Sunday, August 30, 2015
Mince Meat, Christmas Pudding and other things British
I know this is a stretch, but just in case I have any British readers...
My wife and I are considering a vacation to England next year. We will likely be using our timeshare to trade into something there so where we go will likely be limited to a few major cities. That doesn't mean we will be stuck there. We may rent a car or use public transportation to get out of whatever city we are staying in.
So my question for any British readers, imagine you have friends coming to visit from another country. You have a week or two paid leave to take them around to see the sights, and they are relying upon you to selected what they will see. Where do you take them and what do they do?
And now for the cooking portion of the post. Last year I made Mince meat for the first time in many years. I have long lost my grandmother's recipe, but I managed to locate something that looked very much like the one she used. Following my grandmother's (and the recipe's) practice, I combined the ingredients, including the suet, and placed the mixture in clean jars in the refrigerator for a few months before making the pies.
Other recipes I have seen cook some or all of the ingredients. Can anyone enlighten me on this? Is cooking mandatory, optional, heretical?
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Hi
ReplyDeleteIf you are coming to the UK and you only have two weeks then there is a limit to what you can get to see but to get a cross section of the country I would suggest:
London for all the sights - The Tower, The Houses of Parliament, the amazing museums - my particular favourite is the V&A, a trip on the river - a tip for that is to use the river bus rather than the guided tour as it is significantly cheaper, but you don't get the commentary. You could take in a West End show too and visit Covent Garden for independent stalls with all manner of things for sale and many excellent street performers.
Out of London, Stratford upon Avon is interesting. If you are going further afield then a trip to Edinburgh is worthwhile. York is another beautiful and interesting place to visit.
If you are interested in history then the Richard III exhibition in Leicester is also worth a visit - his bones were recently dug up out of car park in the City and reburied in the cathedral. Leicester is a very multi-cultural city with the Golden Mile worth a look for all the Indian clothes and jewellery shops.
And now cooking: I have made both cooked and uncooked mincemeat for mince pies. I prefer uncooked. It lasts for months in the 'fridge. My daughter was vegetarian for many years so I have used both vegetable and beef suet to make it. Both taste great. Traditionally in our household I prepare the mincemeat and Christmas Puddings at the beginning of the mid-term school break in October. The fruit is soaked in alcohol on the first Saturday and the mincemeat and christmas puddings are made on the second Saturday. They are then put away to mature until they are required in December. I top the christmas puddings with a drop more alcohol nearer eating to ensure they are moist.
If you want to see my recipe for either then drop me a line chatrinao@gmail.com and I'll send them over. You can't have christmas without some lovely home made mince pies or pudding!
Look forward to hearing about your trip to the UK.
C