BA2a - WI Life Magazine - The Norwich Edition by Sian Edgeworth

Life WI

January & February 2016

Norwich EDITION THE

Contents 5 6 8 12 13 16 20 22 26 27

Introduction History of the building Bring Out The Bollywood What Does It Mean To You? Resolutions Freedom Charity Making Your Green Hearts Recipes Upcoming Events Puzzle Pages

Welcome

Welcome to this WI special edition on the Fine City that is Norwich. Here you will find a fusion of young and old, cohesively working as one unit to represent their County and their country, whilst finding a fundamental bond that becomes vital for all members. This magazine attempts to embody the regeneration of the Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Institute whilst documenting some of the most poingant aspects of WI Life, shown in the document with fresh eyes and an open mind.

Sian

Expanding Horizons

The WI is very, very important to some people and the ability to mingle with other people through a range of various activities is often consideredvery comforting. Some don’t care about it being a National Organisation, for them it’s about the personal connection and coming along to be part of that. Others get involved with the campaigns and the workshops on a national level, but ultimately it comes back to the sense of belonging with events being put on to raise money for the upkeep of the house. Many of the older members have said that when they joined there weren’t masses of activities to do within the community and so the Women’s Institute became a place to socialise. You would go to a meeting and mix with other women and that’s how your children would make friends within the community. Nowadays, a large proportion of younger members now feel isolated because of their job and feel that they need a social group that has nothing to do with their work. They see it as an opportunity learn new skills and there’s that appeal because their parents often didn’t

have the time to teach them those practical skills [such as knitting or dressmaking] which were at one stage considered crucial to daily lives and were often traditionally expected of a women. The initial regeneration was publicised and made a big deal about younger membersAs a result a couple of groups, such as the Golden Triangle Girls, have started with the younger women as a target. The older ones, many of whom have retired, are very happy with the balance of ages and there’s a group of older women who have created their own meetings during the day (when the younger members are often at work) in which they do their crafts, alongside the monthly meetings and activities set up by the main group. For many, the WI remains a way of coping with issues that may arise at home or within a workplace, but many have personal problems and they would be lost without the friendship of their fellow WI members. It has helped them to get away from their daily lives – The monthly meetings help to simply forget for a few hours. People come to learn- from an external speaker and from each other- and that’s essentially the main role of the WI – To educate and expand people’s horizons.

Get Creative

The Craft Comimittee is holding an upcycling jumper competition: Something Old, Something New, so dig out your old knits and give them a new lease of life. Register your interest by 21 March 2016 (£10 entry fee, cheques made payable to NFWI). Application forms can be found in the competition and craft areas on the WI Moodle, or email Elaine Smith: e.smith@nfwi-unit.org.uk Send entries before 1 June 2016 to: Elaine Smith at the NFWI Unit, Denman College, Marcham, Abingdon OX13 6NW 5

Good Luck!

was in talks about moving to and office in Dereham because of itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s central geography to the county, however because the restrictions that surrounded the house we so limiting, there were no bids to buy it and the WI had no option but to stay put- Which was probably for the best. The Norfolk Federation has inhabited the building for 63 years and now enforces a rolling programme to keep the building in good condition. With such a rich history in the building, and having been purchased by the individual members of the Norfolk

The Evelyn Suffield house is a Georgian building built by John Reeve, a musician who used to play in the Pleasure Gardens in Norwich and also in the Theatre Royal. As a grade two listed building, there are only certain colours and structural developments that can be proposed for the house. These restrictions played a crucial part in the Norfolk Federations decision to stay at the building and dedicate themselves to the upkeep and maintenance of the historic building. A few years ago the Federation 6

y or t s i H g n i d l i Bu

THE

OF THE

Federation, there is an element of homeliness in that building that comes across as soon as you step through the front door. Many of the members said that this added to the allure of the building itself- And that ambience probably stems from the fact that it did originally start out as a family home. The house took on a number of roles when Reeve passed, housing a stonemason, and ironmonger and a solicitor amongst other things, before eventually falling into the hands of sitting tenant, Dr Starling for a total sum of £640. His practise occupied the building until his death in 1950 and it was the hard work and dedication put in by the members of the Norfolk Federation in order to raise such a vast sum of money that

made the current house all the more special. Though not everyone knows that the building is there on All Saints Green, it’s an open house where members and the public alike are more than welcome to visit. There are office hours and open hours which determine how the building is used, but the ‘Front Office’ works as an initial point of contact, a place of enquiry for anyone curious about the organisation, whilst simultaneously bringing in a tiny bit of income. Ultimately, the building belongs to the members and so they are encouraged to use it. They own the building- It was bought and continues to be paid for by the members, with lots of thought being given to how they can contribute and redevelop aspects of the building with the changes that they face as the Federation develops. 7

Golden Triangle Girls THE

get their first taste of

Bollywood Dance

Members and Visitors of the Golden Triangle Girls give Bollywood Dancing a try at the first monthly meeting of the year.

Bollywood

d oo w Bolly

BRING OUT THE

IN 2016

Walking into the church hall on Trinity Street, the anticipation in the room was eminent. As the first meet back in the New Year, the atmosphere was reminiscent of of the first day back at school after the summer holidays. For the last three months of the year, the group doesn’t allow for visitors and so, this first meeting in 2016 was the first opportunity for new potential members who are interested in joining to come along and see what it’s like. The Golden Triangle Girls are a relatively new group that run quite independently, without much contact with the Federation itself. Maintaining a solid membership base, the group often meets in the Unthank Arms, a local pub which limits the number of members that they can accommodate. Their new meeting took place in the church hall and allowed them to have over 50 women in attendance. As a way of encouraging new members and keeping current ones, the group aims to invite a number of different speakers and host a range of activities. In recent months, the women have had sessions on a diverse spectrum of topics from Wreath Making and Paranormal Activity, and most recently Bollywood Dancing. The term Bollywood actually describes the popular Indian film industry, which is the largest film company in the world, combining the terms ‘Bombay’ and ‘Hollywood’. The style of dancing that is prominent in films made in this district and by that company, became inherently known as Bollywood Dancing, though the dance itself consists of many styles pulled from Indian Classical Dance. It has been heavily influenced by recent Western dance styles, and the ability to provide choreography for large dance troops, like the sessions with the WI, is a clear example of that. My initial thoughts when I heard that the Golden Triangle Girls would be doing a

Bollywood Dancing meet were those of disbelief. I was under the impression that the women would be far older and most unable to dance in the style so renowned for its high energy levels. However, I was surprised to find that not only did the group consist of women mostly in their late twenties, but also that those members who were slightly older we still willing to get up and give it a go! The choreographer and leader of the activity, Tina Vallance, owner of Jaya Dance, was pleasantly surprised by the turnout. She explained that this wasn’t the first time she had worked with the ladies at the Norfolk Federation of Women’s Institute, but it was certainly one of the much younger groups. This may seem as surprising to you as it had seemed to me at the time, but she was curious to see whether this group would put in as much energy as some of the older members she’d worked with previously – “They knew how to shake their bums” she had laughed, and began to explain how the majority of the women were surprisingly willing to take part and get involved, which makes her role of teaching the dance far easier. “It could easily turn into a school disco with everyone say around the sides.” As the session got underway and he formalities of the first meet back got out of the way, the dancing began. The room filled with smiles and colour, with laughter reverberating off of the walls. By the end, each and every one of the ladies had tried their hand at Bollywood dance and had successfully managed to complete a full routine. As the women dispersed back into their individual sections of the room there was a noticeable buzz that hadn’t been there before and a sense of pride and excitement from the activities that had just transpired.

you

IT’S UP TO

Members have shortlisted eight potential new resolutions for NFWI campaigns. Here is the key information you need to help you select the resolution you want to take forward

1. BAN THE

microbead

...

Beach litter and floating plastic debris is more than just an unsightly problem. Scientific research shows that plastic microbeads, found in cosmetic and personal care products, are polluting the oceans and causing long- term health risks for both aquatic life and people. We call on WI members to take action to reduce use of plastic microbead-containing products in their own homes and communities; to raise awareness of the problems associated with plastic microbeads; and to lobby manufacturers, retailers and see the UK Government following in the steps of the Netherlands and other countries in proposing a ban on the use of these products.

British fruit: REVIVING OUR HERITAGE

This meeting calls on the WI to spearhead a national campaign that creates a fruit revival in local communities, celebrates our WI roots, promotes health, addresses food security and reduces the carbon footprint. While the UK currently enjoys a high level of food-security, there are some alarming trends. According to the House of Commons Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Committee the UK is currently only 68% self-sufficient in foods that can be produced here. This percentage has steadily declined over the last twenty years.

3. FREE

sanitary protection FOR

HOMELESS WOMEN

We call upon WIs to campaign for homeless shelters to be provided with a funding allowance to enable them to provide sanitary protection (tampons and towels) for homeless women. Women have unique needs as women that homelessness services are systematically and consistently failing to address. ‘Kits’ for the homeless that are donated often also include items for dental care and shaving, but not for when women have their periods. If shelters do provide sanitary ware, many women report feeling too embarrassed to ask for it.At the moment shelters can request condoms free of charge from the NHS, but sanitary ware is not considered to have medical utility so it is not freely provided by the NHS.

sudden cardiac death

4. PREVENTION OF IN YOUNG ADULTS IN THE UK Every week in the UK at least 12 apparently fit and healthy young people die suddenly from undetected cardiac abnormalities. The majority of these deaths are preventable. This meeting urges Her Majesty’s Government to put in place a national strategy for the prevention of young sudden cardiac death to ensure that all young people between the ages of 14 and 35 have access to heart screening by appropriately qualified professionals to identify any potentially life- threatening conditions.

5. FIRST AID TO

save lives

The NFWI considers that suffering could be minimised and lives could be saved if more members of the general population were trained in first aid. We propose that HM government should promote first aid training in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace. Furthermore, that all WIs should support and encourage first aid training and volunteer first aiders in their communities so that we become a safer and better informed country ready to help save lives.

6. MIND OR BODY – FOR CARE

equal funding

The National Federation of Women’s Institutes calls upon the government to ensure that the care of people with poor mental health receives funding and respect equal to that provided for people with physical health problems. The Mental Health Policy Group – made up of the UK’s leading mental health NGOs – stated in its pre-Election manifesto that: ‘funding for mental health services has been cut in real terms for three years in a row. Mental health problems account for 23% of the total burden of disease. Yet despite the existence of costeffective treatments they receive only 13% of NHS expenditure.’

7. AVOID

food waste,

ADDRESS FOOD POVERTY

The WI calls on all supermarkets to sign up to a voluntary agreement to avoid food waste, thereby passing surplus food onto charities thus helping to address the issue of increasing food poverty in the UK. It is estimated that around 200,000 tonnes of edible surplus food is thrown away by supermarkets annually. Only two per cent of this is being collected and redistributed (with the remaining 98% turned into compost or energy, or disposed of in a landfill) – an amount that the House of Commons Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee classed as “pitifully small” in its 2015 report. 14

8. APPROPRIATE CARE IN HOSPITALS FOR

people with dementia

We call upon HM government and the NHS to provide facilities to enable carers to stay with people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia that have been admitted into hospital. Since dementia sufferers are often admitted for an acute physical condition such as pneumonia or a fractured bone, dementia patients can typically be found in general medical and surgical wards where their carer is often not able to stay with them outside of traditional visiting hours. To compound this, nurses and doctors may be unaware that the patient even has dementia, so the patient’s additional dementia related needs are neglected.

If there are any questions about the shortlist or about the resolutions process itself, please get in touch with NFWI Public Affairs and we’ll be happy to help.

R O F T H G I F E TH

om d e e Fr

N U G E HAS B Original Article courtesy of EDP

Having given talks to many of the Norfolk WI’s, the Prem sisters have used their charity, Freedom, to spread the knowledge of forced marriage and raise awareness to the huge cultural and moral issues that are often swept beneath the rug.

London, where they grew up, they deal with cases of abuse, coercion and domestic slavery all over the country. Aneeta was just 17 when she first stumbled across the issue. Brought up in a loving, liberal home she became Britain’s youngest black belt karate instructor. In one of classes a talented teenager suddenly stopped attending. Aneeta discovered she had been forced abroad and made to marry a violent stranger. She was unable to help this girl, but was determined to find a way of saving other children from similar fates. She began a career in police administration and went on to become a magistrate, specialising in family and youth law. She has supported child victims of forced marriage and dishonour crimes through her work as a magistrate and with the Metropolitan Police Authority, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. As she came across more and more cases she realised that although there were organisations working with victims in the terrible aftermath of abuse, there was no-one doing the kind of prevention work she was convinced could save lives. Four years ago she set up the Freedom Charity. “No-one seemed to be working in prevention,” she said. “It is so much better to prevent it happening, you are stopping violence, rape, suicide…”She says one of the most effective ways of preventing forced marriage is to alert the friends of vulnerable students to warning signs that something could be wrong. “We aim our message at best friends,” she said.

The horror of slavery and desperation of women forced into marriage might seem a million miles away from the water-meadows of the Wensum. But in a house overlooking the river as it meanders through fields countryside close to Norwich, two women are battling to save girls from life sentences of servitude and abuse. When three women escaped an alleged 30 years of slavery, in London last autumn, it was these Norwich sisters who took their first calls. Aneeta Prem, and her sister Vineeta, run a charity, tackling the horror of kidnap, rape, abuse and female genital mutilation, from the kitchen of a house in Hellesdon. Aneeta and her partner and widowed mum live here; Vineeta and her husband and son live next door. And although the evils they are dealing with might happen many thousands of miles away, they also happen to people from this country, and even from this county. “Even in Norfolk, when September comes and the new school and college year starts, there will be girls who do not return, who will have been forced into marriage,” said Aneeta. “If you put pins in a map for every case we have worked on, there would be pins in every county. The sisters moved to Norfolk four years ago and although much of their work is based back in 16

They visit schools all over Britain to talk in assemblies and meetings aimed at helping youngsters avoid being pressurised or tricked into marriage, often accompanied by the local MP and police officers. “We have a really proactive police force here in Norfolk. It seems a really good place to start new initiatives,” said Aneeta. She is hoping that a visit to Hellesdon High School this month will be the first of many presentations to Norfolk schoolchildren. Each child is given a copy of the novel, But It’s Not Fair, which Aneeta wrote to promote the work of the charity. It tells the story of two sisters who realise that when a friend disappears abroad, she is in danger, despite what her family say. The schoolchildren are also be given details of the Freedom Charity website and app, which include a potentially life-saving tick-list Aneeta developed to help students establish whether a friend might be in danger. Thousands of people, including many MPs, police officers and social workers, have downloaded the app, which was part-funded by the Home Office and the Foreign Office, and read the book, which is recommended by the Home Office.“These methods of child abuse can be stopped if people stop being so politically correct, and worried about offending others, and stopped using ridiculous language like ‘honour.’ It’s not ‘honour’ it’s ‘dishonour’ to force your daughter or sister or cousin,” said Aneeta. Aneeta and family moved to Norfolk four years ago, falling in love with the county and their new home. “I think Norfolk is a fabulously beautiful county and it made sense to base Freedom in a relatively safe place,” she said. Aneeta has also worked as a property developer and the safe place she found is a historic house dating back to 1820, complete with stables, a water tower and a garden grotto. Aneeta and her extended family are gradually renovating the large and lovely property and she hopes to one day be able to host weddings here – weddings filled with love and promise rather than the fear and force she encounters through Freedom. From this semi-rural, still semi-renovated Norwich base, she takes her message of horror and hope to schoolchildren, and top police, health and social services officials across the country. Next month forced marriage will become a crime. Aneeta has been involved in pushing for the new legislation and will be chairing a major conference in London in July, with speakers

including politicians, a police commander and national specialists in preventing female genital mutilation and forced marriage. Official figures suggest that between 5,000 and 8,000 girls from Britain are forced into marriage every year, but Aneeta believes the real figure is even higher. And she said that the problem is not confined to a particular race or religion. Her own family is originally from northern India, close to the border with Tibet, but she said “We come across cases from Turkey, Greece, America, South Africa, Europe… It’s not a racial issue, it’s a protection issue. We are working for anybody who hasn’t got the capacity to say no.” Her tiny charity, with no paid staff, was catapulted into the national news in the autumn when three woman came forward to allege they had been held against their will in a house in London for many years. The person they turned to for help was Aneeta. “They had seen me on TV, talking about Freedom and young girls going missing, and they said I had a face they could trust.” In fact it was Vineeta they spoke to first and both sisters played a vital role in gaining their trust. Vineeta was an investment banker before training as a yoga teacher and still runs stress management courses and retreats, alongside her voluntary work with the Freedom Charity. The charity relies on donations and volunteers and Aneeta said: “I would love to encourage Norfolk people to embrace the charity. We have been wondering about setting up a charity shop. We have got to fund raise. It’s something we are really rubbish at, but it is important because our work is saving lives.” Vineeta’s 19-year-old son, Rishi, who is currently on a gap year travelling around south east Asia, also helped out with charity admin after finishing his A levels at Wymondham College and his aunt has challenged him to bring up the issue of forced marriage with at least one person a day. We are not just for girls and young women, she said, we work with boys too. It can be the young men who are forcing their sisters and cousins, in the UK and abroad, into marriage. “We do this because I know we are making a difference. When we go into a school people will come up to us, or contact us afterwards. They are worried for friends, or even for themselves, and we can help.” 17

s l ir G w e N

THE

IN TOWN

With the list of women waiting to join WI’s within the city increasing, the demand for a new group was high. In perfect timing, a group of women (some of which were already members of other WIs in the City) decided that the demand was high enough to start up a new group. One that welcomed all ages and aimed to provide a social and educational outlet – City WI.

women. The next meeting will host a speaker who has moved to Norwich and lead a very exciting and interesting life. The following month has a number of ideas in the works, but the most prevalent idea is an enamelling workshop by a member of the federation team. Already, there is a vast array of educational and informative events which aim to engage the members in a When I first spoke to the Secretary, Gill range of formats, allowing them to try different Molyneux, about the establishment of the new activities that they may have never experienced WI she told me that there had been women on before – Beginning with creative book folding. the waiting list for some of the other groups for months but due to logistical reasons “their With a specific order as to how the capacity was full and they could were having group must be established, the members had to turn people away”. This ignited the spark to sign up before a committee is able to be within them and made them really consider elected. Women volunteered themselves to their ability to extend their involvement, bite become a part of the initial committee team, the bullet and just get a new WI underway. and more and more can join through out the I was told that I was “more than welcome to year as the group becomes more established. come along” and enticed by the prospect The officers for the group – The treasurer, of coffee and cake, before they joked that it secretary and chairwoman- were put in to place “may only be the three of them that would at the start of the meeting, which set the group turn up.” The word spread like wildfire up completely allowing them to be ‘formed’. purely through word of mouth and their expectations for a small group were blown out In true Women’s Institute fashion, of the water. Over twenty women came along the real sense of just what this group could to the first meeting, hearing purely through become became clear as the refreshments the word of other prospective members of the rolled out. The women instantly began to group, and the evening kicked off from there. mingle with one another and the level of chatter that filled the room was unrivalled. To make the group more accessible It was clear to see how the ladies – many of to women of all ages, City WI meets on the whom arrived as strangers – could quickly 4th Wednesday of the month at Chapelfielfd become friends as a result of that instant Methodist Church. Despite only being formed commonality. It was as if the group had known for a couple of weeks, the officers have been hard each other for years – Like they were old at work for three months organising a multitude friends who hadn’t seen one another in years of different events to engage the and had a lifetimes worth of catching up to do! 18

In the run up to Valentine’s Day 2016 we are asking members to hold green heart making workshops, inviting along local politicians and press. The aim is to start a conversation about climate change and share the things that we love that will be affected if we don’t act to fight it. The NFWI is a founding member of The Climate Coalition (TCC), a group of over 100 organisations and over 15 million people working for action on climate change. One of the TCC core campaigns is focussed around Valentine’s Day, and is called ‘For the Love Of….’ This campaign aims to show people that climate change is affecting the things in their life that they love, such as chocolate, bees, and beaches, and it asks people to wear and share green hearts to show that they would like to see action on climate change.

Last Valentine’s Day green hearts connected millions of people and this resulted in an historic pledge from the Prime Minister and the leaders of the other main parties to take action on climate change. This year, in the wake of the Paris agreement, we are aiming for an even bigger impact. With the WI’s reputation for crafting we envision WI members leading the way, hosting green heart crafting sessions across the country, inviting politicians, the press, and local decision makers to galvanise their communities into action.

n e e Gr

SHOW THE LOVE MAKE YOUR

t ar He

& TALK ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

You will Need: • • • • • • •

GREEN FABRIC PAPER HEART STENCIL PEN SCISSORS STUFFING OR SCRAPS RIBBON OR TWINE A BUTTON

Fold material in two so print is on the inside..

Draw around the heart stencil..

3 4

Cut around the shape leaving a small space (about 5mm) around the shape..

Stitch along the line of your shape leaving a small gap for stuffing..

5 6 7

Turn inside out and stuff with wadding, stitch up the remaining gap..

Cut the ribbon to size and stitch it to the top of the heart.. Stitch a button over the cross of the ribbon and you have you r green heart! 21

Evelyn’s

CHEESE SCONES

As a third generation member of the Women’s Institute, Evelyn Ninham has played witness to a number of key developments in the history of the Norfolk Federation. Long before the signup age became 18, Evelyn attended meetings with her mother and recalls getting on a bus from her village WI at the age of 13 in preparation to attend a show at the Theatre Royal and how they used to hire a train and send everyone off to the Albert Hall to attend the spectacular annual meetings that took place there. Evelyn remembers with fondness how villages were renowned for calling on the WI for fetes and fairs to make teas at those events, but has noticed a shift in what they used to do as opposed to what they are required to do now. Evelyn started out as a member, then became part of the committee, then took charge of that before gaining her position on the board of trustees.

“Perhaps you get hooked?” She laughed when asked why people stay with the Institute for such great lengths of time “And everyone is so unassuming, despite being members for over 50 years”. As a long term member, she remembers one of the biggest events in the Norfolk Federations history- The purchase of Evelyn Suffield House. She explained that she can vaguely remember the fuss around spending the money – which at the time was £4500, a vast amount of money- especially as people often didn’t own their own houses and so many felt that buying a building for the WI was a horrendous idea. When the idea was eventually confirmed, the Women’s Institute that Evelyn and her mother belonged to decided to have bring and buy sales, in which they started baking biscuits and scones in an effort to begin raising funds. This simple 1950s cheese scone recipe is reminiscent of those that would’ve been made by the members in their bid to raise money.

Ingredients: • • • • • • •

1 LB. Self-raising Flour 1 Level Teaspoon Salt 2 Ozs. Butter 1 1/2 Cups Milk 1/4 Teaspoon cayenne 1 Cup Grated Cheese 1 Egg

Method:

Heat oven to 210C/190C Fan/Gas 7 Sift flour, salt and cayenne Use fingertips to rub butter into flour. Mix cheese into the dry ingredients. Make a well in centre and add milk all at once, stirring in flour, quickly and softly, to form a soft dough. 6. If the dough is not forming, add in the beaten egg. 7. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead just enough to make a smooth surface. 8. Roll to 1/2 inch thickness and cut into rounds, squares or triangles. 9. Place on floured oven tray and glaze with milk or egg. 10. Bake in hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes. 11. Best served warm with a layer of butter. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

TRIPLE

Choc-Chip COOKIES

Ingredients: • • • • • • • • •

100g soft brown sugar 100g golden caster sugar 100g butter, softened 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 225g plain flour 140g milk chocolate, melted 85g white chocolate, chips or chopped into chunks 85g plain chocolate, chips or chopped into chunks

Method: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line 1-2 baking sheets with baking parchment. Mix the sugars and butter together with a wooden spoon. add the egg, vanilla, flour and half the melted milk chocolate and mix together. Stir in the white and plain chocolate chips or chunks. use an ice-cream scoop or round tablespoon (like a measuring spoon) to scoop out balls of cookie dough and drop them straight onto the trays. Bake in batches for 8-9 mins until pale golden and still soft to touch – they will firm up as they cool. Carefully transfer to a wire rack as soon as they can be lifted up, then drizzle with the remaining melted chocolate.

GLUTEN + DAIRY

FREE

Ingredients: • • • • • • • •

Chocolate CAKE

300g dairy-free margarine 300g gluten-free plain flour 300g golden caster sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 200g organic soya yoghurt 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder 70g cocoa powder 6 tablespoonsrice milk

For the icing • • • •

dairy-free dark chocolate , to serve 200g icing sugar 4 tablespoons cocoa powder 100g dairy-free margarine

Method:

1. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. 2. In a bowl, beat the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. 3. Add the vanilla extract and yoghurt, then mix until combined. Sieve the flour, baking powderand cocoa powder into the bowl, then fold through. 4. Add the milk and stir briefly until smooth. 5. Divide the mixture between the greased cake tins. 6. Place on the middle shelf for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. 7. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, before turning the cakes out onto a wire rack. 8. Sieve the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a large bowl, 9. then add the margarine and beat until smooth. 10. Once cooled, place one of the sponges on a plate or cake stand. Carefully spread half the butter icing on top. 11. Place the second sponge on top and spread the remaining icing over the top, finishing with a few shavings of chocolate.

UPCOMING

Events

Saturday, 30 January