Happy St. George’s Day!

St. George’s Day is also known as the Feast of Saint George. As well as England, St. George is a Patron Saint of several countries: Portugal; Cyprus; Georgia; Serbia; Bulgaria; Bosnia & Herzegovin, and the Republic of Macedonia, all of who fly the red cross flag on the day.
St. George is also the patron saint of The Scout Movement, which has held St. George’s Day parades by Scouts (and now Girl Guides) since its first years.

Not much is known about Saint George’s early life, and what is known has been argued for centuries. It is believed that he was probably born to noble birth, around 280 AD in Cappodocia (Turkey) and died on 23rd April in Lydda, Syria Palaestina, an area which is now in modern-day Israel.

The Legend:

The myth of St. George & the Dragon became popularised around the time of the Crusades who brought back tales of a dragon-slaying Christian who saved a princess and her village from the flesh eating monster. It is said that the local villagers had offered up sheep everyday to appease the monster, but when that failed they tried feeding it their children, chosen by lottery! Until, on one occasion, it happened that the lot fell on the king’s daughter. Distraught with grief, the King told the people they could have all his gold and silver and half of his kingdom if his daughter was spared. His people refused and the daughter was sent out to the lake, decked out as a bride, to be fed to the dragon…
By chance, George rode past the lake. Noticing him, the dragon charged for George, who fortified himself with the Sign of the Cross and charged on horseback delivering a grievous wound. With the dragon harnessed, George rode the princess back to the village, subsequently telling the villagers that he would only kill the dragon if they all became Christians. Unwilling to subject themselves back to the terror of the dragon, the king and his people agreed to convert to Christianity and George slew the dragon. On the site where the dragon died, the king built a church to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. George, and from its altar a spring arose whose waters cured all disease.

George became a solider, and ultimately an officer, in the Roman army under Emperor Diocletian. When the Emperor ordered the systematic persecution of Christians. George refused to take part, which resulted in his torture and subsequent death on 23rd April 303 AD. The Emperor’s wife was so inspired by George’s bravery and loyalty to his religion, that she too became a Christian and was subsequently executed for her faith.

The earliest documented mention of St. George in England comes from the Catholic monk the venerable Bede (c. 673–735). His feast day is also mentioned in the Durham Collectar, a ninth-century liturgical work. The will of Alfred the Great is said to refer to the saint, in a reference to the church of Fordington, Dorset. At Fordington a stone over the south door records the miraculous appearance of to lead crusaders into battle. Early (c. 10th century) dedications of churches to St. George are noted in England, for example as well as Fordingham, Dorset, at Thetford, Southwark and Doncaster.

St. George’s Chapel at Windsor castle was established by Edward III in 1348. The chapel, which is in the Lower Ward of Windsor Castle, had a big refurbishment started on it by Edward IV in 1475 that wasn’t finished until his grandson Henry VIII was on the throne in 1528.
It is both a Royal Peculiar, that is a Church of England parish or church exempt from the jurisdiction of the Diocese and the province in which it lies and subject to the direct jurisdiction of the monarch. It was where the funeral of H.R.H. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh took place in 2021.

The chapel also serves as the Chapel of the Order of the Garter. The Garter Service takes place at St George’s chapel every year because St George is the patron saint of the Order of the Garter. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George Cross. It is granted by the Sovereign to people who have either served her well or contributed something special to the nation – such as Sir Winston Churchill. The annual ceremony takes place in June.
The motto in gold lettering ‘Honi soit qui mal y pense’ translates as “Shame on him who thinks evil of it.

St. George’s Day was a major feast and national holiday in England on a par with Christmas from the early 15th century. The tradition of celebration St. George’s Day had waned by the end of the 18th century after the union of England and Scotland in 1707.

A traditional custom on St. George’s Day is to fly or adorn the St. George’s Cross flag in some way: Pubs in particular can be seen on 23rd April with garlands of St. George’s crosses adorning them inside and out.
It is customary for the hymn “Jerusalem” to be sung in cathedrals, churches and chapels on St. George’s Day, or on the Sunday closest to it. Traditional English food and drink is likely to be be consumed.

#Broadwindsor #Burstock #Blackdown #Drimpton #Hursey #Kittwhistle #Seaborough #Dorset #Village #Community #PatronSaint #StGeorge #GeorgeAndTheDragon #Celebrate #BeKind #BeSafe #AvoidDragons #StaySafe

Happy St. George’s Day

Not much is known about Saint George’s early life, and what is known has been argued for centuries. It is believed that he was probably born around 280 AD in Lydda, Syria Palaestina, an area which is now in modern-day Israel and that he was probably born to noble birth.

The Legend:

St. George’s Chapel at Windsor castle was established by Edward III in 1348. The chapel, which is in the Lower Ward of Windsor Castle, had a big refurbishment started on it by Edward IV in 1475 that wasn’t finished until his grandson Henry VIII was on the throne in 1528.
It is both a Royal Peculiar, that is a Church of England parish or church exempt from the jurisdiction of the Diocese and the province in which it lies and subject to the direct jurisdiction of the monarch. It was where the recent televised funeral of H.R.H. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh took place.

St. George’s Day was a major feast and national holiday in England on a par with Christmas from the early 15th century. The tradition of celebration St. George’s Day had waned by the end of the 18th century after the union of England and Scotland in 1707.

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#WestDorset,#Village,#Fordington,#StGeorgesDay,#PatronSaint,#England,#GeorgeAndTheDragon,#FlyTheFlag,#OrderOfTheGarter,#2021,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Happy St. Patrick’s Day – 17th March

St Patrick’s Day is a global celebration of Irish culture on or around March 17. It particularly remembers St Patrick, one of Ireland’s patron saints, who ministered Christianity in Ireland during the fifth century. He was born in Roman Britain to a wealthy family near the end of the fourth century. At age 16, he was captured by Irish raiders and brought to Ireland, where he spent six years in captivity, working as a shepherd. He became a devout Christian and, it’s believed, began to dream of converting the Irish to Christianity. He then escaped back to England. He wrote that a voice — God’s — spoke to him in a dream telling him to leave Ireland.

The photo shows a stained glass recreation of St. Patrick holding a shamrock, found in Junction City, Ohio. Photo by Nheyob/Wikimedia Commons.

After reaching England, Patrick described having a second dream in which an angel told him to go back to Ireland as a missionary. He started religious training to become a priest. He was later sent to Ireland on a mission to convert the Irish to Christianity and minister to Christians already there. Rather than replacing pagan Irish rituals, he incorporated them into his teachings. For instance, the Irish used to honor their gods with fire, so Patrick used bonfires to celebrate Easter. He died in A.D. 461 on March 17, which became St. Patrick’s Day.

Wearing green has become a staple of St. Patrick’s Day, but the holiday was originally associated with the color blue. It’s thought that the shift to green happened because of Ireland’s nickname “The Emerald Isle,” the green in the Irish flag and the shamrock, or clover. Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn as early as the 17th century. During the Irish Rebellion of 1798, an uprising against British rule in Ireland, Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on March 17 to make a political statement.

Legend has it that wearing green makes a person invisible to leprechauns that will pinch someone if they see them. The symbol of St. Patrick is a three-leaf shamrock, not a four-leaf clover. In Ireland, some people still adhere to the tradition of Catholics wearing green and Protestants wearing orange, the colors that represent their respective religious sects on the Irish flag.

St. Patrick’s Day is the traditional day for planting peas. Cabbage seeds are often planted today, too.

Celebrations and Céilidhs are common as is the imbibement of alcohol particularly Guiness and Irish whisky.

Here are 2 recipes: one for Irish Jelly Shots and the second for a delicious Guinness Chocolate Cake with Irish Buttercream

Irish Jelly Shots!

Green Layer

1 small Lime jelly
150ml water
150ml Sour apple pucker

White Layer

120ml coconut milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 packet Knox Gelatin
120ml Marshmallow Flavoured Vodka
½ teaspoon vanilla

Orange Layer

1 small packet Orange jelly
150ml water
150ml Orange liquor

METHOD:

Add 150ml boiling water to lime jelly mix in small bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved.
Repeat with orange jelly mix.
Add your liquors to both jellies and set to the side.
Cool 10 minutes.
For the white layer, pour milk into a small saucepan.
Add the gelatin packet to the milk and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
Stir the white mixture and break up the gelatin.
Turn on medium heat, simmer until the gelatin dissolves.
Stir well, until it comes to a boil.
Remove from heat and add sugar and vanilla and stir to dissolve.
Add in your vodka, stir and let cool 10 minutes.
Pour or spoon lime jelly into plastic shot glass ⅓ of the way full.
Refrigerate 25 minutes.
Pour white jelly mixture on top of blue layer ⅓ of the way full. .
Refrigerate 20 minutes.
Top it off with the orange jelly.
Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
Garnish with whip cream, sour rainbow candy and chocolate gold cake sprinkles.
ENJOY!!

Still containing alcohol – you may prefer it in the form of…

Chocolate Guinness Cake with Irish Cream Buttercream

225 grams plain flour
400 grams granulated sugar
65 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine salt
170 grams sour cream or plain full fat yogurt
120 ml fresh vegetable oil
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
235 ml Guinness beer

For the Irish Buttercream:

450 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
750 grams icing sugar, sifted
60 mls plus 2 tablespoons Irish cream, such as Bailey’s

For the chocolate drip:

120 gms semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
120 mls heavy cream

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C /350°F/Gas Mark 4. Generously grease two 8-inch wide and 3-inch deep cake pans and line with parchment rounds.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a medium bowl whisk together the sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and beer.
Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until just combined.
Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool the cakes in their pans for 30 minutes before carefully turning them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
If possible, freeze the cakes while you prepare the buttercream.

Make the buttercream:

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the icing sugar then the Irish cream. Beat the mixture on high speed until very light, fluffy, and smooth, about 3 minutes. If the frosting is too thick, add a splash more Irish cream. If it’s too thin, add some more icing sugar.
Assemble: Place one cake layer a cake stand or serving plate. Frost the top of the cake generously, as this will become the filling. Use even more if you’re decorating as a ‘naked’ cake. Top with the other cake layer, flat side up.
With an offset spatula, spread a very thin layer of frosting all over the cake. This layer is a crumb coat and should act like polyfilla. For the smoothest frosting, return the cake to the fridge or freezer until firm to the touch.
Spread the remaining frosting all over the cake. If desired, focus the frosting on the top to maintain the ‘naked’ look.

Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a simmer then immediately remove from heat and pour over chocolate. You can also do this in the microwave. Cover for a few minutes then stir until smooth.
Allow to cool until it has thickened but is still pourable, approx. 10 minutes. Don’t place ganache in the fridge to cool. Test the consistency of the drip by pouring down the side of a glass. If it’s too thick, microwave for 5 to 10 seconds. If it’s too thin, allow to continue to cool.
Decorate classically with chocolate shavings or add green coloured shamrocks & gold coins
The cake can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Recipe By Tessa Arias. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Drimpton,#Dorset,#StPatricksDay,#JellyShots,#ChocolateGuinnessCake,#Céilidh,#ChristianMissionary,#Bishop,#PatronSaint,#SocialDistancing,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Happy St. George’s Day!

St George’s Day in England remembers St George, England’s patron saint.
The anniversary of his death, which is on April 23rd, is seen as England’s national day.

According to legend, he was a soldier in the Roman army who killed a dragon and saved a princess.
While many Christians observe St George’s Day, it is not a UK bank holiday. St George’s Day was once celebrated as widely as Christmas but these celebrations diminished by the end of the 18th century after England had united with Scotland.
St George might be hailed as a national hero, but he was actually born more than 2,000 miles away. He is thought to have been born in Cappodocia (modern day Turkey) and to have died in Lydda (modern day Israel) in the Roman province of Palestine in AD 303.
King Edward III made him the Patron Saint of England when he formed the Order of the Garter in St. George’s name in 1350. The cult of the Saint was further advanced by King Henry V, at the battle of Agincourt in northern France.
In HIS Oxford Dictionary Of Saints, David Hugh Farmer explains that St George was adopted as patron saint in the Middle Ages by England and Catalonia, as well as by Venice, Genoa and Portugal, because he was the personification of the ideals of Christian chivalry.

Celebrate with a traditional English dinner!

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#Village,#Community,#PatronSaint,#StGeorge,#GeorgeAndTheDragon,#Celebrate,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#AvoidDragons,#StaySafe

The Legend:

#Broadwindsor #Burstock #Blackdown #Drimpton #Hursey #Kittwhistle #Seaborough #Dorset #Village #Community #PatronSaint #StGeorge #GeorgeAndTheDragon #Celebrate #BeKind #BeSafe #AvoidDragons #StaySafe

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The Legend:

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Irish Jelly Shots!

Green Layer

White Layer

Orange Layer

METHOD:

Chocolate Guinness Cake with Irish Cream Buttercream

For the Irish Buttercream:

For the chocolate drip:

Method:

Make the buttercream:

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#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#Village,#Community,#PatronSaint,#StGeorge,#GeorgeAndTheDragon,#Celebrate,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#AvoidDragons,#StaySafe

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