Ingredients

1 cup split peas
2 thick slices of ham
1 cup water
Seasoning of your choice to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 135° C and prepare a lightly greased 23cm pie dish.

Wash the split peas and place in the dish.  Cut the ham slices into bite-sized pieces and mix with the peas.  Add seasoning, then pour the water over the mixture just enough to cover it.  Simmer in the oven until peas are dissolved and the mixture springs back when you touch it.

Serve hot to start your meal.  (Try it cold with a salad in summer.)

Note

You may find the water has to be topped up to stop the pudding becoming too dry while cooking.

The next meeting of the NSW Branch of the Richard III Society will take place on Saturday, 8 June 2019, at 2 pm at our usual venue, The Sydney Mechanics’ Institute of Arts, Level 1, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney.

The program for our branch meeting in June will be a book discussion!

Everyone who wishes to can actively participate. You can tell us about, or comment upon, a favourite Ricardian (or related) book you have read or a new find you are excited about.

There is so little time over afternoon tea to talk together, so the Executive Committee thought we could try having a meeting where we could discuss books with each other.

For those members undecided about which book to read we had suggested Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England, (or Isolde Martyn’s The Devil in Ermine which was sadly hard to find). But any book you want to share with us will be warmly welcomed!

Leslie & Doug McCawley will be facilitating the discussion, in a very casual, unstructured and unpressured setting. We hope you will come!

Ingredients

2.5kg apples’
1kg tomatoes
500g pears
1 large onion, chopped finely
1kg chopped dates
1kg soft brown sugar
500ml malt vinegar
1tsp pepper
2 level tsp mixed spice
1 tablespoon salt

Method

Peel and core apples and pears, then chop into small pieces. Plunge tomatoes into boiling water for a minute, then skin and chop roughly. Place apples, pears and tomatoes and remaining ingredients into a large pan and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for about 2 hours until fruit and vegetables are soft and the mixture is thick.

Test by drawing a wooden spoon across the mixture so that it leaves a slight channel for a moment.

Pour chutney into clean heated jars and cover with vinegar-proof covers, ie lids that are made of glass, plastic or coated metal. If a metal lid is used, make sure you give it a vinegar-proof lining.

Ingredient (Serves 6)

1 kg minced beef
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup red wine
salt and black pepper to taste
sprinkling of sage to taste
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
½ cup almond milk (see above)
1 teaspoon honey
sprinkling of ground cloves

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Combine all ingredients and place evenly in a lightly greased loaf tin, about 22cm x 12cm. Cover with foil and bake for about 1 hour.

When ready, remove and drain off fat carefully before turning onto a serving dish and garnish with fresh herbs.

Note

If serving cold later, cover with foil after draining and place in refrigerator with weights on top (tins from your pantry are ideal).

Ingredients (Serves 6)

4 apples
4 pears
1 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons plain flour
¾ cup sugar
½ cup dried figs or dates, chopped
½ cup raisins
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon lemon juice
a little red wine or brandy
shortcrust pastry to line and cover a 23cm pie dish

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Peel, core and slice apples and pears.  Place peel, cores and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 cup of water and boil until reduced by about one-third.

Toss sliced fruit with flour and remaining sugar.  Steep dried fruits with spices in lemon juice and wine.  Add to the sliced fruit mixture and pour the whole into the pastry-lined pie dish.

Strain the peel/core liquid and pour over the fruit.  Cover with a pastry lid, brush with milk or beaten egg.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until pastry is a golden brown.

Digging in the vaults of this website, we came across the medievally-inspired recipes, which our long-time member Julia had provided.  It would be a great pity if they were forgotten.  Today we start with a recipe fitting for the last week of Lent:  Lenten Pottage.

Ingredients (Serves 8)

8 large onions, sliced
125ml sunflower oil
100g ground almonds
½ teaspoon honey
150 ml white wine
150 ml boiling water
8 rounds of bread, cut thickly, crusts removed if desired

Method

Simmer sliced onions in oil until soft and golden.

Soak almonds in honey, 75ml wine and water for about 10 minutes.

Toast the bread slices lightly and place in individual bowls.

Add remaining 75ml wine to onions and heat. Pour the almond milk over the toasted bread and arrange the onions on the top.

Note:  Almond Milk

This is used in many medieval recipes. For the ingredients and method, see above.
If using for a dessert, add a little extra honey and substitute milk for water.

Berkhamsted Castle

Our next General Meeting will be held on Saturday, 13 April 2019, at 2 pm at the Sydney Mechanics Institute, Level 1, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney.

Our featured speaker will be our own long-serving executive committee member Dorothea, who will take us on a visit to Richard III’s mum, Cecily, at her long-time residence of Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire. She will tell us about the town and the castle, starting from its pre-conquest origins to the present day.  The castle was very significant in the development of the town.  Along the way, you will meet some of its colourful residents.

Please join us for this most interesting sounding program!

You might also like to watch a YouTube video with an Animated Tour of Berkhamsted Castle here.

Tags: Berkhamsted, Cecily Neville, Hertfordshire, NSW Branch

KEVIN HERBERT

Just a brief note to let all our members know that Marnie, Christopher and myself visited Kevin when he was first admitted to hospital at Manly before Christmas and he was quite depressed, wouldn’t eat and had lost a lot of weight. We stayed with him a while to cheer him up and when we left he was rather happy that we went to see him.

Later that month his niece Elizabeth had arranged to move him to “Hardi Aged Care” at Manly Vale. This is a lovely facility with lots of activities for the elderly who can’t look after themselves. The contact details for Kevin are:

Hardi Aged Care

Gordon Street Cnr, Condamine St, Manly Vale NSW 2093

Phone: (02) 9949 1911

I have spoken to Kevin a few times now and each time he sounded a lot better and in high spirits. He told me he was eating a lot better and is starting to put on weight again.

If anyone in Sydney or close by would like to visit him, you would be most welcome.

The accompanying photograph shows Kevin with our own Judith Hughes and Jacquie Turner – the photo was taken by Don Hughes back in January.

By Mike Redstone-Webmaster.

Our first general meeting of the year will take place on Saturday, 9 February 2019, at 2 pm at our usual meeting rooms at the Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts.

Our featured speaker will be our long-serving executive committee member and treasurer, Judy Howard.

The Siege of Constantinople in 1453 (Wikimedia Commons)

In her talk, “The Byzantine Empire from the end of the Fourth Crusade to defeat by the Ottomans in 1453”, she will be exploring this fascinating Christian civilization, the end of which had many social and political reverberations throughout Europe and Britain.

Please also remember that the next biennial Australasian Convention of the Richard III Society will be held Friday, 9 August, through Sunday, 11 August 2019.  This year it will be hosted by the Victorian Branch and will take place in Melbourne.  For more information is available from our publications officer, Dorothea.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Conventions, NSW Branch, Richard III Society