Snowy Saturday

We had more snow last night, and have had a few showers during the day. Thankfully we have not had as much as some parts of the UK.

OH went out to the library this morning and said the car park had been cleared and a path right along the front of the apartment blocks. The pavements in the town had also been cleared.

I made a large pot of leek and lentil soup fotr lunch there is enough for tomorrow and Monday. Pile of laundry was threatening to take over so that has been washed and is in the dryer ready to go on tonight, its underwear, which tend to dry hard on the airer.

I decided that as the pan for the baguettes had arrived yesterday I needed to have a go. Made the dough in the bread machine, rolled it out and folded it over, pinched the seam and put it on top of the kitchen heater for its second rise, then into a hot oven, took 15 minutes and looks good, pity about the bulge in the middle, must try harder next time!! Doubt if it will affect the taste though, the crust was nice and crisp. I did not use egg wash on the top, brushed it with water instead.

Supper tonight is scotch pie with mash, brussels, carrots and gravy. Banana for dessert.

I have spent some time today knitting a jumper for a friends new grandson. I started it a couple of weeks ago, do not want to put the heat on in the bedroom where the machine is so decided to finish the jumper in the warm.

A Scotch pie is a small, double-crust meat pie filled with minced mutton or other meat. It may also be known as a shell pie or a mince pie(although the latter term is ambiguous) to differentiate it from other varieties of savoury pie, such as the steak pie, steak and kidney pie, steak-and-tattie (potato) pie, and so forth. The Scotch pie is believed to originate in Scotland, where it is often known simply as pie^{[citation needed]} but can be found in other parts of the United Kingdom and widely sold all over Canada. They are often sold alongside other types of hot food infootball grounds, traditionally accompanied by a drink of Bovril, resulting in the occasional reference to football pies.

The traditional filling of mutton is often highly spiced with pepper and other ingredients and is placed inside a shell of hot water crust pastry. An individual piemaker's precise recipe, including the types and quantities of spice used, is usually kept a close secret, for fear of imitations. It is baked in a round, straight-sided tin, about 8 cm in diameter and 4 cm high, and the top "crust" (which is soft) is placed about 1 cm lower than the rim to make a space for adding accompaniments such as mashed potatoes, baked beans, brown sauce,gravy or an egg.

Scotch pies are often served hot by take-away restaurants and bakeries, and at outdoor events. The hard crust of the pie enables it to be eaten by hand with no wrapping, but increasingly they are cooked and served in a foil tin. Typically there is a round hole of about 7.5mm in the centre of the top crust.

Every year, the Scotch Pie Club holds the World Scotch Pie Championship. Butchers and bakers enter their pies into this competition, and the maker of the pie judged tastiest by a panel of judges is awarded the title of World Scotch Pie Champion.

[edit]