The Hook Norton Village Newsletter
April 2004 Series 29 No 2

Village Affairs



NEWSLETTER TEAM


Directory: Diana Barber
Advertising: Judi Leader
Distribution: Bunty Reid
Postal Services: Mrs M Padbury
Proof reading: Nigel Lehmann
IT/Web Support: Martin Baxter
Treasurer: John Stratford


FROM THE EDITORS
The Newsletter Box contained £136.71 this month which included a single donation of £60, Thank you very much for your generosity.

Once again this year, we would like to thank everyone concerned with the Newsletter and Directory of Services. It is much appreciated. Thank you.
You'll see from this months 'Hook Norton Remembered' that Geoff Walton has decided that it will be the last. Geoff has given us his postal and email addresses and if you would like to get in touch with him, please let us know.

Sadly, we record the deaths of Herbert Colin Blizard (father of Diane Bowen), Francis (Bob) Hopkins aged 74, Stanley Mansell aged 94 and Tom Newman. On behalf of the village, we send our condolences to their families and friends.

Andy Horne Helen Foster
hookynews@totalise.co.uk helen@monivea.freeserve.co.uk

The views expressed in the Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Editorial Team.

RATES – CHEQUES PAYABLE TO 'HOOK NORTON NEWSLETTER'
Text & advertising copy deadline SATURDAY, 15th MAY 2004
Text for Village activities Free (a small donation is welcome)
Inserts for Village Activities On request from Judi Leader
Commercial Advertising £22 per page & pro rata per issue
Commercial Inserts £20 per issue
Donations can be put in the Newsletter Box in the Post Office or posted to; Newsletter, c/o Hook Norton Post Office, Chapel Street, Hook Norton, Oxon.


NEWSLETTER ACCOUNTS 2003
Donations £447.00 Printing £3256.00
PO Box £327.09 Expenses £70.57
Advertising £2821.00    
Income £3595.09 Costs £3326.57
Balance b/f £4581.65 Balance c/f £4850.17
Totals £8176.74   £8176.74



DIRECTORY CORRECTIONS
Please note that the entries in the 2004 Hook Norton Directory for the following organisations were incorrect. We apologise to all concerned.

Play Group After School Club Mrs A Morris 01608 730560
W I Mrs B White 01608 737001
Welcome Club Mrs D Gabriel 01608 737975
Parish Clerk Ken Porter 01295 758352
Banbury Guardian Correspondent Don Cornelius 01608 737547




POST OFFICE - RETIREMENT
We are sad to report that Judy decided to retire at the end of January.
The support of customers during the most difficult of times over the last few months has been heart warming.
However, she now feels she would like to have some time to herself.
We wish her all the very best; it is the end of an era and she will be much missed.
Isita and Tom

Isita and Tom had intended that this be printed in the February Edition and we are sorry to have omitted it. Ed



POST OFFICE DEVELOPMENT UPDATE
We are due to open the door of Hook Norton's new Post Office and Stores at
8.30am on Tuesday 20th April.
We will shut the door of the existing one at 1pm on Saturday 17th
and will remain closed on Monday 19th April.
Our telephone number will remain the same.
The new building is double the size of the old shop, so do pop in and discover our new lines and amazing range of cards and stationery.
Please accept our apologies for all the noise, disruption and general torture, but the end is in sight.
Isita Pickering


SALON 2 - update
We are very much hoping to be open the first week of April, although the shop is not quite finished yet!!
I am learning patience is very important where progress is concerned. Didn't life used to be easy! I would like to say a very big thank you to those of you who have been in touch already. Please do not hesitate to give me a call if you require an appointment before the opening, my mobile is: 07969 363540.
I am looking to employ a stylist and receptionist in the near future, so if you are interested or know of anyone who may be, please call. Looking forward to seeing soon.
Sandra Fathers.


ST. PETER'S CHURCH
Easter is rapidly approaching and the supermarket shelves have long been filled to bursting with brightly coloured boxes bearing all manner of chocolate and other Easter gifts. It is a time of great excitement for children particularly and a real signpost that Spring is well on its way, but we should all remember the reason for celebrating at this time of year. Jesus' death on the cross was the ultimate sacrifice for mankind and his resurrection on Easter Day, the greatest miracle in all human history. Do take time out to say 'thank you' to God for sending His Son for us all and perhaps remind yourselves of the miraculous Easter story.

It has been a busy time, as usual, for all involved with the services and other activities at St. Peter's. Events of special note include the recent 'baptism welcome' Mothering Sunday service (March 21st), the visit to Holy Trinity Church in Brompton, and the March Lent course. By the middle of March, the Benefice-wide Send-a-Cow fundraising appeal had raised over £800 of the £2,000 total we are aiming for by Easter, so many thanks to all who have donated. Please keep the funds coming in. Donations can be made to either Keith Fowler or Simon Mead. The appeal was given a cracking start with a wonderful concert at St. Peter's, by Helen Rogers and Gerard McDonald. To help further with the Send-a-Cow fundraising, a 'fruit quiz' has been organised by Gweneth Edgington. Entry forms are just £5 each, so give it a go. John Morris has also kindly offered a shears and tool sharpening service, the proceeds from which will go towards the appeal. And by the time the Newsletter comes out, many of us will have enjoyed the special family lunch at St. Peter's on April 4th, organised by Jan Hughes, which will hopefully swell the Send-a-Cow coffers significantly! Many thanks to all these people for their hard work in aid of this very worthwhile cause.
Special Easter services at St. Peters include the Palm Sunday service, at 10 am on 4th April. At 2 pm on Good Friday (9th April) there will be a special 'hour at the cross' service. Holy Communion will be on Easter Eve (Saturday 10th April) at 11.30 pm and on Easter Day at 10.00 am. On Ascension Day (20th May) there will be a Holy Communion Service at 7.30 am, followed by breakfast at the church, for those who would like to stay on.
Confirmation classes are being organised to start after Easter in preparation for Tuesday 29th June (St. Peter's day) when the Bishop of Dorchester will come to our church to carry out Confirmation. For more information, please contact John Acreman.
This year's PCC Annual General Meeting is scheduled for Thursday 22nd April and every member of the church is welcome to attend. Completed forms to register for the church electoral role need to be returned to Sheila Smith by 7th April, so please contact Sheila if you would like a form.
The latest youth Alpha and adult Alpha courses have also now sadly ended and a new Alpha course for adults is due to start in the Autumn. Please contact Janet Collins for more details. As an Alpha attendee I'd like to say how wonderfully inspiring and uplifting the course has been, with many challenges to face and questions to answer. The fellowship and mutual support within the group has been incredible and we all thank Janet, Sheila Acreman, Jan Hughes and Pam Horne, who have guided, supported and nurtured us all through the journey.
Last, but not least, the church bells are having their bearings replaced, which is the first major bit of refurbishment, excluding general maintenance, since they were hung in 1949!
Sophia Fox.


BAPTIST CHURCH
Did you miss the tour of Hook Norton from 1890? Our first fund raising event went so well that we are trying to persuade Martin to do another tour later in the year. It was a fantastic evening, the church was packed and everyone had a great time! Whatever you do don't miss our next event - Call my Bluff on Saturday 24th April 2004 in the church at 7.30pm. Adults £2.50 and children free of charge. Once again, there will be tea or coffee and a fine array of cakes.
Our two teams are comprised of the finest brains from St Peter's and the Baptist Church who will be pitting their wits against each other in awesome combat. This could turn out to be a grudge match although how such upstanding members of our congregations can be expected to know who is lying and to actually lie themselves is beyond belief!
Work will be underway at the beginning of April and we hope to accommodate all our normal meetings, but please note that Holiday Club will be held at the school this year. Its never too early to book a place, don't let your children be disappointed.
After the Easter Holidays there will be an after school club starting, along the lines of Saturday Special for children to stay behind at school one afternoon a week, please get more details from John, Jenny or Janice.
Our Easter Services are as follows - Good Friday Service at 10am followed by a prayer walk then back to the hall for Hot Cross Buns. Early communion 8am on Easter Sunday with a family Service at 10.30am. You are welcome to join us for these, we would love to share this most special of occasions with you.
Julie Warren




FRIENDS OF HOOK NORTON
COMMUNITY LIBRARY


BOOK AND PLANT SALE



AT THE LIBRARY HOOK NORTON



SATURDAY, 15 MAY 2004
from 10.00 am onwards

Donations of Books and Plants
welcomed on the day


HOOK NORTON GARDEN CLUB
The 2004 Season opened to a packed house on the 18 February when Mike Brown gave an inspiring illustrated talk on Clematis. We should be seeing lots more unusual clematis around the village in years to come judging by the enthusiasm with which packets of seeds and pots of plants were bought after the talk. By the time you read this all entries for the Spring show should have been registered. Do come along and support this colourful village event in the Memorial Hall on Saturday 3rd April. The Show will open to the public at 2.30pm.The next open meeting will be on 21st April when Tim Godwin from Fosseway Farm Nursery will talk about Perennials-a must for every garden-7.30 in the Memorial Hall as usual. There are still a few places left on the coach for the Three Counties Spring Garden Show at Malvern. To reserve a place please phone Ann Faulkner - cost between £18 and £20 to include the entrance fee of £9.50.Finally a change to the calendar: On 9th June we will not be visiting Upton House but there will be an evening visit to Wyatt's Farm Nursery followed by refreshments in the new conservatory restaurant.
Verity Calderan


TRANSPORT - EARLY BUS TO BANBURY.
The County Council has stated that the subsidy for the 7.23am bus to Banbury has reached a level at which they have to consider withdrawing it. The current cost per passenger is estimated at £7. They have suggested that it might help if the bus ran earlier, as there is only 25 minutes until the next bus. The Parish Council has supported this suggestion. At the time of writing, no user of this bus has responded to notices put up at bus stops and on notice boards nine days ago inviting comments.
Peter Fry, Parish Transport Representative


W.I. – HOOK NORTON
At their February meeting, the members were fascinated by the talk given by Mr. Hallam on 'Before the age of Plastic'. We were shown many implements used in agriculture and everyday life; from Lambs Bells to sickles, shoe protectors to hair curlers – including the kit to heat them. Also shown was a Glover's kit; all that was required for a Glover to earn their living. We also learnt that before the age of plastic, nothing was ever wasted.
Teresa Forrest won the Valentines Card competition.
Meetings, as usual, are at 2pm in the Baptist Hall on the third Tuesday of the month. The April meeting on the 20th is to be a talk by Mr. & Mrs. Stubbs on 'Our World of Miniatures'. Members are reminded that there will be a Group Meeting at Sibford on 22nd April at 7.30pm. The competition at this meeting will be 'An arrangement of garden flowers in an amusing container'.
New members and guests are welcome.
Teresa Forrest


HOOK NORTON LOCAL HISTORY GROUP
One of the surprising highlights of our season was the talk on The Regulated Pasture, with particular reference to Chipping Norton's 500 acres of common land bequeathed to the people by the Earl of Arundel in the sixteenth century immediately before his execution. Various laws and skullduggeries have reduced that to 65 acres. Seven of these remain because of the efforts of our speaker, Mr. John Grantham; one time councillor, born, bred and educated in his beloved Chippy. He has formed a company with himself as director, about which the law allows him to compose his own rules simply in order to preserve forever the two stints' (parcels of workable land) he has managed to buy.
In academic contrast, Mrs. Deborah Hayter's fascination with Place Names and Landscape and Settlement in the Banbury area was the result of lengthy research and painstaking tabulation. She reminded us that since little was written down, villages were named by neighbouring ones; thus, a Saxon ancestor could have said he was going to Norton's land down at that hook at the bottom of the hill. Incidentally, 'curc' meant hill. Later, place names were written down and meanings became blurred. Churchill therefore means 'hillhill'. Mrs. Hayter's fascination with her subject was infectious.

FUTURE DATES

Don't forget to visit the Hook Norton Local Museum. Open on weekdays.
Sheila Terry - Chairman


DOWN MEMORY LANE
Click for a large version!
We would like to find out the names all these lovely hand bell ringers. We know the names of some of them but the following are unknown:
Back row left to right 2nd 3rd 5th and 6th
Front row 1st 2nd and 5th
Please tell Barbara Hicks or drop a note to the Hook Norton Museum and Archive, The Brewery Visitor Centre.

HOOK NORTON REMEMBERED
I left Hook Norton on the 2nd February 1962. I went sadly but thinking things must be for the better. I was leaving an old house which had no mod cons, for a house in my native village of Bodicote which had everything. It was new; it had a bathroom, flush toilets, central heating and a garage. I was moving from a small, rural, mixed, Secondary Modern School to a large, urban, boys only, Secondary Modern School. So, what was wrong?
Well! Anyone who had been addicted to the drug which was Hook Norton for 15 years, could not hope to break the habit without feeling many withdrawal symptoms.
Although my parents and my two brothers still lived in Bodicote, it was a very different village from the one I had left to join the R.A.F. in 1942. The population had more than doubled; fields I had known were now large housing estates, the Churchyard had been closed and now people who died were banished to a field on the extreme edge of the village. It was a much-changed village. I got myself elected to the Parish Council, I became a reader in the Church, I joined the Garden Club, but I felt I was an outsider, much more than I ever had in Hook Norton.
Easington Boys' School was also very different. There were three Forms in each year-group and each year-group was streamed. I was allocated a Form of twenty-two thirteen year old boys who were below average ability. I taught this form solidly every afternoon. In the mornings, I taught Technical and Machine Drawing across the school to all ages and abilities. One morning I felt a hand on my shoulder and on turning round, I saw Hook Norton School's old friend, Her Majesty's School Inspector Robin Tanner. He said 'I called in to Hook Norton School and they told me you now worked here, so I felt I had to come to see you. Oh, Mr Walton, how could you? How could you leave that little rural Paradise to come to work in this barracks?' Of course, there was no answer to that.
Soon after that the clouds lifted somewhat when I was asked if I would attend the next Hook Norton Flower Show as a judge. I had judged at a few small village shows and was delighted to accept. I enjoyed this task for several years until I changed my job and could no longer guarantee to be available on the show date.
My son Graham, who was almost fourteen when we left Hook Norton, often visits the village to walk the footpaths and lanes in which he spent his childhood. He and I have attended most of the Autumn Flower Shows over the years from the field by the Holly Bush, to the Secondary Modern School, to the Memorial Hall. I have an apology to make to Mr David Coates, who sent me an invitation to attend the celebration event of the Garden Club last year. I am sorry I did not acknowledge the invitation but I was in hospital when it arrived and by the time I had rejoined the world the event had passed, and correspondence had been lost. 2003 was in fact the 55th anniversary of the Horticultural Society as I was secretary and we held our first show in The Butts in 1948.If I am able to attend a future Show I hope I will be able to meet Mr Coates and apologise in person.
In 2002 my family decided to organise a nostalgic lunch to celebrate my 80th birthday. The venue was to be the Club Room at the Sun Inn where I taught Art when I first came to Hook Norton in 1947. Unfortunately, this was not to be, but the landlord of The Pear Tree came to our rescue and although he had no dining room, we were able to monopolise almost the whole of one bar by a well-planned arrival time. We enjoyed great hospitality, wonderful food and a real Hook Norton welcome – many thanks to the landlord and his staff.
By the time this, my 19th contribution to the Newsletter is published, it will be 42 years since I moved from Hook Norton, and I shall be 82 years old. I doubt if there are many people who still remember me, they would have to be well into their fifties, but if there are any, I would be delighted to hear from them. Andrew has my postal and email addresses. This is my last piece for the Newsletter and I would like to thank all those Hook Norton people who, from 1947 to 1962, made my stay among them so happy and satisfying. I would also like to thank the present Hook Norton people and the Newsletter staff who have read and published my random memories over the last three years.
Geoff Walton


 
MACMILLAN COFFEE MORNING.
I have just been notified of the annual "Biggest Coffee Morning in the World" which is being held on Friday 24th September 2004. This year, as other years, I shall be holding the coffee morning in the Study Centre, attached to the Primary School, from 9am-11.30am. I very much hope that you will put the date in your diaries and nearer the time, I shall be asking for donations of cakes, raffle prizes etc and offers of help.
Julie Wood
 



BLOOD DONOR SESSION
The Blood Donor Mobile Unit is coming back to Hooky on EASTER SUNDAY. It will be parked at the School from 10.30 to 14.30 The National Blood Service have to maintain the supply of blood and platelets all year round, even when the rest of us are enjoying some R&R or time with our families, so please go along if you can and make your contribution.


HOOK NORTON PRE-SCHOOL PLAYGROUP
Thank you to everyone who attended our AGM on 21st January. We had a fantastic turn out and voted in a new committee. The main positions are held by the following people:
  • Chairperson — Teresa Hughes
  • Vice-Chair — Lisa Nottingham
  • Treasurer — Soriah Tate
  • Secretary — Lucy Howard
We would like to say a very big thank you to everyone who has supported our fundraising efforts over the past year: we have a number of things planned for the Spring Term, including our Spring Draw.
Our After-School Club takes children up to age 8 and offers a 'collect from school service'. We are also open during the school holidays. If you would like more information on this service, please call Julie at Playgroup.
Lisa Nottingham


1ST HOOK NORTON GUIDES
We have had an extremely busy time since January. We have done a variety of activities run particularly by the oldest group of Guides, who are working towards their Baden-Powell Challenge Award. These activities have been:- Ready Steady Cook Evening, International Evening, parachute games, co-operative games and a relaxation and meditation evening, to name but a few.
Click for a large version!
In January, we took a visit to St Peters Church where we were shown how to clean the brass and polish the pews by Nancy, Muriel and Yvonne. The guides really enjoyed themselves and ended up the evening by playing with our parachute in between the pillars, as you can see from the photograph. Thank you ladies for teaching the guides two very important life skills and letting us come to the church for our meeting. Last Monday, we did our annual litter pick at the meeting. We asked the Guides to come prepared for a night hike, with proper clothing and footwear and of course a torch, then we gave them all disposable gloves and we set off in three groups around the village for 3/4 of an hour. We were amazed at how much rubbish we accumulated - we found in fact that it was easier to do at night-time as the torchlight picked up the shiny pieces of paper!! And of course, it was much more fun at night. We ended up with a huge bin bag full of rubbish, so it was well worth us doing it. We are now coming into our camping season - so far, we have a Division Camp organised for a weekend in May and our summer camp where we are heading for Blacklands Farm, East Grinstead. This coming term will be helping the Guides to learn their camping skills ready to put into practise when we go away. If your daughter wishes to join Guides anytime from the age of 10, please contact me and I will issue you with a form to complete to go on the waiting list - you can do this from your daughter's 9th birthday.
Julie Wood


GREAT WALL OF CHINA TREK MAY 2004
A progress report on my fundraising.
A big thank you to all who made a donation at the Hooky Players pantomime in January. I hope you enjoyed the performance as much as we enjoyed putting it on. As a result of your generosity, I was able to send a cheque for over £180 to the Star College. And a big thank you also, to those who supported the skittles evening at the Sun Inn.
To date, I've paid over £3,200 to the charity, have firm pledges for another £300 and have had to raise my target to £4,000. Since my previous article, I have also been to the college to see at first hand the work done with the students and, as I'm sure some of you will agree, I am in danger of overstating the importance of the college's non-academic activities in the lives of their disabled students.
In case you missed my previous item, in May I shall be trekking 50 miles in 5 days along the Great Wall in aid of the National Star College, Cheltenham. The college has approximately 160 students between the ages of 16 and 25 with varying degrees of disability and strongly believes in giving the students the necessary life skills to allow them to achieve their full potential as adults and in helping their transition into the outside world.

In February, I went on a training weekend for the trek organised by the college. We spent 2 days walking in all kinds of weather (including a blizzard!) in the Peak District. I am just hoping the weather in China will be kinder!
There is still time to sponsor me. Give me a call on 730 456 or you can sponsor me online via the Internet at www.justgiving.com/keithdisney justgiving.com will make an administration charge (around 7%) but will also reclaim 28% UK tax at no cost to you if you are a UK taxpayer. Further details about the National Star College can be found at www.natstar.org
I am also happy to make a short presentation to village groups about the college and the trek, either before I go or afterwards.
I can be contacted on 730456 (home), 01527 533635 (work) or
Garden Cottage, Park Hill, Hook Norton. Thanks again for your support.
Keith Disney


WILDLIFE NOTEBOOK - MID JANUARY - MID MARCH
Martin Madge from Austin's Way has been in touch with me about his sightings of animals in the early hours of the morning. On 15th December at 2.00am when he was passing the Farm Shop a Roe Deer shot out, crossed the road, then turned and came round to run parallel with his car. He also saw a couple of Badgers on 8th December and occasionally, Foxes. On 1st February in the early hours as he passed the garage on the road to Milcombe he saw a Muntjac. Then at 3.15am on 24th February, near Brickfields Farm a deer stopped on the verge then turned and showed a little white tail before going back through the hedge. He was not too sure which species it was but it was about 4' 6" to 5' tall, brown, a bit speckled with white and did not have any antlers. Sue Tomlinson in Park Hill, at about 11.00am on 28th February had a Fox in her garden which she thought was young as it was quite small. It was sniffing around, disappeared then came back for a few minutes, later sitting down, scratched, looked around the garden and then disappeared. On 4th March she saw the same Fox in the morning which she thinks must have been very hungry as it was after the bird food. On 6th March a Fox was seen trotting along in the field in East End. Over Christmas, a female Blackcap and a pair of Bullfinches were seen in a garden in Austins Way. Later 2 female Blackcaps were seen in this garden. In the same garden on 23rd January 15 Long-tailed Tits were on their feeder and on the track behind Ironstone Hollow a flock of 20 Goldfinches were seen. A flock of about 60 Lapwing flew over East End at about 1.00pm on 29th January and a lone Lapwing was seen on 6th March. Robert Atkinson, who has a small garden in Wellbank, after feeding the birds for about three weeks, phoned on 30th January to say that he had seen a Magpie, Jay, Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Song Thrush. He also gets Squirrels which come every day to feed on the walnuts and monkey nuts. He then phoned on 13th February to say that at 4.00pm he had a cock Pheasant in his garden which crouched down and then flew off making a loud noise. He has lived in this house since 1979 and had never seen one before. On 2nd March he saw a great looking cock Pheasant again which was about 5 yards from his kitchen window. A flock of over 20 Geese were seen flying above Ironstone Hollow in December. A Fieldfare was seen in a garden in East End eating apples. On a sunny afternoon on 18th January whilst on a walk, Sandra East of East End saw a Kingfisher sitting in a tree by the Wildlife Pond. It was there for some time as on her return to the pond later she saw the Kingfisher flying around. Isita Pickering saw a female Blackcap in her garden every day for about 3 weeks in January and since then she has seen the bird on and off. Tim Burchell has seen a male Blackcap in his garden in the Mahonia bush. On 5th February he saw a Raven flying over the village. Martin Madge has also heard a Woodpecker by the old railway embankment by Stanleys Workshop on 14 February and again on the weekend of 21st/22nd February. A Great Spotted Woodpecker has been seen on peanuts in Osney Close. Buzzards have been seen around and two were seen over Wyncotts Farm at about 1.30 on 9th March, one at Tadmarton Heath at 12.45pm and one flew over near the railway line in Swerford Road at 2.30pm. One over East End on 7 March and two on 10th March. One evening in early February a Barn Owl was seen opposite the entrance to the vets. In a garden in East End 2/3 Siskins were seen last week, 2 Song Thrushes have been seen all winter and a pair of Blackcaps for the last 2 weeks, with the female being seen every day. We saw a Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly in our garden on 15th February - has anyone else seen one? Thank you very much to all of you who have contacted me - please keep calling.
Geraldine Moore email: geraldine.moore1@btinternet.com


BUILDING PLOT WANTED IN HOOK NORTON VILLAGE
Local resident seeks south facing building plot for the construction of a small single storey "earth sheltered" house. Planning permission not needed at this stage, though eventual purchase would depend on permission being granted.
Any size plot considered.
When completed the house will be almost invisible in the landscape, so this project may be suitable for a site where a conventional house would be obtrusive.
If you have anything suitable, please contact Jem Hayward email jem@briksdal.co.uk


BESS
We would like to thank the many people who phoned about our missing Collie dog – Bess. Thanks to the phone calls, we found Bess near Berryfields Farm on Sunday 7th March – tired but fit and well.
Heather & Nolan Wood


JIGSAW PUZZLES
I have a few interesting, unused 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles you may have. If you are interested, please ring me and call at my house for them.
Gweneth Edgington



Seasonal Recipe - Easter Fish Pie
Ingredients
50g prawns
150g cod loin
75g smoked haddock
3 boiled egg (optional)
1 tbsp parsley
½ lemon
3 large potatoes,
splash of milk.
Salt and pepper
Roux sauce; 25g Butter
25g Plain flour
300ml Milk
Pre heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas mark 6
Serves 4
  1. Peel potatoes, cut in half and place in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook until tender.
  2. Put the fish into pan and cover with 300ml of milk, heat the milk and poach the fish for seven minutes.
  3. Chop the parsley.
  4. Drain the milk from fish and use it to make a roux sauce;
    1. Melt the butter over a low heat
    2. Add the flour and stir in for 1 minute.
    3. Take the pan off the heat, add a little milk and whisk it in really well, until a smooth paste has formed
    4. Return the pan to the heat and whisk in the milk a little at a time.
    5. Stir the sauce continuously until it boils, allow it to bubble for a few minutes and then take it off the heat.
  5. Add parsley, lemon, salt and pepper to roux sauce.
  6. Carefully flake the fish into the baking dish, ¼ the egg and add.
  7. Pour the roux sauce over the fish and egg.
  8. Drain and mash the potatoes, with a splash of milk.
  9. Spoon the potato onto the fish mix.
  10. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the potato has browned
Recipe courtesy of; Apples Cookery School, Tuthill Park, Wardington, Banbury. OX17 1RY. 01295 750720 www.applescookery.co.uk


ANNOUNCEMENTS


Gabriel Sabin van de Peer son of Julie and Keith
was baptised at St Peter's Church on 22nd February 2004.



Stanley Neil son of Phillipa Collins and Ricky Neil
was baptised at St Peter's Church on 7th March 2004.