Orchard Blog - December 2016

Cocktail of the Week | Calum’s Eggnog

Posted in Cocktail of the Week by

There are always a few things that say Christmas to people. Some will have a particular tradition, no matter how random it is to others, or particular food, that makes their Christmas entirely! For Calum there are a few things that make it Christmas, the first is pork pie for breakfast on Christmas Day (Don’t ask)! and the second is our last cocktail of the week before Christmas, we give you Calum’s Eggnog!

Eggnog is likely to date back to medieval Europe and was developed from a posset drink made with hot milk that was curdled with wine or ale and mixed with spices. These possets were used a cold and flu remedies that made it a winter tradition. The drink appears to have been taken across the Atlantic where the term eggnog was first used in a poem. There are many different versions. In the UK, the drink was popular with the aristocracy who used sherry. Others use rum (Caribbean and Puerto Rico), beer (German) and bourbon (South America). More recently the mix has been used in coffee that has brought it to the masses.

For this week’s cocktail, you will need;

2 pints whole milk
500 ml Single Cream
1 Measure of rum
6 egg yolks
200g sugar
Orange zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Vanilla seeds
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of ginger
Pinch of Nutmeg (plus some to garnish)

Take the orange zest, rum, cloves vanilla seed and the pinch of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg into a jar and add the rum. Leave for 12 hours to infuse. Once ready, mix the egg yolks with the 200g sugar. Mix together the cream, the egg mix and infused rum and heat the mix through to make custard. Start to add the milk to thin the mix out to the consistency of a milkshake. Once completed, chill the drink until cold. When ready, pour the drink into a glass of choice and sprinkle with nutmeg, and there you have this week’s cocktail, Eggnog.

Calum’s recipe has been tried and tested over many years to try and recreate the store bought drink he used to get in Hong Kong. For Calum it is Christmas in a glass, for Richard…not so much. It is a superb drink to have for a party or to enjoy watching your favourite Christmas movie on Christmas Eve.

24th December 2016

Leave a comment

Scandi Inspired Winter Woodland Table

Posted in Gather by

Orchard Blog

Scandinavian Inspired Winter Woodland Table Theme

This week we had a couple of friends over for a pre Christmas dinner. The fires were lit, we had carols playing and mulled wine to drink, all in all a jolly festive evening. For our table decorations we took more inspiration from our recent trip to Copenhagen and went for a Scandi inspired winter woodland table.

The Inspiration

We found so much inspiration from our recent trip to Copenhagen, so many ideas in so many way. We were particularly taken by the use of natural materials in their Christmas decoration, The Danes don’t do tinsel. We took this as a jumping off point when choosing our scheme, we chose a simple pallet of colours; white of the candles, green of the foliage, brown of the wood and pine cones and then neutral table linens. By using a limited colour palette it made choosing what to include much easier. We had seen this colours used whilst away, and when browsing through some magazines we brought home with us. A quick look at pinterest gave us lots more ideas along this theme.

Shop Scandi

Whilst pottering about Copenhagen we picked up several of the bits we needed for our table centre. If you wanted to replicate this theme you could easily do do within the uk, with the likes of Ikea, H&M Home, Clas Ohlson, Flying Tiger of Copenhagen and now Søstrene Grene all having a UK presence, it is easier than ever to add a bit of Scandi cool into your homes.

Natural Material

We wanted to use plenty of natural materials in our woodland table centre. We found some birch covered candle holders at Søstrene Grene in Copenhagen and the wood tea light holders at a shop called Lagerhaus when we were in Malmö. We put candles in star shape dishes we’d found in H&M Home and in Ikea, surrounding the candles with moss. We cut some branches of seeded eucalyptus from the garden and arranged these with some spruces branches to bring all the elements together. Lastly we placed some pine cones into the display, we have been collecting these from the common from some time, but these were only quite small, we supplemented them with some larger ones we got at a local garden centre.

Candles Galore

We heard that the Danes burn more candles per person than anywhere else on earth, the evidence we saw from our brief trip suggest this is probably true. We get our candles from Ikea and from Flying Tiger of Copenhagen, both have great selection. In addition to the wooden candle holders we found some pretty glass ones from H&M Home, and repurposed some glasses from Flying Tiger. As we chose only white candles they all matched and gave a nice theme.

What do you think?

We really enjoyed making our Scandi inspired winter woodland table centre. It was a lovely cosy table to enjoy a simple meal with friends, we have subsequently gone on an decorated the room further using the table centre s inspiration. If you have any thoughts or ideas please let us know in the comments section or contact us on social media. Read more…

23rd December 2016

Leave a comment

Cocktail of the Week | Gingerbread Fizz

Posted in Cocktail of the Week by

Orchard Blog

It is the Christmas Party season and sadly we have had to forgo our annual party as we are still with Rich’s parents. Since we started dating we have had a Christmas party every year that just seems to get bigger! We love having all our friends with us and now our friends are starting to have children, sharing the Christmas joy with them just makes it better! One thing we always try to do is have a signature festive cocktail to serve and this week’s cocktail of the week went down a storm when we served it up; the Gingerbread Fizz.

Gingerbread is a long standing traditional item for Christmas. It comes in all forms and one of our favourites is Lebkuchen from Germany. We also enjoy making our own gingerbread men (and women) a tradition started by Queen Elizabeth I whose courtiers served them to visiting dignitaries. Every country has their own version of a gingerbread product from cakes to biscuits and they are all served in a multitude of ways. As the original recipe for gingerbread can be dated back to before 1000AD, it is no surprise that it has spread across the world. We came across this idea in Nigella Lawson’s book, Nigella Christmas and on a trip to France found a bottle of gingerbread syrup and ‘one or two’ bottles of Crémant du Loire for us to try the cocktail.

To make this week’s cocktail, you will need:

One bottle of sparking wine of your choice
Gingerbread syrup

To make the cocktail, ensure your sparking wine is chilled. Take a champagne glass and add a teaspoon of gingerbread syrup (or more if to your taste). Fill the glass with your sparkling wine and serve. There you have a very simple, but perfect festive cocktail, gingerbread fizz.

The cocktail is a great drink to have at a Christmas Party as it is so simple to make. Our friends loved it and we went through the entire bottle of gingerbread syrup and several bottles of sparkling wine. The laughs and merriment certainly made our party a lot of fun!

19th December 2016

Leave a comment

Country Cottage Christmas Porch

Posted in Dwell by

Orchard Blog

Our time living in Rich folk’s cottage is coming to an end. Living in a 400-year-old timbered cottage has lots of benefits, but also lots of drawbacks, especially when we are both over 6 foot tall, and the ceiling and doorways are not. The Cottage really comes into its own at Christmas, we joke that it could have been used at a set in The Holiday.

Country Cottage Christmas Porch

To add to the Christmassy charm of the cottage we decided to decorate a Country Cottage Christmas Porch. We took inspiration from the natural Scandinavian style we saw in Copenhagen and translated this to an English country style.

Christmas Plants

We wanted a selection of different plants to create the display, the porch already has a couple of pyramid conifers, and we had a Christmas tree from last year in a pot that we had been growing on. We moved a couple of herbs we have growing in pots to the display, along with a small olive tree. The Olive branch is a symbol of peace so is wonderfully appropriate for our Christmas display. In addition to moving plants we already had we went to our local garden centre to get some Hyacinths, some Hellebores, a couple of Skimmia and a selection of small conifers

Christmas Foliage

A Christmas wreath is a must for us, we created ours by using a base of spruce and adding in a selection of other evergreen foliage including yew and Scott’s pine collected from the common. We also used this foliage to create a garland for the porch, using floristry wire to hold it together. We bought some mistletoe and a bough of holly, traditional Christmastime plants to add in.

Finishing Touches

Earlier this year we had a Birch tree cut down and the logs cut for our fire through winter. We thought the logs we so beautiful we used a few in our display. We also added in a basket of pine cones we have been collection whilst taking our dog for a walk. Taking inspiration from our Scandinavian trip we needed some light, so we wrapped warm white fairy lights around the garland and some of the plants, and put our a pair of lanterns to creating a welcoming glow as you walk up.

What do you think of our Country Cottage Christmas porch? We hope it makes the cottage welcoming and inviting. Is there anything you would differently, let us know in the comments section, or get in touch on social media.

Leave a comment

Top Five | Christmas Parties and Shopping

Posted in Top Five by

Orchard Blog

Well isn’t December getting busy, it is Thursday already and we are only just getting round to our Top Five. Christmas festivities are in full swing at the cottage. Let’s take a look at what has been going on:

One

The tree is up! Every year we go to a local Christmas tree farm and pick up a Fraser Fir. It is a slimmer than a traditional real tree so it fits into smaller spaces. We have gone for a traditional scheme this year using pine cones and red and gold baubles. We also have a lovely set of 12 days of Christmas ornaments which fit right in.

Two

Christmas party season has started (along with the accompanying hangovers!) We helped Rich’s folks host a drinks party on Sunday evening with mulled wine and mince pies aplenty. On Monday morning we stepped outside to survey the damage done. Not too bad considering!

Three

We took Monday off work for a bit of a London Christmas day out. We started with a little wander around the V&A. It is probably our favourite London museum, we especially like the British galleries.

Four

The true reason for our London trip was Christmas shopping. We stopped off at Harrod and Liberties, did Oxford street, regents street and Tottenham court road. We didn’t get everything we needed but we made quite a dent!

Five

Whilst traipsing down oxford street we felt the need of a little pick me up. Thank goodness for John Lewis. We headed to their roof garden pop-up bar, themed around a winter forest it was festive and fun. We especially like the garden lodges you can book for dinner. Their G&T wasn’t half bad either!

15th December 2016

Leave a comment

Cocktail of the Week | Gløgg

Posted in Cocktail of the Week by

Orchard Blog

With Christmas and winter comes the continued love of mulled drinks. There must be millions of litres drunk each year of mulled something. You could probably drink a different version of mulled wine each day in December. This week, we are taking inspiration from our recent trip to Copenhagen and this week’s cocktail of the week is Gløgg.

Gløgg in Denmark is a staple winter drink. As the borders through the Nordic countries moved regularly over the centuries, it is impossible to say whether it is a Danish started drink, a Swedish drink or German variation of Glühwein imported to Denmark. However it arrived, the Danes have made it theirs! There appear to be as many different versions of the drink as there are Danes! It is traditionally drunk with a Danish winter treat called Æbleskiver, a doughnut/pancake type dessert that is served many ways. We were told the traditional way is with strawberry jam and a sprinkling of icing sugar.

To make this week’s cocktail you will need;

Bottle red wine
Almonds slivered
1 cup raisins
Your own version of mulling spices

To start, heat the wine, but don’t let it boil. Add the spices and allow the flavours to infuse for a short while before serving. You can buy premade versions of the spices and as there are many versions, any type of mulled spices will recreate the drink. To serve, pour the wine into a suitable glass or mug using a sieve to remove the spices if using your own. Add the raisins and slivered almonds to the drink and stir. If you are so inclined, you can add a shot of rum, brandy or any other spirit of your choice.

Gløgg is a great way to keep warm whilst taking a short break from the sightseeing across Copenhagen. The only tip we can give is that it is best to serve Gløgg with a teaspoon to get to the good stuff of the warmed raisins and almonds.

13th December 2016

Leave a comment

Christmassy Weekend in Copenhagen

Posted in Explore by

Orchard Blog

Last weekend we visited one of the most Christmassy cities in the world, Copenhagen! We had a wonderful time, and packed a lot into our short break! Have a read of what we got up to below

Day One

We arrived in Copenhagen at lunchtime, and after checking into our hotel we headed out for a wander around the city. We had a look around Amalienborg Palace, the winter residence of the Danish Queen. We then wandered down Nyhavn, the very picturesque harbour area and stopped for a Julebryg (Danish Christmas beer) and a Gløgg in one of the Christmas markets. In the evening we explored Tivoli Gardens for more festiveness. Tivoli is the oldest theme park in the world, located in the city centre, it’s transformed into a Christmas wonderland for the duration of December.

Day Two

On day two we got the train across the Øresund to spend the day in Malmö in Sweden. Malmö is the third largest city in Sweden but is considered part of the Copenhagen metropolitan area. Skåne, the southernmost county in Sweden, was actually under Danish control until 1658. As a side note, it is Skåne that gives its name to the whole of Scandinavia. As we spent the day in Sweden we had meatballs for lunch, we think it is the law.

In the evening we headed back to Copenhagen to explore Vesterbro, the former working-class district that is now a fashionable area to go out in the evening. There are lots of great bars and restaurants, we chose a cosy looking basement bar that had good beer and burgers.

Day Three

Today we’ve got the train up to the north of Zealand to Kronborg castle in Helsingør.

Famous for being where Shakespeare’s Hamlet is set, Kronborg is a gorgeous renaissance castle overlooking Øresund straights to Sweden, just 2.5 miles across the water. It is a fascinating place to visit, and today the castle had a Christmas market on to add to its charm.

Helsingør is a wonderful and jolly little town. It was busy today with Christmas shoppers enjoying their community. There were carol singers, a marching band and all sorts of shops and market stalls doing a roaring trade.

In the afternoon we headed back into the city to do a bit more exploring. We went to Torvehallerne, a food market with lots of exciting offerings from around the world. We then climbed the Rundetaarn, a 17th-century observatory with great views over the city.

This evening we had a couple of mugs of gløgg with friends that live in the city before having dinner of Danish roast pork followed by æbleskiver, a sort of spherical pancake eaten at Christmas.

Day Four

We decided to take things easy today after cramming so much into the last few days. This morning we went on a canal boat tour around the harbour, things like this might be very touristy but they are popular for a reason! We managed to get some great shots of Nyhavn, one of the most picturesque bits of the city!

We then went and had a look around the royal reception rooms at Christiansborg Palace. The palace is not actually The Queen’s residence but is instead the home to the Danish parliament. The royal reception rooms are however where The Queen undertakes most of her duties as the constitutional monarch.

After a spot of lunch, we did some Christmas shopping in the upmarket department stores, and had a look round the gorgeous Christmas decoration in the Royal Copenhagen shop. In the evening we headed back to Tivoli gardens for more Gløgg, julebryg and æbleskiver! We really got into the Danish Christmas traditions!

Day Five

Bye bye, Copenhagen, this was our second visit to the city and again we are struck by just how livable the city is. It is beautiful and charming, it is fashionable but not aloof. It is a big enough city without being overwhelming.

The city also really comes into its own at Christmas time. Decorations are everywhere, Lights are put up in every window and candles and lanterns are so prevalent it’s surprising there aren’t more fires! The Christmas markets may not be as old as their Germanic counterparts but they are still fun to walk around with a mug of Gløgg. Tivoli gardens really sparkle with its Christmas decorations and make us feel just like big kids. The city, in general, is completely in the Christmas spirit, and who can blame them!

To those that haven’t been we cannot recommend Copenhagen at Christmas time enough! We’ll be back, we are sure of that.

Find out more about Christmas in Copenhagen at Visit Copenhagen

Christmas Weekend Copenhagen

10th December 2016

Leave a comment

Top Five | Christmas Holidays

Posted in Top Five by

Orchard Blog

Our top five is a little late this week as we have been off on our pre-Christmas holidays to Copenhagen. We love Denmark and Copenhagen and we will be blogging more about our trip later in the week. Let’s get back into the swing of things and take a look at this week’s top five.

One

Having a dog means lie-ins are a thing of the past. On the cold and frosty morning, we have been having later it can be quite a chore to drag ourselves out of bed. However when it is a bright and clear morning the rewards are great, like this hard frost that covered Horsell common last week, it was magical!

Two

As we are still without permanent abode we won’t have our own Christmas Tree this year (don’t worry we’ll be fully involved in putting up the decorations in the cottage) But we have invested in this mini tree to liven up our room!

Three

We are loving these mini battery festoon lights we got from Ikea (they are called Stråla in case you were wondering) we have strung these up behind the bed, they makes the room lovely and cosy.

Four

As mentioned above we recently returned from Denmark, a country that knows how to celebrate Christmas well. Whilst walking around Helsingør, a small town north of Copenhagen we found this beautiful florist, a perfect shop selling perfect plants to decorate for Christmas.

Five

With all the stunning shops, decorations and interiors, we saw when we were in Denmark we had a bit if inspiration overload. To help with the inspiration we picked up a few Scandinavian interiors magazines – a Danish one, a Swedish one and a Norwegian one!

7th December 2016

Leave a comment

Our Old Fashion Jazzy Christmas Playlist

Posted in Gather by

Orchard Blog

What better music to decorate the tree to than a bit of old-fashioned jazz? We have put together this Christmas Playlist of our favourite Christmas from the 50s and 60s. These were all recorded decades before we were born, but there is something reassuring and friendly about listening to familiar old songs. After you have finished decorating, light a few candles, grab a glass of your favourite tipple, sit back and enjoy! Listen to our Christmas Playlist here.

2nd December 2016

Leave a comment

Cocktail of the Week | Sage & Clementine Mule

Posted in Cocktail of the Week by

Orchard Blog

We have been enjoying the cocktail of the week for the last few months and the few times we have come across a savoury cocktail they have been a hit. Whilst looking for a good cocktail for Thanksgiving, we came across a savoury cocktail from Jamie Oliver’s Drink Tube that really interested us and thought it would be perfect to try as our cocktail of the week, Sage and Clementine Mule.

This cocktail is a twist on the classic mule cocktail the Moscow Mule. As with many cocktails from the 1940’s there seems to be a bit of mixed history as to who created the Moscow Mule and where it started. Some attribute it to John Martin, a Spirits and Food distributor in Hartford, CT and Jack Morgan, President of Cock ‘n’ Bull products (which produced ginger beer). This story line gives it a bit of a corporate myth style story, a ‘cock ‘n’ bull story’ if you will. The other is attributed to Wes Price, Jack Morgan’s head barman who wanted to clear out the cellar of dead stock. From what we have learnt, we are more inclined to believe the latter story. Needless to say the Cock ‘n’ Bull team had a hand in its development. As with all classic cocktails, a new twist on tradition is always a good thing and this one has some expectations to live up to.

For this week’s cocktail, you will need;

1 measure Lemon Vodka
1 Fresh Clementine
Ginger beer
5 Sage leaves
Ice

To make the drink, quarter a clementine and add it with the sage to a Collins and muddle the mix. Add some ice to the glass, followed by the vodka. Add the ginger beer to fill the glass, giving it one final stir and you have this week’s cocktail, a Sage and Clementine Mule.

The cocktail has a good mix of flavours, the clementine is not as sweet as expected and the ginger is not over powering. The sage is very subtle taste to the drink and works well with the hint of lemon from the vodka. It is a refreshing drink that is well worth making as a seasonal drink.

1st December 2016

Leave a comment