Friday 22nd November 2024 - So Cold, Locked Away and Mincemeat

The first half of this month was really mild and dry, compared to the conditions I normally expect for November.  To be honest we were quite spoilt but it had to be only a matter of time before we would see a change; and changed it has.  Clothing wise, I am now fully layered up for the winter with my slipper boots most welcome to keep my feet warm.  I saw photos from Facebook friends, who live further north, of snowy scenes.  On Wednesday, the snow made its way down to Norfolk.  From the comfort and warmth of our home, I watched large flakes falling outside and although it started to lay; it didn’t last long.  Since then, we've woken to frosts and it’s been very cold with the wind adding to the chill factor.  We have broken ice from the pond, bird bath, wildlife bowl, as well as the water bowl left out for passing dogs.

After visiting a friend during the week, we had about an hour in Cromer before the next bus home.  To fill in the time we visited a few shops and were surprised to see the lengths some retailers are having to take to curb the activities of shop lifters.  In Morrisons, the spirits are now secured behind glass.  Here, we saw a shopper pressing one of the buttons on the glass frontage to summon an assistant who opened the display and handed them the bottle they wanted to buy.  In Boots, it was a similar scenario for anyone wanting to purchase make-up.  I wanted a new eye shadow, mascara and a couple of lipsticks.  However, I was not prepared to ask an assistant to unlock the cabinet(s), after which I would feel pressured to make my choices, while they waited to re-secure the cabinet(s).  Instead, later in the day, I took my time and ordered my make-up online.  It’s a shame shops are having to resort to such measures in order to curtail petty theft and in my case, Boots lost a sale.

Wednesday, the weather was so thoroughly miserable I decided to make mincemeat.  This is not just for Christmas but should last over the winter and used in recipes, other than just traditional mince pies.  I gathered together the ingredients and as I grated the peel from an orange and a lemon before squeezing out the juices, to add to the dried fruit etc., I reminisced back to when our sons were small.  Our eldest, who at the time was not particularly interested in cooking, made the mincemeat (totally different now, he does all the cooking for his family and is good at it too).  Our youngest made the Christmas puddings (he has always enjoyed cooking and is considering taking a chef’s course, which makes me wonder if this will lead to a career change).  This left me to make the Christmas cake (I too have always enjoyed cooking.  I think I inherited this from my Nana who was the most amazing cook).  Anyway, back now from my memories; with all bar one of the ingredients in the bowl and stirred, I left the mixture to marinate and yesterday I placed the bowl in the oven for three hours, at a very low heat.  This morning, the mincemeat was ready for the final ingredient – brandy – so between sips of my morning coffee, I spooned it into jars.  With the last of the mincemeat in the jars, I claimed cook’s rights and licked the spoon!  Today’s photo is of the empty bowl and the full jars, ready to store in a cool, dark place.