Dunking? Oh no – never, my Dear!

This month the ladies of the Market Harborough WI were visited by the well known authority on Victorian Tea Ettiquette Baroness Bolsover – aka The Tea Lady – who proceded to demonstrate the ins and outs of this quintessential English tradition made popular by the Duchess of Bedford in the 1860s.

In her inimitable style Her Ladyship provided life changing answers to burning questions: What goes into the cup first – tea or milk? (Milk always second unless you are from below stairs!), what NEVER to do if your napkin slips off your lap (Pick it up – that is the butler’s job!) and how to hold your tea cup (NO – well brought up ladies do NOT have little fingers sticking out).

There was much fascinating detail in the talk – from posture and dress codes (one of the incentives to host the party was that the hostess did not have to put on a corsett in her own home, while her visitors had to wear the full street apparel including hat and gloves) to the art of tea mixing, the food usually provided (in tiny portions, so no cutlery was required) and the most efficient way to dissolved a lump of sugar.

Thanks to the super human effort of the catering team for the evening we got to put all that training into practice with a scrumptious afternoon tea. 

It was a most entertaining evening with much laughter and fun! If you are interested, you can read more about the Victorian Tea Ceremony and the times of Baroness Bolsover on Her Ladyship’s website: www.baronessbolsover.com

And if you are interested in what the Market Harborough WI is up to, keep an eye on the website for the latest news. Or you can subscribe by entering your email address below and you will be send the latest news automatically:

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Sausage Papardelle, Cheese and Sheep with an Attitude…

This month Jill and John Vickers from the Bridge 67 Butchers and Farm Shop in Kibworth came to present some of their produce for a taster session and to talk about their approach to lifestock management.

The Vickers family have farmed in the area since the 1930s and have build up a productive beef and sheep farm breeding Limousin cattle and Masham sheep (which come from Yorkshire and – according to John – have a right old attitude). John talked about their approach to sustainability, good animal husbandry and their passion for good local produce. The Butchers Shop is run by Jill and is a key part of their aim to offer products from Farm to Fork and Nose to Tail. In addition to the beef and lamb from the farm sells pork from Jill’s sister’s Leicestershire farm, sausages, pies, eggs and a fine array of locally produced English cheeses. Jill cooked Sausage Papardelle for us and we got to try some of the cheeses as well – delicious!

The evening was fun and informative and their passion for the farm and their produce was obvious as they patiently answered all our questions (top tip: if you are not sure what to do with your silverside roast – go ask Jill!).

Apart from their shop website, Bridge 67 (named after the bridge over the Grand Union Canal on their land) has a Facebook Page where they keep their customers and fans up to date with what is happening on the farm. Look out for information about their open day during the lambing season on 22nd March!

If you are interested in what else the Market Harborough WI is up to, keep an eye on the website for the latest news. Or you can subscribe by entering your email address below and you will be send the latest news automatically:

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It’s all about Wellbeing at the Market Harborough WI!

At our January Monthly Meeting we had a very informative talk by the team from Manor Walk Wellness who treated us (no pun intended!) to a wide range of information about wellness therapies and their practical application. We sat in small groups and moved around every 10 minutes so everyone had an opportunity to listen to all the demonstrations.

Laura (who owns Manor Walk Wellness together with Tracey) and Issy talked about the benefits of massage therapy and gave us a relaxing hand and arm massages.  Mary spoke to us about acupuncture, how it works and what conditions it can help with.

Tracey, an aesthetics nurse, chatted to us about different face treatments  to promote skin rejuvenation, while Sarah, the naturopathic food nutritionist, talked about how diet can affect health and how important hydration is.

Jo specialises in hypnotherapy and spoke to us about how hypnotherapy works and the benefits it can bring. A beauty therapist Iwona gave a great overview of all the different treatments she offers. Last, but not least, Karen from Kamala Kinesiology talked us through her holistic programmes and how they can make a real difference.

It was a very informative evening and we all came away with some hints and tips to help promote our wellbeing – move over New Years resolutions!

If you are interested in what the Market Harborough WI is up to, keep an eye on the website for the latest news. Or you can subscribe by entering your email address below and you will be send the latest news automatically:

You have been sent this message because you are following the website of the Market Harborough Womens Institute. If you no longer wish to do so, please click here to unsubscribe.