Wonderful Winnings from Dorset

A little while back I entered a blog give-away - Leanne was giving away wonderful things from Dorset - in honor of her 1,000th blog post on Somerset Seasons. In just 18 months she had gotten that many posts - I was impressed. Her daily musings are wonderful - all about Dorset, her animals, snow, growing things, her new garden at the new house, baking, collections, the weather - all sorts of wonderful things that bring you right into her home and garden. I love taking a "stroll" with her - or riding along on Sally Bicycle to see some of the countryside - and when she announced I was the winnner I was so excited. My own little package - coming from England - how did I get so lucky!!!

Well today the package came in the mail - but I was on my way to the bank, then to pick up Don from work, then to our daughter's house (where Ben insisted on fixing us a "breakfast" in his play kitchen - so the package sat in the car - waiting for us to get home. I dug into it as soon as we got in the door - oh the fun!!!

Do you see the stamp on the right side - Royal Mail - oh how special - I've never had anything from Royal Mail before.


And look inside - the nicest cotton towel from Sherborne - castles and abbies all done in wonderful drawings. This will hang on a special rack in my kitchen.

Some chocolae - Green and Black's - dark chocolate with ginger - a mighty good taste. The package of the candybar is a little crinkled - I think someone got into it before the photo was taken.

A lovely card with a bunny fairy and butterflies dancing - two wonderful beeswax candles, a box of Dorset Ginger Biscuits ( I love to call cookies biscuits now - I think I'll teach Ben to say that also). They were definitely "scrummy" - as Leanne had promised. I ate one and fell in love with Ginger Biscuits - I must learn to make them. And a small cookbook of Dorset recipes.

Buddy E. loves the cookbook - he has marked some recipes he wants me to make first. Llook at that lovely painting next to the recipe - the booklet is full of such paintings. I am enjoying reading the recipes - Shearer's Stew - Moonshine (not the moonshine of the U.S. - illegally brewed liquor) but a "rich version of a traditional bread and butter pudding" - Dorset tea bread - Gooseberry Fool (for summer dessert) - Dorchester Scone Ring - Wareham Bears "biscuits made either with a plain shortbread or a chocolate shortbread mixture", now who can resist that? Then there is Nutty Baked Cabbage (as opposed to sane baked cabbage?) - Uncle Bert's Apple Chutney and Old Harry Rock Cakes - plus lots of others.

And the ingredients - I love them. I have to do some research to find out what Demerara sugar is, also wheatmeal flour, caster sugar, strong white flour, single cream, sultanas and treacle ( I think that is molasses). What an education I'm getting - along with the delicious treats and lovely gifts. The candles I will save for a very special ocassion - for Earth Hour 2009, on March 28. The biscuits will accompany my cups of tea and the recipes will fill us with food that is eaten in a far away country that has been brought so much closer with this lovely package from England.

Thank you Leanne - this is a wonderful treat!!!