Recipe of the Month

Mushroom & Leek Pie

Creamy mushrooms and leeks encased in a crispy, golden pie crust. Delicious, filling and a great choice to serve to both vegans and meat-eaters!

SERVES: 4 TIME: 45 MINUTES

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil • 2 medium leeks, trimmed and sliced into discs • 3 cloves garlic, minced • 500 g button mushrooms • 1 tsp dried mixed herbs • A pinch of salt and pepper

For the sauce:

• 1 tbsp butter (dairy-free if vegan) • Salt and pepper to taste • Cream or soy yoghurt, to serve (dairy-free if vegan) • 2 tbsp plain flour • 350 ml milk (dairy-free if vegan) • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg • A pinch of salt and pepper • 1 roll vegan puff pastry (or gluten-free, if needed) • 4 tbsp milk, for glazing (dairy-free if vegan)

Method

1. Add the olive oil to a large saucepan on medium heat. Fry the leeks and garlic for 2 minutes, to soften. 2. Add the mushrooms, herbs, salt and pepper and stir for a minute. Place the lid on top and cook for 8 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the dairy-free butter on medium heat. Add the flour and stir until combined.

Slowly add in the milk, a tablespoon at a time and whisk, until you have a smooth thick mixture. Stir in the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. 4. Combine the cooked leeks and mushrooms with the sauce and leave to cool completely. 5. Make sure your puff pastry is at room temperature (if using frozen, leave at room temperature overnight) and preheat the oven to 200C. 6. Add the leek and mushroom mixture to a pie dish and top with the puff pastry, cutting off any excess pastry around the edges. 7. Crimp the edges using a fork and score a criss-cross pattern on the top with a sharp knife. Finally, dip a pastry brush in a little dairy-free milk and brush the top of the pie, to help it brown. 8. Cook for 25 minutes until golden brown. Serve straight away.

New South Downs podcasts will be inspired by our rivers

Seven writers have been commissioned to pen 10 audio stories and poems, with each author focusing on one of the magical rivers that weave across the South Downs landscape.

The writers will be spending time engaging with the communities that live and work in the landscape to explore the untold stories of everyday people.

Listeners will be able to access these stories through listening apps like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast and Pockets Casts. Audiences can plug in and listen while they walk and explore the landscape, or enjoy at their leisure.

The initiative, called Full Harvest, builds on the success of the Writer in Residence project that was delivered in partnership with the National Park Authority in 2019. The outcome was a oneperson play called Cherry Soup that toured to nine venues.

While developing Cherry Soup, writer and director Sara Clifford gathered many stories from people in the community. Full Harvest looks to tell more of these community stories, encompassing a diverse range of voices to discover what the landscape means to people from many walks of life.

Sara Clifford returns to this project focussing on The River Ouse, which runs to Newhaven and the Adur in West Sussex. Sara said: “Each one of us is focusing on one of the seven rivers that run across the National Park from East to West – its history, geography and stories, and particularly the people that live and work there – to tell new and untold stories of those people and our own responses as artists. These will be recorded as podcasts that can be listened to on-site.’

Anooshka Rawden, Cultural Heritage Lead for the National Park, added: “The rivers of the South Downs are its lifeblood, reflecting both its chalk geology and the complex ecosystems of habitat, animal and plant life that make this place so special. The Full Harvest is a chance to celebrate those rivers through the eyes of contemporary writers, who will draw on history, geography and place to weave new stories.”

The downloadable podcasts will be launched this summer. For more information see www.applause.org.uk

Village Agent

Worried about memory loss? Many of us get a little more forgetful as we get older. But, if you are worried about your memory or someone else’s, then there is help available.

Speak to your GP Your doctor will be able to refer someone for assessment, to find out for certain the cause of the problems.

Hampshire’s Dementia Advice Service If you are concerned about your memory, have a diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment or dementia, Andover Mind provides a Dementia Advice Service to residents anywhere in Hampshire. They can be contacted on: 01264 332297 or enquiries@ andovermind.org.uk

Other organisations • The Alzheimer’s Society produces lots of information and advice on memory loss and different types of dementia. Contact their

Dementia Connect helpline on 0333 150 3456 or visit their website: www.alzheimers.org.uk

• Dementia UK if you have any questions about dementia or if you need advice and support, you can contact the Dementia UK helpline which is manned by Admiral Nurses on 0800 888 6678 or helpline@dementiauk.org

• Memory cafés and local support groups as Covid restrictions reduce and groups begin to reopen, you can find your local memory café or support group, by using Connect to

Support Hampshire’s online Community Directory: www. connecttosupporthampshire.org.uk

Call Village Agent Denise on: 07969 376023 - Village Agents are volunteers who can help you find information and local services that will enable you to stay living safely and independently.

Winchester Go LD Garden and Craft Fair

The Winchester GoLD Garden and Craft Fair will take place on Wednesday 23rd June 2021 10am to 4pm at Upper Farm, Down Farm Lane, Headbourne Worthy SO23 7LA. Entrance to the Fair will be £5 and there will be parking available on site. Hillier’s, Bob McQueen, horticulturalist and tree expert (30+ RHS Chelsea Flower Shows), will be giving short talks at 10.30, 11.30, 13.30 and 14.30 with questions and answers.

Creative Flora expert florist Louise Bradshaw will be offering two seasonal flower workshop demonstrations at 11am and 2pm. Workshop tickets are £20 and will be available in advance, numbers are limited. Tickets include one workshop, entrance and lunch in the Go LD Café Marquee.

If you are interested please contact Ros Francis on 07868 132250 or ros.francis@hotmail.co.uk Stalls for 2021 include plants, garden products, local crafts, homeware, produce and gifts.