Twelfth Night - Epiphany.

Quite a sad day today as we take down the Christmas decorations, un - decorate the Christmas trees and pack everything away again for another eleven months.

I know many of you did this chore last week but I always like to wait until Twelfth Night - Epiphany, the Christian feast which marks the visit of the Three Kings to the baby Jesus.

google image

I think it harks back to our time spent living in Bavaria when on this day a group of children from the village, known as the Sternsinger, would visit our homes

 dressed as the Three Wise Men collecting donations for children's charities.

They would sing us a song or recite a poem before inscribing

the year, C + M + B in white chalk above the front door. 

 " 20 C + M + B 15".

For a long time I thought the letters represented the names of the Three Magi

 Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar 

but they really stand for the Latin phrase

Christus Mansionem benedicat 

 "God protect this house"

As a treat on this special day I thought I'd take the opportunity to sample some delicious
Downton Abbey tea with a slice of "galette des rois", the traditional French cake eaten on this day.
The tea was a recent gift from my lovely friend Sarah who like me is a big fan of Downton Abbey.

Will I chose "butler's pantry blend"  -premium black tea with essence of honey.
a favourite of Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes or
mrs's patmore's pudding tea - with caramel and vanilla which Mrs P & Daisy prefer?

A delicious confection of puff pastry and frangipane the cake of kings
 contains a small porcelaine figurine and whoever finds it in their slice becomes king for the day.

The Senior Partner and I don't care for frangipane so we ordered a galette des rois with an apple filling, well we are in Normandy after all!

Are you a tea drinker or would you prefer a cup of java with your slice of galette?
I'd love to know.

The World of Downton Abbey - a Giveaway!

“Welcome to the world of Downton Abbey a place that has captivated an audience of millions, all following the lives of one family and their servants against a backdrop of a fading Edwardian society. All of us can recognize a familiar character amongst them; Violet the Dowager Countess, the old fashioned grandmother; Mary Edith and Sybil, the squabbling sisters; Robert and Cora, the loving parents; or Rosamund, the interfering sister-in-law.”

Jessica Fellowes the author of The World of Downton Abbey is an established writer and editor. She has worked for the Mail on Sunday and for four years was Deputy Editor of Country Life magazine.
"Downton Abbey portrays a world of elegance and decadence, a world of duty and obedience and a world of romance and rivalry: this companion book, full of rich historical detail, takes fans deeper into that period than ever before.
Step inside one of the most beautiful houses in Britain, past Carson the butler at the front door and into the grand hallway. Catch a glimpse of the family having drinks in the drawing room before dinner, dressed in their evening finery, whilst Lord Grantham finishes writing a letter in his study. Then climb the grand sweeping staircase to the maze of rooms upstairs and peak through Lady Mary’s open door to see Anna, her maid, tidying scent bottles and jewellery on the ornate dressing table. Follow Anna down the servants’ stairs and into the kitchens to watch Mrs Patmore frantically preparing dinner. Mrs Hughes keeps a watchful eye from her study and the world of Downton comes alive before you.
Experience the inner workings of the downstairs life and be dazzled by the glamour of upstairs life with profiles of all the major characters, interviews with the actors, behind the scenes insights and in-depth information on costumes and props."
Amazon review.

When Downton Abbey first appeared on British TV screens on Sunday evenings during the autumn of 2010 it was a huge success and received many awards and nominations and I was hooked!
The second series which aired last autumn and the Christmas special that followed were even better (no spoilers but who doesn't love a happy ending?) and I’m very happy that a third series has been commissioned and will be shown later this year.
To receive this beautiful book on Christmas morning was the icing on the cake.
The photographs throughout are wonderful and it is packed with historical facts and information about life in England before, during and after the First World War, and the changes wrought as a result of it.

“Before the First World War, 1.4 million people were employed as domestic servants. It was one of the largest single employment groups – just outnumbering agricultural workers and coal miners – and was largely made up of women. Around 15 – 20 per cent of this number would have been working in the houses of the nobility and the landed gentry”.

To win a brand new copy of The World of Downton Abbey (I’m keeping mine!) all you have to do is answer this question correctly.
In series one Kemal Pamuk, the son of a Turkish Diplomat, was a guest at Downton - how did he die?
Was it:
a) He was thrown from his horse whilst out riding with the Hunt
b) He choked on a fish bone during dinner
c) He suffered a heart attack whilst making love to Lady Mary

To receive 1 chance to win just leave a comment, answer the question correctly and your name will be entered into the draw twice.
The winners name will be picked at random and announced in my post when I join Laurie's Valentine's par-tay on Friday, February 10th.

Alphabe- Thursday - K is for Kedgeree

For Alphabe - Thursday this week with Mrs Matlock a dish you might not have tried - Kedgeree.
Kedgeree is an Anglo – Indian dish of onions, basmati rice, cooked smoked haddock, peas, hard boiled eggs, curry powder, parsley, cream and butter which was introduced into Victorian Britain from colonial India.

It is a very simple dish to make and perfect for brunch or supper.
In series one of Downton Abbey kedgeree is one of the first dishes that Mrs Patmore prepares for Lord and Lady Grantham and "the girls".

Some people make kedgeree using leftover rice and fish but like Mrs Patmore I make it from scratch!

Using the ingredients mentioned above, this is what you do……………..
In a large pan poach 250g undyed smoked haddock (+ 2 bay leaves) in 250 ml of water for about 5 minutes, drain and reserve the cooking liquor.
Discard the bay leaves and flake the fish into bite size pieces.
Put 100g basmati rice in a small saucepan with the reserved cooking liquor, simmer until rice is cooked. Remove from the heat and allow to stand until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice.
Meanwhile place 2 (or 3 if you’re hungry) large, free range eggs in a saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook for about 8 minutes.
Remove the eggs when cooked and plunge into a shallow bowl of ice water, when they are cool enough to handle peel the eggs and cut each one into quarters, set aside.
In a small saucepan cook 50g of frozen peas, whilst this is happening melt 20g of butter and 1 table sp sunflower oil in a large frying pan. Add a finely chopped onion and fry gently until cooked and slightly golden in colour. Add 1 tablesp of curry powder and fry for another couple of minutes.
Tip the cooked basmati rice and drained peas in with the curried onions.
Next add 2 table sp chopped parsley, 2 table sp crème fraiche, flaked haddock and quartered hard boiled eggs.

Pop a lid on the pan and cook gently until the eggs and fish are warmed through.

Transfer to a serving dish or dot some butter over the top of the kedgeree, cover with foil and place in a preheated oven to keep hot until needed.

Serves 2 if they’re hungry and 3 if they’re not.

Talking of Mrs Patmore…………….are you a Downton fan?
Do you prefer upstairs or downstairs?
Do you know which character asked:
 “A weekend. What is a weekend”?
Or who said:
 “Friends? Who does she think she’s fooling? We’re not friends.”

Whether you’ve only just met the Cawleys, or can find your way around Downton as easily as Thomas the footman, call back here at the weekend for a chance to win The World Of Downton Abbey by Jessica Fellowes.

The Rivalry and Romance Revealed and the Secrets and History unlocked. 

Joining Jenny Matlock @ off on my tangent
for  Alphabe-Thursday
where the letter K is our subject this week.