Hempstead & District Gardeners Club is run by a small committee who
organise a variety of events during the year including talks, walks in local
woods, selling plants to raise funds and traditional village Shows, both
floral and equestrian. The committee meets approx 8 times a year and events
are advertised locally here, in the Newsletter and parish magazine.
Membership totals 140 villagers including nearly 50 life members.
The Committee for 2005:
- Diana Frost (Chairman)
- Brian Ray (Secretary)
- Tricia Ridgway (Treasurer)
- Sean McCarthy
- Sue Ray
- Jane Flaxman
- Jeremy Schroeter
- David Haylock Life President
All contact and requests for information should be made through the
Secretary Brian Ray on 01799 599728.
2005 events – click here to view articles.
We are always flexible to adding new venues to the programme and there has
been a suggestion that we should visit the Laundry House garden in Gt
Easton. Please check back to the website as the year unfolds for our latest
ideas and outings.
AGM & Annual Dinner
Last year we combined the AGM with the Annual Dinner for the first time, and
believing that this is a successful formula overall, we have decided to do
the same again in February 2006.
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“Wild Life in Your Garden” – A Talk
Barry Kaufmann-Wright will be making his third visit to Hempstead and from
his range of talks we have selected 'Wild Life in Your Garden' as the theme
for our March evening. If you have never been to a slide show of Barry's
before then you are in for a real treat. He has a collection of over 17,000
slides, beautifully photographed and at this early stage in the year, with
dark nights and cool days, it is a real reminder of the joys of summer
ahead. There will be a small charge for entry at the door of the Village Hall on
the night as we wish to continue to support Barry in the work he does.
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April Walk
In April we like to get out and about and stretch our legs, but have yet to
decide where to visit. If you have somewhere in particular you would like us
to go, please let one of the committee know.
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Gardener's Mart
The date of the Gardeners’ Mart may need to vary depending on how hard this
winter proves to be, and therefore how early we can get started with
planting in the New Year. As ever, we will try and delight you with a
mixture of everything at extremely reasonable prices.
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June Garden Visit
Instead a walk in April this year, we will make a visit to a garden in June, venue tbc. As gardens do not open until late April, we cannot vet any that we want to go to until that time, but the favoured selection at the moment is between the Laundry House at Gt Bardfield (private house) or the Gibberd Garden on the northern edge of Harlow, created by Sir Frederick Gibberd who designed Harlow and which is full of statues, ornaments and is laid out in rooms. As soon as we have chosen, we will let you know the date of our visit and any necessary arrangements.
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Sloe, Sloe, quick quick, Sloe
Please join us for a Sloe Walk on Saturday, November 25th at 10.00 a.m.
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We will gather at the Village Hall for coffee, tea and an early sloe gin, before we set out on foot for a leisurely ramble and sloe hunt, along the lanes, (two hours max and mostly off road) surrounding the village. Bring containers for your sloes and we will provide you with a variety of recipes for inspiration, a selection of best tips together with info on where the best sloes can be found. |
The Autumn Show 2007 will include a sloe-based competition class, to see whose recipe has turned out to be the most delicious. Look forward to seeing you then.
Sloe Gin, Recipe 1
- 1 gallon gin
- 3˝lbs. granulated sugar
- 3 oz. bitter almonds
- 6 pints sloes
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Mix all ingredients together and put into a 2-gallon jar. Cork and shake the jar 3 times a week. Store for 2 months, then siphon off and bottle.
Sloe Gin, Recipe 2
Put 3 pints of ripe, dry sloes in a gallon jar with 1oz. of sweet almonds and 1˝lbs. of loaf sugar; then pour in 4 pints of gin, and cork. Shake the jar every 3 days for 3 months. Strain off the liquor, bottle and seal the corks. The gin is ready for use or may be kept for years, improving greatly in the keeping.
Sloe Wine
- 2 pints sloes
- 2 pints boiling water
- 1lb.loaf sugar
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Add the boiling water to the sloes. Cover and leave to stand for 4 days, stirring once or twice each day. Strain and add, to each 2 pts liquid, 1 lb of loaf sugar. Leave for another 4 days, stirring each day. Bottle after it has well settled, but do not cork tightly until it has finished working.
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Boxing Day Walk
To brush away the cobwebs of Christmas Day, the Hempstead Walk is just what you need on Boxing Day morning. The weather was exceptionally kind and mild this year with a gentle breeze, giving perfect conditions for walking.
We set off at the earlier time of 10.30 a.m. this year from the centre of the village and picked a route that took us down The Burrough, up the tracks behind Wellyards and over the hill to Turpins Lane where we turned right and then left and headed up to the back of Field Farm at Campions End. This was the furthest point of the walk and we paused at a pond there for Jeremy's labrador to take a morning dip. Turning left we came down the road to Pollards Cross and took the field tracks from there back to the church and down the Glebe to finish.
31 people started the walk and with a few Midgley's picked up along the way, we totalled 35 people and a variety of dogs making the trip. It was good to see families with relatives and guests all joining in. And to finish - well - The Bluebell Inn beckoned and our two and a half mile trip had earned us some refreshment!
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