Mince Pie Ingredients (for 16 pies) 225g cold butter, diced 250g plain flour 100g caster sugar 280g mincemeat 1 small egg Icing sugar, to dust How to make Mince Pies To make the pastry, rub the cold, diced butter into the plain flour, then mix in the caster sugar and add a pinch of salt. Combine the pastry into a ball – don’t add liquid – … Continue reading Simple Mince Pie Recipe
BY JIM BROWNE Not that they would ever wish to be seen to be interfering in our lives, the Government has seen fit in the past to draw up a Countryside Code which covers the basics of closing gates and not dropping litter. Respect – Protect – Enjoy is their catchy slogan. No doubt thought out at our expense across several weeks of meetings at … Continue reading The CSM Countryside Code
Mulled Wine Ingredients: 10 cloves Zest and juice of 2 oranges 100-150g caster sugar depending on desired sweetness 25g dried cranberries 100g whole blanched almonds 700ml red wine 500ml ruby port 300ml vodka 10 cardamom pods 2 small cinnamon sticks How to Make Mulled Wine: Pre-heat the oven to 200°c / gas mark 6 and boil up your kettle. Place the blanched almonds into a … Continue reading Mulled Wine Recipe
BY DOMINIC WIGHTMAN I have a confession to make. Even though I joyously agreed to be one of the founder writers of Country Squire Magazine, I’ve spent most of my life as something of a plastic exurbanite in the Surrey villages stockbroker belt, where the hedges are perfectly trimmed, Barbours are mere fashion accessories, tractors get polished to a patina and paddocks are mowed in aesthetically-pleasing stripes. … Continue reading Confession of a Plastic Exurbanite
BY SAM WHITE A recent Giles Fraser article in the Guardian, Assimilation Threatens the Existence of Other Cultures, asserts that wherever you might choose to live, you should feel no obligation to assimilate into the wider culture. He states: I admire the resilience of a community that seeks to maintain its distinctiveness and recognises, quite rightly, that assimilation into the broader culture would mean the … Continue reading Giles Fraser’s Low Expectations
BY PHILIP DANTÈS I have been distracted of late: hours pass; conversations drift like smoke from denuded cigarettes; I have not been myself. True, my mind is prone to wander. Employers despair at my lack of concentration, lovers at my lack of constancy. I do not mean to disappoint, but I often do. That is the curious thing. Instead of roaming where they please, my … Continue reading Jay Gatsby
INTERVIEWEE: ATMA SINGH Q: What role did you have when you worked in City Hall in London? Atma: I was lead Policy Adviser to the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, on Asian Affairs in the Mayor’s Office. In addition, I had responsibility for faith matters. Q: Why were you recruited? Atma: I had predicted the rise of Asian superpowers in China and India when all … Continue reading Livingstone Staff Celebrated 9/11
BY DOMINIC WIGHTMAN To the annoyance of my minders, I stand amongst a crowd of passengers in the bus park next to Nkrumah Circle, in the smoke-filled heart of Ghana’s capital city, Accra. With vehicles buzzing overhead on a fly-over and stationary ones hooting horns in a jam on the road below, it is not easy to hear or be heard. A huge man in … Continue reading Ghana’s Golden Generation
Dear Readers, This year Christmas will land barely two months after our launch. Nonetheless, we feel obliged as squires and squiresses to offer you some sort of a Christmas Competition and a must-win prize. So, first to The Prize: it’s 20 litres of Devon Red Cider from Sandford Orchards in Crediton. “Bags of fruit and a truly satisfying cider bite delivered in a genuinely quaffable and light balanced … Continue reading Country Squire Christmas Competition
BY ANNA BOWEN Ball season is upon us so here’s a handy list… Down a shot for every one that you spot! 1 The Little Princess Allowed at the ball as a very special treat. Wears a sparkly dress and throws a tantrum because she’s not given a glass of wine on arrival. Spills profiteroles over said dress. Papa is very concerned about the years … Continue reading 10 People You Meet at Hunt Balls
BY DOMINIC WIGHTMAN In a recent interview with Italian journalist Eugenio Scalfari (after past indiscretions Scalfari’s reporting is generally not to be trusted), Pope Francis was said to have uttered the following words: “It has been said many times and my response has always been that, if anything, it is the Communists who think like Christians.” Whether the Pope said these words or not, his … Continue reading Stop Hijacking Jesus, Progressives!
EDITORIAL When we came up with the idea of Country Squire Magazine, someone asked what the expected audience might be. Someone in the room was cautious and hoped that maybe we could get five hundred users per day. There was someone a bit braver who mentioned one thousand was possible. “Noooo!” shouted a perennial optimist at the back of the room, “we’ll fill a football … Continue reading Thanks, Dear Readers
