Note from the editor – Welcome to this week’s issue of the Some-day Supplement. Looking to put some crumpet in your life? We have the solution. Or perhaps you’re looking for something soft and squidgy in the Spanish countryside. We have exactly what you need.
Method
Heat the milk and water until it is hand hot. Stir in the sugar and add the yeast. Leave it for 10 minutes until it is frothy. Sift the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture to the flour and stir with a wooden spoon, beat well until you have a smooth batter. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes, until the batter is light and frothy.
Cooking the crumpets
Grease the inside of two egg rings, with melted butter. Grease a large frying pan. put the egg rings into the pan and put the pan on a medium heat. Put about a tablespoon of batter into the egg ring and cook for about 4 or 5 minutes. Take off the egg ring and turn over the crumpet. Cook for about 3 minutes. make sure to grease the rings and pan before making the next batch.
Enjoy hot with lots and lots of butter.
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TRAVEL
Medina del Campo
Medina del Campo will be an unfamiliar destination to many travellers, but anyone who has driven north on the A6 from Madrid will be familiar with the town’s most famous landmark: Castillo de la Mota. Looking like it belongs on the sets of a Hollywood blockbuster, this magnificent fortress towers over the surrounding countryside.
The town of Medina is in the province of Valladolid in the autonomous region of Castile and León, 160km from Madrid and 45km from Valladolid. The high-speed (Alta velocidad) train makes a day trip from the capital an easy and affordable excursion.
Like many Spanish towns, Medina del Campo has experienced more prosperous times. In the 15th century a trade deal, known as the Treaty of Medina del Campo, was struck between Spain and England that lasted 96 years.
On a wet day in May, we perhaps didn’t see the best of this charming place. The town centre was quiet and the bars and cafes surrounding the Plaza Mayor were all but abandoned.
In the 15th and 16th centuries Medina was famous for its markets which were held in the Plaza Mayor. On one corner of the square you’ll find the collegiate church of San Antolín. One unusual feature of the church is found in the Chapel of the Virgen del Pópolo. It was from here, on a balcony overlooking the square that traders would celebrate mass.
With lunchtime looming we sought sanctuary in the Restaurante Gloria and ordered drinks and tapas. The tapas were delicious: we each had an enormous chunk of tortilla, firm on the outside and soft and squidgy in the middle, a heaped plate of ensaladilla (a meal in itself), and slices of beautifully lean and perfectly roasted lacón (gammon). The staff were friendly and helpful and the price, a mere €10.
A tour of Castile and León would not be complete without a trip to Medina del Campo, but try and avoid the rain.
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Author Interview
Charlotte Moore
Today’s author in the hot-seat is Charlotte Moore who’s debut book, Calamity Spain, tells the story of her search for a place in the sun.
Tell us about your book Charlotte - The first time I got onto a plane on my own set me off on a new path in life without realising it. A new path to freedom, exploring places I would never have gone to had I still been part of a couple. To making friends who lived in another country and wanting to live where the sun shone and life was at a slower, healthier pace. To wanting to have my own little slice of a Spanish village and live the life that it offered. I was going to fulfil my dream to buy a place abroad in the Sierra Nevada and live happily ever after. I knew where I wanted to be I now just had to make it happen. Little did I know the roller coaster journey I would have.
Initially when I began writing about my journey I was envisioning a travel book based around the location and discovering the characters and local produce. I had no idea that the book would end up full of emotion and tough decisions. Maybe the second book will be what book one was supposed to be?
To buy your copy of Calamity Spain follow these links:
UK link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01NCLEMEZ
US link - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NCLEMEZ
Question time – our roving reporter asked Charlotte ten challenging questions.
1. If a movie was made of your life, who would play you and why?
Tough one! Would have to be someone with humour and empathy...Ellen Degeneris maybe or Dawn French.
2. If you won a million pounds, what would you buy?
More how I’d change my life really: Get a small place in the country where I could relax and be a full-time artist and writer. Travel to unusual destinations and spend time volunteering with charities.
3. What is your least favourite thing about humanity?
The pressure we put on ourselves to reach higher goals without seeing what is in front of us and enjoying the day.
4. If you were 80 years old and had children, what’s the most important experience you could pass on to them?
As I’ve always been self-employed I’d say get a pension in place but enjoy each day of your life and have as many adventures as you can.
5. You’re a new edition to my spice rack, what are you and why?
Something blended; like a garam masala. Gentle complex spices that give warmth and flavour.
6. In less than 50 words, how does the internet work?
Two tin cans and a piece of string but more elaborate.
7. How can you tell if someone is a nerd?
Gosh, aren’t we all in one subject or another?
8. If you could add one word to the dictionary, what would it be and what would it mean?
Fingerlexia. One I made up a few years ago to mean our awful typing and errors that occur in this digital age.
9. What undiscovered technology will transform the future?
Something that can assess nature to give us natural cures for illnesses rather than use chemicals.
10. What is the one thing you own you wish you didn’t?
A spare tyre!
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And finally - #normalwisdom
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This Canabal Chronicle, Some-day Supplement was brought to you by Craig Briggs, (with a little help form his wife Melanie) author of The Journey series of books.
To purchase copies of my books, click these titles:
Journey To A Dream - Beyond Imagination - Endless Possibilities
Find out more about Craig, and Galicia or look him up on Facebook
Craig and Melanie also own and operate a luxury farmhouse rental property called Campo Verde. To find out more about a stay at Campo Verde and Galicia in general, visit their website getaway-galicia