Cider, Songs and S......?

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Well here we are again at the end of October and for the last two weeks the shops, and especially Asda, have been full of ‘tat’ for the children. The tills have been ringing and of course in this day and age, that is all that matters. Five hundred years ago the celebrations would have been for very different reasons.

The ancient feasts to mark summer’s end or the end of the Celtic year gave rise to a cluster of customs collectively called Hallowtide. The medieval church denounced these as diabolic and supplied its own sanctified versions in the form of All Saints Day (November 1) and All Soul's Day (November 2).

It was widely believed in early days that the souls of the departed needed sustenance and in England special “Soul Cakes” have been made for centuries.

Now ‘Souling’ or ’Soul-Caking, where children visit other houses requesting cakes or other small gifts, is, or should be accompanied by traditional songs.

Soul, Soul, for a Soul-Cake,

I pray you, good missus a Soul-Cake!

An apple, a pear, a plum or a cherry,

Or any good thing to make us all merry.

One for Peter, Two for Paul,

Three for Them who made us all.

Up with the kettle and down with the pan,

Give us good alms and we’ll be gone.

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Not wishing to miss out on a good ‘sing song’ and a ‘tipple’ or two, perhaps after a couple of glasses of ‘Lamb’s Wool’ I might just join in.

"Lamb's Wool" ?

Yes, a heady concoction of cider, the pulp of roast apples, sugar and spices stirred well until the brew froths up like the fleece of a lamb.

Take 4 large Cox’s Orange Pippins, slit the skins around the centre of each and core them. Bake on a tray in a moderate oven until soft and pulpy.

Heat 3 pints of strong cider with spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger) and lemon rinds in a large pan….not too hot or you will drive off the alcohol.

Remove skin from roast apples and mash well. Add to pot, with more cider and sugar to taste. Remove any bits of peel etc. that you don’t fancy and then whip the mixture until it froths up.

What you do then is up to you!!!!

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Glow-in-the-dark lingerie!

The designs are the brainchild of Australian Jan Hawley.

She said: "In this range the underwear is much smaller and sexier. We've called it the Boudoir collection because it's strictly for the bedroom after dark.

"When the lights go out, the lace on the bra and knickers glow beautifully"

Could come in useful I suppose when you come home from the Pub after four pints of Lamb's Wool?

Or perhaps not?

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