Christmas 2020 in Innellan and the ending of a very strange year
During lockdown social media has come to the fore, although l seem to look on instagram and Twitter whereas Judith follows Facebook. So l often get elbowed, and told to look at something that is being featured. Being near Christmas Facebook has been highlighting past events. The following brought back fond memories of times gone by with Judith’s mum. She was such good fun. These were cards we produced for a bit of a laugh.
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This year, shopping in department stores, or in fact in any shop in or near Glasgow was a no go. So on line purchases became the main stay. Even drinks had to be ordered on line. Fortunately Aldi came good with some brilliant 5star wines at reasonable prices. More importantly they delivered here, and it was free postage. Unbelievable.
Amazon promoted their services quite heavily, as did all the big stores.
As adverts go this Christmas, the ad from Amazon is amazing, no wonder it’s rated the best Christmas advert in 2020. Click the link to view.
Amazon's Christmas advert - rated the best for 2020 https://youtu.be/gQdLD6kk960
it follows the story of a young determined dancer whose dreams of dancing in a lead role are jeopardised due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Titled The Show Must Go On, the heartwarming two-minute advert sees the ballerina prepare for the role of a lifetime. As lockdown restrictions tighten, the clip shows the dancer continuing to train passionately in and around her neighbourhood, not giving up hope
So Christmas cooking becomes important. The day before Christmas Eve we put our aprons on, roll our sleeves and start cooking, including two of our favourites.
A raised pie, with a warm water pastry, and Nigella’s ham cooked in cola.
I have enclosed the recipes, just in case anyone feels the need to try them out. Neither are too difficult and they are both delicious.
Raised Christmas Pie
What can we do with the left over turkey?
We normally all buy a bird that is far too large for the numbers attending the Christmas Day meal, especially this year as social gatherings are definitely not wise.
For the past five years l have used the cooked meat, especially the dark meat to make a pie for the continued festivities over the New Year, and it goes down a wow. Its relatively easy to make and it can last at least a month in the freezer once made. This year, as we didn’t have a turkey, l just used chicken.
This old fashioned festive raised pie looks stunning on any buffet table and is truly substantial, just the ticket for any get together or that special New Years Eve bash.
For the filling
750gm of cooked turkey
750gm good quality sausage meat
500gm eating apples, peeled, cored and chopped into cubes
10 juniper berries, crushed
1 teaspoon each of grated black pepper, grated nutmeg, ground ginger, and ground cloves
2 onions peeled and chopped
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
150ml port
75ml brandy
Remove all the cooked meat from the turkey and cut into 1-1½ cm chunks. There’s no need to be too precise.
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl ensuring that they are all thoroughly combined.
Leave to marinate for an hour.
The pastry
350gm plain flour
Good pinch of salt, grated nutmeg and icing sugar
150gm white vegetable fat
150ml of milk and water mixed in equal quantities
Mix the flour, salt, nutmeg and sugar in a large bowl. Add the fat to the milk and water mixture in a pan and bring to the boil. Add to the flour mixture and mix well to a smooth past. Cover and chill for 20 minutes.
Knead the pastry lightly, then use to line the 20cm loosed based cake tin that has been greased with lard. The tin should have the sides lined with cooking parchment that protrudes over the rim by 10cm that has also been greased with melted lard.
Place the pastry in the bottom of the tin and work it up the sides to the rim. It may slip whilst it is still warm, but as it cools it will stay put. Ensure that there are no cracks or holes and that it is as even as possible.
Set your oven to Gas mark 6 or 200C
Spoon the marinated meat into the pastry case and pack down well until you reach the rim of the tin, doming it slightly.
Put a lid of foil inside the baking parchment, pressing it down onto the meat.
Bake on a baking sheet for 30 minutes, then reducing the oven to mark4 or 180C for a further 1¾ hours or until thoroughly cooked, removing the foil after an hour.
Let the pie cool completely in the tin, placing it in the fridge as soon as it is cool enough, and then carefully remove it from the tin.
For the topping
300gm cranberries
1 sachet gelatine
300ml red wine
75gm sugar
Dissolve the sugar into the wine, add the cranberries and cook for a couple of minutes until just cooked. Strain the juices into another pan, add the gelatine and dissolve thoroughly.
Top the pie with the cranberries and once the gelatine has almost set, pour over the pie, ensuring that it fills all the holes around the edges and it has covered the cranberries.
Chill in the fridge until set.
The pie can be made 5 days in advance of eating if kept chilled.
If you wrap it well, it will last at least a month in the freezer. Thaw in the fridge for approximately 48 hours before serving.
You may find that it is better to cut into small portions prior to freezing.
Its great for a winter picnic.
for the ham
2 kilograms mild-cure gammon joint
1 onion (peeled and cut in half)
2 litres Coca-Cola
for the glaze
1 handful of cloves
1 heaped tablespoon black treacle
2 teaspoons English mustard powder
2 tablespoons demerara sugar
Method
I find now that mild-cure gammon doesn't need soaking, but if you know that you're dealing with a salty piece, then put it in a pan covered with cold water, bring to the boil, then tip into a colander in the sink and start from here; otherwise, put the gammon in a pan, skin-side down if it fits like that, add the onion, then pour over the Coke.
Bring to the boil, reduce to a good simmer, put the lid on, though not tightly, and cook for just under 2½ hours. If your joint is larger or smaller, work out timing by reckoning on an hour per kilo, remembering that it's going to get a quick blast in the oven later. But do take into account that if the gammon's been in the fridge right up to the moment you cook it, you will have to give it a good 15 minutes or so extra so that the interior is properly cooked.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 240°C/gas mark 9/450ºF.
When the ham's had its time (and ham it is, now it's cooked, though it's true Americans call it ham from its uncooked state) take it out of the pan and let cool a little for ease of handling. (Indeed, you can let it cool completely then finish off the cooking at some later stage if you want.) Then remove the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat. Score the fat with a sharp knife to make fairly large diamond shapes, and stud each diamond with a clove. Then carefully spread the treacle over the bark-budded skin, taking care not to dislodge the cloves. Gently pat the mustard and sugar onto the sticky fat. Cook in a foil-lined roasting tin for approximately 10 minutes or until the glaze is burnished and bubbly.
Should you want to do the braising stage in advance and then let the ham cool, clove and glaze it and give it 30-40 minutes, from room temperature, at 180°C/gas mark 4/350ºF, turning up the heat towards the end if you think it needs it.
Additional information - for gluten free switch the English mustard powder for a gluten free mustard, such as Dijon.
Then for some humour linked with fishing - Gone Christmas Fishing with Mortimer and Whitehouse. Although fishing in Scotland is limited due to travel restrictions. It’s also bloody cold outside anyway.
On the Sunday after Boxing Day, besides match of the day first thing in the morning where Frank Lampard’s Chelsea went down to Arsenal.
Nevertheless we did manage to escape up the hills at the back of us on Christmas Eve. A sunny day, although well below freezing and very icy underfoot.
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| Larch has been cleared due to a disease that has reeked havoc on the forests |
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Brexit at long last is completed, but not the inquisition from all apposing sides, especially the poisoned dwarf who is intent on pushing for independence. The following article clears up the differences between Europe and the U.K., specifically our love hate relationship with France.
Of all the ways that this unhappy marriage was to end, this was the most predictable.
Merkel, in the German style of pragmatism was always going to do her best as a marriage guidance counsellor between the U.K. and France, but the differences are so great, even she has thrown in the towel.
In our hundreds of years of shared history, from the Hundred Years’ War to fishing, virtually every story of ourselves and France can be finished with the sentence “......and then France went in the huff.”
In a Union where the dominant nations must work in unison, Britain and France was an horrendous match. We’re simply too different from each other. And those differences are irreconcilable.
To France we will always be Perfidious Albion. And just to infuriate them that little bit more, we revel in it.
Indeed, just about every aspect of our culture infuriates the French. We drive on the left. We laugh at ourselves. We cover food in tomato ketchup. We invented the sports they love. The world observes Greenwich Mean Time. We are the international language, and to rub salt into the wound, we simply refuse to learn other languages. We burned Joan of Arc. They think we poisoned Napoleon. We binge drink. We continually mention “the war”. The list is endless.
And the more we infuriate them, the more we love them. Indeed, we buy up entire villages in France much to their annoyance, we actually love the rudeness and petulance we encounter when we visit France. In every way shape or form, we are polar opposites. If there is a God, and he put Britain on this earth just to annoy the French, he made a perfect job of it.
De Gaulle saw it clearly. He knew that any relationship containing both the French and the British was unworkable. If he’d managed to keep us out of the EEC, he would have done both of us a favour. Churchill saw it too. He believed in a united mainland Europe. But he also knew that island Britain’s eyes should always remain on the open sea.
There are a myriad of sound reasons to leave the EU, but one of the reason we should never have joined in the first place remains an historical one. The U.K. and France are not built to cohabit. No dating agency would have put them together if they’d both been honest on their profile.
The marriage began with a squabble between us, and it will end with a squabble between us.We were never ready to commit fully, and it was always going to inflame French jealousy when we made eyes at America, and blew kisses at Canada and Australia. We can’t help playing the field, and it was always going to cause trust issues with France.
In the style of the happy go lucky wanderer, we’ll walk out with our bag, whilst France is still arguing over who keeps the toaster and microwave. And many of our mutual friends will secretly let out a sigh of relief. Because we were always the odd couple at parties, with France throwing a hissy fit, whilst we chatted up New Zealand, or tried to get Singapore under the mistletoe.
Sorry France, but it’s us, not you. We’re just not ready for this type of commitment. We need our freedom to flirt and meet new people.
But you can keep the toaster. It’s broken anyway.
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Spent an hour watching Santa drop off his presents across the world, before going off to sleep. Must say the journey was fascinating. It kept me interesting looking at the various terrain.
After breakfast of bubbly and sausage rolls we had an amazing morning catching up with friends and relatives around the world. Truly amazing as we linked with friends in Australia as they camped out in the sun, kangaroos grazing nearby. Just the ability to see and chat with friends made the lockdown tolerable.
Technology is just so great these days, as long as the broadband doesn’t go down.
Realistically, the alternative Christmas was excellent. We chattered to so many people during the morning. Caught up with friends who we hadn’t seen for months if not years. Very special.
Although we did have a few video call issues. But they were soon resolved.
The last drop of my favourite malt was savoured on Christmas Day. I had stretched it out over five years, so no complaints. Will have to save up for a replacement as the price has rocketed, returning to my old stalwart, Highland Park for the time being. Not a hardship.
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Onwards to the New Year, having put on seven pounds in excess weight.
Tried our utmost to get out for a walk. Fortunately the weather had changed from being wet. It was sunny, freezing cold with the odd sprinkling of snow. Yet we still managed to get out. It was just a pity that we didnt get more snow. Would have loved to get the sledge out.
Hope on the horizon for the world.
Great news that the Oxford vaccine has been past for distribution. It is sorely needed as cases are increasing at an exponential rate, especially as the new variant is up to 70% more contagious.
Considering there are approximately 25 million people over 50 who will receive the vaccine, the government will need to roll out 2 million vaccinations per week.
Good tweet from Richard Osman
Strange times we live in.
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meanwhile it may be worth taking heed of advice from a retired RESPIRATORY Therapist Lisa Cox, Nov 28, '20 / Covid:
Stay out of the hospital and recover quickly.
CORONA VIRUS COMMON SENSE
Since they are calling on RESPIRATORY THERAPISTS to help fight the CORONA VIRUS, and I am a retired one, too old to work in a hospital setting, I'm gonna share some common sense wisdom with those that have the virus and trying to stay home. If my advice is followed as given, you will improve your chances of not ending up in the hospital on a ventilator. This applies to the otherwise generally healthy population, so use discretion.
1. Only HIGH TEMPERATURES KILL A VIRUS, so let your fever run high. Paracetamol , Tylenol, Advil, Motrin, Ibuprofen, etc., will bring your fever down ALLOWING the virus to LIVE LONGER. They are saying that IBUPROFEN, ADVIL, etc., will actually EXACERBATE THE VIRUS.
Use common sense and DON'T LET FEVER GO OVER 103 or 104 if you got the guts. If it gets HIGHER than that, take your Paracetamol, NOT Ibuprofen or Advil to keep it regulated.
It helps to KEEP the HOUSE WARM and COVER UP with BLANKETS so your body does not have to work so hard to generate heat. It usually TAKES about 3 DAYS of this TO BREAK THE FEVER.
2. The BODY is going to DEHYDRATE with the elevated temperature, so you must REHYDRATE yourself regularly, whether you like it or not.
GATORADE with real sugar, or Pedialyte with real sugar for kids, works well. Why the sugar? SUGAR will GIVE your body back the ENERGY it is using up to create the fever. The ELECTROLYTES and FLUID you are LOSING will also be REPLENISHED by the Gatorade.
If you don't do this and end up in the hospital, they will start an IV and give you D5W (sugar water) and Normal Saline to replenish electrolytes.
Gatorade Is Much Cheaper, Pain Free, And Comes In An Assortment of Flavors.
3. You must KEEP YOUR LUNGS MOIST. Best done by taking LONG STEAMY SHOWERS on a regular basis.
If you're Wheezing or Congested,
. . . Use a real MINTY TOOTHPASTE and
. . . BRUSH YOUR TEETH WHILE TAKING THE STEAMY SHOWER and
. . . DEEP BREATHE Through Your Mouth.
This will provide some BRONCHIAL DILATION and help LOOSEN THE PHLEGM.
. . . Force yourself to COUGH INTO A WET WASH CLOTH PRESSED FIRMLY OVER YOUR MOUTH AND NOSE, which will cause greater pressure in your lungs forcing them to expand more and break loose more of the congestion.
4. EAT HEALTHY and REGULARLY. Gotta keep your strength up.
5. Once the Fever Breaks, start MOVING around to get the body back in shape and blood circulating.
6. DEEP BREATHE on a Regular Basis, even when it hurts. If you don't, it becomes easy to develop PNEUMONIA.
PURSED LIP BREATHING really helps.
. . . That's breathing in deep and slow then exhaling through tight lips as if you're blowing out a candle.
. . . Blow until you have completely emptied your lungs, and you will be able to breath in an even deeper breath.
This helps KEEP LUNGS EXPANDED, as well as INCREASE YOUR OXYGEN LEVEL.
7. Remember that every medication you take is merely RELIEVING the SYMPTOMS, not making you well.
8. If you're still dying, go to the Emergency Room.
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Whist we are trying to keep people segregated to cut back the transmission rate, the US with nearly 20 million cases is still open for business. Or at least trying to get people back into hotels and restaurants, using novel ways to keep people safe while enjoying a breakout from isolation.
NY Times article
It had been six months since Nick Bayer and his wife had been on a date. But with freezing temperatures gripping Philadelphia and indoor restaurant service banned, dinner in a tent wasn’t appealing. So instead of sitting outdoors at the Walnut Street Cafe, a local restaurant, they opted for an elegant meal served in a hotel room that had been converted into a private dining space.
Their night out was the result of teamwork between the cafe and AKA City University hotel, part of a growing trend that is attempting to provide business for two industries hardest hit by the pandemic — restaurants and hotels. (This joint effort is being called the Walnut Suite Cafe.)
This isn’t typical room service. The Bayers didn’t sit on the edge of a bed eating tepid food from a cart deposited in the middle of the room. Instead, for $50, they got use of a suite for three hours to enjoy their $65 per person prix fixe meals (not including beverages) served by a waiter at a laid dining table. To minimize contact, the food and beverages are preordered and prepaid. The waiter not only served, but escorted the Bayers to the room on the 31st floor of the hotel, so he was the only person they had contact with all evening.
“We were really excited, my wife and I dressed up,” said Mr. Bayer, who wore a blazer with a pocket square to his dinner on a Wednesday evening with a Nor’easter rolling in.
The logistics are challenging for the restaurant, since the waiters can’t see the diners to sweep in if someone drops a fork or finds their steak overcooked. The service allows for add-ons during the meal by scanning the QR code on the one-use paper menu, which allowed Mr. Bayer to order a second martini.
“So far we’ve been able to anticipate people’s needs and accommodate everything in advance,” said Branden McRill, the chief executive officer and founder of Fine-Drawn Hospitality, which owns and operates the Walnut Street Cafe. But just in case, a card with the restaurant phone number is left on the dining table.
Mr. McRill gives credit for the idea to the chef Aidan O’Neal of Le Crocodile brasserie and the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn, which created Le Crocodile Upstairs by removing beds and installing custom-made tables in 13 hotel rooms, where private parties of up to 10 could dine ($100 per person for a three-course dinner). The NoMad Manhattan hotel had a similar effort, the NoMad Feast, but both were suspended when stricter dining restrictions for restaurants went into effect in New York in mid-December.
The Bayers, who live just a few blocks from the AKA hotel, went home after dinner. But since the Walnut Suite Cafe launched shortly after Thanksgiving, about 20 percent of guests have opted to stay for the night, with their $50 hotel fee applied to the room charge of $250 for a one-bedroom suite, or $550 for a two bedroom, Mr. McRill said.
Of the 100 hotel rooms at the AKA, 15 suites have been designated for dining, limited to a maximum of four guests per party. For New Year’s Eve, the Walnut Suite Cafe is offering an earlier three-course sitting for $95 per person, (optional $45 wine pairing), or a later five-course meal for $150 per person (optional $65 wine pairing), plus the $50 room fee. No suite is used more than once an evening to allow for proper cleaning.
With New Year’s Eve approaching, similar partnerships have cropped up across the country. Here, some of what’s on offer:
After restrictions in Boston limited outdoor dining to private property, the UNI restaurant moved all its service to nine semiprivate rooms created by taking over the suites on the first two floors of the Eliot Hotel. The beds were removed and one table was set up in the bedroom and another in the front room, with French doors separating the two. Up to six guests per group dine a la carte from the sushi and sashimi menu created by the James Beard Award-winning chef Tony Messina, while the restaurant’s music is piped in to create a familiar ambience.
There is no additional fee for use of the room, but when a party wants the entire suite, there is a minimum $300 food and beverage charge per person. A special tasting menu is being created for New Year’s Eve.
Le Cavalier brasserie opened in the Green Room at the Hotel duPont in Wilmington, Del., during the pandemic. To help with social distancing, some of the hotel rooms are being used exclusively for private dining. Ordering for the family-style meals is done in advance, with a $380 dinner for two featuring two appetizers, two entrees, two sides and one dessert. Each additional person is $150 up to the maximum of 10. Guests can opt to stay overnight, a choice made by about half the diners.
A king bedroom for two with the dining special costs $500. A special New Year’s Eve menu that includes a bottle of champagne begins at $450 for two guests for the evening, or $600 including a night in a classic king bedroom.
In Denver, the Urban Farmer steakhouse has paired with the adjacent Oxford Hotel to offer what they are calling a “steakcation” in converted hotel rooms that have had the beds removed and replaced with dining tables for up to six people. For overnight guests, private use of one of the three dining chambers comes as part of a package that starts with rooms priced from $129, plus a $200 food and drink minimum.
For those not planning to stay the night, the dining rooms are rented for $100 for four hours, in addition to the minimum food charge. The full Urban Farmer menu is available, and on New Year’s Eve, specials will include options such as a charred octopus appetizer and a prime rib entree.
The Hewing Hotel in Minneapolis has transformed 13 hotel rooms into private dining areas for groups of up to six people. The seven-course $110 tasting menu is delivered to the door, and the contactless service continues with the chef, Nyle Flynn, of the Tullibee restaurant explaining his meal via video. An optional $65 wine pairing is also explained remotely. There is a $65 fee for use of the dining room for three hours. Guests receive a 10 percent discount on the price of a stay if they decide to overnight.
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As the New Year approaches, up here in Scotland we are at the highest COVID level 4 for three weeks. But the first minister is supposedly looking at even further restrictions to curb the transmission. Especially as there are large swathes of the population intent on disregarding the request to stay separated and get together for Hogmanay.
England reported nearly 1000 deaths today. When will we ever learn.
On a brighter note, listen to the following. We listen to him on a daily basis on Twitter. But you can find him on YouTube. The link is bellow. Great music and the views are to die for.
Patrick Dexter on his Cello outside his cottage in Ireland
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Let’s finish the year with a few COVID funnies to end the year on.
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