they probably arrived in the 16th century. Whenever they came, they are now a much-loved small part of the winter landscape.

***

Warming Clootie Dumpling

As the snow fell outside, Sharon enjoyed a quiz at a local cafe in her new home of Wigtown. The answers weren't all right but that doesn't matter as she had a good chat with Nina who has lived in the town for many years.

Nina gave Sharon the recipe for a traditional Scots dessert - Clootie Dumpling. Nina has been making this for more than half a century and the recipe was given to her by her big sister.

Ingredients

half a pound of self-raising flour
half a pound of breadcrumbs
half a pound of Atora suet
one cup of currants
one cup of raisins
one cup of sultanas
one teaspooon of mixed spice
one teaspoon of cinnamon
one teaspooon of powdered giner
one tablespoon of Golden Syrup
one egg
milk to mix

Mix all the ingredients together in a big bowl. Put a clean cloth into boiling water and then wring it out. Then scatter flour into the cloth before putting in the mix and tieing up the top. Put a plate on the bottom of a big pan, fill with water and bring to the boil. Then boil for three hours, topping up the water as necessary.

Nina said that the clootie dumpling is deliciious eaten either hot or cold and it can be served with custard or cream. Nina and her husband used to raise cattle on a smallholding and clootie dumpling provided plenty of energy for the hard work.

Sharon says: "An honest to goodness rib sticking treat in this snowy, cold, weather. It's nice to know that the traditional Scottish recipes are still being used and passed down to the next generations."