Our Sweet Sussex Thins
The biscuits are naturally gluten free, high in fibre, and have a delicious ‘nutty’ flavour (although they contain no nuts!). We describe them as biscuits for cheese, but we understand that most of them are eaten without cheese, as they are perfect with a cup of tea.
Free extra box offer:
So, for all our Sweet Sussex Thins lovers, we enclose a voucher code this month for you to use when ordering 4 x Sweet Sussex Thins in our online shop. With each order of 4, we will pop in an extra free box. This voucher can be used up until 3rd May 2021.
“Freethins”
To claim your free pack, simply add four packs of Sweet Sussex Thins to your basket, add the voucher code, and we will include an extra free pack of Sweet Sussex Thins with your order. Please note that the extra free pack will not be added to your basket when checking out, but will be included with your order as long as the voucher code has been used.
Crates Local was established in 2013 by PJ & Marion, who saw it as a natural progression from running Horsham’s Local Produce Market. They wanted to create a shop that celebrated all things local.
Lisa Charles, who took over the business in 2020, during a very challenging time, has continued with that ethos. The shop’s hampers are particularly popular, with their Sussex-made contents.
When you step inside the shop you will find it full of all kinds of local goodies, as the photographs below show:
The shop also boasts a café that does takeaway and has both indoor and outdoor seating. So, that has now re-opened, offering outdoor tables to ‘people watch’ from, or just to enjoy sitting with a coffee in the spring sunshine. Their delicious coffee, from Horsham Coffee Roaster, is a big attraction and much appreciated by their café customers.
The Carfax in Horsham, where Crates is located, was long ago a place of public punishment and execution. The shop occupies a building that has a secret – its brick walls and tiled roof conceal the original 16th-century structure of Horsham’s first Gaol (1531 – 1640). The cellar is still rather atmospheric, with a blocked off door that reputedly opened onto a tunnel which led under the Carfax. Lots of the older buildings in the Carfax have cellars, which in the past went far beyond their buildings’ footprints. When you wander around the town there is literally history under your feet – if only the pavements could talk!
Old Recipe Corner
There are so many unusual recipes in Lesley’s collection of old cookery books and manuscripts.
As the weather warms up and our thoughts turn to sunny summer days, you might like to create cool summer drinks from your own Regency Raspberry Cordial – made with frozen raspberries (until you can use fresh ones):
Raspberry ‘Vinegar’ (Cordial):
“Put two quarts of large Rasberries into one quart of the best Vinegar, let it stand 10 days near a fire, clarify a pd. of fine Sugar, strain off the juice from the Rasberries, add the clarified Syrup & boil all together till it is fine – When it is cold put it into small Bottles & use it as you would Orgeat, mix it with Water to your taste” – Mrs Lefray
(from the recipe book of Jane Austen’s friend Martha Lloyd – Mrs Lefray was a friend from Hampshire)
Lesley has the same recipe in Richard Fuller’s family cookbook (Richard Fuller of Chichester), so this must have been a fairly common recipe.
Lesley’s Version
Ingredients
1.4 kg raspberries (defrost frozen ones if no fresh available)
1.7 litres white wine vinegar
White sugar
Method
1. Steep raspberries in vinegar for 5 -6 days. Mash a little during this time.
2. Mash again & strain through a jelly bag – Lesley squeezes every drop from the jelly bag – unlike jellies, doing this doesn’t seem to make the juice cloudy.
3. Measure liquid & allow 450g (1lb) sugar to 575ml (1 pint) liquid.
4. Bring to the boil slowly, stirring well to dissolve sugar.
5. Simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Skim, and leave until cold
7. Seal in clean bottles.
Bakehouse HQ Happenings
Our oldest hen celebrated a birthday milestone (for a hen) on 20th April 2021, as she reached the grand old age of 10!!!
We had a competition on our Instagram page last year, when she was 9, as we felt she deserved to have a name. The winning name was Margaret Hatcher (!)
Here she is, enjoying her big day:
Not bad for 10! She is now in a house where she doesn’t have to go up and down any ladders or jump up on perches. She shares it with 3 friends – 2 little bantams and a rescue hen who is blind in one eye.
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