Sport

O’Shea takes a bow at finale

Neil O’Shea showed skill and patience in his end of season victory at Holbury Lakes. Conditions were near perfect at Holbury when the four Poole and Wimborne Fly Fishers made the short hop over to Hampshire for the season finale. The first signs of autumn were showing in the trees and there was a definite nip in the air. That said, the fish were active and clearly visible. They were, however, quite fussy and it was a real challenge to get them interested. The successful patterns included small nymphs and buzzers. While most anglers caught their four-fish bag, Neil O’Shea took the top spot with a very respectable 11lbs 6 ozs. We await the AGM with interest to find out the year’s champion angler. n Send your sports news to: newsdesk@stourandavon. co.uk.

A spooky selection of suitably

HAUNTING: Edward Parnell

Since it’s the season of the witch, as well as of mists and mellow fruitfulness, why not dim the lights, (not too much, mind), and immerse yourself in a chillingly good read? Lorraine Gibson has a few suggestions

As October turns the landscape from green into the reds and russets of autumn, use the coming darker evenings as an excuse to curl up with a good book:

Ghostland Edward Parnell

This unique book, haunting in every sense of the word, features beautifully-written and evocative descriptions of Dorset, including Wimborne, Blandford, Hengistbury Head and Badbury Rings. It defies pigeon-holing but is part memoir, part travelogue and part loveletter to Britain and the ghosts that walk its haunted nooks and crannies. Driven by a need for answers after a traumatic personal loss and his passion for the natural world, especially its birdlife, of which he writes with unshowy expertise and affection, and an obsession with spooky stories, Parnell embarks on quiet, watchful, at times unsettling odyssey where he recalls episodes from his past, often linked to ghost stories, scary movies and creepy TV shows that are linked to the locations he visits. A constant throughout the journey is his brother, Chris, a fellow ‘twitcher’ who once lived in Wimborne. He recounts walks and birdwatching trips with him, including at ‘The Lake’ in Longham and at Hengistbury Head, where he says, ‘…we sat by the coastguard’s lookout as waif-like storm petrels –swallow-sized black sea birds – fluttered low over the water.’ ‘The view from the hill could be a postcard: Christchurch Harbour’s boat-filled lagoon, sheltered behind the beckoning, hutlined finger of the spit. Like so much of Dorset, this is a site riddled with the remains of tumuli and ancient settlements of vanished lives long gone.’ And after a walk at Badbury Rings, writes of how he feels he could be ‘following in the very steps young Hardy himself took, past Rushy Pond, a shallow ‘heath-hemmed’ watering hole where I watch a pony silently emerge through the scrub to drink.’ Seeking solace while referencing uncanny tales by the likes of M R James, Algernon Blackwood, Dickens and even Stephen King, he finds himself relating to, and even being involved in, eerie scenarios, all of which feel the more disquieting, though also oddly comforting, thanks to his pragmatic take on events that changed his life and outlook. The author’s life-long fascination with the supernatural actually lends him comfort as he attempts to come to terms with the aforementioned loss and, even in the more painful moments, his dry humour sheds light, making what could have been a bleak premise for a book quite the opposite. Parnell’s openness makes this unusual book a great read and his courage in literally facing his own ghosts lingers, like a benign presence, for some time after.

scary reads for this Hallowe’en season

Vintage James M.R.James Malignant forces and supernatural visitors haunt this selection of spooky tales selected and introduced by Ruth Rendell. M. R. James wrote his ghost stories to entertain students and friends on Christmas Eve, and they went on to both transform and modernise a genre. James harnesses the power of suggestion to move from an everyday world to one that is indefinably strange and then unforgettably terrifying. Pictures, carvings, a dolls house, a lonely beach ordinary things take on a sense of dread in the hands of the original master of suspense. (Vintage Publishing)

Dark Matter Michael Paver It’s January 1937. Clouds of war gather over a fogbound London and 28year-old Jack is desperate to turn his life around. When he’s offered the chance to join an Arctic expedition, he jumps at it and spirits are high as the ship sets sail with five men and eight huskies, crossing the Barents Sea. Finally they land at their destination, Gruhuken, a remote, uninhabited bay where they’ll camp for the next year. But Arctic summers are brief and as night claims the land, Jack feels a deepening unease. One by one, his companions are forced to leave and he clings to the last of vestiges of sun, as the polar night engulfs his camp in months of darkness. The sea freezes, making escape impossible and Jack discovers that he is not alone after all. Gruhuken is not uninhabited and something walks there in the dark... (Orion Publishing) The Small hand Susan Hill The Woman in Black may be Hill’s most famous ghost story, but this short, disturbing yarn is one of her creepiest. Returning home from late one summer’s evening, antiquarian bookseller Adam Snow takes a wrong turning and accidentally discovers a derelict old house. Curious, and in classic ‘don’t do it’ horror style, he approaches the door. Standing at the entrance, he has the sudden and unmistakable sensation of a small hand creeping into his own. He shakes it off, however, Intrigued by the encounter at the ‘White House’, he wants to know more. Initially unperturbed by the odd experience, Snow gradually becomes plagued by haunting dreams, panic attacks, and more frequent visits from the small hand –which becomes increasingly threatening and sinister... (Profile Books)

The Shining Stephen King A classic of modern horror fiction, The Shining is regarded as one of Stephen King’s masterpieces. Danny is only five years old, but in the words of old Mr Hallorann he’s a ‘shiner’, aglow with psychic power. When his dad becomes caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, Danny’s visions spiral out of control. As winter closes in and blizzards cut he and his family off, the hotel appears to develop a life of its own. It’s meant to be empty, so who is the lady in Room 217? And who are the masked guests riding the elevator? And why is his father acting so strangely? (Hodder & Stoughton)

Food & Drink Queen of the cakes...

Sadie Smith

Sadie Smith is an award winning cake designer and baker from Cake by Sadie Smith, Wimborne

Chocolate Orange Cake Jars With summer coming to an end and the kids back to school, it’s time to squeeze in those last-minute picnics and barbecues. A portable cake which easily doubles up as a dessert is a winner every time. Cake jars are so adaptable and can also be a great way to use up cake off-cuts – I regularly make them, and it has helped me reduce my food waste hugely. The children love them, and they are so much less messy to eat than a regular cupcake, and if you can’t manage the whole jar in one go, you can simply pop a lid on and save it for another time.

Ingredients: Makes 12 jars 175g margarine 175g caster sugar 3 medium free-range eggs 175g self-raising flour A dash of milk Zest of 1 orange 100g chocolate chips For the buttercream icing: 250g unsalted butter 400g icing sugar 100g cocoa powder A dash of milk For Decoration and assembling: Chocolate chunks or a chocolate orange cut into small pieces

Method: Preheat your oven to 170c and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper baking cases Mix the margarine and caster sugar together, beating until it is pale and fluffy Gradually add the eggs, one at a time, beat until fully incorporated Gently fold in the flour Add the milk, orange zest and chocolate chips and stir until mixed Divide the mixture into 12 cases and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes To make the buttercream, add all the buttercream ingredients to a bowl and beat until smooth and fluffy Allow the cakes to cool before you start to assemble, start by horizontally cutting your cupcakes into 3 slices Place 1 of the slices into the bottom of the jar, then top with some of the

buttercream, you may find it easier to use a piping bag but if not just use a small spoon to drop blobs of icing onto the cake Now drop some of the chocolate chunks onto the buttercream Repeat this process with the next 2 slices of cake Once you have used all 3 slices of cake and topped with buttercream, load the top with more chunks of chocolate and an orange segment from the orange you earlier zested. The Dorset Bard’s ode to apple cake

By Lorraine Gibson

‘I got a little ceäke too, here, abeäken o’n Upon the vier. ‘Tis done by this time though. He’s nice an’ moist; vor when I wer a-meäken o’n I stuck some bits ov apple in the dough.’ Dorset Apple Cake has been made for centuries, yet finding how to make an original one isn’t easy, according to the Dorset History Centre. Having decided to try baking an authentic version of it, they assumed that finding a recipe would be, well, a piece of cake, however, apart from a vague mention of a ‘ceake’ with ‘bits of apple’ in the poem by the Dorset bard, they really struggled. Delving deeper into pantry papers of the county’s past, they finally found what appears to be the oldest-known recipe for the traditional, sharp-but-sweet moist fruit cake. It appeared in the Bridport News of November 27, 1896, as a brief paragraph which read: ‘Apple Cake – Two cups dried apples soaked overnight (the History Centre used fresh, not dried and soaked), then chopped and boiled in one and a half cups syrup a short time; beat one cup butter and two of sugar together, add three wellbeaten eggs, three cups of flour, one teaspoon saleratus (that’s bicarbonate of soda), cinnamon, cloves, and one small nutmeg (they grated it!), one teaspoon mace (they used cloves), one cup raisins stoned and chopped. Bake moderately (they used a medium oven).’

Cooking...

with Martha Legg

Fruit squares I always said that my sister, who has four children, had my share as well! (Although I now have two lovely step children). However, when her children were younger, you would be forgiven for thinking that she had lots more than that! She always operated an open-door policy for her children’s friends, (and for sisters!), so when you went to her house, you would never be sure how many people would be in there! There are 10 years between her first and last child, so you can imagine the age range of the visiting children. Its not as if they just brought one friend home each, they seemed to come in packs! I remember when my nephew Chris had his eighth birthday, my sister was expecting and suffered from terrible all-day sickness. I was roped into cooking burgers for what seemed like a never-ending queue of children. I think by the time I had fed the last one, the first one was back for more! My sister didn’t rely on the shops for biscuits and cake, (or meals for that matter), but made her own. So, she would always have a supply to feed the hungry mouths in her house. Fruit squares are an easy one-pot recipe that take about 40 minutes to make from start to finish. The trick is, letting them cool down enough before the children grab them to eat so that they don’t burn their mouths. I have seen a whole batch disappear in a matter of minutes; it was like watching locusts strip a corn field! It was the same at meal times, she would just feed whoever was there. She always had some home-made dishes in the freezer ready to roll out if necessary and nobody ever went hungry. She is the same today; you can turn up at a meal time and she will feed you. You might be sharing with her grandchildren, but you will always be fed and welcomed.

Ingredients: 8oz Hard Margarine 6oz sugar 2 Heaped Tablespoons Marmalade 8oz or more of mixed fruit, nuts etc 160z Self Raising Flour

Pre heat oven to 180 degrees Grease a shallow cookie bake tin

Method:

Melt margarine and sugar together in a saucepan Add marmalade and fruit and stir over a low heat until the marmalade is melted. Allow to cool slightly Add the flour and mix well to produce a dough-like consistency Place in the shallow tin and press down Place in oven and cook for about 25mins until it is brown on top Mark into squares while still in the tin and then leave to cool enough, before turning out. Enford Farm Shop Durweston DT11 0QW Home reared and locally produced meats, game, deli, fruit, veg, free range eggs and lots more. Follow us on Facebook really takes the biscuit for all our latest meat pack deals and what’s in fresh that week. A volunteer gave it a go and Fresh 昀sh van in the car park described the result as ‘not bad at all, a little too much spice, perhaps, and not really too much apple flavour... but a nice NICE AN’ MOIST: William Barnes Wednesdays 9.30am-2pm Half a pig approx £100 Chicken feeds etc available cake, nevertheless.’ Open Wednesdays to Saturday So, since the season of apple 8.30am-4pm. gluts is upon us, why not step back in time and give it a go? And if you happen to have an Outside shop with self service for essentials 8am-8pm open daily old family recipe or a recipe book with Dorset Apple Cake 01258 450050 that you’d like to share, they’d love to hear from you.