New café opens in Bolnore Village

By Louise Smith

Last week I had the pleasure of sitting with some fellow Bolnorians with the warm sunshine kissing my face, sharing a lovely hot cup of tea and a chat whilst listening to the birds sing, and the gentle wind in the surrounding woods looking out onto the beautiful Downs. What a treat. The café is in its infancy, and we’re hoping that you will join us in helping to make it a really cooperative space that reflects the heart of this fine community.

A few quick-fire round answers about our new café; Why? – The Woodside, our community building for building our community, has a lovely balcony that has, to date, not been used. Bolnore has really been missing not having a café. The Balcony café is the perfect solution.
What? – Tea, coffee, homemade cake (there was a gorgeous ginger cake there this week, thank you Muriel). Just throw some cash in the donations tin. There’s also Wi-Fi, so you’re welcome to come and do a bit of work too in our pretty spot.
Where? – Upstairs (there is a lift so prams and wheelchairs have easy access) on the balcony of The Woodside, on the Tim Farmer Recreation ground in the middle of Bolnore village.
When? – Currently open on days beginning with T, I call them tea days - Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10am until 12pm.
Who? – This is a volunteer run café, so if you have some free time please do come and lend a hand. We run out of the small kitchen so there are limited facilities available but we are working on providing fancier coffees as the café grows.
How? – We are hoping to make the balcony a really beautiful place. I’m dreaming of pretty plants and bunting. Any further suggestions are always welcome. We look forward to welcoming and seeing you there soon.

Tasty treats for the Queen's Jubilee

Photo: Jason Leung on Unsplash

By Caroline Young
Many of our national festivals feature special dishes – pancakes, mince pies and Christmas cakes are just a sample. Other examples are simnel cake for Mothering Sunday, hot cross buns for Good Friday – the list is almost endless. One of the most-used recipes today is coronation chicken – poulet reine Elizabeth. Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume (both from the Cordon Bleu Cookery School) are credited with inventing this dish for the Queen’s Coronation banquet in 1953. It may have been inspired by jubilee chicken, made for the Silver Jubilee of George V in 1935.

It remains a very popular recipe for large-scale parties and anniversaries. Now a London store is hosting a competition for a very special dish to celebrate our next big national event. I wonder what it will be? Our family have always expected a special dessert on special days and for the Platinum Jubilee, I am planning a cake that would celebrate our Commonwealth connections and our local fruits. I am going to make a two/three layer cake. The central layers will be filled with a cream and fruity filling containing chopped fruits from the Commonwealth countries – peaches, kiwis, mango, pineapple, etc. The top will be piled with whipped cream, topped with an arrangement of whole strawberries arranged to look like our Queen’s crown!

Please let me know what you make – why not send a photo to the editor? Chatting to a Norwegian neighbour, Hedvig Bodley, about festive foods, she gave me her mother’s recipe for their special trifle, which I will also make. Traditional trifle bowls should have straight sides to show the different layers and trifles MUST be refrigerated overnight before serving.

Norwegian trifle

Start with a layer of apple puree and roughly diced cooked apricots. Top with a layer of toasted walnut pieces, toasted coarse oats and pitted dates. Add a generous layer of creamy custard, with a generous dash of your favourite sweet alcohol whisked into it. Top with a layer of honey-flavoured yogurt and a sprinkling of chopped dark chocolate. Cover and chill overnight. It sounds delicious – I will definitely make this myself.

English trifle – my version

Tip a generous layer of roughly crushed Amoretti almond biscuits into your trifle bowl and add a layer of canned apricot halves. Generously sprinkle with your favourite alcohol. Top with creamy custard (I use a top-quality supermarket brand) then a very generous layer of whipped double cream. Cover and refrigerate overnight. I then decorate the top with fresh fruits such as raspberries, flaked toasted almonds and sprigs of fresh mint.

Nadia fundraises for Ukraine in Cuckfield

Ukraine has been an independent state since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. At the time of writing, and according to data collated by the United Nations, there have already been almost 3,000 civilian casualties, more than eleven million refugees fleeing the hostilities, and over £400m given in UK aid alone. As the fighting continues, more and more doors are opening up across Britain from individuals and families welcoming those trying to escape the conflict. Dozens of charities throughout the UK have raised huge sums of money in support of the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Social media is awash with fundraising pages illustrating ways in which we can do our bit to help. Local businesses and everyday people are all also getting involved, from sporting events and quiz nights, to auctions, charity concerts and lottery raffles. And some are baking cakes. Nadia Clay is a former Ukrainian national and at the end of March she held a bake sale in the centre of Cuckfield. She, her Slovakian friend, Zoya Karcova, and her eldest son Max helped to raise over £1,000 for the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. Apart from Zoya and her baking a lot of cakes, many were also kindly donated by local people as well as parents of pupils attending Holy Trinity school. “I have so many people to thank and don’t quite know where to start. The list is long and rather than thank people individually I’d just like to say, ‘thank you so much to everyone who got involved and to all those who turned out on the day; you know who you are’.”

Nadia has lived in the UK for over eight years now. Max went to Warden Park, her youngest son, Alex, still attends Holy Trinity School and was baptised in the local church. Also, she was married in Cuckfield, so she knows the village and the people that live here very well. But Ukraine will always be close to her heart. “There are so many people, especially in Eastern Ukraine, who have fled their homes who now face the challenge of completely rebuilding their lives and starting all over again.”

Nadia grew up in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk, 600km west of the capital, Kyiv. “I am from the Oblast Mountain region not too far from the Polish border. It is very green with many unique villages nearby. It is also very close to Bukovel, the largest ski resort in the whole of Ukraine. It is very beautiful there.” Both of Nadia’s parents still live in the Ivano-Frankivsk, and neither one of them wants to leave, even if the fighting spreads. “My father and mother are both elderly now. My dad doesn’t want to leave the home that he’s lived in all of his life. My Mum feels the same way. Every day I worry about them, about not being able to see them again, or my friends. We were supposed to be visiting them later this month but that’s not going to happen now.” The sense of helplessness Nadia feels, not only for her family, but also for the Ukrainian people as a whole is clear.

Even from our quiet corner of Mid Sussex, we must all hope for peace. Plus, of course, there are many ways to support the people of Ukraine, both practically and financially.