Jams, Chutneys and Brownies-Christmas Fair Prep!

As we are constantly reminded it is beginning to get towards that time of year again, and with it being only 60 something days until Christmas, preparations for our Christmas Fair have begun in earnest.
 Since the end of the summer we have been asking local people if they had any surplus fruit they would like to donate to us. The idea behind this was to make it into jams, jellies and chutneys to sell at our Christmas Fair. We have been inundated with (literally) buckets of apples from people's gardens and our harvest festival and these kind donations have been made into a multitude of different apple based jams and chutneys. We are still looking for more fruit donations, so if you have the ends of your fruit tree crop hanging around that you are not sure what to do with, drop them off at Haworth Church and we will turn them into delicious treats for our fair. However, if you require some inspiration about what to do with your left over apples yourselves, then here is the recipe for an Apple Chutney that we have been making. This chutney is very simple (although it does make your house smell of vinegar) and goes well with cheese, meats and roast pork.

Apple Chutney-

Ingredients
2lbs Apples (chopped)
3/4 lb Sugar
2 Small Onions (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3/4 to 1 pint Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 lb Sultanas or Raisins
Pinch of Mixed Spice
6 Chillies

Method
Cover the chillies with cold water and soak overnight. Put all the other ingredients into a saucepan with half the vinegar.
Allow to come to the boil. Gradually add the remainder of the vinegar and boil up for about 1/2 an hour.
Then add the chilli water and boil, stirring until the chutney is thick.
Pour into pots.
Makes about 4-5lbs.

If you would like to make us a donation of fruit, jars or sugar then please feel free to drop them into church any Sunday morning. The church is also open during the week, so you could also drop them off then and send an email to haworthchurch@gmail.com to let us know to pick them up. For those not living in Haworth, Haworth Church address is
St Michael and All Angels church
Church St
Haworth
BD22 8DR

Away from preserves, we are also looking for Chocolate Brownie Recipes. We will be having a cake stall at our Christmas Fair and we are looking for the best chocolate brownie to sell at the fair. If you have a recipe that you think makes the BEST brownie then please email it to us haworthchurch@gmail.com and we will test them out, the winner will get to be the one on sale at the fair!

Speaking of cakes, a very exciting new fundraising event has been added to our calendar this year. Info below:

28th November – 7pm-9pm – The Old School Rooms

Christmas Stollen Masterclass with award winning local baker

Winner of the 2011 Sainsbury’s big bake off Mike Armstrong will be giving a Christmas stollen Masterclass on the 28th November 2011. Tickets are £10 including all ingredients and refreshments. Come along to learn how to make this very traditional Christmas treat and have one to take home. For more information or to book your place email haworthchurch@gmail.com

Tickets are limited and it is first come first served so book early!


For more information about Haworth Church then please check out our website www.haworthchurch.co.uk.