FROM THE MILL
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Helping our feathered friends and other wildlife in small gardens can be very rewarding, in winter providing a regular supply of of food is a great way of not only getting close to nature at home but also really helps birds and animals get through the cold months when their natural food is sometimes scarce.
Putting up bird feeders is a great way to start, if Squirrels visit your garden it is best to buy types designed to deter them, either with a strong cage built around or a mechanism that stops them getting to the food, they are capable of chewing through and damaging most others.
When choosing where to put the feeders try to site them near a hedge, bushes or small trees. Sparrowhawks are often attracted to feeding birds so giving them cover to dash into will really help, it may take some time for birds to start using the feeders but will visit regularly once they find them.
Putting out different types of feed will encourage a variety of birds, Sunflower Seeds, Peanuts and Fat balls are the most popular. Nyjer seed might attract very colourful Goldfinch, Greenfinch and occasionally Siskins and Redpolls. If you have fruit trees in your garden windfalls can be left to provide another source of food.
It is very important to regularly clean your feeders, take them apart and wash thoroughly using a mild disinfectant if you have one, peanuts can go soft and mouldy at the bottom of feeders so it’s a good idea to only part fill them and shake up every few days.Try to keep the area around your feeders clean to deter rodents.
The commonest birds are the Tit family, Robins, Blackbirds, Starlings, Sparrows and Collared Doves, you may also get Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Woodpeckers. You can also help to support other wildlife by planting flowers for Bees & Butterflies, buying or making your own Bee boxes, leaving small piles of branches and sticks in a quiet corner of your garden, or even making a shelter for Hedgehogs. Links to all these can be found below.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/giants-causeway/features/how-to-build-a-bee-box
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/how-you-can-help-birds/feeding-birds/keep-your-bird-table-healthy/
https://www.sundaygardener.co.uk/10-best-plants-for-bees-and-butterflies.html
https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/give-nature-a-home-in-your-garden/garden-activities/giveahogahome/
Hit that sweet craving with this simple Flapjack recipe which our Head Chef has sourced! Using just 4 ingredients in 4 steps, these flapjacks are sure to be a hit with the whole family.
Go on, treat yourself!
1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
2. Put 250g jumbo porridge oats, 125g butter, 125g light brown sugar and 2-3 tbsp golden syrup in a food processor and pulse until mixed, but be careful not to overmix otherwise the oats may lose their texture.
3. Lightly grease a 20x20cm baking tin with butter and spoon in the mixture. Press into the corners with the back of a spoon so the mixture is flat and score into 12 squares.
4. Bake for around 15 minutes until golden brown.
This recipe has been sourced from: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/yummy-golden-syrup-flapjacks
We're aware that many of you have struggled to source bread flour! Where possible before our closure, we stocked up on staple ingredients in our Mill Shop to provide our customers with these sought after items, however we too sold out of bread flour.
Not to worry if you didn't manage to snap some up, our Head Chef has sourced a bread recipe using plain flour! Let us know how you get on.
Ingredients:
- 1 sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 1 tsp Fairtrade white caster sugar
- 500 g British plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting
- 1 tsp fine table salt
- 1 tsp olive oil, for greasing
Method:
1. Place the yeast and caster sugar in a bowl with 290ml warm (not hot) water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, until it begins to foam.
2. Sift the flour into a large bowl and stir in the salt, making sure it is evenly distributed. Create a well and then gently pour in the liquid. Bring together to form a dough. If the dough is a little dry at this point, add a little more water and make sure it is fully combined. Dust the work surface with a little flour and knead the dough for 15-20 minutes until smooth and stretchy.
3. Shape the dough into a round or oval then place on a baking tray dusted with a little flour. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 230°C, fan 210°C, gas 8.
4. Remove the cling film, dust the top of the loaf with a little flour. Turn the oven down to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 and bake for 20 minutes. Then check every 1-2 minutes until risen and golden. Transfer to a cooling rack and tap the base of the bread to check it is cooked – it should sound hollow. The loaf is best enjoyed warm from the oven.
Cook’s tip: plain flour requires more kneading than strong bread flour in order to form the gluten that gives the dough its elasticity – so don’t give up!
This recipe has been sourced from: https://recipes.sainsburys.co.uk/recipes/baking/easy-plain-flour-loaf
'Grow Your Own Vegetables' Guide.
Our incredibly passionate Head Gardener has put together a handy guide, not only to encourage you to enjoy your garden, but to also think about how you might be able to grow your own Vegetables! This could be an activity to get the whole family involved in, wouldn't it be lovely to tuck into a delicious dish made with home made vegetables?!
Many different Vegetables and Salads can be grown easily and quickly at home, all of these can sown and harvested in a fairly short space of time.
- Lettuce
- Radish
- Salad Rocket
- Spinach
- Beetroot
- Cucumber
- Courgettes
- Baby Carrots
- Spring Onions
- Kale
Some like Radish, Carrots and Spinach are best sown outdoors or into large containers filled with compost, with these it is best to wait until the soil has warmed up, or start them in a greenhouse/conservatory.
1. Make a small shallow trench approximately ½ inch deep, sow the seed thinly then cover it and water in well with a watering can and rose.
Indoor sowing is a great way to get things started early, any plant pots and compost can be used but try to avoid brands which contain a lot of nutrients meant for hanging baskets etc.
2. Part fill the pot, firm the compost gently then water with a watering can and rose. Now scatter/sieve a thin layer of compost over the top.
3. With small seeds scatter over the top being careful not to sow too much, some seeds require light to germinate so always read the instructions on the packet, most should be covered with a very thin layer of compost. Do not water them again.
4. The pots should be covered with a small piece of glass or sealed inside a plastic bag and placed somewhere warm to germinate, a sunny window ledge is fine. Most seeds will germinate quite quickly, Lettuce often in a few days, as soon as you can see the leaves remove the cover and continue to water carefully.
5. Once the seedlings are big enough use a pencil to lift them out and pot into a tray, a standard seed tray will hold 40 seedlings in rows 8x5.
6. Keep them warm and watering carefully, once big enough they can be planted out into the garden or large containers. Keep sowing small amounts of seeds regularly to keep a constant supply of small tasty vegetables.
Please do keep us updated with your progress, we would love to see your hard work!
Partial Re-opening Days Update 15/07/20
Our Gardens, Meadow, Mill Shop is open from Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm
Our Coffee Shop is open from Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 3pm.
Our Woodland Area will be reopening from 18th July onwards, and will follow the opening times as per our Gardens, Meadow & Mill Shop.
Jordans Mill Partial Re-opening update 19/06/2
We're thrilled to announce that we will be opening our Mill Shop, Gardens and Meadow from Thursday 2 July at 10am!
After careful consideration and planning; we have taken the necessary steps to ensure customers can visit us safely in line with Government guidance. Adjustments and safety measures will be in place, further details will be released in due course.
We will be open as of 2 July: each Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 10am - 4pm.
Our online shop remains open for our collection service. Our Riverside Cafe, Coffee Bar, Woodland and Mill remains closed.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Covid-19 Update as of 28/05/20
You asked and we have delivered! Our online shop is now up and running, you can now order your cupboard essentials via a click & collect service. Please visit our 'Shop' page to place your order!
Please note we will be adding products to our shop as soon as we rebuild our supplies.
Covid-19 Update as of 16/05/20
We are thrilled to announce that we are now offering pre-packaged Afternoon Tea boxes* via a click and collect service, exclusively for May Bank Holiday! Dig out your best tableware and tuck into the best afternoon tea in town!
We are working hard to set up an online ordering service via our website. Until this is set up, we are accepting orders exclusively by Facebook for this weekend only (until midnight Sunday 17th May). Please head over to our Facebook page for further information and to place an order.
The safety of our staff and customers is crucial to us, which is why we are taking extra precautions in response to Covid-19. This includes but isn't limited to following the Government Guidelines; providing and wearing appropriate PPE, providing a non-contact environment, making adjustments to our car park to avoid public contact, allotting click and collect time slots to avoid overcrowding, our staff are complying with social distancing measures and we have produced extensive risk assessments. Please visit the Government website should you wish to read more about guidelines > https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Covid-19 Update 15/05/20
Our thanks go out to our customers for bearing with us during our closure due to these unprecedented times.
After careful consideration and planning; whilst our site remains closed to the public we are pleased to say that the team have been working hard to review what services we may be able to offer in the form of click and collect.
The safety of our customers and staff is absolutely crucial, please be reassured that we will be taking extra precautions in line with Government advice and guidelines.
Covid-19 Update 23/03/20
It is with great sadness that Jordans Mill will be closing at 4pm this evening and will remain closed for the foreseeable future, whilst the nation focusses on doing the right thing and helping each other through this unprecedented pandemic. The team has spent the past couple of weeks adapting the business and making difficult decisions, so that we can cope with the current situation and look after our staff and visitors as best we can. Unfortunately now the time has come to put into action all of the measures that will keep us all safe, i.e. listening to government advice regarding non-essential travel, taking social distancing seriously and staying at home to stop the spread of this virus.
Please be assured we will be working on answering any queries that come in however, we ask for your patience just whilst we navigate this situation and tackle the urgent and high priority elements of the business first.
As things change and unfold we will continue to keep you updated. In the meantime, as wildlife and nature continues to do its own thing, we are hoping to share inspiring stories, recipes, handy hints and tips for the garden and more via our social media channels for those of you who are isolated and are looking for inspirational content to keep you entertained whilst at home.
We would like to pass on our thoughts and best wishes to all of our much appreciated visitors and staff alike. Our passion for The Mill, the business, our staff and our wonderful family have carried us and Jordans Mill forward and we fully intend to ensure that remains the same for some more good years to come!
Thank you for your support and understanding at this difficult time.
Bill & David
Covid-19 Update 20/03/20
In line with today’s Government guidance, we are sorry to announce that both our Riverside Café and Coffee Bar will be closed for normal service with immediate effect.
We’ve already been busy helping our valued customers as best we can by providing a takeaway service and that will now be our focus so that you can continue to enjoy our beautiful space as much as possible. Please keep an eye out for further updates regarding this service.
If you have an upcoming booking, including for Mother’s Day this weekend, our team will be in touch tomorrow to confirm that we will be prevented from fulfilling your reservation.
The great news is that our Mill Shop remains open as usual, and whilst we cannot guarantee stock levels, we’re doing our best to help you stock up on your healthy essentials for home baking.
We are all advised to make sure we take good exercise and enjoy the fresh air and you can still take advantage of our beautiful outdoor space, our woodland is the perfect haven for little explorers and our gardens are wonderful for a leisurely stroll.
We look forward to welcoming you to Jordans Mill again soon.