As another crazy year draws to a close, I’m taking a quick look back over the last couple of months – festive fun that was had, and festive fun that was planned and at the last minute had to be flipped back, 2020-style, to virtual fun…
In November we were happily out and about, making a distinctly sticky mess in the back room of the Beer Merchants Tap! In true WI style, we were making our own mincemeat ready to be turned into mince pies once we were all back in our own kitchens. First up though, as anyone who has been a member for a while will know, we all love some good facts so a bit of learning was involved…
Mincemeat facts!
- Mincemeat has been around since the 15th century and originally involved actual meat (plus spices – clove, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon) and was used for savoury pies.
- Originally mince pies were shaped like Jesus’ manger and some people believe that the inclusion of the spices were a reference to the magi who brought spices when they came to visit the baby Jesus.
- They only started to become meat-free in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- And in 2011 Greggs sold 75 million mince pies during the festive season!!
We then teamed up to make big bowls of mincemeat together. Using President Sophie’s Grandmother’s recipe (those who were around for November’s Christmas pudding session will know Sophie’s family recipes are EXCELLENT), apples were chopped, nuts, dried druit, sugar, suet, lemons, spices and brandy were all added in and mixed well. We then battled to fit all the mincemeat into our jars so that none would go to waste! Then the craft basket was raided for festive fabric for lids, ribbons and labels.
Our plans for December had then remained Christmas themed, and we were all set up and ready to make our own glittery snowglobes! But then Covid reared it’s ugly head again and we decided that to keep everyone safe and well for Christmas we should go back to Zoom. The snowglobe stuff went back in the cupboard for next year, and a traditional HWW Christmas Quiz happened instead. Typically rock-hard questions, STILL no-one could remember all the reindeer and no prizes for winning, but fun all the same (and we all learned some new Christmas facts – who knew eggnog is originally from the UK?!).
From all of us at the Hackney Wicked Women committee, we wish you a very happy Christmas and a lovely new year. We hope you all stay safe and well, and we are keeping everything crossed for a return to “normal” in 2022. More details to come on our plans for January and onwards in the new year!
Hackney Wicked Women 