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Folk Music & Dance – Creative Wellbeing Packs

February 1, 2021
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Hello everyone, it’s me again – Sydney! Happy New Year and all that jazz! I hope everyone managed to feel festive over Christmas time, ate lots of lovely things and enjoyed yourselves. For the first Creative Wellbeing Pack of 2021 we were treated to an amazing selection of activities from Tessa Wingate, a singer, musician and community art practitioner with a specialism in Folk-style music.

Tessa has sent us over some links of videos to watch which will give a little more background to ‘Wassailing!’

Wassail! Singing to trees: a Pagan tradition

When I was growing up, I lived on a road called Orchard Close in St Albans. Historically, it was a huge apple orchard! All the gardens on the street had huge apple trees in them and once a year on ‘Apple Day’ dancers and celebrations were held to wish the trees good health! To me, this is similar to the tradition of Wassailing.

To fit in with this, I thought I would share one of my favourite apple-based recipes… Sweet Apple Cake!

Ingredients

  • 115g unsalted butter
  • 225g self-raising flour
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 115g light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 7 tbsp milk
  • 225g peeled and cubed Bramley or Granny Smith apples
  • 100g sultanas or dried fruit of your choice
  • 2 tbsp sugar (for sprinkling on the top)

 

Method

  1. 1. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line a deep 20cm cake tin with baking parchment.
  2. 2. Mix the flour and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub into the flour using your fingers, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the light brown sugar. Add the egg and milk – add it gradually until you have a smooth, thick batter.
  3. 3. Add the apples and sultanas and mix to combine. Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and gently level out. Sprinkle over the demerara sugar, if using, and bake for 30-40 mins or until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  4. 4. Allow to cool in the tin for 15 mins and then carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool further.

 

I love this cake served with custard or clotted cream!

Roz who receives our packs has sent us her beautiful lyrics for Tessa’s ‘English Country Garden’ activity. Here they are below – Aren’t they lovely!

 

How many butterflies flit to and fro

In an English country garden,

We’ll tell you some of them that we know,

Those we miss you’ll surely pardon,

Orange Tip, Red Admiral

Cabbage White, and Peacock too,

Painted Lady, Tortoiseshell, Fritillary,

There is nectar in the flowers, all the Summer long,

In an English Country Garden.

———————————-

And here’s to the robin, looking for worms,

He’s a regular visitor, sings a good turn.

The chaffinch & goldfinch sing different tunes,

The blackbird & thrush sing ‘till they see the moon

———————————-

And here’s to the postie who calls when he can.

He drives around happily in his bright red van.

He brings lots of goodies whenever he can,

Don’t know much about him; I think his name’s Dan

 

If you have anything to share, such as your pictures of your cake or your response to the music you can email them to me at sydney@creativeartseast.co.uk, post them on our Facebook page or send them back to us using the Freepost envelope! If you need any help sharing, you can give us a call and we will try our best to walk through it together.

Ta-ra for now and lots of love,

Sydney x

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Brenda
3 years ago

It’s all so enjoyable and lots of fun
One fine day we all will be one.

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