Winning an award…
We were very honoured last week to have been recognised at the Urban Food Awards in a special category, Women in Food: The women putting good food on London’s plate. This is where thirty of London’s leading Women in Food are being celebrated as part of the capital’s Urban Food Awards, championed by the Mayor of London. (Photo credit Miles Willis)
In particular, it was in the category ‘Women in Good Food Education’ that Hen Corner was recognised as an urban smallholding and microbakery that brings real food to our communities through training, schools work, and sale of produce. It was great to see that our work with Cultivate London was also noted as they gave out the awards. Thank you 🙂
Winning our competition…
Thanks to all who entered our recent competition for tickets for the Country Living Spring Fair. Our winners are Grace, Chrissie, Sue, Vivien, Dionne and Catriona. They’ll each be bringing a friend along for a fabulous day out at Alexandra Palace.
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We’re off to the Fair!
Just one of the things we’ll be doing each day at the Fair is a super seasonal Hot Cross Bun demonstration in the Country Living Kitchen we’ve got the recipe here if you’d like to make them yourselves.
Hot Cross Buns – Recipe
We know that these are available in the shops most of the year, but we always save these as an Easter treat…
We use an enriched dough for this recipe, adding egg, butter and sugar to a tradition basic bread dough. Dried fruit soaked in tea, the traditional cross on top and a sticky honey glaze finish these off perfectly.
Ingredients for dough:
500g strong white flour
1 tsp dried yeast
1 tsp salt
40g caster sugar
250ml milk
60g butter, softened
2 eggs
Fruits & Spice:
250g mixed dried fruit
3 tsp mixed spice
Large mug of strong Earl Grey tea
Crosses:
50g plain flour
2 tsp oil
pinch baking powder
1 tsp caster sugar
Milk for piping consistency
Honey Glaze: 2 tbsp honey mixed with 2 tbsp hot water
Method:
- Combine all dough ingredients in a large mixing bowl, work the dough for 15 minutes, shape into a tight ball, place in a large bowl, cover and leave to rest for 1 hour.
- Soak the dried fruit and spice in the hot tea, leave to infuse.
- Preheat oven to 200c
- Once dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a lightly floured surface, lift corners and ease into a large rectangle, drain the mixed fruit and scatter over the dough before folding it in.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, shape into tight buns and place on a parchment lined baking tray, cover and proof until doubled in size.
- Combine ingredients for cross paste and pipe onto buns.
- Bake at 200c for approx 12-16 mins, look for firm, risen, golden buns.
- Remove from oven and brush with warm honey glaze.
Other news:
- It was great to get a shout out in Time Out Magazine – Our Easter at Hen Corner was listed as a quirky thing to do and sounds ‘clucking ace!’
- Our friends at Cultivate London now have chickens at their Salopian Garden, last week I went to meet their young families and volunteers to run a training session that celebrated National Poultry Day
- Our bees have been busy making new queens for spring, we’ve gone from one to three in a couple of weeks!
Jobs for the week:
- Select 10 of the hens to come with us to Alexandra Palace, giving a quick wash & blow dry where necessary
- Get our little Mini loaded up for the fair (I hope it all fits in!)
- Look out for the May issue of Country Living Magazine dropping through the letterbox, our feature this month is about planting out seedlings
Have a good week,
Sara
