Norfolk - Sandringham Christmas Craft Fair

We wanted to squeeze as much out of our week's holiday as we possibly could and Martin and I decided that we would stop off at the Sandringham Christmas Craft & Food Fair on the way home from our week in Norfolk.

We were really glad we did.  Whilst we did have to pay £6.50 each to get in, there was lots to see and we did pick up a few bits and pieces.

There were loads of different crafts, and food, on show and it was good that the stalls weren't all repeated. Sometimes at this kind of fair there are only a few different things on show, that wasn't the case here.

There was all sorts on display and some of the craftsmen were actually working on the site.
We were particularly taken with the chocolate stall.  There were all sorts of different things made from chocolate and all were made to look like rusty old metal.  It was fascinating.

Not quite so fascinating were the rural facilities!!

At least we were there quite early on in the day!







After a good walk round we decided to head for the warmth and comfort of the Sandringham Estate Visitor centre for lunch, which was excellent and just what we needed on a cold Winter's day.
It was then time to finally call time on our week's holiday and join the Friday traffic in heading for home.

Norfolk - Felbrigg Hall

It was the third full day of our week away in Norfolk, with friends and family, to celebrate my 50th birthday. Today we said goodbye to Lesley and Tom, who were heading back home.

Martin and I had a two mile walk around the Felbrigg Hall Estate planned, where we would be picking up a series of 10 Geocaches, if all went to plan.  Mum and dad and my brother David and, his girlfriend, Alison, decided to join us for our walk, so six of us set out for Felbrigg.  We were well booted up as we were expecting plenty of mud.

We had a really nice walk around the Estate, which is owned by the National Trust.  Sadly the Hall wasn't actually open today, so we couldn't have a look round inside.



The walk took us past the Estate church, through fields of cows and sheep, around the fishing lake and through a field where there was a very friendly horse, which really took to Alison, after she shared her apple with him.





As we exited the field the horse got a bit frisky and galloped back across the field, right towards a group of school children.  All we heard was a scream of 'get back' from the teacher and we saw children scatter in all directions.  We thought the horse was just thinking that more apples might be forthcoming!

In the end a National Trust chappie had to come and keep the horse calm whilst the children made their way across the field.
We finished our walk, having bagged the full 10 caches and headed back for Incleborough.

We spent our last evening in the local pub, The Dozy Dormouse, which we could walk to, which was great.  We had a lovely meal and then wandered down to the beach to try and set off a Chinese Lantern, which David and Alison had bought me for my birthday.  As you can see, we didn't have all that much luck!
We'd all had a really great week away together, enjoying each other's company, the Norfolk Coast and the comfort of Incleborough House.  Tomorrow it would be time for us to head for home.

Norfolk - Cromer

The second full day of our holiday found us just along the coast in Cromer.
It was really bright and breezy, so, though cold, it was a lovely day. The last time Martin and I visited Cromer it was the greyest of days, so it was nice to see the pier and the coast with a bit of sunshine. It made all the difference.

What a Difference a bit of Sunshine can make!

We had a good wander out along the pier and round the town, before heading into one of the local hostelries for a quick one before heading back to Incleborough House, where this time, Carol's Chicken Pie was on the menu and very nice it was too.

Real Men don't Shop!

But they do eat Cromer Crab!

Carol's Chicken Pie

Now, how long does a pie take in an aga?

This is a recipe that I've been wanting to share with you for ages, but the timing's never worked out quite right with the cooking and the taking of photographs.

Even now, there isn't a photo of the pie cooked! It was just too chaotic a mealtime to remember to take that final photo.

I made this pie filling up ahead and froze it.  I then took it away with us on our week away in Norfolk and just tipped the filling into the pie dish and topped with frozen ready rolled pastry.  How easy was that!!

It was delicious and the filling did not spoil in any way for having been frozen beforehand.

Serves 4
Ready in 90 minutes

Ingredients
85g plain flour
Half tsp cayenne pepper
Half tsp white pepper
500g skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into chunks
2 tbsp olive oil
25g butter
2 leeks, thickly sliced
Button mushrooms, whole, as many as you like
2 garlic cloves
100ml white wine
250ml chicken stock
142ml carton double cream (or creme fraiche)
140g frozen peas
2 tbsp tarragon, either fresh or dried
Handful of parsley, chopped
500g block ready-made puff pastry
1 medium egg, beaten

Mix the flour, cayenne pepper and white pepper in a large sealable food bag.  Add the chicken pieces. seal the bag, and shake well to ensure all chicken pieces are well coated.

Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan over a high heat, until the button starts to foam.  Fry the chicken pieces for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light brown.  You may find it easier to cook your chicken in batches.  Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Reduce the heat.  Cook the leeks and garlic until the leeks begin to wilt, add the mushrooms and continue to cook for a few minutes longer.  Add the wine and boil for one minute, then pour in the stock and the cream, or creme fraiche, and simmer for five minutes.
Add the cooked chicken, peas, tarragon and parsley and cook for a further minute.  Leave to cool.

Preheat a baking tray in the oven to 220 degrees or 200 for a fan oven.  Roll the pastry to £1 coin thickness and use to cover your pie.  I always use ready rolled puff pastry here and I must confess to only putting a pastry top on my pie.


Brush the pastry top of the pie with beaten egg and cook on the pre-heated baking tray for 30-40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is hot.

I served my pie with roasted butternut squash and red onions, parmentier potatoes and Brussels
sprouts.  It went down a treat.