This post was published last year but is well worth repeating at this cold time of year. Ed. 

The theme of our meeting 19/4 was soups. Firstly, we discussed any recipes people had tried since the last meeting. A few members had successfully had a go at the ham hock terrine. The recipe can be found here.The ham hocks had been purchased at the butchers department at Morrisons. Another member had had a go at the quick and easy fresh basil pesto recipe which can be found here. Basil is very handy to have in, as it can be used with a variety of dishes including pasta.
Everyone brought a soup recipe they had tried, the most popular seemed to be lentil soups. Here are some of the recipes used:

Spiced Tomato and lentil soup

Smoky Bacon and Lentil Soup.

The next to be tried was Mushroom Soup which received a 10 out 10 from the group. Instead of using potatoes it was suggested using 150g of cream cheese with herbs for a change. Another variation on the mushroom theme was Fresh Mushroom Soup with Tarragon & a dash of Sherry 
A soup that would be good for the summer is Courgette and Mint Soup which is also very good when trying to lose weight, as is ‘Simply Vegetable’ Soup. Another interesting soup is Roast Tomato & Red Pepper Soup.
Our meetings in May will cover Chinese cooking and our expert Denis will take the lead. We also hope to visit a Chinese supermarket to purchase items and finish the experience off with a meal. It has been agreed to close for the Summer period. We will finish the term with a BBQ when we will all bring a dish along, as well as the vino!!! cheers

Hello and I wish you all a very happy new year. This month gardening is the last thing we think of especially when the weather has been so wet but their are some jobs we need to do especially if you have roses. Prune roses by cutting each stem to the lowest bud on the stem removing all dead wood and shortening the leader shoots about a third. You can also prune and shape any bare trees.

Fragrant winter flowers are available to buy and can be planted now. However I prefer to put mine in pots. One of the best for heavenly scent is Daphne odora. Continue reading →

We have been reading The Hundred Year Old Man  Who Climbed out the the Window and Disappeared by  Jonas Jonasson. Allan Karlsson is the eponymous centenarian, who with unlikely sprightliness hops out of the window of his old people’s home one afternoon and does a runner – or more of a shuffle. Fast-moving and relentlessly sunny, the novel quickly develops into a romp that takes in all the major events of the 20th century. ( Read more here )

We are meeting to talk about this book and others individuals have been reading over the holiday on Thursday 9th January 7:30pm

Our other group meet next on Friday 10th January 10 30am. They have been reading an older tale of adventure and intrigue, “The Thirty Nine Steps” by John Buchan

New Book Club members are always welcome. Please contact David on 526 6001 or Anne on 526 2734 for more information.