Adventure 19: þá wergula, þá hagan ond se déorfald

You're probably wondering what on earth my adventure title is about... well, as I mentioned in my last post, I collected a small number of crab apples just outside Molesey yesterday, when we were on our long walk to Shepperton and I was pondering what to do with them. I did some research and amongst other things found a recipe for the 'Nine Herb Charm' written in the tenth century Lacnunga Manuscript and seeks a combination of a number of herbs to form a treatment for poisons and infections, one of which is wergulu or crab apple. I know that one of my old Director of Studies at Cambridge, Debbie Banham, has done some work on it (D. Banham, ‘The Old English Nine Herbs Charm’, in Medieval Christianity in Practice, ed. M. Rubin [Princeton, 2009], pp. 189–93) and when I am back in Exeter I'm going to read up a bit more on it. As a student of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic I never fully appreciated how interesting medieval medicine, food and agriculture could be and certainly never appreciated my Old English lessons enough with Dr. Dance. Sometimes, when I'm feeling nostaligic I watch things like this...

After all, ' Bread, butter and green cheese is good English and good Fries'/'Brea, bûter en griene tsiis is goed Ingelsk en goed Frysk''

If I ever win the lottery, I would love the opportunity to go back, work hard and look at these things in more detail. Alas, there is no way I can find the other ingredients at this time of year (mugwort, bettony and lamb's cress - and to be honest, would have no idea what I would be looking for!). Nonetheless, I was very taken with the Old English word for crab apples and the chance to reminsisce over my days in the ASNaC Department in Cambridge and hence, decided to have the adventure title in Old English,  þá wergula, þá hagan ond se déorfald translating as crab apples, haws and the deer park which is pretty much what this post is about. For more information on the department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic please see here: http://www.asnc.cam.ac.uk/ 

Anyhow, back to foraging. A couple of days ago I made up the hawthorn jelly from Bushy Park. It took three goes at making it set but finally, it came together and my father had some last night with some cheese and port and declared it 'very tasty'. I still need to persuade the mater to brave it, but she's still very cynical about it ("are you sure there's no cyanide left in it?" "yes, mother, I'm sure..."). You've got to admit it all looks very pretty.

As mentioned above, I was doing some research into what to do with my crab apples. As I decided I was a millenium too late and far too lazy to make the 'nine herb charm' I found this website http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/5-things-to-do-with-crabapples-1.1859353 which had several suggestions. I didn't really have enough crab apples to do much with them so decided to experiment with pickling them. The recipe on the website, seemed to have a billion ingredients I didn't have so I raided the cupboard and decided to improvise. Instead of the fancy vinegars mentioned, I used malt vinegar, and instead of apple juice I used orange juice and sugar. The result was surprisingly pleasing - tart, with a hint of juicy sweetness - I could really imagine this going on top of ice cream or some sugary pastry. Next year, when I get the bigger crab apples from the graveyard in Exeter, I will definately be making some more. 

Then today, it was very cold but sunny and Levi and I went back to Bushy Park with the dog to pick up some more haws (I mentioned, yesterday, that I'd seen a number of promising trees on the way to Hampton Court) and I managed to pick a reasonable amount whilst Levi distracted Roxy (who found a big muddy puddle, two foot deep to sit in). On the way back home, I spied some crab apple trees as well! And the fruit was not completely passed it, so I managed to get a small number of those too. It really is a beautiful park, with all the deer strolling around it - sometimes I wish I had the money to live back around here, but alas, I will add it to my lottery pipe dreams and pray my parents don't sell up any time soon. 

Once home, I cleaned and sorted my stash (with it being December some of the fruit was a bit spoiled by the recent bad weather and now the frost). I decided as I only had a small bit of each and a massive 1.5 l jar that I would adapt this recipe http://www.danish-schnapps-recipes.com/hawthorn.html by combining the two and adding some sugar to combat the sharpness of the crab apples. It looks very pretty and hopefully in six to eight weeks time I will be able to try it! Can't wait! 

Christmas Adventures #2

On Friday my cousin, Rowena, came down from Mersehead, an RSPB reserve up in Scotland (http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/m/mersehead/) where she is Assistant Warden. She is staying with us until NYE. 

Rowena at work on the Reserve at Titchwell, Norfolk

For someone who spends most of their working life outdoors, I'm sure she was utterly delighted when I suggested a long walk this afternoon from Hampton to Hampton Court before going over the bridge and walking all the way along the Thames to Shepperton. We even managed to persuade Dad to come too (the dog on the other hand didn't need asking twice if she wanted to go on a W-A-L-K but even she might have bitten off more than her doggy legs could chew - she is dead asleep this evening!). 

We started off across Bushy Park again to give the dog a good run round and on the way to Hampton Court Palace I found a number of Hawthorn Trees just covered in berries so I know I will be back the next day or two to fetch them. I have plans for this new stash. Jelly? Pah! Been there, done that! BORING (done in a sing song voice)! I am now thinking schnapps - perhaps based on this recipe: http://www.danish-schnapps-recipes.com/hawthorn.html 

Haws are apparently good for the heart ergo hawthorn schnapps should have health benefits, right? 

As mentioned in the earlier post, the weather has been very bad this week (this is the first proper nice day we've had in a while) and hence the river was very swollen. We walked over the bridge at Hampton Court by the palace (which looks really pretty with the skate rink in front of it) and walked along the river path for the next seven miles through mud and mire. We went past Garrick's Temple, which the playwright built in honor of Shakespeare, St. Mary's Church, the old water works and the resevoir at Sunbury. 

I also found a couple of crab apple trees on route and was able to collect a small number of them (sadly, most were a bit past it). I havn't mentioned it but I now own, thanks to Levi, a Totnes twinned with Narnia Bag as mentioned in an earlier post, which I got for Christmas and now it comes with me wherever I go, just in case!

Eventually we got to the Weir Pub at Sunbury (http://www.weirhotel.co.uk/) where we had a pit stop and Levi and I had a well kept pint of Sharpe's Own. The pub was warm and dog friendly and the food is reputedly very good. 

Finally, we got to Walton-upon-Thames and then Sunbury which was a blessed relief for all of us and the dog. This is the longest walk I've done since I dislocated my knee (about ten miles in all) and though I'm very achey this evening, I have a real sense of achievement and am making walking plans with Levi for the New Year. All I need to do now is to put my feet up and decide what to do with my little collection of crab apples! Please be in touch if you have any ideas - I have enough for a small jar of jelly but no more... maybe I could combine them with the haws I'm going to get tomorrow... Anyhow, it is here, then, that Christmas Adventures #2 comes to a close.

Christmas Adventures #1

Happy Christmas everyone! I know I said I wouldn't be blogging again this year, but with all the photos building up I figured there was no way I would have time to blog once back at work. I've just made the massive mistake of opening my work emails a week earlier than I originally planned.... so what with lesson planning, my massive pile of marking and exams coming up I thought I would take the time to do this now!

So, this first week of the holidays has absolutely flown by. We came down to Hampton, where my parents live, this time last week with Levi's dad, Brian. He stayed at the Roebuck Pub, Hampton Hill (http://www.roebuck-hamptonhill.co.uk/) which is one of my all time favourite pubs of all time and my local when I'm back in town. Run by Terry Himpfen, this is a small traditional pub with a strong selection of ales including Sambrookes Junction which is one of my favourites. They also have had on recently Black Stallion Mild, Young's Bitter, Royal Windsor and St Austell's Tribute. Another thing which is lovely about this pub is the decorations. Every piece of available wall or ceiling has something on it, whether it be pictures, mugs, vintage shoes, fishing rods etc. Even the tables have vintage newspapers under the glass so you can sit and read about VE Day whilst supping a good pint. The last cool thing about it has to be the traffic light at the back of the pub. It is usually green, but goes amber for last orders and red for time at the bar. Very useful if you are popping in - you don't even need to ask Linda, the bar lady, if they're still serving. 

The weather, for those of you reading outside the UK, has been rather disgusting this week, with gale force winds, train cancellations and weather warnings, so I have been hibernating at home with a book and a beer most days. Christmas itself was very pleasant. My grandfathers both came to stay for the first time which was really nice. The one on the right is Peter of hawthorn and sloe renown and on the left is Laurence. He was very interested in the blog and the pictures and was telling me all about how my late Granny and he used to have home brew under the bed including a bottle of whiskey they tried to distill until the bottle exploded into tiny pieces under the pressure. Sounds a bit like my poor cherry liqueur which reminds me, I still need to write to Kilner about that jar... My parents also have a new kitten, called Loki, the mischievous Norse god and she is quite a trouble maker. She may be tiny and beautiful but she's darn good at beating up the two old cats and the dog. We had lovely Christmas and Boxing Day dinners cooked by my Mum and indeed we were joined by my Uncle David, from Leicester who was telling me about Blue Leg mushrooms and the sloe gin he's making which made for a very pleasant dinner conversation.

After several days of hibernation I thought it time to face the real world again and so yesterday, Levi and I took Roxy (the black lab) for a nice long walk in Bushy Park. Bushy Park is 445 ha of grassland and was traditionally a royal hunting ground (it backs onto Hampton Court Palace of Henry VIII fame) and is still owned by the crown (http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/bushy-park). Its filled with trees and deer. In fact, the deer in the park are direct descendants of the deer that lived in the park in Tudor times, which is why, when foot and mouth disease, broke out in the UK a decade or so ago they closed off the park to protect the deer. Whilst on our travels, we managed to pick a small collection of haws for jam (I forgot to bring mine down to my parents and wanted to show them what it was like) and there are a surprising number of haws about. I made the jam up last night and it is all set now in the fridge ready to be eaten with cheese later this evening. There were a lot of rowan trees and a surprising amount of mistletoe in the park as well as some luminous orange sludge on one of the trees which I am pretty sure is some kind of fungi but if you have any alternative ideas please let me know.

In the evening we went to the Jolly Coopers Pub in Hampton. Levi and I are trying out as many local pubs as possible for a change and to see if there are any hidden gems. As well as the Roebuck, which we've been to several times, we've also been to:

• The Railway Bell in Hampton (http://www.therailwaybell.ph/) known locally as the 'Dip' due to its position in the nook at the bottom of the hill near the Station. Small, often busy, and dog friendly it had a number of good offerings ale-wise including Betty Stogges, Ringwood Best and Pendle Witches Brew.

(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6077/6152451375_5732448795_b.jpg)

• The Windmill off Hampton Hill High Street (http://www.thewindy.co.uk/) known as the 'Windy' which superseded my expectations with its traditional pub interior and very warm and friendly staff and customers. Though Doombar and Young's Best are not necessarily the most exciting beers in the world, the warm fire and an offering of roast potatoes (it was Christmas Eve) won me over. 

(http://www.rhcamra.org.uk/branchpubs/photos/hampton-hill/windmil00.jpg)

• The World's End in Hampton Village, not really our kind of place (a little bit back street boozerish for our liking) but had a reasonable but not amazingly kept selection of ales with Rudolph's Revenge and an offering from Hopback Brewery. 

(http://pubshistory.com/Middlesex/Hampton/WorldsEnd.jpg)

• And lastly, The Jolly Coopers in Hampton (http://www.squiffysrestaurant.co.uk/). We were initially a bit concerned when we saw the Tapas sign at the front (does Tapas even go with beer?) but once you're through the front door you realise there is a separate restaurant area out the back of the main pub. The beer selection is good (several Christmas guest ales, Doombar and Courage Best), the regulars friendly, the atmosphere bustling, and Billy, the publican's son, doing a very good job behind the bar. They also have a bar billiards table, which is very rare these day, which is a massive plus in my books! For those of you interested in this old fashioned, traditional pub game, please see here: http://www.tradgames.org.uk/games/Bar-Billiards.htm

(http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/03/a5/d0/12/the-jolly-coopers-where.jpg)