Hyde Hall, BBQ’s and Fried Chicken Umbrellas

 

A MASSIVE thank you to Sue Carter and curator,  Ian Le Gros from Hyde Hall in Chelmsford for allowing me to come and interview them and have a look around! Have a listen to the interview again by clicking HERE

Don’t forget to check out the pictures from Hyde Hall.

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Griddled aubergines with sesame dressing

Ingredients
2 large aubergines, cut into 2cm slices
2 tbsp olive oil
250g full-fat Greek yogurt
3 tbsp tahini paste
1 large garlic clove, crushed
juice 1 lemon
handful chopped coriander, parsley and mint, plus extra leaves to serve

Method
Brush each aubergine slice with some oil, then season. Heat a griddle pan or barbecue. When hot, griddle the aubergine slices for 2-3 mins on each side until golden brown and tender.
Mix the yogurt with the tahini, garlic, lemon juice and herbs, then season. Top the aubergines with the dressing and scatter over extra herb leaves.

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Today is national….

Fried Chicken Day
The bird gets the spotlight on Fried Chicken Day, and stomachs are rumbling already. Move over vegetarians, there’s a deep-fried chicken leg and breast coming this way!

To add more pizzazz to the day, coat the legendary southern food in spices and yell “Yeehaw!” Cover the chicken with a mixture of cayenne pepper, garlic powder and paprika to put the spring back in the step. A little hot sauce? Sure, let’s go all out! Serve the mouth-watering fried food with chicken gravy to up the yum-factor even more.

Pair the succulent bird with waffles for a classic combo. Or, why not make chicken the star of the show and add a tasty side dish? Lip-smacking sides include buttermilk biscuits, cold potato salad or coleslaw. With fried chicken on the plate, the taste is sure to taste clucking good!
Today is International….
Umbrella Cover Day

Umbrella covers are the little sleeves, slipcovers, cases, sheaths, that come on new umbrellas when you buy them. Made of the same material as the umbrella, they are a tight and attractive bit of packaging, but can sometimes impair the speed of releasing the umbrella in a sudden shower. People are on the fence about whether they are critical bits of umbrella apparel, or a waste of material. It is this very ambiguity that has inspired a museum of Umbrella Covers and a Guinness World Record.

So whether your umbrella was purchased during the onset of a sudden spring shower, or an advanced purchase for a drizzly day, chances are that your umbrella’s cover comes with a bit of history, and has a story to tell. Umbrella Cover Day celebrates the stories behind the cover, and encourages you to hold onto and dig out your umbrella covers from the bottom of drawers, the backs of cupboards and from, unsurprisingly, on your umbrellas, and to celebrate the mundane and everyday things in life. Of course, umbrella covers can have practical uses, too – why not keep your plastic utensils in them, store your plastic bags, pencils, makeup, loose change. Use them to decorate your room – or maybe as ear warmers for your pets.