Making Winter Blog-hop - Winter Warmington

Happy November blogging lovelies - or Bloglies as you're affectionately known on my blog!

A lovely idea for some Wintery themed blog posts has been hatched between Emma and her good friend Mrs TH.   I love this idea - I'm not a big fan of the long gloomy nights to be honest.  I'd rather be outside listening to the chattering of the chickens, pottering around the garden and watching the shadows lengthen across the field.  However as we have absolutely no influence over the seasons then instead of grumbling about the onset of the darker months, I shall attempt to embrace it instead.

My first Making Winter post, therefore, features something I've mentioned a couple of time over the last couple of blog post... a hot toddy - or, as I've re-christened it -  Kim's Winter Warmington.

It's soooo simple, but oh so comforting - particularly when the seasonal sniffle symptoms are beginning to take hold. 

• Take 2 Pints of cider (any kind - dry/sweet - your preference)
• 1 pint of Lemonade
• 2 tablespoons of soft brown sugar (or to your taste)
• 1 Orange (sliced)
• 1 Eating Apple (peeled, cored and cut into chunks)
• 1 Schwartz Mulled Wine sachet  (find in the herbs & spices aisle of your local supermarket)

Add all of the ingredients to a large pan and allow to simmer away for at least 30 minutes for the spices to infuse into the liquid - the longer the better really - before ladling into your favourite mug.  Lock the door, settle down in your big comfy armchair, put your feet up and sip your drink whilst it's still warm.  This is a two hand job mind, both hands need to be around that mug to savour the full effect!

And there you have it - a veritable hug in a mug, a soother for your sore throat and a thaw for frozen fingers all in one.

If you're planning a long walk on a frosty afternoon, why not put the infusion into your slow cooker and allow it to brew away whilst you're out?  What a wonderful welcome home it will be.

If you can't find the sachets, try your own combination of cloves, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.  I guess you could use apple juice if you don't care for cider, but most of the alcohol will be simmered out of the brew anyway.  No scented candle can compete with the aroma this brew gives off!

Now sod's law dictates that my camera batteries ran out this evening.  Gurt big sigh of exasperation!!  So here's a repeat pic from yesterday - sorry bout that!!

Sunlight on the fruit bowl!

Sunshine in the saucepan!


Enoy!