Bolnore Village

Bolnore resident Annika shares pecan pie recipe

By Annika Patel

It’s been three years since our arrival, and even now, some mornings, I must pinch myself to fully grasp the fortune of calling this place home. Despite my deep appreciation for this new chapter, October stirs nostalgia within me. To soothe that longing, we’re indulging in the delight of American pecan pie, enriched with the sweetness of Canadian maple syrup, at our table this month. I hope you’ll join us in savouring this delicious treat!


Method

1. Blind bake a 24cm pie crust of your choice and set it aside.
2. Lightly toast the pecans. Set aside enough pecan halves to arrange in a circular pattern in the pie plate and coarsely chop the rest.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the last two.
5. Sprinkle the chopped pecans onto the pie shell. Pour in the filling. Arrange the pecan halves on top in a circular pattern.
6. Bake for 20 minutes. Cover pie with aluminium foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes, until the filling is firm. Remove foil and bake for an extra 1-2 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with Maldon sea salt flakes.

Ingredients

• 100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 100g unrefined molasses sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla bean extract
• 320g maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp wholemeal flour
• 275g pecan halves
• Maldon sea salt flakes for topping

Bolnore plans a crafty Christmas

Bolnore-living-advent.jpg

By Louise Rahman Smith

First of all I beg your understanding as it is not yet December and I’m bringing up the C word! It’s because at this time of year for the last fifteen years I have always been buried deep in glitter, glue and cheer and organising community Christmas activities ready for advent. These activities always include the Bolnore Village Tree at the Cuckfield Christmas Tree Festival, with handmade decorations made by the many groups and individuals of Bolnore including the school, preschool, Saplings baby and toddler group, Scouts, Cubs, Beavers and Village Hub.

Our tree is part of the annual Cuckfield Tree Festival, a marvellous event in which 70 plus local groups each decorate one tree for the first weekend in December, which you can then ordinarily go and visit for some fairy lit magic, music and charm and raise monies for charity.

Well, of course, things are a little different this year and there won’t be a Bolnore tree in the festival but there will be one tree on which each of the 70 groups will have one decoration. Are you a crafter? Do let me know if you’d like to be the maker of the one decoration to represent Bolnore this year (Maglousmith@hotmail.com). I thought a mini oak tree decoration adorned with rainbow hearts would be a good fit to represent Bolnore.

To give us something to look forward to this Christmas especially, we are also planning the first Bolnore Living Advent Calendar! Based on the village participation with window rainbows supporting our amazing NHS and key workers, and our fabulously long village Coronasnake (#bolnorerocks), this Christmas time is perfect for an advent trail across the village.

There will be a decorated window being revealed for each of the days counting down to Christmas. Working with Bethan Hobbs and the lovely team at Grace Church (which is normally based in the Woodside and is sad that their gorgeous usual Christmas village events; wreath making, Christingle and carols, will not be happening). We are hoping the Bolnore Living Advent Calendar will be a spectacle to look forward to, and give us something that we can participate in, in these trying times. Launch information coming soon on the ‘This is Bolnore’ Facebook page.

Finally, when we moved to Bolnore 17 years ago, with a new baby, we really wanted to create the community for our family to thrive and that we really wanted to live in. Now, more than ever, I want to offer out a friendly (virtual) hand. If you are struggling in these challenging conditions do get in touch, as Charles Darwin, one of my heroes, famously said: ‘I have been bent and broken, but, I hope, into a better shape.’ Let us all shape this wonderful imperfect place we are fortunate to call home.

75th Anniversary VE Day celebrations in Bolnore Village

Image: Dan Weaver

Image: Dan Weaver

The residents of Bolnore Village know how to party - even if it is a socially distanced one!

Enjoy here the collective range of images and video from the 75th Anniversary celebration of VE Day on Friday 8th May 2020. From a very impressive set up in Renfields, but also including notable mentions from Roundway, Whitebeam Mews and also Cattswood Lane.

Thank you also to Brighton Jive for this amazing drone footage of a lovely 40’s street performance. Colin and Sue only moved in to Bolnore ten days ago!

Thanks to Louise Ferguson Photography for the following images, taken during a walk to the shop…


Video shot by resident Dan Weaver on 8th May 2020 during the coronavirus lockdown in West Sussex. Colin Tenn and Sue Walker-Reilly gave the residents of Renf...