Month: February 2021

Sorrento Chicken

Sorrento Chicken

3tbsp olive oil

2 onions sliced

125g pancetta or streaky bacon, sliced

1 large clove of garlic, crushed and chopped

8 chicken thighs, boned and skin on

2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned

1tsp smoked paprika

300ml chicken stock, [OXO]

400g can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

400g can chopped tomatoes

1 sprig of thyme, leaves only, finely chopped

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan. Add the onions and pancetta and fry for about 7 mins until golden in colour. Add the garlic for the final min of cooking. Remove everything and set aside. Toss the chicken in the flour, use a freezer bag to toss the chicken and flour together. Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the paprika and chicken, and fry over a medium heat until evenly browned. return the onions, pancetta, and garlic to the pan. Add the stock, beans, toma-toes, thyme, and season well. Stir to combine. Bring to the boil, cover, and simmer for about 25 mins un-til the chicken is tender Stir so it does not stick. Re-move the lid and simmer for a further 5 – 10 mins to thicken the sauce.

Serve with fresh crusty garlic bread and green vegetables.

 

 

Clementine Pork Steaks


Clementine Pork Steaks

2 tbsp sunflower oil

4 lean pork steaks, about 100/110g each

250g small button mushrooms, sliced in half.

2 tsp paprika or smoked paprika.

2 tbsp redcurrant jelly

50ml clementine juice [from about 2 clementines]

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan, add the pork steaks and fry quickly until browned on both sides, [the steaks will be under done at this point]. Remove from the pan and set aside, add the remaining oil, then fry the mushrooms until softened. Return the pork to the pan, sprinkle in the paprika and stir in the redcurrant jelly, clementine juice and the red wine vinegar. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the jelly. Simmer for about 5 – 10 mins turning the pork halfway through until the meat and mushrooms are tender. Serve with boiled new potatoes and tender stem broccoli.

 

 

Gardening Advice for March

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Gardening Advice for March

Pam Owens of Hopkinstown gardens, Carmarthen, offers her tips for March.

  1. Start mowing if the ground is dry enough.
  2. Enjoy the early Spring bulbs.
  3. Put new batteries in your torch and get out after dark to catch those slugs.
  4. As soon as daffs start to go over remove the seed head to allow the plant to concentrate on feeding the bulb.
  5. Weed those borders to give yourself a head start.

Julie the village hairdresser on garden problems.

  1. Hair clippings put around plants are a great way to keep slugs at bay.
  2. Those stick on copper bands do not deter the slugs from my pots.
  3. Plant marigolds with tomatoes, it will help keep pests at bay.
  4. Garlic grown alongside roses is well known for keeping roses healthy.
  5. Any poor soil will be good enough to grow wildflowers in, as they don’t need much nourishment.

Help those ericaceous shrubs such as Azaleas Camellias and Peiris to flower well by putting an ericaceous compost on top of the roots and fork in. Give your roses a final prune to encourage new growth then feed them: preparatory feed is worth the cost. It is time to top dress the shrubs grown in pots by removing the top 25mm which will contain mostly pests and disease and replace with fresh compost. Gardeners World magazine has said if you’re growing a fig tree, you should keep it in a pot as this will restrict the roots which will in turn encourage fruiting.

Planting seeds early will give you a good start, but they will soon go back if you can’t keep an area warm for them. Young tomato plants will suffer if they are subjected to a cold spell, which will only show up when the plants start to come into flower. Peppers and sweetcorn need a long growing season so an early start is a must. A good tip from The Sunday Gardener, is to bring the compost in from the cold before using it. Terry Walton of BBC radio said he starts his broad beans and sweet peas off by filling a freezer bag with compost and seed then, with his wife’s permission, places them in the airing cupboard where the all-round warmth will soon promote root growth. He then transplants them into deep pots to ensure a good root system.

The Wenvoe allotments are busy with old and new plot holders working hard as the days get longer. They are sowing carrots early to try and beat the carrot root fly, some are using raised beds to avoid the pest. Whatever allotmenteers are doing it will be under the watchful eye of Herbie who will be resting on his seat against the tin sheets so as not to miss anything. Herbie recommends that you ought to grow your strawberries in hanging baskets to stop slugs ruining your crop. He would also recommend putting fresh grass clippings in a trench before filling with soil, this will keep the soil warm and encourage your seeds to germinate.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

 

Census Day Sunday 21 March 2021

CENSUS DAY SUNDAY 21 MARCH 2021

Census 2021 is a digital-first census, people will be encouraged to respond online if they can. You will be able to complete the census using any device, including your mobile phone or tablet.

Most people will get a letter with a unique access code on it through the post. All you need to do is enter the code into the secure website and fill in the questionnaire.

There’ll be plenty of support available if you have any concerns about filling it in. If you prefer, you can still return a paper form.

You will be contacted nearer the time to let you know what you need to do.

 

 

Annual Subscription

Annual Subscription

The collection of the £2 annual subscription for the magazine operated very successfully last year during the lock-down; we will be using the same scheme this year.

 

Your deliverer will provide you with an envelope with your April edition along with the details so you can include your £2 and return it to the address indicated.

Thank you for your support.

Wenvoe What’s On

 

 

Peter Bagshaw

 

 

We would like to thank families, friends and neighbours for the cards and flowers that we received on the passing of Peter Bagshaw, who passed on 18th December 2020

The cards and their words gave us strength and support during such a difficult time and the flowers brightened our days.

Thank you to all those who donated to Cancer Research UK in memory of Peter. £645.00 plus £145.00 in gift aid has been raised to date.

We would like to thank Green Willow Funerals of Dinas Powys for their services and professionalism, ensuring that the care of Peter was second to none.

We said our final goodbyes on Friday 15th January and would like to thank Reverend Jon Ormrod for being there for us in our time of need and for holding a wonderful service at the Vale Crematorium.

Thank you all

Love from Veena, Sandra and Family xxxx

 

 

Cherry Bakewell Sponge Pudding

Cherry Bakewell Sponge Pudding

6 tbsp cherry jam

200g butter, softened

220g golden caster sugar

3 large eggs

50g SR flour

140g ground almonds

1 tsp almond extract

50g flaked almonds

icing sugar for dusting

Heat oven to 160C fan. Drain the cherries. Add the syrup from the cherries and the jam to a saucepan. Boil for about 10 mins until the liquid has reduced by half and is thick and syrupy, then stir in the cherries. Pour into a baking dish [roughly 18 x 25 cm], then set aside. Using an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, add the eggs one at a time, then add the flour, ground almonds, almond extract and a pinch of salt. Mix until well combined. Dollop the mixture over the cherries and spread to form a smooth layer, trying not to disturb the fruit below. Scatter the flaked almonds over the top, then bake for about 45 mins or until a skewer inserted into the sponge comes out clean. Leave to cool for about 5 mins, then dust with icing sugar.

Serve with ready-made Madagascar Vanilla custard or thick double cream.

 

 

Chinese Lemon Marmalade Chicken

Chinese Lemon Marmalade Chicken

200g lemon marmalade

2 large cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sunflower oil or ground nut oil

1 lemon, zested and juiced

8 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in

3 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal

Heat oven to 180C fan. Mix the marmalade with the garlic, ginger, soy sauce and oil and half of the lemon juice. Put the chicken on a foil lined baking tray and spoon over half the mixture. Roast for 15 mins. Baste the chicken with the marmalade mixture from the bottom of the tray, then spoon over the rest of the mixture and cook for a further 10 mins. Baste again, then roast for a final 10 mins until the chicken is cooked through and golden. Squeeze over the remaining lemon juice, and sprinkle over the zest and spring onions.

Serve with rice and stir fried tender stem broccoli or Bok Choy

 

 

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