There has been a lot on offer this month. -
The North Down District Autumn Conference was held in Bearsted and Thurnham WI Hall, where all 10 Institutes gave a report on the interesting things they had done this year, and the Competition was for a HARVEST BASKET. The winners were Stockbury WI whose basket included a Dundee Cake, a delicious looking loaf, jams, fruits and vegetables
Hollingbourne WI came third, with a basket arranged by Marion Pring. (above) Chinese lanterns grown and supplied by Mary Henderson, Chillies grown and supplied by Margaret Weaver, some pastry mice made by the School Children in Hollingbourne School, wheat from a local field, and various greenery and fruit from Marion. We were very pleased with the way it looked. 75 members from the 10 institutes attended and the chairman was Sue Mc Rae our local WIA (W.I. Adviser) We had a talk from John Pearce and his wife who were dressed in American WW2 Service Uniform, on 'Glen Miller lives on', with slides and music to illustrate and it was a very pleasant evening.
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A cookery demonstration and tasting was arranged by West Kent County Federation. Luckily for us it was in Hollingbourne Hall, with the recipes being 'A Taste of Autumn'. It was held on two afternoons and around 200 must have been there to see Julia Davies work her way through seven recipes. No only was she an excellent cook, but a great reconteur and we had lots of fun.
The shortest recipe is given, there may still be some fruit not touched by the frost - so have a go.
SLOE GIN.450 G (1lb) sloes, 225g (8ozs) caster sugar , 1 Litre ( 1 3/4 pints) Gin.
1. Wash ,dry and prick tough skins of sloes 2. Put in a sterilized jar.
3. Pour in sugar and gin. Seal and Shake
4. Store in a dark, cool cupboard. Shake every other day for a week.
5. Then shake once a week for two months.
6. Strain and ENJOY. Don't forget that the fruit pulp can be sieved and used as a sauce for ice cream, thinned down with a little sloe gin if required.
ART and CRAFT days at Ditton
There were two days at Ditton this month arranged by West Kent Federation .
Each day had the same three speakers.
1 Dinah Warnick spoke on
CHANGES IN FASHION AS WOMEN'S ROLES CHANGED IN THE 20TH CENTURY.
She illustrated her talk with slides and we saw the changing restrictions imposed on the female body with corsets bustles and hobble skirts. We also had a few laughs at men's fashion in the 70's.
2 Anne Shearn told us all about Dying wool with the natural dyes she finds in the countryside.
She finds its fascinating, but it seemed like a lot of hard work to me.
3 In the afternoon Dawn Cameron-Dick, an american living in England, spoke on ONE WOMAN'S QUILTS. ~ She showed us around 35 quilts, explaining how she made each one, and why she made it, and at the same time told us hilarious tales of her family and adventures in the middle east, Belgium, Canada, America and UK. If you have to chance to hear her, or join one of her classes please take it - even if you are not 'crafty' she is a joy to listen to.
Around the hall were tables showing craft that WI Members had made, and courses that were being arranged for the future, as well as commercial Craft stalls selling all the bits and pieces you could ever want for Cards , Scrapbooks, ribbons, kits etc. a lovely way to spend a day with friends from institutes all over West Kent.
