Village & Community Magazine November 2020 Keeping our Local Villages Connected Alstonefield, Butterton, Ecton, Elkstones, Warslow & Wetton Remembrance Day When I think about Remembrance Day, I recall being at the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium seeing my son Joseph playing at the nightly Last Post Ceremony. He first played at the Last Post Ceremony in 2010 with the City of Stoke Youth Brass band. The occasion was very moving, the Youth Brass band playing, veterans bearing standard flags and wreaths, the buglers playing the Last Post and the Reveille. Last year he was there again, with Silk Brass Band. The band was given special permission to march from the Market Square to the Menin Gate. A privilege normally reserved for Military Bands. The first time I witnessed Joe playing there he was nearly eighteen, he would have been old enough to march through that gate towards the battlefields, the trenches, and the front line. The names inscribed on the walls of the Menin Gate and other War Memorial sites were mainly of young men like Joe. Ordinary young men. It brought home to me the reality of the millions of young men’s lives, who died in war. At the end of the ceremony, the words of the Kohima Epitaph are read: When you go home tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today. These words echoed in my head. It is important to remember and not to forget. Those named on the Memorials were all someone’s son, brother, husband, or father. Their deaths had an impact on their loved ones, their homes, and their local community. They left a void and emptiness that scarred the lives of those left behind. Remember too, those who survived the war and fighting, who had witnessed such horror and trauma. Whose lives were shattered by the experience and they were never ever the same again. Whose scars were visible and invisible, some scars which healed, and some remained raw. To remember is more than not forgetting, it is also about calling to mind. Recalling the stories, the history, the lessons to be learnt. It is about realising their reality. I was shocked to find the names of Chaplains who had died remembered on the Menin Gate. Until I saw their names inscribed in stone; it had not occurred to me that Army Chaplains might have been killed during the war. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; age shall not weary them, At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. Let us remember: with respect, with hope, and with peace in our hearts. (Revd. John Austerberry, Vicar, Alstonefield, Ilam, Wetton). Mindful Magic at Christmas We all know that it has been a strange year and that there is every chance that Christmas will be a bit different this year too! Why not get it off to a great start with a workshop of Mindful Magic fun and exciting activities with a Christmas twist? th • 12 December at Alstonefield Village Hall • 10am-11am 3-5 years (parents are welcome to attend) • 11.30am-1.00pm 6-10 years • 10-13 years- please contact me to express your Interest as there is a possibility of running a 10-13 session from 1.30-3pm • £10 per child (places strictly limited) Each session has its own Christmas theme and has been specifically planned for the age group of children. All children will learn some fantastic ‘magic spells’ to help the Christmas characters solve their problems, as well as making some Christmas themed craft to take home, to remind them of the spells they have learnt. Please see the individual session information for further details. For further details, find us on Facebook: Session Themes https://www.facebook.com/MindfulMagicinthePeaks/ • 3-5 The Shy Snowman • 6-10 Mindful Magic Super Heroes Save Christmas • Led by fully qualified teacher and Mindful Magic Mentor • Full DBS and COVID risk assessment in place Booking Information: Call 07545298919 Message @mindfulmagicinthepeaks Email [email protected] Places on a first come, first served basis I look forward to seeing you there! Why Mindful Magic at Christmas? Mindful Magic Christmas Workshops are a perfect opportunity to introduce children to Mindful Magic and the ‘magic spells’. Children’s mental health and well-being are topics often in the news and areas of concern in schools. This often sounds very dramatic and can be a worry for parents. This is where Mindful Magic is perfect in providing support. Fun and uplifting strategies are used and introduced though games and exciting activities, often with the children not even realising they are learning key skills. It is the perfect way to support your child in staying healthy and happy- just the way you want them to be! Christmas Party Offer Tues 17th Nov to Sun 20th Dec Lunch & Evening Advanced Bookings Only -B E G I N- Homemade soup with warm crusty bread. Salmon in Serrano ham with asparagus and hollandaise sauce. Crispy Brie on leaves with a port, orange and cranberry dressing. Stilton mushrooms on toasted brioche. Black pudding, bacon, mozzarella and walnut salad. -M I D D L E- Fresh roast turkey with stuffing, pig in blanket, roast potatoes, rich red wine gravy. 7oz ribeye steak Garni with mixed peppercorn sauce. Chicken breast with haggis finished with a whiskey sauce. Pork tenderloin resting on a port & fig sauce. Melange of fish in filo pastry & lobster bisque. Vegetable roast on sweet parsnips with a vegetable gravy and crispy kale. Mushroom Wellington with a blue cheese sauce. -D E S S E R T D E S T I N Y - Christmas pudding with brandy sauce. Black cherries, brandy & ice cream. Bread & butter pudding, whiskey sauce & cream. Baileys cheesecake with a warm toffee sauce. Profiterole sundae . Coffee and Mint £24.95 Bookings now being taken Please telephone 01298 84329 T H E S T A F F O R D S H I R E K N O T Sheen, Nr Buxton, SK17 OET Stir up Sunday Sunday, 22nd November 2020 is ‘Stir-up Sunday’, so put on your apron and gather together the family (in accordance with Government Covid Restrictions) to make a Christmas Pudding. Folklore says “It’s the day when wishes are said to come true” so get stirring! Stir-up Sunday is an informal term in Anglican churches for the last Sunday before the season of Advent. It gets its name from the beginning of the collect for the day in the Book of Common Prayer, which begins with the words, "Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people". Which way do you stir a Christmas pudding for good luck? you may ask. One superstition says that the pudding should be made with 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and His Disciples and that every member of the family should take turns to stir the pudding with a wooden spoon from east to west, in honour of the Wise Men. Use your own or family traditional recipe and send me your photographs of you doing it. The Royals did it last year, so gather together in an allowed way and let’s create our own photo gallery for publication. Two Further Traditional Recipes (Includes One for the Cheats!!) Frangipane Mince Pies. Method Using a frangipane topping is much easier than pastry Roll out the pastry to the thickness of about a pound coin. toppings and they taste great too. You will need a few Stamp out indentations in the pastry to just larger than the shallow 12-hole bun tins. Depends on how thin you roll out holes in your tin. Use a cup if you don’t have anything the pastry though! else. 500g pack short crust pastry Gently press the pastry into the tins. Pop into the fridge 140g soft butter or margarine whilst you make the frangipane. 140g caster sugar Beat together the eggs, sugar and soft butter until smooth. 80g self-raising flour Stir in the flour and almonds until combined. 100g ground almonds Get the tins out of the fridge and add about a dessertspoon 2 eggs beaten of mincemeat to each cavity. Handful of flaked almonds. Top with the frangipane and smooth to cover. Large jar of mincemeat (about 450g). Can be padded out Sprinkle the almonds on top and bake at 190C for about 20 with a grated apple or pear. minutes. No-fail Christmas Cake Recipe. A few approaches to the perfect Christmas cake. Drop hints to your baking friends! Buy from the supermarket. Plenty of good ones to choose from. Alternatively, Breckles Wholefoods in Sheep Market Leek have Christmas cake kits complete with pre-soaked fruit and everything you need for a cake, ready measured out. Just add eggs and butter. Good value too. For Sale Christmas Trees for Sale Local & Home Produced Non-Drop - 4ft to 7ft Christmas Poultry £5 per foot Traditional Turkey, Chicken st Ready from 1 December Goose & Duck from Butterton Please Contact Myrtle 01538 304225 Please contact: Roz or Peter on Orders now being Taken 01538 304337 or 07870625831 MANIFOLD VALLEY VISIT Have a look at this below….it ISN’T a foreign language!! Feeling brave I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd I walked to the cave waht I was rdanieg The Following the river phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Just after dinner Climbing the hill Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Just until…. Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht Reaching the mouth oredr the Facing south ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is Treading inside taht the For places to hide first and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae.