Curry lunch raises funds for local church

Annie and Julian Thompson, left and rear, and friends

New Year fund raising efforts in support of St. Peter’s Church Horton got off to a good start this month, when 35 local residents sat down to a splendid curry lunch, for just £6 per person, cooked by Annie and Julian Thompson.

With the assistance of their willing helpers a choice of chicken or vegetable curries were on offer, along with the usual accompaniments of dhaal, samosas, poppadoms and naan bread. As a special treat Nankhatai sweetmeats were served with tea and coffee, for which the recipe follows:-.

Along with a raffle, an impressive total of £285 was raised.

Said local councillor Linda Vijeh, who attended the event, ‘As obtaining external funding to support community facilities and activities becomes increasingly tougher, it is great to see the wide range of innovative ways that local people are coming up with to fill the shortfall. All of this relies of the time and effort of willing volunteers, along with the rest of us to support their efforts. This is what makes our rural villages so special.’

Nankhatai sweetmeats, with a texture similar to shortbread, are traditionally served during Diwali, the traditional Hindu festival of lights, held around the end of October each year.

INGREDIENTS – MAKES 16

80 grams icing sugar

75 grams butter

160 grams self-raising flour

½ tsp. bicarbonate of soda

a pinch of salt                               

¼ tsp. cardamom powder

¼ tsp. ground ginger

extra butter grease baking trays)

1 tbsp milk (if required)

TO DECORATE  

16 whole blanched almonds, cashew nuts or pistachios + dried cranberries to decorate

Ground nutmeg

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180’, and grease baking tray.

Cream butter and sugar either manually or with a hand beater, until light and fluffy

Add the remaining dry ingredients, sifted together, and mix until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Knead into a smooth dough, adding a little milk if the dough is too dry.

Cover and allow dough to rest for 10 mins. (at this stage the raw dough can be frozen for future use).

Divide the dough into 16, shape into balls and place on the greased baking sheet evenly spaced.

Slightly flatten each ball, ensuring there are no cracks.

Top each biscuit with a cashew or almond, and a dried cranberry, and lightly dust with nutmeg.

Bake at 180°C for 15-20 mins. until a pale golden brown – be careful not to overcook.

Allow to cool before storing in an airtight container.

Will keep for 2-3 weeks, if they last that long!