Christmas shenanigans

Hello Ladies,

We’ve reached that time of year again when the Christmas shenanigans have reached full throttle. In our household, our Christmas tree is up, presents have been wrapped, cards have been written and I’m already two Christmas meals down with one still to go. With the awful weather we’ve been having, I’m thankful for online shopping and home delivery for groceries. However, I’m mindful of just how fortunate we are to be able to live in such relative luxury. We must keep everything in perspective and be thankful that we’re not involved in the horrific war that is ongoing in the Ukraine or the inhumanity of the Israel/Palestine war. Let’s hope that the New Year will bring peace and sanity to the world.

THANK YOU

To Sharon, who despite recovering from surgery, has maintained the delivery of members’ birthday cards.
To the Committee for a lovely meeting last Thursday where, amongst other things, we made preparations for your Christmas Party.
To all those ladies who have hosted various sub-groups this month.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

I’d like to wish the following ladies a very Happy Birthday: Kim on the 17th December and Sue on 28th December. I hope that you both have a very special day.

DECEMBER MEETING INFORMATION

On Thursday, 21st December, we will be having our annual Christmas Party. I do hope that you will be able to come along to enjoy all the japes and jollies that we have in store for you. The lovely ‘Vintage Candy’ will be providing the entertainment and Carrie has promised me that she’ll bring along song sheets so that you can join in and have a good singalong. Dancing is optional!

You will be welcomed with a glass of Prosecco/Bucks Fizz, or a soft drink and we’d ask you to bring along a festive platter to share with others on your table. All plates, napkins and cutlery will be provided. Beforehand, you might like to discuss what to bring with the friends with whom you usually sit, so as not to replicate too many sausage rolls. Tea and coffee will be provided, as usual, but we will not be asking for donations to a charity this month. There will, of course be the usual raffle with some festive prizes. The table quizzes will also keep your collective brains ticking over but they are just for fun i.e.no prizes!

Please feel free to dress up or dress down - anything that will make you feel the most comfortable. As usual, please let your Hub Leader know if you are unable to go to the party.

FEDERATION NEWS

The time for each member to choose which Resolution she wishes to support is upon us! The information about all four resolutions is in WI Life, and on MyWI, and copied here:

The shortlisted resolutions are:

1. Dental Health Matters

There is a chronic shortage of NHS Dentists and people are suffering health issues as a result. The NFWI calls on the Government to increase investment in the training and retention of dentists and to review the current inadequate NHS contracts in order to ensure everyone can access an NHS dentist wherever they live.

2. Impacts of Poor Housing Conditions

Poor housing can have a deleterious effect on human health and wellbeing, safety and quality of life and can disproportionately affect the most vulnerable groups in society.

The NFWI calls on the UK Government to boost housing standards and regulations, increase funding for housing renovations, increase the supply of affordable and secure housing and strengthen collaboration with local authorities, housing associations and other relevant stakeholders to develop strategies that address local housing challenges.

3. Say ‘No’ to Gambling Advertising

Harm caused by excessive gambling is a global problem. Some countries are already addressing this by banning advertising. The NFWI calls on members, the government, regulators, the NHS, educationalists and gambling charities to work together towards achieving a complete ban on gambling advertising. This will reduce gambling harm, save the NHS money, protect family relationships and decrease the number of suicides - around 400 per annum at present.

4. Improving Outcomes for Women in the Criminal Justice System

There is an urgent need to radically reform decision-making in respect of women in the criminal justice system and in particular, pregnant women and women with children. We urge cross-government collaboration to deliver on the 2018 female offender strategy by setting goals, robust governance and performance measures to reduce the number of women who have committed non-violent offences being imprisoned.

The M&T Team have set up information sessions where we will show the PowerPoint slides prepared for each resolution and discuss the briefing notes. This is such a good opportunity for members to learn about the resolutions and share this with their WIs to enable everyone to make an informed decision.

There will be four sessions, two in December and two in January, and the voting deadline is February.

Resolution Discussion sessions are for all WI members, particularly those considering being the delegate to the Annual Meeting in June. We will use the briefing notes and PowerPoint presentations from NFWI, and there will be time for discussion and comment.

The dates and times are as below. Please register with Eventbrite to attend. The sessions are free of charge.

Tuesday 12th December 11am - 12.30pm https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wi-resolutions-23-24-discussion-121223-11am-tickets-771069107457

Tuesday 12th December 7.30pm - 9pm https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wi-resolutions-23-24-discussion-121223-730pm-tickets-771565983627

Thursday 11th January 2pm - 3.30pm https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wi-resolutions-23-24-discussion-11124-2pm-tickets-771570226317

Thursday 11th January 5pm - 6.30pm https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wi-resolutions-23-24-discussion-11124-5pm-tickets-771571199227

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I received this e-Christmas Card from Jacky Barugh, our Federation Advisor,

“To you and all your members.

Love from Jacky B x 🤶🎄”

FESTIVE COOKING

10 tips to make perfect sausage rolls at home

By Sally - Silversurfer's Editor Dec 4, 2023

Pastry and sausage meat – the ultimate match, but you’ve got to get it right.

Nothing beats a homemade one that’s all flakey puff pastry and filled with perfectly seasoned pork.

Add a festive twist to your sausage rolls this Christmas and enjoy the seasonal flavours with these cranberry sausage rolls.

And they’re easy to make: Roll a length of seasoned sausage meat inside a sheet of rolled out puff pastry; egg wash to seal and glaze; slice into sausage roll sized chunks; bake in a hot oven (200C) until golden (25-30 minutes). Eat.

But there’s an art to truly delicious sausage rolls.

Here are some tips to remember:

Life is too short to make your own puff pastry. Concede defeat and just buy a readymade block from the supermarket – we won’t judge.

Keep a bowl of ice water ready, so you can plunge your hands in if they get too hot while working your pastry – you don’t want the butter and fat in it to start melting before hitting the oven.

When rolling out your pastry, you need to tread the line between thin, but not too thin – aim for 1/2cm thick. You also want it to puff up, but not too much. Bash it lightly with a rolling pin before baking to take out some of the puff.

Don’t just use any old sausage meat. Either visit your butcher and stock up on quality minced pork shoulder or buy the best quality supermarket sausages you can find, with the highest actual meat content.

Plain pork sausage rolls are amazing, but ones loaded with sage and thyme, rosemary, chunks of apple, bacon, onion marmalade or black pudding, can be even better.

Season your meat. You need salt, you need pepper, you need lots of it.

Make your secret ingredient lemon zest – it’ll really lift the flavour of your sausage meat.

It’s better to overfill than underfill your sausage rolls. No one minds oozy, crispy bits falling out of the pastry casing, but they do mind pastry mainly filled with air.

Return your prepared sausage rolls to the fridge for 15 minutes to set before baking – it’ll keep their shape firm Don’t snub toppings – sprinkle with paprika for a bit of heat, while sesame, fennel or nigella seeds can add extra bite and flavour.

Sausage rolls sprinkled with sesame seeds.