Feed the Birds this winter

We are a nation of bird watchers. From the red breasted Robin to the resident Great Tit, Blue Tit, colourful Goldfinch and Chaffinch, Blackbird, Starlings, Sparrows and more, we can’t get enough of these wonderful creatures.

Small garden birds need to eat regularly, particularly during cold weather when they use up a lot of energy just keeping themselves warm. So now is a great time to put out high-energy, nutritious bird foods containing fats and oils, which will help them maintain their energy levels through the cold winter nights.

It’s also great to have shrubs with berries in your garden, as birds love to feed on the berries and on insects found on berried plants. Attractive shrubs like Cotoneaster and Pyracantha also provide shelter and nesting areas for birds. But berries are not just good for birds – hedgehogs, squirrels, mice, badgers and even foxes will all happily munch on them. Try planting:

Cotoneaster – red berries in winter followed by delicate white flowers in spring
Pyracantha – an upright shrub with glossy green leaves & orange-red berries
Malus Jelly King – a beautiful crab apple tree, ideal for small spaces and, as the name suggests, great for making crab apple jelly too
Holly – lustrous green leaves and bright red berries

“As well as providing food, berry bearing plants will also bring a splash of colour to your garden when a lot of trees are bare.” said Sarah Squire, Chairman of Squire’s Garden Centres.

“You’ll have striking berries in the winter then beautiful blossom in spring, and some plants have evergreen leaves year-round. Try Pyracantha ‘Saphyr Orange’ which is an upright shrub with glossy green leaves and orange-red berries, or Cotoneaster ‘Cornubia’ which has delicate white flowers in May followed by distinctive red berries in winter.”

How to help birds this winter

Food – Provide a variety of seeds, nuts, grains, fruits and fats to satisfy the needs of a range of bird species. Put out small amounts of food regularly to ensure that it is always fresh.
Water – Make sure that birds have access to fresh clean water every day; they will still bathe even in cold weather! Float a small ball on the surface to help prevent the water freezing.
Shelter – Plant a hedge or add a nesting box. When gardening, don’t be quick to tidy up; leave dead vegetation to stand, which will provide shelter for birds and the insects they feed on.

www.squiresgardencentres.co.uk

Our local cheese and wine pairing

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Weekend Walk: Hidden Hindhead Walking Trail (3.1 miles)

A well sign-posted but not too demanding a walk for all the family taking in both Gibbet Hill and The Temple of the Four Winds, each with superb views – on a clear day you’ll glimpse the London skyline. Make your way to the eastern side of the Devil’s Punch Bowl and look across the valley for some of the best views in the area and admire the autumn colours over the Punch Bowl. This walk is courtesy of www.nationaltrust.org.uk.

1. From the car park proceed north towards the white trig-point – look out for the pink disc which denotes the Hidden Hindhead trail.

2. Follow the pink signs, crossing the old A3 (now grassed over), to reach a paved road where you turn left and follow this in an easterly direction.

Please note that this paved path is classified as a BOAT – a byeway open to all traffic – therefore bikes and motorised vehicles, although rare, are entitled to use this path

3. En route discover the Sailor’s Stone and admire the views north across the Punch Bowl. Continue along the paved road ignoring the gateway on your right hand side. On your left look out for the recently recovered old milestone (London 39 miles), and after 30 metres bear right up an ill-defined path that emerges onto Gibbet Hill. Take a rest here and enjoy the views.

The Sailor’s Stone
In 1786 a sailor was brutally murdered by three men whilst walking between London and Portsmouth. The stone was erected to mark the spot where this poor sailor met his death.

4. The Celtic cross at Gibbet Hill marks the spot where three rogues were hanged for the murder of a sailor on the Old Portsmouth Road. Gibbet Hill, which stands at 272m, is located above the Devil’s Punch Bowl and is the second highest point in Surrey (Leith Hill being the highest). Looking north from the trig-point, head down the ill-defined, but signed path on the right. Take care – when wet this may be muddy and slippery. At the bottom continue straight ahead on a treelined track, eventually emerging at The Temple of the Four Winds. Again take a rest and enjoy the view.

The Temple of the Four Winds
This was built around 1910 by Viscount Pirrie, a chairman of Harland and Wolff, the builders of the ill-fated Titanic. The Viscount lived at the nearby Witley Park estate, which included a deer park. Many elaborate lunches were held for his hunting friends at his hunting lodge at The Temple of the Four Winds. The Temple fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1966. From the Temple identify the signage which will lead onto a welldefined downhill track through coppiced beech woodland, eventually arriving at a T junction, with a small lake on the right.

5. Turn right following the often muddy pathway through the gateway onto some open ground. Continue uphill meeting a trail, here bear left and proceed downhill to a galvanised gateway and
onto an un-paved roadway.

6. Again following the signs proceed uphill, ignoring, at the top of the climb, the first gateway on the right, but entering Hindhead Common at the second gateway. Proceed up the rough track (the Greensand Way). Look out for grazing Exmoor ponies (please keep your dog on a lead near to them). Towards the top of the incline and to the right, there are excellent views to the east with the South Downs clearly visible, and, on a good day, Gatwick Airport can even be seen.

7. The trail is well marked, and you’ll eventually leave Hindhead Common via a galvanised gate, emerging onto the paved road (the BOAT) of your outward journey; cross this and what was the old A3, retracing your steps back to the Punch Bowl car park. The café is a great spot to relax after your walk!

DISTANCE: 3.1 miles
MAP: OS Explorer 133 Haslemere and Petersfield
START: Devil’s Punch Bowl café car park, London Road, Hindhead, Surrey, GU26 6AB. Charges apply to non-members.

I’m Sorry I’m Laughing Too Much – a tribute to the greatest radio comedy of all time

Stefan Reynolds pays tribute to the newly crowned greatest radio comedy of all time

Lockdown has been a great period for the radio. Who can fail to have been helped along with cheerful music, a decent play or some wonderful comedy? It was such a great shock when the magnificent Tim Brooke-Taylor succumbed to the horrible virus in the spring, but he would have been heartened by the news that, quite rightly, I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue has been voted the greatest radio comedy of all time in a Radio Times poll. As was I.

This show captivated my attention the very first time I heard it, and went on to make me laugh like nothing else since. It has quite frankly given me the most enormous pleasure for more than a quarter of a century.

I don’t remember how I got to hear about “the antidote to panel games” and can only think I must have tuned in to Radio 4 at a fortuitous time and was immediately hooked to a show that first appeared in 1972. The infectious joy of Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Willie Rushton being given “silly things to do” by the then Chairman, the jazz trumpeting, bandleading Humphrey Littleton, was never anything less than perfect. Tim was paired with Willie ‘against’ Barry and Graeme, with Samantha and occasionally Sven providing the scores (or not). The lovely, and very put upon, Colin Sell was at the piano – and he’s still there.

In 1996, the loveable Willie Rushton died and was never formally replaced. Over the years, a host of guests were invited to join Tim including, among many others, Tony Hawks, Andy Hamilton, the late Jeremy Hardy and Linda Smith as well as one of my absolute favourites, Sandi Toksvig. I can’t forget one episode where Sandi completely corpsed with laughter for what seemed to be well over a minute, which was happily kept in the final cut – on hearing it again, I almost never fail to follow suit. The joy of laughter!

It would be invidious to single out any of the original panel as being the ‘best’. All had their talents and all worked so well as a cohesive whole, which happily didn’t change after Willie died. But it is undeniably true that Tim became the ‘court jester’ figure, the one who got all the hardest/worst songs to sing, the one always asked to reprise the role of the Queen or other ladies – he could do a fine Lady Bracknell… and of course he performed it all brilliantly.

It was well after Rushton’s death that I first applied to see a recording. No easy feat. Having joined their mailing list, you are alerted to where the shows are being recorded, two at a time. Usually a weekday or Sunday evening, they tend to be at provincial theatres and tickets are very reasonably priced. What you don’t understand at first is the sheer demand for tickets. Released at an allotted time, if you do not phone at the exact moment and possess a great degree of luck, you stand no chance of getting a ticket. Even now, given the ability to buy via the internet, tickets remain like gold dust and so hard to get. My most recent recording was late last year in Portsmouth. I got one of the last 4 tickets available, despite getting in as early as I could.

The first recording I attended was at The Anvil in Basingstoke. It was the night of the US Masters final – which I gave up for Humph and the gang. I was in heaven. The recordings take around 2.5 hours and of course feature some rounds that don’t make it to the final edit, and what The Guardian would call ‘corrections and clarifications’ when the sainted producer has to ask for retakes. But to be there in front of such comedy class alongside hundreds of fans, almost always laughing at the same time, is akin to watching live sport. Magical.

The biggest loss to ISIHAC was the death of Humphrey Lyttleton, who died in 2008 at the ripe old age of 86, still in the chair so to speak. What a class act he was. He chaired the show in a wonderfully deadpan manner, giving listeners the impression he really would rather be anywhere else, as he delivered his wonderfully fruity script – seemingly unaware of the double and indeed triple entendres that ensued hilarity. But it was when he deviated from the script that he could really bring the house down, with perfectly timed ad-libs that pointed to a comedy genius, at least as good as the panellists on either side of him.

I was fortunate enough to be at one of his last recordings. Once the show had finished, he retook to the stage with his trumpet and proceeded to give us a solo performance that I will never forget. The standing ovation was extraordinary and emotionally draining. What a man. And yes, I did name my dog after him…

After Humph’s death, and some reflection, it was announced that Stephen Fry, Jack Dee and Rob Brydon would host two shows each, to be recorded in April, May and June 2009. I saw the Jack Dee recordings at the Mayflower in Southampton and when Jack Dee took the chair permanently afterwards, I did feel that the right choice had been made. He had and still has shades of Humph and his manner of chairing, which is what the show needed.

The show has continued to this day with six recordings a year, which take place all over the country. If I am honest, the jokes have been tamed a bit and a degree of PC has emerged, but it still remains one of the best things on radio. Through the power of the internet, I have a recording of almost every show recorded, which enables me to revisit it as often as I like. Even though I have heard most of the recordings so many many times, they still never cease to give me pleasure. I’m afraid the rest of you will have to make do with the BBC website, which sadly only has some limited episodes, although others are available to buy. Please visit www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnwb for more information.

It was with great sadness that I raise a large glass to Tim back in April, who joined Willie and Humph in the comedy pantheon. I don’t know what will become of my favourite- and indeed now the best – radio comedy. I do hope they can celebrate their 50 years – and continue to thank everyone involved for so successfully turning so many of us into such uncontrollable, hysterical laughing wrecks.

I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue Series 73, which features the last appearances of Tim Brooke-Taylor, starts on Monday 30th November.

Please click here for a full list of the winners

Autumn Squash recipes

Shallot, Pumpkin and Red Pepper Soup with Candied Shallot and Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:
For the soup: 4 red peppers, deseeded and cut into quarters, 30g butter, 1 tbsp rapeseed oil, 6 shallots, diced and peeled, 750g pumpkin, peeled and diced into 2cm pieces, 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped, 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed, leaves of one sprig of thyme, 1.2 litre good vegetable stock, 100ml double cream (optional), sea salt and black pepper. For the candied shallots: 250g unsalted butter, 1/4 tsp of cumin seeds, 8 (250g) shallots, peeled and sliced, 1/4 tsp ground cumin, 1/4 tsp paprika, 1 tsp honey. To serve: 2 tsp chives, finely chopped, 30g pumpkin seeds, toasted, 120ml low fat crème fraiche.

Method:
1. Place the peppers skin side up, on a baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the skins are charred. Remove from the oven and place in a bowl. Cover with cling film and leave to cool. Once cool, peel off the skins, and reserve the flesh.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter with oil in a large, heavy based saucepan. Add the shallots, pumpkin and red chilli, season with sea salt and black pepper and sweat the vegetables for 5-10 minutes without browning. Add the garlic and thyme and cook on a low heat for a further minute. Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add in the red peppers and cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. For the candied shallots, melt the butter in a small pan over a medium heat, add the cumin seeds and shallots and fry until soft. Add the ground cumin and paprika and cook the shallots for a further 1 minute, stirring the shallot mixture all the time to prevent burning. Fry until caramelised for approx. 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with sea salt and stir in the honey.
4. Blend the soup in a food processor or with a hand blender and adjust the seasoning to taste. Return to the pan, if a little thick add more stock and if you wish, stir in the cream. Gently reheat the soup and ladle into warmed bowls. Place a spoonful of low fat crème fraiche in each and sprinkle with the chives, toasted pumpkin seeds and candied shallots.

Butternut Squash, Shallot & Butterbean Casserole

Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash (approx 600-800g), cut into 2.5cm chunks (leave the skin on for added texture), 12 shallots, peeled and left whole, 6 sage leaves, roughly chopped, 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 3 cloves garlic, crushed, 1 heaped tbsp flour, 175ml white wine, 1 tin butterbeans, drained and rinsed, 400ml vegetable stock, 2 tbsp sundried tomato paste. For the dumplings: 200g self raising flour, 100g vegetable suet, 2 tsp dried mixed herbs, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 5-8 tbsp cold water‍.

Method:
1. Place the butternut squash and shallots in a roasting tin along with the olive oil, sage leaves and a good grind of pepper and salt to taste. Roast in a hot oven (220°C/Gas 7) for 20-30 minutes until the vegetables are tinged with colour at the edges.
2. Whilst the squash and shallots are cooking make the dumplings by combining all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add enough cold water to bring it together to make a soft dough. Shape the dough into 8 small balls and set aside.
3. When the squash and shallots are cooked, remove from the oven and turn the temperature down to 180°C/Gas 4.
4. Add the flour to the roasting tin, stirring to coat the vegetables and soak up all the roasting juices. Add the garlic and white wine to the roasting tin, scraping the bottom to release all the sticky caramelised bits.
5. Transfer to an oven proof casserole and add the beans, sundried tomato paste and enough vegetable stock to cover the vegetables. Give everything a good stir, Bring to the boil and cover. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes.
6. Remove the casserole form the oven and carefully add the dumplings so they float on the surface. Return to the oven, uncovered, for 20 minutes until the dumplings are crispy on the outside and fluffy and cooked through on the inside. Serve immediately with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Taken from ukshallot.com/