Leisure

Our Leisure

PLENTY OF GOOD NEWS FROM STOURBRIDGE RUGBY CLUB

Out here on the Bridgnorth Road our hands have been tied by the latest lockdown and we are now looking forward to the gradual release of the Government road map back to normality. The freedom to play outdoor sport will come as a great relief to our players, young and old. There is some hope of competitive games as the RFU ease our ability to arrange fixtures with other clubs by extending the season through till June.

Since January with the invaluable goodwill of Sandwell College we have relocated much of their “state of the art” gym equipment and refurbished our own gym. This will provide a much- needed boost to the ongoing fitness regimes of all our players and a welcome upgrade which all our members and subsequently non-members will be able to use at competitive rates.

Our close association with the Sandwell College Academy is beginning bear fruit on the pitch as well as Neil Mitchell, our Director of Rugby, has recently offered a First XV playing contract to four of their students. This success is down to the drive generated from Scott Thomas the Head of Sport at Sandwell and the Course Leader Dan Rundle who most of you will know as our flying First XV winger. The other good news from “Mitch” is that the majority of last year’s First XV playing squad have signed up for next season which a strong endorsement of their loyalty.

At this time of year we are usually preparing for our May Corporate Lunch and May Ball. It is clearly too early for this to go ahead in May so we have now booked the marquee for Friday and Saturday September 24th and 25th. The caterers, speakers and entertainment are all being lined up so please get these dates in your diary. All booking details will be released after the” all clear” on June 21st…..and looking further ahead the Firework display has been booked for Friday November 5th.

We are grateful for the goodwill we have witnessed over the past twelve months from our staff and volunteers, for the considerate financial support we have received from so many of our members and sponsors paying their dues in the pretty certain knowledge that the prospect of any meaningful competitive rugby was at best remote. Thank you.

Stay safe everyone…the future is bright.

AWARD WINNING EDUCATION IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK.

Wolverhampton Grammar School is an extraordinary school. Founded in 1512, it's one of the oldest schools in the country, within easy access of the wider West Midlands, Staffordshire and Shropshire thanks to flexible school bus links. The independent day school educates children from Year 3 to Upper Sixth. Means-tested bursaries and scholarships are available for exceptional and deserving applicants.

If you’ve never visited the stunning 25 acre campus, you can register at any time for a virtual open event or personal tour. Simply visit www.wgs.org.uk/openday to register for events that are taking place across the Spring and Summer term.

First priority is the happiness of your child Children at Wolverhampton Grammar School receive pastoral care like nowhere else – that’s because happy children do well, thrive, and leave the school with excellent exam results and the confidence to embrace whatever opportunities come their way in their young adult lives.

Your child will never feel alone at Wolverhampton Grammar School. Assistant Head in charge of Pastoral Care, Claudine Jones, leads a team of staff to support and work with families. Support includes a dedicated, expert pastoral team, school counsellor and annual adolescent mental health tracking using the latest digital tools. Academic excellence

The staff are totally committed to providing the best teaching and learning experience for your child – something that has continued unabated in lockdown, thanks to high expertise in online delivery. WGS offers a very wide range of subjects, from sciences to humanities, creative arts to languages. The timetable is built around the academic choices that the students make. They grow up to be confident, curious and independentminded, and their academic achievements speak for themselves. Despite the pressures of the pandemic, 2020 was no exception with stellar results at GCSE and A Level. Including a 100% pass rate at A Level and a full house of Cambridge Technical Distinction grades. Sixth Form students achieved the highest number of A*- A grades for over 10 years, with 56% of entries receiving nothing but the top two grades.

The School offers a tailored and individual approach to UCAS and Careers support and students can expect the very best preparation possible when it comes to life after school. The Class of 2020 have gone on to study at Cambridge, Oxford and a wide range of prestigious universities.

Interested to learn more? Simply visit the website to register www.wgs.org.uk/ openday for a virtual open event or to book a school tour, alternatively please contact the Admissions team at Wolverhampton Grammar School telephone 01902 422939.

BE BUSY AT BROMSGROVE

At Bromsgrove, we believe pupils are happiest when they are succeeding. We offer an all-round education, combining academic excellence with a richness of opportunity. Pupils engage enthusiastically with knowledge, embrace new ideas and are intellectually stimulated. We pride ourselves on the outstanding opportunities available, both inside and outside the classroom, whether at Nursery, Pre-Prep, Preparatory or Senior School.

In a nutshell we offer staggering breadth – first division academic performance not only in GCSEs, but also A levels, the International Baccalaureate and BTECs in Sport and Business. We teach and learn with passion and pizzaz but insist upon academic rigour. However, we recognise that there is little point in getting top grades at A level or IB if all you can do afterwards is stare at your shoe laces and grunt when you ought to be engaging other people. So each and every day has a dedicated time for developing other vital life and social skills. The breadth and success of our extra curricula offer is astonishing. Our sport has ranked us in the top six of all UK independent schools for the last six years, not in one particular sport but across 26 sports. And in addition to the 280 sports teams we put out and all the Musical ensembles, choirs and orchestras - our pupils have 110 other activities to choose from each week. Bromsgrove’s first team netballers were twice crowned national champions in the most recent round of competitions, our U17 cricketers were also national champions and we celebrated our Chicken kitcar racing team car being crowned World Kitcar Champions. The pupil edited and produced magazine 201 was awarded Magazine of the Year at the prestigious Shine Media Awards. So, whether your child is interested in beekeeping, astronomy (in the School observatory), debating at the European Youth Parliament, learning to fly in the Combined Cadet Force, or playing sport at the highest level, they really will find it on offer at Bromsgrove.

Our Food & Drink

RECIPES

By Mike Whitehurst

DUCK CONFIT

I love the combination of roasted duck with a hint of star anise, it matches so perfectly well with celeriac, especially when roasted. This dish is becoming very popular at the dinner parties I do. I think people are becoming more adventurous with different flavours and this shows from what they order off my menu. Try it yourself or hire me to come and cook it for you.

Our Food & Drink

THIS RECIPE SERVES 4

EQUIPMENT:

1 deep roasting dish (300mm x 200mm and 100mm deep ideally) A roll of strong kitchen foil Tongs Thick oven cloth Food processor Spatula Chopping board Cooks knife Pestle and mortar

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CONFIT:

4 duck legs 1 whole star anise 10 all spice berries 2 sprigs of rosemary 2 sprigs of thyme Maldon sea salt 1 whole garlic cut in half horizontally 5 litres of deep frying rapeseed oil or duck fat but that’s the expensive version.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE REST OF THE DISH:

1 celeriac - quartered Tender-stem broccoli - tops only (save the stalks to dip in hummus) Pistachios unsalted and shelled Toasted pumpkin seeds 1 Garlic clove Mallon sea salt 1 bottle of cold pressed rapeseed oil a few sprigs of flat leaf parsley 1 tub of double cream a few sprigs of watercress a stick of fresh horseradish a loaf of spelt and rye sour dough bread ) recipe is below this one on here.

METHOD:

Rub the duck legs with a little of the maldon sea salt and place in the roasting tray with the all spice, star anise, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Cover and leave in the fridge over night (overnight optional) Next, pour the oil over the duck legs until completely submerged and cover tightly with strong kitchen foil. Place in your preheated at 175oC for 1 hour and 45 minutes. They may need longer depending on how brown the skin looks.

For the last 45 minutes of cooking time wash and quarter the celeriac and toss in oil, season and put in the oven to roast. You can slice the peel away from the flesh once it has roasted and cooled. Once the duck and celeriac have finished cooking allow to cool and then cut in half through the middle of the leg in between the joint and place in a separate roasting tin ready to be finally roasted in the oven for 10 minutes on 190oC to crisp up the skin if it needs it - you be the judge of that. Cut the skin off the celeriac as though you were filleting a fish - skin side down knife almost flat on the board. Now put the flesh of the celeriac into a food processor with 100ml of double cream, a pinch of sea salt and blitz until you have a smooth puree. Season and keep warm.

Now put the duck in the oven to brown and blanch the tops of the broccoli in boiling salted water for 30 seconds and then remove. To make the dressing you need to crush about 10 pistachio nuts with a pinch of sea salt and 1 clove of garlic in a pestle and mortar and chop a few sprigs of parsley and add to the mix then pour in about 100ml of cold pressed rapeseed oil. Put a dollop of the puree in the centre of your plate and push out a little to form the base. Place a few sprigs of parsley and watercress around the plate and a few pumpkin seeds. Arrange the duck in the centre of the puree and drizzle the dressing over and around the duck.

SERVING SUGGESTION:

Serve with chunks of spelt and rye sour dough bread, leaves of cos lettuce and a glass of ice cold muscadet.

Our Food & Drink

MAKES 12 - 16 SLICES

EQUIPMENT:

1 x 9” cake tin greased and lined with parchment paper Magi mix with grating attachment - large or small it’s up to you Food mixer with paddle attachment / K beater Spatula

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SPONGE:

300ml of olive oil 300g of organic wholemeal self raising flour 300g of soft dark brown sugar 4 medium free range eggs 2 tsp of baking powder 1 tsp of ground ginger 1 tsp of ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp of ground star anise 50g of grated walnuts 50g of grated stem ginger 100g of golden raisins soaked in 100ml of whisky 1 tsp of vanilla extract 1/2 tsp of Valencian orange extract 1 pinch of Maldon sea salt 300g of carrots peeled

FOR THE REST OF THE BUTTERCREAM:

500g of icing sugar 250g of softened unsalted butter 1 tsp of ground mace 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract 50g of chopped dried apricots 50g of roasted walnut halves and hazelnuts 1 tbsp of toasted pumpkin seeds Icing sugar

METHOD:

Pre heat the oven to 175ªc and now make the batter.

Beat together the oil, salt and sugar on high speed until its lightens in colour a little then add in the flour, baking powder, vanilla, orange extract, spices and eggs and beat until smooth.

Drain the raisins over a bowl, you don’t want to lose that whisky. Roughly chop the raisins and add walnuts, grated stem ginger and carrots and fold into the cake batter. Pour into your 9” greased and lined tin - I use Alan Silverwood Anodised tins as they distribute the heat more evenly when baking. (Wash by hand, don’t put them in the dishwasher).

Bake in the oven on the middle shelf for about an hour, do the skewer test and then allow to cool in the tin for a while until turning out onto a cooling rack. Whilst this is cooling you can make your butter cream.

Using the magi mix with the blade attachment. Pour in the icing sugar and butter and blitz until the mix comes together as a smooth paste, add in a little vanilla and half the ground mace. Now that the sponge has cooled completely slice across the middle with a cake wire or a long pastry knife. I find it easier to chill the sponge first before cutting it’s a little less crumbly. Now spread the butter cream across the middle of the cake, as much as you like but you do need to save some for the outside. I like to completely cover my cake with buttercream on the outside but that’s up to you. Top with the chopped dried apricots, roasted nuts and seeds then dust with a little of the ground mace and icing sugar.

Serve this with an espresso or which ever your favourite hot beverage is.

For any advice on this recipe please email mike@takefood.co.uk or go to www.takefood.co.uk/recipes

Our Food & Drink

WINTER COMFORTS CARROT CAKE

Your Private Chef and Caterer

Catering for business and social events or celebrating with family and friends e: events@takefood.co.uk m:07939907371

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