< Previous40 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY FOOD & DINING autumn Autumn could well be most people’s favourite time of the year. A large part of the reason is no doubt down to the food. Here in Lincolnshire, we’re blessed with an abundance of seasonal produce. Make the most of that bounty with these hearty and warming dishes. © stock.adobe.com/ alex9500 Ode to Pumpkin soup Method: Cut the skin off the pumpkin or butternut squash and scrape seeds out. Cut into 4cm chunks. Place the pumpkin, onion, garlic, stock and water in a pot. Bring to a boil, uncovered, then reduce heat and let simmer rapidly until pumpkin is tender; about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and use a stick blender to blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ingredients: 1.2 kg pumpkin (or butternut squash) 1 onion, sliced 2 garlic cloves, peeled whole 750ml vegetable or chicken stock 250ml water Salt & pepper 40-43.qxp_Layout 1 20/09/2022 09:45 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 41 Click’em Inn Swinhope, Nr Binbrook, Market Rasen, LN8 6BS Tel: 01472 398253 Web: www.clickem-inn.co.uk The Click’em Inn is a family-owned freehouse, established for over 30 years in its current incarnation. Steeped in history, the inn is open 6 days a week, Tuesday- Sunday, offering a wide choice of drinks, including six real ales available at any time, with a regularly changing selection of personally recommended guest ales. The Kitchen is open Tuesday-Sunday for evening dining, plus lunchtimes Friday-Sunday. The menu varies from day-to-day with the chef’s specials, alongside regular meals. FOOD & DINING Sausage and bean casserole © stock.adobe.com/ istetiana Special Edition Chocolate Willingham Hall, Market Rasen, LN8 3RH Tel: 01673 844073 Web: www.specialeditionchocolate.com Treat yourself or someone to our beautiful handmade chocolates. Free delivery quoting LT100 Method: Heat the oven to 220C/gas 7. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a shallow ovenproof casserole over a medium heat and fry the sausages for 5-8 mins, or until brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate. Tip the onions into the pan and fry for 5-8 mins until beginning to turn golden. Sprinkle in the sugar and cook for a minute before stirring in the vinegar, tomato purée and paprika to form a paste. Tip in the tomatoes, then pour in the wine. Stir in the bay leaves, mushrooms and beans, then arrange the sausages on top so they’re still a little exposed. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then bake in the oven for 20 mins. Ingredients: 3tbsp olive oil 8 large pork sausages (or use vegan sausages) 1 onion, finely sliced Pinch of golden caster sugar Six medium mushrooms, sliced 1tbsp red wine vinegar 1tbsp tomato purée 1⁄ 2 tsp smoked paprika 400g can chopped tomatoes 100ml red wine 2 bay leaves 400g can butter beans 40-43.qxp_Layout 1 20/09/2022 09:45 Page 242 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY Method: Preheat oven to 200C. Place carrot, onion and leek on a baking tray and drizzle with oil. Roast for 30 minutes or until light golden. Transfer to a large stockpot. Add chicken to pot with celery, bay leaves and 3L water and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 50 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Shred meat from bone. Reserve meat and carcass. Strain stock, discarding solids, then return to pot with chicken carcass. Cook for a further 50 minutes or until slightly reduced. Strain, discarding carcass. Stir lemon zest and juice, and chicken into soup. Season. To serve, stir noodles into soup, then divide among serving bowls. © stock.adobe.com / New Africa Chicken noodle soup FOOD & DINING Award Winning Butchers in Louth We consider ourselves very traditional but also very modern. We not only offer a wide selection of quality meats but also a range of home-made pastries and pies. 29-31 Mercer Row, Louth LN11 9JG Tel: 01507 603230 Email: orders@woolliss-butchers.co.uk woolliss-butchers.co.uk Woolliss & Son Butchers Delivery within an 8 mile radius of Louth Christmas Hamper orders being taken Ingredients: 2 carrots, onions and leeks, chopped 1tbs olive oil 1.6kg whole chicken, rinsed, dried 2 celery stalks, chopped 4 bay leaves Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus extra grated zest to serve 300g egg noodles, cooked according to packet instructions R. WISBY (FAMILY BUTCHER) LTD We are a traditional butchers doing things the traditional way. Our meat is only of the best quality and we pride ourselves on our customer service. 16 High Street2 Market Place Horncastle Wragby LN9 5BLLN8 5QU 01507 52737101673 858968 We are a traditional butchers doing things the traditional way. Our meat is only of the best quality and we pride ourselves on our customer service. 40-43.qxp_Layout 1 20/09/2022 09:45 Page 3© stock.adobe.com/Stephanie Frey Apple fritters Ingredients: 250g all-purpose flour 2.5tsp baking powder 2tsp ground cinnamon 1tsp salt 2 eggs 100g sugar 2tbsp melted, unsalted butter 180ml milk 2tsp vanilla extract 3 medium apples peeled, cored and cut into small pieces Vegetable oil for frying Icing sugar for dusting (optional) Method: Heat a large pot of vegetable oil. In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients together. In another small bowl, whisk eggs and the sugar together, then add butter, milk and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir. Fold in the apples. Take a large spoon and very carefully drop balls of batter directly into the hot oil. Flip the fritters once they’ve browned. Careful not to let them burn. Use a slotted spoon to remove the apple fritters from the oil, and work in batches as to not over crowd the pot. Repeat with remaining batter. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm. 40-43.qxp_Layout 1 20/09/2022 09:45 Page 444 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY S ometimes history is found in some unlikely places and often more of it than you might at first expect. A case in point is the little town and former port of Wainfleet, though there are in fact several Wainfleet’s; All Saints, Saint Mary’s and the Old Town, Wainfleet Bank, Wainfleet Common and Wainfleet Tofts. Recorded as “Wenflet” in the Domesday Book Wainfleet derives from the Old English for the stream (fleot) that can be forded by a wagon (waegn). Wainfleet was an important port even before Boston, serving as a natural outlet for produce from the Wolds – especially wool - hence The Woolpack inn overlooking the Market Place. The town then had good access to the sea since the coast was much nearer than today. Wainfleet of course hasn’t moved but the coast has, so that it is now well inland with Wainfleet Haven meeting the Wash at Gibraltar Point almost four miles away. It prospered throughout the Middle Ages and even after the Black Death but by the early C16th decline set in occasioned by silting of the Steeping and the rise of Boston. Even so 200 years later Daniel Defoe on his “Tour Through England” mentioned “the fens at Wayneflete …. (where) the very ditches are navigable.” So, decline must have been quite gradual. The River Steeping was of course Tennyson’s “Brook” rising as The Lymm in the Wolds. The main settlement now is Wainfleet All Saints with Wainfleet Tofts, just to the south, once an important salt producing area. Possibly as far back as Roman times. Dating back to mediaeval times however is Wainfleet Old Town. Extensive earthworks are shown on the OS map (centred on Grid Ref 467587) and a public right of way runs through them to reach the nearby St Mary’s church which mixes Norman, Early English and Perpendicular architectural styles. The inside is unusual in having a north aisle of five bays and a south aisle with four; there are carved heads above the pillars and a beautiful font. However, the church’s remoteness means you may well find it locked but its clear windows allow a good interior view. The church here explains why there is no mediaeval church at Wainfleet All Saints. Fields surrounding St Mary’s also show grassy earthworks of Old Wainfleet, especially in a large meadow to the south and to the northwest. Between the “Old” town and All Saints are two other sites of historic interest. At Grid Ref 480592 there is the site of a Quaker burial ground established in 1691. An information board gives a brief history. A few yards away is Crow’s Bridge spanning the River Steeping. This was built This month we visit the unassuming, though surprisingly historic town of Wainfleet. Lincolnshire explored WAINFLEET'S CLOCK TOWER WAINFLEET SIGNAL BOX 44-45.qxp_Layout 1 20/09/2022 09:46 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 45 to a design by the famous Scottish engineer John Rennie, who between 1801 and 1812 was engaged upon the drainage of some 40,000 acres of the East and West fens. Back in Wainfleet All Saints another mediaeval survival is the market cross standing in close proximity to the late Victorian clock tower of 1899. Just off the southeast corner of the Market Place, in St John Street, a further mediaeval building, this time rather grand, is the C15th Bishop Wayneflete’s School. This magnificent building was founded by Bishop Wayneflete who was born in the town as William Patten about 1395. His parents were of landed gentry stock and he was educated at Winchester College, then Oxford and was ordained at Spalding. After a time as provost at Eton he became Bishop of Winchester and rose to become Lord Chancellor of England in 1456. He founded Magdalen College in 1448 and his school here in Wainfleet, with its angled towers and built in 1484 of brick (rather like Tattershall), is a sign of his wealth. Bishop Wayneflete died in 1486. The most extraordinary, and unexpected, sight in Wainfleet however lies just north of the Market Place. This is Barkham Street named after Sir Edward Barkham of the East India Company who on his death left his Lincolnshire property to the Bethlem Hospital in London. To commemorate their benefactor the hospital’s architect Sidney Smirke - who never visited Wainfleet! - designed some new houses for their Wainfleet lands. So, these nineteen houses were built in 1847 in a style just like those Smirke designed for London Streets. So now, a quaint Victorian architectural anomaly, though grade II listed, is stranded in the Lincolnshire fens! Another unusual (but overlooked) grade II listed building is the railway signal box by the level crossing in Station Road. The line here is the Firsby to Skegness branch which was opened by the Wainfleet & Firsby Railway in 1873. The signal box dates from 1899 (by then the line was owned by the Great Northern Railway) and has kept its outside largely intact and has some original equipment inside too. Nowadays Wainfleet will be known to many people as the home of Bateman’s Brewery which is still run by the same family after four generations. George Bateman was the first of the family owners having bought a brewery for £505 from Edwin Crowe in 1874. (George and his wife Susannah had previously brewed beer at their Friskney home.) That brewery was near the railway but in 1880 the Batemans moved to Salem House and converted the stables into a new brewery. Their son Harry took over in 1919 and since then he has been succeeded by successive members of the Bateman family. Overlooking the brewery and the river is Salem Mill built about 1820 and working until the 1920’s when it was bought by Batemans and absorbed into their brewery. It is now crenelated with (naturally!) a beer bottle as a weather vane and with its “4- sail” logo advertising the brewery. by Hugh Marrows OLD TOWN EARTHWORKS WAINFLEET LANDMARK BISHOP WAYNEFLETE'S SCHOOL THE RIVER STEEPING ST MARY'S CHURCH 44-45.qxp_Layout 1 20/09/2022 09:46 Page 246 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING © stock.adobe.com/deagreez H ow soon is too soon to talk about Christmas? I personally start my Christmas shopping in November and early December, and that’s because I find the intense stress and panic of realising I’m late on my shopping to be conductive to focus. A lot of people, perhaps wisely, like to start earlier. After a rather difficult few Holiday Talking about Christmas in October? Surely that’s too early. Not really, and with Christmas only two months away it might be time to get out there and see what’s on offer. Holiday © stock.adobe.com/ shintartanya months with the cost of living, intense heat waves and the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, it’s more important than ever to cherish the happy moments among family, which is why this year will feel more important than ever before. There’s no denying the state of the economy however, which may leave many people feeling uncomfortably out of pocket. With 46-47.qxp_Layout 1 20/09/2022 09:48 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 47 CHRISTMAS SHOPPING rising energy prices and inflation, the shopping lists may be a little shorter this year – or at least a little less expensive. It needn’t by any less luxurious however, as luxury no longer has to equate to price. Lincolnshire is home to many independent boutiques, stores and shopping centres that feature products sourced both locally and overseas, all of which you will struggle to find online at major retailers. Gifting something unique and not seen before to your loved ones is a sure way to impress and shows that you’ve gone the extra mile. Online shopping has obviously made life much easier, but it’s also made a lot of us lazier. Getting out and about shopping, meeting people and exchanging ideas used to be a core component of the Christmas shopping experience that has been unfortunately lost over the years. That’s not to say we’re against online shopping – it’s awfully convenient for the weekly food shop – but there’s always ups and downs to any technology, and the loss of the face-to-face experience has been more keenly felt at holiday times. There are plenty of Christmas markets across Lincolnshire that can be valuable sources of inspiration as well; the Lincoln Christmas Market is taking place from the 1st – 4th December this year, but there are a whole host of others that we will be highlighting in a dedicated Christmas Markets feature in one of our upcoming issues. None of those are running in October after all, and they are – in our opinion – better for finding final additions, loose extras and stocking fillers. For family and friends you could do worse than to visit Lincoln, Boston, Grantham, Stamford or any one of our county’s wonderful market towns and spend a day walking around. Getting out in the sun and window shopping is a great way to flex the imagination and sitting at home in front of a laptop trying to think of original ideas, all the while being bombarded by online ads, sometimes makes the job harder than it needs to be. It’s worth mentioning that now is the time to start booking meals at restaurants if you want to have any chance of reserving a table. Many of them might already be booked up, but they surely will be by November, so if you want to have a Christmas meal at any of Lincolnshire’s fine restaurants, make sure to get in touch now and have a look at the menu. Leaving it any longer might well mean your local is booked up. © stock.adobe.com/ Halfpoint 46-47.qxp_Layout 1 20/09/2022 09:48 Page 248 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY CARING T he colder months often see people over sixty-five die, without the added risks of seasonal flu, COVID-19, and their own homes being too cold, simply because they are more vulnerable to weak immune systems and illness at this time of year. In order to best care for elderly relatives and loved ones, start speaking to them and the rest of the family now about the care choices that are available. Looking together at which options are open, then deciding which will make everyone feel supported, is the kindest and most sensible way to begin preparing for potentially challenging times in the months ahead. Families may want to weigh up the cost of setting older relatives up in a care home, versus helping them stay warm in their own homes. With the latter decision, regular visits will be a must for loved ones’ safety, especially if they are living alone or with other people in need of care. In cases where an elderly person may need financial support to get through the winter – for instance if putting them up in a relative’s home isn’t possible - care homes may be the most viable option, especially on the NHS. It can be a lot to ask for relatives to make time in their own lives for visits, or even devoting themselves as a carer on the regular. Resources will be stretched thin, and not just financially, for many people this winter. The stress of rising bills and the cost of living crisis will make it difficult to draw on the emotional reserves needed in caring for elderly relatives. It’s important to realise that, for families giving all they can, there’s no shame in knowing you need help. For families helping an older person under their own steam, there’s plenty of support so they aren’t facing the task alone. Age UK provides a wealth of information for carers, including advice lines, befriending services, and explaining what defines a carer. It’s crucial to know that you count as a carer if you’re providing support to a person who’s vulnerable, or otherwise in need of help with tasks like shopping, cleaning or just getting dressed. If you’re not being paid to provide this help, you should use the Gov.uk website’s benefits calculator as soon as possible, as you may be entitled to financial support. With money as tight as it is for so many of us, nobody should feel guilty asking for help they have a right to, by government legislation no less. When taking on the everyday care of the elderly through the colder months, warmth and companionship are the two most important tenets to keep in mind. Autumn and winter will be an even harder and harsher time for the elderly this year, with heating costs rising dramatically and leaving some in danger of being without heating altogether. Lincolnshire Today explores ways to keep your elderly loved ones safe. Staying 48-51.qxp_Layout 1 20/09/2022 09:49 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 49 Loneliness will eventually make a loved one feel more vulnerable, and this hit to emotional wellbeing isn’t conducive to anyone taking care of themselves. It’s up to family and friends to bring the love and support needed into an elderly person’s home, to help them hold up through the hours they may be on their own and seeing to their own needs. While you are there with your loved one in their own home, make sure both are comfortably warm wherever possible, and that they will stay that way for as long as needed between visits. The home should ideally be kept between eighty and twenty-one degrees Celsius, as these are both safe and energy saving temperature parameters. Making sure the elderly have winter clothes, blankets and bedding in easy reach is paramount, as is the simple gesture of making hot drinks, and if necessary getting nourishing meals ready to be heated or reheated later. As we get older, we take longer to get warm enough for the immune system to sustain itself. Being too cold for too long then increases the risk from flu and cold viruses, as well as breathing problems, hypothermia, and cardiovascular conditions which can lead to health emergencies including heart attacks. As older people can also get cold quickly without realising, do remind them to layer up as a precaution against getting cold, rather than putting this off until the chill has already started setting in. If more warmth is needed, especially during the night, a hot water bottle or woolly hat can be used too. Wrapping up warm is by far the best way of helping the elderly stay well in winter; short term fixes like rubbing the skin or using heat pads open up surface blood vessels, which has the opposite effect of allowing more heat to leave the body. Keeping in touch with those regular visits are also key to catching any of those early tell-tale signs of illness, such as drowsiness, a hacking or continuous cough, or lack of awareness to their home being cold. Any of these are warning signs that any family or carers should immediately seek medical help for the elderly. COVID-19 is still a serious risk, especially to those already vulnerable, and extra care should be taken if coronavirus is suspected. You may keep caring for your loved one if they are self-isolating or exhibiting symptoms, but this is only advised if you aren’t considered clinically vulnerable, 50 Á © stock.adobe.com/Red Stock 48-51.qxp_Layout 1 20/09/2022 09:49 Page 2Next >