September with Blooms

Blooms the florist in Weymouth Street, Warminster came along on September 5th to give the Wylye Valley Women group an introduction to creating your very own Autumn flower arrangement.

 

Gemma and Caroline created a beautiful display using Calla lilies,Naomi red roses,Mini sunflowers and Dahlias and a variety of floiage including Eucalyptus and Aspidistra leaves.  They also showed the group how to make a raffia bow and some of the tricks of the trade when it comes to wiring flowers.  The girls made it all look so easy and if you would like to do more please drop them and email bloomsflorist@live.co.uk and they will let you know when they are running their courses.

 

This lovely display worth £45 was then raffled off at the end of the evening and the lucky winner was Eileen Crosby.

Lebanese Cookery with Waafa

The Wi Lite ladies had a delectable evening with Waafa at the August meeting.  Waafa has spent many years in the Lebanon and is a skilled cook.  Lebanese cookery is very much mediterranean food with a touch of Turkish thrown in.  It is well known for their fresh tomato salads, fish and lamb dishes.

Waafa produced three relatively simple dishes which we could all be made easily at home.  The first was a tomato and onion salad, which was tossed in a generous amount of lemon juice and dressed with oil and seasoned with herbs.  The ladies learnt that if you salted the onions heavily and then squeezed out the excess water prior to adding to the salad it meant that the onions were far less pungent to eat and made a huge difference to the flavour.

The second dish was a cooked rice, lentil and rice dish - equally simple but suprisingly yummy.  And finally a desert which consisted of soft cheese, mozarella mixed with semolina and a homemade orange and rosewater syrup topped with clotted cream and pistachio nuts.

Mjadra 

Ingredients: for 4 people

200g green lentils

200g long grain rice, or bulgur wheat

2 onions

Salt

Olive oil or 20g butter

Recipe

cook lentils until soft for about 15 to 20 minutes then and the rice. Add the amount of water you normally add to cook the rice. Stir occasionally

While the rice is cooking, chop the onion and fry with the oil or butter till golden then add to the pot. Add salt

Leave to cook for few minutes till the water evaporates.

Serve with plain yogurt or tomato salad

Tomato salad:

4 tomatoes

1 medium onion

Fresh mint

Juice of one lemon or more to your liking,

Olive oil and salt

Chop tomatoes, onion and mint. Put in a salad bowl.

Add the lemon juice, olive oil and salt

Tip: to get rid of the sharpness of the onion, add salt on the chopped onion, crush with the knife few time and leave for few minutes. With your hand squeeze the juice of the onion and get rid of it, add onion to salad.

Halawet el jibin

2x 125g motzarella chopped and soaked in water over night. Change the water few times to get rid of the salt

200g soft cheese

200g semolina

Clotted cream

Syrup

Crushed pistachio

 Put semolina with cheese in a pan over very low heat.

With a musher mush all together adding bit of syrup at the time until all nicely combined.

While warm spread in a flat serving dish up to 1 cm thick. Leave to cool.

Spread clotted cream on top of semolina mix.

Scatter crushed pistachio and drizzle with little syrup before you serve.

Syrup:

In a small pan put 1 cup granulated sugar, add 1 cup cold water over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves, Add 2 Tbp lemon juice and stir until you get a syrup consistency.

To achieve the middle east flavor of syrup, add 1 Tbp rose water and I Tbp orange flower water, just before you switch off the heat.

Enjoy ( Sahten, as they say in Arabic)

Thank so much to Waafa for a great evening, she will also be running an Arabian night on the 10th November cost is £25 per head there will be an enchanting belly dance show and an evening of delicious Lebanese cuisine - for bookings please call 01225 355072

Wine tasting with Carol Whitehead

At the June meeting the ladies of WI lite were treated to an evening of wine tasting with the very knowledgeable wine guru Carol Whitehead.  Carol talked the group through a number of different wines including an English wine from the vineyard Chapel Down and wines from Argentina and Portugal. 

Carol explained how to measure the different qualities of the wines by studying the colour of the wine, checking it for clarity and of course a good sniff of the bouquet.  The tasting itself was good fun and we learnt about tasting out tannins in the wine, why you might drink organic wines and what makes some wines drier than others.  Carol also gave some insight as to what foods and dishes would work well with the various wines.

The group all agreed it was a very educational talk and very interesting to try something different to what they might drink at home.  All of the wines tasted are available to purchase at Waitrose in Warminster. 

May Review- Veggies from Heaven

This week we had a lovely evening cooking (and eating....AGAIN!). This time the spotlight was on delicious veggie food with Rachel Demuth and Helen Neal, from The Vegetarian Cookery School and Demuths Restaurant in Bath. There was an opportunity to buy their wonderful Green Seasons Cookbook at a special rate for members- they sold out! and they also ran a competition to join them for a day at the Cookery School. The lucky winner was Katie Lloyd . Enjoy your day! Thanks to all who came and if you didnt get the recipes on the night...here they are again.

Wild Garlic Pesto

Serves: 4-6

Dietary: Vegan

Ingredients:

50g pinenuts or almonds, toasted

75g hazelnuts, roasted, and skins rubbed off

175ml extra virgin olive oil

100g fresh very young tender garlic leaves or a mix with baby spinach leaves

2 tbsps lemon juice

1 tsp apple juice concentrate

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

In a food processor or in a pestle and mortar crush the pinenuts and hazelnuts roughly and then decant them into a bowl and set aside.

Puree the wild garlic leaves with a pinch of salt with the olive oil just enough to break up the wild garlic to a rough texture.

Add the lemon juice, and apple juice concentrate and mix.

Pour the wild garlic mixture into the crushed nuts and stir in.

Season to taste.

Serve with sourdough bread, as a pasta sauce, or as a dip for crudités.

Tips: The pesto will keep in the fridge for a week or two so long as the top is covered with a layer of olive oil. You can also freeze it. Freeze in small containers, so that you can take out a little at a time.

Delicious made with rocket, young spinach leaves, watercress or of course basil

Fatayer

Pea, Feta and Mint Crescents

Makes: 8

Ingredients:

Pastry

80ml plain yoghurt (dairy or soya)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 egg, beaten

40g butter or margarine, melted

200g plain white or brown flour

1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

Filling

250g frozen peas

3 spring onions, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

150g feta, crumbled

3 tbsps fresh mint, chopped

1 egg, beaten

freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 190C/Gas5.

Make the pastry. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, egg and melted butter. Sieve in the flour with the bicarbonate of soda and the salt. Mix together to make a soft smooth elastic dough. If too sticky add a little more flour. Leave the pastry to rest in the fridge while you make the filling.

Fry the spring onions in the olive oil until soft, add the peas and quickly stir-fry until the peas are bright green. Place the pea mixture into a bowl and leave to cool. When cool, stir in the feta, mint and half the beaten egg (reserve the rest of the egg for brushing the crescents) and season with black pepper.

To make the crescents, divide the dough into 8 and roll out into circles 12cms in diameter.

Share the filling out and place just off centre on the circle, folding over the dough to make a crescent shape, seal the edges by pressing around with your thumb.

Place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, brush with beaten egg and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden.

Best eaten warm.

Tips: try different fillings to suit the season, grated courgettes in the summer, roasted squash in the autumn or a spicy potato filling in winter. Spice it up with a chickpea, red pepper & chilli filling.

Lavash

Unleavened flat bread

Dietary: Vegan

Serves: 4, makes 8 Flat breads

Ingredients:

350g unbleached white bread flour

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

175ml warm water

Topping

a little water

sumac, sesame seeds to sprinkle (optional)

Method:

In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar and salt together, then add the melted butter or olive oil and warm water.  Mix by hand or in a Kenwood with a dough hook to a soft ball consistency, the dough should be soft but not too sticky, so add more flour if it is too wet. If it’s too dry add a little more water.

Turn onto a floured surface and kneed for 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

To knead the dough use the heel of your hand to gently push the dough away from you. At the same time, use your other hand to rotate the dough towards you, guiding it slowly around in a circle. Continue kneading for 5 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll them into smooth balls.

Lightly flour the work surface and flatten each one with the palm of your hand, sprinkle the dough with a light dusting of flour.  With a rolling pin roll out the dough thinly into a rough circle, until about 2-3mm thick.

Brush the surface with water and sprinkle over a pinch of sesame seeds and sumac onto each.

Pre-heat the oven to 260C or the hottest your oven will go up to.  Put a large baking tray or bread stone if you have one in the oven to heat up.  When the oven is up to temperature, slide the flat breads onto the hot baking tray and bake for 3-4 minutes.  Don’t open the oven while they are baking as it will stop them puffing up.  They should start puffing up after 1 ½ minutes, leave for 3 minutes for a softer bread, or an extra minute or two to get a browner crisper bread.

Put them on to wire racks to cool.

Forget Nut Cutlets.....

Set up by one of the country’s finest vegetarian chefs, Rachel Demuth’s cookery school has been spreading the word about vegetarian cuisine since 2001 and last year moved into purpose-built premises overlooking Bath Abbey. Situated in the elegant surrounding of a Georgian town house in North Parade Passage, Demuths has carved out a reputation for fine vegetarian dining, winning numerous awards, including most recently Best Vegetarian Restaurant by Gourmet Britain. And Rachel is coming to see us on May 2nd, 8pm, SV Village Hall. Interestingly enough, most of the students that pass through the cookery school are not veggies, so please bring all foodie friends.


May is also when we will vote on whether we agree with the WI's resolution for 2012:
namely:  "The NFWI calls on the Government to increase investment in the training, employment and retention of midwives in England and Wales to ensure services are adequately resourced and are able to
deliver a high standard of care."

White Chocolate & Raspberry Blondies

Heres Mel's prize winning twist on chocolate brownies- thanks for sharing Mel and congrats again!

Ingredients

• 150g white chocolate, broken up
• 200g unsalted butter, diced
• 3 large eggs
• 150g caster sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 200g plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 100g white chocolate, finely chopped
• 150g fresh raspberries

Instructions

1. Place the broken chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl, set the bowl over a pan of steaming water and melt gently, stirring frequently. Remove the bowl from the pan and set aside.
2. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until frothy. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and beat thoroughly until mousse-like in texture.
3. Whisk in the chocolate mixture.
4. Sift the flour and baking powder directly onto the mixture and fold in. Stir in the chopped chocolate.
5. Spoon into a prepared tin, spread evenly and level the surface. Scatter the fresh raspberries over the top.
6. Bake at 180ºC/350ºF for about 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out almost clean.
7. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin before cutting and removing. Store in an airtight container and eat within 2 days.

We Need Your Baking Skills Again Girls

We have been offered an opportunity to raise some much needed funds for our little ole WI. We've been asked to cater teas/coffees/cake etc at a local Salisbury Running Club event on the morning of Sunday 29 April at Langford Lake. We don't really need volunteers on the day as the committee have stepped up (unless you really want to? see Lyndsey) but we do need a lovely supply of goodies for the 200 runners, their families and 40 marshalls to buy. Wylye Women WI can keep all the proceeds! One or Two Hundred pounds in 2 hours would pay for three great speakers or a WOW Christmas party! And we are hoping to spread the word about our WI to more lovely ladies down the Wylye Valley.

So, please could you flick through your recipes and let Lyndsey know what you can provide. All donations will be gratefully received on Saturday 28th April, as we need to be there setting up by 8am on the Sunday. Thanks in advance for your support x

There is Such a Thing as Too Much Cake

I have just returned from The Wylye Women WI's third birthday party- and I feel a little bit sick!

As expected our members excelled themselves with their baked offerings. It was tough but I tasted every one - isnt it obligatory?! Our winner was Melanie Lee, with an amazing raspberry and white chocolate brownie- I am getting the recipe and will post it here asap. Mel was awarded with a prize kindly donated by Ali Brown, our local consultant for Pampered Chef.http://www.pamperedchef.biz/alibrown

We also had a Cupcake Decorating Masterclass with Juliet Hunt from Sweet Hearts http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweet-Hearts-by-Juliet/178537612200522

So there'll be no excuse for shop bought offerings next time the kids' school has a bake sale!

Next month we have a real treat- we have invited Rachel and Helen from the Cookery School at award winning Demuths Vegetarian Restaurant in Bath who will create some delicious veggie dishes for us to taste.... We do love a foodie meeting! All welcome 8pm at SV Hall on Wed 2nd May.

Happy Birthday to Us!

The Wylye Women WI is 3 in April and that means birthday cake! (and a drop of fizz!)

We know many of you are dab hands at the stove and so April is when we don our pinnies and bring along some of our best baked goodies. We will eat hunks of gateaux, swap recipes and vote for our favourite - it'll be tough but we'll taste every one!

Please bring along a plate of your most requested recipe or always successful cake/tart/biscuits etc.  for a bake off taste test extravaganza. Please also bring along a copy of the recipe so we can share our baking wisdom.  There will be a prize for the entry judged to be most popular on the night.

If you are not a baker this is the time to pick up some foolproof recipes- bring a notebook and pen!

And kitchen diva or not, we will all benefit from a Cupcake Decorating Masterclass with Juliet Hunt from Sweet Hearts http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweet-Hearts-by-Juliet/178537612200522

So there'll be no excuse for shop bought offerings next time the kids' school has a bake sale!

See you there!

March Meeting

Here is the result from our Bunting Workshop led by Gaynor from Millie Moon.  Our bunting will be proudly hung at WI events, high days and holidays - and a village fete near you! Worthy of the Queens own tea party, I'm sure you'll agree.

A Bunting We Will go

This Wednesday's event (8 pm: 7th March) will be led by Gaynor from Millie Moon in Frome, where these courses are extremly popular. In true eco-style this is a great opportunity to recycle any lovely cotton remnants you might have or be able to collect over the next few weeks.

We will be creating a Wylye Women WI Bunting that we can use at future events, high days and holidays. You will each make one pennant towards it, so please bring a good stash of cotton fabric (but not Velvet, Cord or thicker curtain fabrics please). The triangles measure 160cmx220cm. Willing sewers needed!

Once you have the skills you will be able to make your own at home. There will be bunting everywhere!

Please also bring along a sewing machine if you have one. If they can be set up to have white cotton and bobbins that would help, we will also need fabric scissors and pins and extension cables if you have. Thanks in advance.

March is also our AGM- This AGM is very important as we see our current President, Lyndsey and our Treasurer, Melissa, as well as several of the current committee step down from their roles after three years of service and an exciting new committee will be born!  So we need YOUR help now to keep this WI alive! If you think you might like to find out more, please mention it to the girls, have a chat over a cup of tea and find out that it really isn't a big ask. Committee meetings are usually held in member’s homes and are quite informal – so if you can ignore the dust, don’t mind sitting on the floor and enjoy a catch up with the girls (often with a glass of wine) you'll be very welcome!

The One With the Naked Man

The Wylye Women WI Lite Girls like to liven things up a bit, as well as teach our members new skills that they might not otherwise learn. So for our first meeting of the New Year we decided to have a go at Life Drawing, led by Wiltshire College Course Leader Andrea Wordsworth. It was the coldest night of the year, well below freezing but, dear Reader, if you want a sure fire way to get women away from the TV and the central heating on a winter's night, the answer is a naked soldier. The meeting was very well attended (!), our model was a real sport, and a great evening was had by all. It was tasteful and artistic- but also quite memorable and will most likely be a talking point for some time.



Our next meeting on Wednesday 7th March at 8 pm is a fabulous Bunting Workshop led by Gaynor from Millie Moon in Frome, where these courses are extremly popular. In true eco-style this is a great opportunity to recycle any lovely cotton remnants you might have or be able to collect over the next few weeks. With Easter, WI Lite's 3rd birthday, and a summer packed with Jubilee street parties, the Flower Show and Olympic-sized celebrations in the calendar, our colourful creations should hopefully have many outings in upcoming months. See you there x

Back 2 '52

On Monday 4th June As part of the Queens Diamond Jubilee celebration Sutton Veny aims to hold a 1950’s dance in the village hall, glitter ball and all.  Just like Strictly!! They hope to be able to organize some very basic dance lessons - prob on Tuesdays starting in March, so everyone can enjoy the occasion. Waltz, Quickstep, Foxtrot, Swing, old time Valeta, St Bernard’s waltz. Jiving was a little later than that but it was a fun dance so we shall have some of that. Boys and girls welcome and it's all free. Please let us know if you want to get involved.

Our first meeting of 2012

Life Drawing on the 1st of Feb ( THIS WEDNESDAY)- is turning into quite an event. I think we've discovered what gets you out of the house on a cold winters night! What a brave boy our model is...

Everyone is welcome....Free to members/£4 non members. We have bought some bubbly to help the event go with a swing and we have purchased a number of 3B pencils, cartridge paper and erasers (If you have some please bring along, you can also BYO wine- we have glasses). We are expecting quite a few visitors as well as our lovely members so please do drop me a line if you are coming, so we know numbers. Thanks!

And don't forget its time to renew your membership for 2012, and there's never been a better time to join, so please bring along your subs £31.50 on Wednesday, and you're in! 

Look What We Made

I know Christmas seems a long time ago now but I just wanted to show you the gorgeous wreaths our members made during our Annual Wreath Making Event in December. Sharing out our various bundles of greenery and making one enormous mess in the hall rather than at home is the only way to go!

The following week saw our Christmas Party- and we had an evening of laughs watching Chris Addison in standup in Salisbury and dinner at Wagamama's. Thanks for a fabulous night girls! xx

Samaritans Purse Shoebox Thank you

In December, Wendy Case and Judy Cooper took 29 boxes from the Wylye Women to the collection warehouse for the Samaritans Purse Shoebox Appeal. Last year 1.2 million shoeboxes filled with toys, clothes, stationery and sweets were sent from the UK; here's hoping the total has been bumped up this year. This is a fantastic response and added to a total of 68 from Sutton Veny the organisers were bowled over by the efforts of our little ol' WI. Thanks to all who got involved x