December 2009 Newsletter

Hello Ynysangharad member,

If you missed the last meeting the newsletter will keep you up to date with what is happening with our Ynysangharad WI.

This is our newsletter and your views and contributions are important. If you have any news items, comments, recipes, gardening tips or anything that would be of interest to our group. Please contact us at yawi@hotmail.co.uk or speak to Emma at the meeting

December Meeting

December saw the Christmas Extravaganza with an earlier 7pm start and people braving the cold to join in the fun. Sparkly headpieces and earrings abounded and we had a few fancy dresses- Emma as a Christmas Fairy and Marie as an imaginative Christmas present!
Several people had brought bottles and all settled down to the quiz with a glass of something warming or a cup of tea. After what seemed an interminable wait the hot food arrived. The portions were absolutely huge and the food hot , tasty and great value for less than £5 for a choice of 2 chicken breasts, large cod or a pizza with your chips. Thanks to the Mighty Cod for the full tummies!
Thanks also to Gwenda for the Xmas quiz as well- who knew that we all knew so much about Christmas.

January meeting- Subs and Commitee

Members should bear in mind that this years subs of £29.50 are due at the next meeting. Please bring yours in a sealed envelope marked with your name. This will also be our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and so there will be no speaker. We will be choosing our committee for the coming year, so please make sure that you put yourself forward if you’d like to be involved. There will be a short quiz if there is time.

Glamorgan Federation Events

The Diary Dates 2010 are available on the Glamorgan Federation newsletter which can be seen at the meetings. If you see any trips or events that you think would be of interest to our WI please make sure that you bring it to the attention of the Committee- or you might like to arrange a trip yourself….

Ynysangharad WI 2010 Programme

The 2010 programme has still to be finalised. If you have any preferences of who YOU would like to see come and talk to us during the coming year please let the Committee know. Although we do our best to provide you with a fun and varied programme, we would love to have more input from you the members- come on, get involved to shape the WI that you would like.

Photographic record

You might not know that we are now able to upload our photos onto the YYAWI website. If you have taken any photos of YAWI events or you fancy yourself as a bit of a David (Davina!) Bailey, then please can you email or give a disc of the photos to Emma so that she can start putting them up as nice record of what the group has been up to?

Recipe of the Month

Waistbands will be groaning after all the Christmas excesses, so this month we have a delicious and hearty but healthy vegetarian soup to kickstart those January fitness plans..

Potato and Roast Red Pepper Soup

Ingredients
4 red peppers
55g/2oz butter
425g/15oz potatoes, peeled and diced to 5mm/1/3in
110g/4oz onions, diced to 1/3in dice
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
900ml/1½pt home-made chicken stock or vegetable stock
120ml/4fl oz creamy milk
sprigs of flatleaf parsley
roasted chillies (optional)
Method
1. Roast or chargrill the peppers for 10-15 minutes in the oven and then leave to cool in a plastic bag.
2. Peel and deseed, save the sweet juices and carefully purée the flesh with the juices. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
3. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. When it foams, add the potatoes and onions and toss them in the butter until well coated.
4. Sprinkle with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover with a butter wrapper or paper lid and the lid of the saucepan. Sweat on a gentle heat for approximately 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, bring the stock to the boil. When the vegetables are soft but not coloured add the boiling stock and continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
6. Add the milk. purée the soup in a blender or food processor. Taste and adjust seasoning.
7. Just before serving, swirl the red pepper purée through the soup or simply drizzle on top of each bowl. Top with some snipped flat parsley. You might try adding one or two roast chillies to the pepper for a little extra buzz - serrano or jalapeno are good.

Please remember that our next meeting is on Wednesday January 13th 2010 at 7.30pm. We hope to see you then

November 2009 newsletter

Hello!

Even though the weather was appalling –the usual rain - we had a reasonable attendance of members for the evening.

Another new member joined us, Angela Lewis, and congratulations were given as she recently achieved her MBA !

November Speaker

Our speaker this month was:

Karen Phillips – Absolute Perfection

Karen runs her own business at:

17 Park Street, Treforest, Pontypridd and

can be contacted on: 01443 405500

Email: absoluteperfeti@aol.com

Absolute Perfection provides a comprehensive approach to health and wellness, by incorporating western therapies based in science and technology, as well as eastern therapies steeped
in centuries of tradition. They pride ourselves in being innovative, constantly evolving, and balanced in their approach. The facility is warm, comfortable and the staff rivals the industry's best. They don't take themselves too seriously, only the services and products they offer, and satisfying their customer’s expectations.

(Facials, Luxury Facials, Body Treatments, Hands and Feet. Special Offers on a monthly basis.)

Karen did a makeover demonstration on Angela Lewis, showing what cosmetics she was using and the technique. Karen answered questions during the demonstration.

Thank you Karen for an interesting evening, and I am sure you will be seeing our W.I. members at Absolute Perfection.

November Raffle Prize

Absolute Perfection Makeover on W.I. evening

Won by: Angela Lewis

Committee Members

We are still looking for members to run extra clubs re lunches/theatre and cinema visits/reading – whatever.

Refreshments Rota

We also need volunteers to help out for 9 December and put their names down for next year. Please see Gwenda Matthews with your names.

Forthcoming W.I. Events

23 Nov – Deck the Halls, St David’s Hall, Cardiff

Starts at 10am

25 Nov – Light A Candle Service, Llandaff Cathedral

12noon-1pm

1 Dec – Lunch at The Angel, Abergavenny

12.15pm


Colour Competition

No competition next month.

NEXT Month’s Meeting – 9 December

The 9th December will be our Christmas spectacular with quizzes, hot supper (delivered), optional Crimbo fancy dress and the opportunity to win a lovely silver bracelet. Starting at the earlier time of 7pm. JOin us for fun and frolics!!

Annual Meeting!

Wednesday January 14th will be our annual meeting. This means our subscriptions of £29.50 are due, so please bring them in an envelope with your name on to make our Treasurers job easier. We will also have the opportunity to vote in the President for the next year and make any changes to the Commitee that are requested.

Recipe of the Month - Seasonal

Sausage, Apple and Cranberry Stuffing

This recipe will stuff a 10-pound turkey (which serves six) plus extra. The usual pork sausage has been replaced with much healthier turkey sausage. Other dried fruits may also be used in place of cranberries.
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time : 25 mins
Ready In: 1 Hr 40 mins
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cubed whole wheat bread
*

3 3/4 cups cubed white bread
*

1 pound ground turkey sausage
*

1 cup chopped onion
*

3/4 cup chopped celery
*

2 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
*

1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
*

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
*

1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and chopped
*

3/4 cup dried cranberries
*

1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
*

1 cooked turkey liver, finely chopped
*

3/4 cup turkey stock
*

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Method

1.

Preheat oven to 350 degree F (175 degree C). Spread the white and whole wheat bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until evenly toasted. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl.

2.

In a large pan, cook the sausage and onions over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until evenly browned. Add the celery, sage, rosemary, and thyme; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to blend flavours.
3.

Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl. Mix in chopped apples, dried cranberries, parsley, and liver. Drizzle with turkey stock and melted butter, and mix lightly. Spoon into turkey to loosely fill.

Recipe taken from: Allrecipes.com - Thanksgiving
Next month perhaps some of our members can provide us with some information on Deck The Halls, for those of us unable to attend ?

Contact Details: yawi@hotmail.co.uk

October 2009 Newsletter

Hello Ynysangharad member,

Well, we’ve started our ‘new term’ so to speak, and we are slowly getting our systems sorted out. Don’t forget to notify us if you have formally joined this W.I. Group and are not receiving your newsletters etc, and we can look into it for you.

We should appreciate any items you would like placed in the newsletter or something you might have of interest ? Perhaps a recipe ? Would you like company to do something ? Try us, and we will do our best to help you.

October Speaker

Our speaker this month was our own:

Margaret Hill – EFT
Emotional Freedom Technique

Margaret gave a humorous yet thought provoking presentation on EFT. It must have been quite a sight with a room full of ladies tapping their heads. Unfortunately, one lady still will not give up her chocolate !! I am sure Margaret will provide further information if you ask her.

She is a trained Holistic Therapist and her details are: margaret@health-at-hand.co.uk or 01443 412021.


Federation Dinner at the Hi-Tide, Porthcawl

After a number of our members were unable to attend the above Dinner, twelve members eventually went. Approximately 200 women were there from surrounding areas within Glamorgan, so the Porthcawl venue was an ideal place for travelling purposes. A hot beef dinner was served, followed by apple pie and custard, then coffee. Although some of our vegetarian friends did not have such good fare. Owen

Money proved to be on top form, and I believe everyone enjoyed themselves. Fortunately, the Ynysangharad group were able to sit together, and yet again two of our members won the raffle.


Daffodils to Leeches – 7 Oct 09

Two talks with a difference. The first speaker was a trained herbalist (dressed as a Welsh lady), Jayne Milner - who practices in North Wales. She outlined part of the history of the use of herbs and oils, and spoke at length on how sage, cinnamon etc assists numerous ailments from hot flushes to diabetes. If you want to access further information try:

www.jaynemilner.com OR http://www/herbalremediesinfo.com/

Jayne did stress that people on medication should check that taking herbal remedies might impact upon prescribed medicine.
The second speaker was Kevin Stephens, the Chief Executive of a Company called Alzheim Ltd, based in Talgarth. This Company has grown a valley of a certain species of daffodils, and extract galanthamine (a part of the daffodil bulb) which has proven successful in stemming the progression of Alzheimer’s. They are now seeking a business partner to take this one step further from the research stage to produce an acceptable ‘pill’. Unfortunately, with all new drugs this is extremely expensive and has yet to be passed by NICE.

The attendance at the talks was extremely good, with another planned for the next day for more W.I. members.
Erica Hills gave a brief talk on the event to members at the October meeting, and if you want more information this can be obtained from the web, or ask us as we have copies.

October Raffle Prize

Set of 2 cocktail glasses


Committee Members

We have two new committee members – Pat Porch and Margaret Perry. If you would like
to volunteer and join them, be sure to let us know at the next meeting or via the contact details over the page. Your views and support is needed so much to mould our W.I.

Refreshments Rota

We also need volunteers to help out here as well for 11 Nov and 9 Dec.


Recipe of the Month

Melon and Feta Salad

To make this recipe work, choose a ripe, sweet melon with a nice aromatic smell. If you cannot find a ripe melon, it’s better to use a different fruit, such as a ripe mango or even strawberries. The feta can be left out, and fried bacon bits may be added.

Ingredients 2–3 small portions

1 spring onion
Sprig of fresh parsley
About 25g feta cheese cubes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons flaxseed or olive oil
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
1/2 very small cantaloupe melon

Method

Wash and chop the spring onion finely. Chop the parsley finely. Crumble the feta cheese.

Mix the spring onion with the parsley, lemon juice, oil, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.

Cut the melon into three wedges and scoop out the seeds. Remove the skin from the melon, cut the flesh into pieces and put them in a bowl.

Mix the feta and spring onion dressing thoroughly with the melon. Place each melon skin wedge on a small plate and spoon over 2–3 good tablespoons of melon salad.

Tip: This melon salad can be kept in the fridge for at least a day (so there is no need to eat it all in one go).

For a family of four: Double the ingredients and serve as a starter.

(Recipe taken from an article on Good Health, which appeared on the Saga website).


Colour Competition

For our next meeting the fun competition is centred around the colour PINK. Just light entertainment as part of the evening, and is not compulsory.


NEXT MONTH

11 November 2009 at 7.30pm

Our speaker is:

Karen Phillips - Absolute Perfection
Beauty and Skincare for the Festive Season
Christmas Lunch – 1 Dec 09 - Abergavenny

Only 7 members so far. Deposits needed at next meeting (£11.50).

Contact Details

yawi@hotmail.co.uk
Lyn Daunton 01443 664768
Lynne Harris 01443 482274

You can still access the Ynysangharad W.I. website on: www.yawi.co.uk if you want to
pick up your newsletter and additional W.I. information. You will receive a copy by mail
if you do not have access to a computer.

September 2009 Newsletter

Hello Ynysangharad member,

Welcome back following the summer break. We hope everyone has re-charged their batteries and are now raring to go for the autumn. For those who missed our September meeting here is an update of our news, and a memory check for those who were there!

This is the members’ newsletter and your views are important. Contact details can be found over the page if you would like to include something.

You should now be in receipt of your programme for the year, but at every meeting there will be additional events put forward from the main W.I. Federation, and possible amendments.


September Speaker

The speaker for this month was:
Sheenagh Pugh – Welsh Poet and Novelist.
Sheenagh gave a fascinating insight into how she structured her poems and novels, and gave readings from a selection of her publications. In fact, two of her fans came from another W.I. to listen to her talk.

Thank you Sheenagh.

Raffle Winner

The raffle winner – of the lovely Rennie McKintosh china set was Janet Davies.

Well deserved!

Visit

We had a visit at the September meeting from our Glamorgan Federation Chair - Pam Dinham accompanied by Claire Atherton - Federation Treasurer. We hope you enjoyed the evening ladies, and we look forward to seeing you again.


Next Month

Our speaker next month is:

Margaret Hill
EFT – Emotional Freedom Technique
October 2009 at 7.30pm

Following a brief trial of the speaker starting the meeting, the feedback from our advisor was that we should revert back to having our speaker after the refreshments.


Group News

We are still looking for someone to take on board starting some of our subgroups. These groups are: Reading, Walking, Theatre and a Lunch Club or any other subject. This will not be a major task, as you will be given help, and the members’ enthusiasm usually helps. Please come forward and try to see if it will work, after all it is your W.I.

Walk in August

The weather could not have been better when our W.I. Secretary - Jan Davies organised the first walk on Saturday, 25 July from The Navigation, Abercynon. Eight people went on the 5 mile walk, when they called in to the Charity Garden at Pontygwaith Farm for refreshments and a tour around the garden.

The people who open this garden to the public give the donations to the McMillan Fund.
Following the visit to the gardens the group had a meal in The Navigation Pub. Everyone who went on the walk said they enjoyed the day. So successful in fact, they are waiting for the next walk to be arranged !

Thank you Janice, (and for Erica giving a brief talk on it at the meeting).


Committee Members

We are still looking for committee members to help out. If you would like to volunteer be sure to let us know at the next meeting or via the contact details over the page. Your views and support is needed so much to mould our W.I.

Our Website

The Ynysangharad W.I. website is: www.yawi.co.uk if you want to pick up your newsletter and additional W.I. information.


Refreshment Rota

Gwenda Matthews is currently organising the rota. If you can, and if you haven’t put your name down on the refreshment rota yet, we have a few meetings left to take us through the rest of the year, and start us off for next year. Your help would be appreciated as everyone enjoys a ‘cuppa’ during the meeting. Please see Gwenda at the next meeting to offer her help. I am sure she will be delighted to speak to you.

Dates: 14 Oct, 11 Nov, 9 Dec.


Reminders

Hi Tide Dinner – 30 Sept 09
Daffodils to Leeches – 7 Oct 09
Possible Christmas Lunch – 1 Dec 09


Recipe of the Month - Something different ?

Sausage and Carrot Casserole & Apple Gravy

Serves 4 Ready in 50 mins

Heat 1tsp of oil in casserole dish, and brown 12 Lincolnshire sausages. Remove. Add 1 finely chopped onion, 2 peeled and diced carrots, 4 diced rashers of streaky bacon and 1 sliced leek to dish. Cook for 10 minutes.

Stir in 1tsp plain flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly blend in 200mil apple juice and 100ml chicken stock. Bring to boil, add sausages and simmer for 25 minutes.

Add 2 peeled, cored and diced apples, and cook for 10 minutes. Add 1tsp wholegrain mustard and 1tbsp finely chopped sage.

Serve with mash.

Do you have a favourite recipe we can use?

Please let us know!


Colour Competition

For our next meeting the fun competition is centred around the colour BLACK. This is just light entertainment as part of the evening, and is not compulsory.


Contact Details

yawi@hotmail.co.uk
Lyn Daunton 01443 664768
Lynne Harris 01443 482274

Christmas Meal – please note

Details of our Christmas Lunch at the Angel Hotel in Abergvenny will be given at the 14 October meeting, but a deposit of £11.50 will be required on the night. Total cost of meal £23.00. Menu will be available to see.

July 2009 Newsletter

Hello Ynysangharad member,

If you missed the July meeting the newsletter will keep you up to date with what is happening with our Ynysangharad WI.

This is our newsletter and your views and contributions are important. If you have any news items, comments, recipes, gardening tips or anything that would be of interest to our group. Please contact Lyn on 01443 664768


July Speaker

Our speaker this month was Colin Hill who gave a very interesting but a somewhat disturbing talk about the toxicity of the products we use on a daily basis. He made us think about the chemicals in our shampoo, toothpaste, kitchen cleaner and even in washed salad and the effect they may have on us. He also said that it is sometimes very challenging to find out what is in the product and he demonstrated this by using a magnifying glass to find out the ingredients in a child’s bubble bath. We were shocked that all sorts of chemicals were added to make it smell good, to give it a good colour and to prolong its shelf life. It's unlikely that you'd feel safe with your grandchildren using it! He pointed out that we are surrounded by toxins, some we can’t avoid like breathing in polluted air but we can avoid others and we should become more aware of hidden toxins for the sake of our health. Many thanks to Colin for a very thought provoking discussion.

Events and Clubs

Walking Club

25 July - 4 mile (approx) walk from The Navigation Pub in Abercynon starting at 11.00 am and stopping for refreshments at the Open Charity Garden at Pontygwaith Farm. The walk is now fully booked but we will put on another one soon. For those of you who are going on the walk please remember to wear appropriate clothing and footwear for walking. Please contact Jan if you have any queries 01443 203606.

Glamorgan Federation Events

30 September - Dinner with Owen Money at the Hi Tide Inn, Porthcawl. The evening starts at 7.00 pm. Please contact Jan if you would like to join us of if you have any queries. 01443 203606

7 October - "From Leeches to Daffodils" Ystradowen Village Hal l- a talk by Jayne Milner, historical re-enactor, clinical herbalist and roving apothecary.
2.00-5.00 pm. No further bookings can be taken.

Ynysangharad WI Summer Trip

22nd August – 'Alice through the Looking Glass' at the National Botanical Gardens of Wales nr Carmarthen.
The trip will cost £20 per person and includes transport and admittance but not lunch so please bring either a packed lunch or refreshments are available in one of the cafes at the Gardens.

We intend to leave Pontypridd at 9:30am which will hopefully give everyone enough time to look around the garden and enjoy the tour before the theatre event starts at 2:30pm. We will leave the Gardens at approx. 4:00pm.

There is no additional charge for the performances in addition to the normal admission prices, so the £20 is a flat rate for all.

The Gardens have said that we need to be aware that these are outdoor theatre events and will take place outside (that is not undercover and definitely not indoors) in all but the most extreme weather conditions. So it is advisable to bring blankets/shawls, warm clothes and low-backed seating if you'd prefer not to spread out on a picnic rug.

If you have not yet signed up to the trip but would like to go, please contact Lyn Daunton on 01443 664768 by the 25th July 2009- as we need to arrange transport and inform the Botanical Gardens of numbers for the theatre and tour.


Colour Competition

Eight people brought ‘orange’ things all of which displayed very imaginative thinking. The competition was judged by Colin, our speaker who chose the very well constructed clockwork orange . Next months competition colour is Violet.

Please remember that there is no August meeting due to our trip to the Botanical Gardens. Our next meeting is on September 9th.

Our September speaker will be:
Sheenagh Pugh - Welsh Woman Poet and Novelist

June 2009 Newsletter

Hello all, and here already is the second Ynysangharad WI Newsletter!

If you missed the last meeting, hopefully the newsletter will keep you up to date with what is happening on what we have to offer and how we are progressing.

We are still waiting for all your exciting articles and if you missed the 10th June meeting, you will find details below.

This is the members newsletter and your views are important. Contact details can be found over the page.

You should now be in receipt of your programme for the year, but at every meeting there will be additional events put forward from the main W.I. Federation.

June Speaker

The speaker for this month was Aisling Judge who demonstrated to the group how to plant two different hanging baskets to attract bees.

The first basket was a semi weave one containing plants for a sunny aspect, with dahlias. The second basket was for the shade, constructed of moss and compost with lobelia, apple mint, chives, ivy and a fuchsia in the centre.

Aisling’s advice was when planting hanging baskets to keep the compost dry, but to wet the plants. Hanging baskets can dry out, and sometimes watering from the top is ineffective and just runs through, so take the basket down and soak from the bottom by placing it in a wheelbarrow (if available) or a large pot/bowl to absorb the water. You can tell if watering is required by placing your hand under the basket and if it feels light, it needs water.

The raffle winner chose the basket for a sunny aspect, and the shady basket was offered for sale for £10. Both members were equally pleased !

Many thanks for Aisling for an interesting demonstration.

Happy basket filling........

Next Month
Our speaker next month is: Colin Hill

Toxic Shop! Health Challenges We Face
8th July 2009 at 7.30pm

Members decided at the last meeting that they would prefer the speaker to start the meeting, and then we have refreshments and finish with the business. It was agreed to try this.

Groups News!

We are still developing as a new W.I. group and more members started to sign up for the 4 new subgroups. These groups were: Reading, Walking, Theatre and a Lunch Club. Jan Davies is proposing to organise a walk sometime in August. The date - to be confirmed.

Committee Members

Two new members offered to join the committee and we now have an archivist
as well. Please don’t be shy... we are still looking for committee members to help out and so if you like to volunteer be sure to let us know at the next meeting or via the contact details over the page. Your views and support is needed.

August Trip

Ynysangharad WI Summer Trip 22nd August – Alice through the Looking Glass. If anyone would like to go on this trip please contact Lyn Daunton on 01443 664768 by the 25th July as we need to arrange transport and inform the Botanical gardens. The trip will now cost £20 per person which will include transport and admittance but not lunch so please bring a packed lunch although refreshments are available.

We intend to leave Pontypridd at 9:30, which will hopefully give everyone enough time to look around the garden and or join a tour before the theatre event starts. We will leave at around 4:00 (ish).

Alice starts at 2.30pm on the Millennium Lawn

For Alice, there is no additional charge for the performances in addition to the normal admission prices.

Visitors are also encouraged to bring picnics, rugs and low-backed seating.

Please be aware, these are outdoor theatre events and will take place outside (that is not undercover and definitely not indoors) in all but the most extreme weather conditions.

Website and Email Contact

The Ynysangharad W.I. website is up and running that you can visit at www.yawi.co.uk The website has a chat facility so that you can leave messages for other members on the site. You can also use the email address yawi@hotmail.co.uk as a contact email address and please feel free to share this with any potential members.

Refreshment Rota

If you can, and you haven’t got your name down on the refreshment rota yet, we have a few gaps left to take us through the rest of the year, so your help would be appreciated.

Recipe of the Month

Sensational Summer Pudding

225g blueberries 225g strawberries
340g raspberries 150g caster sugar
Knob of butter
7-8 slices of good quality white bread

Method

Rinse all the fruit. Put fruit and sugar in a large saucepan – medium heat for approx 4 minutes until sugar dissolved and juices begin to run. Don’t overcook. Lightly butter an 850ml pudding basin, line with bread slices, cutting a round from one slice to fit the bottom of the basin, pressing edges together so there are no gaps. Pour fruit in, keeping back 2tsp of juice. Cover pudding with another slice of bread. Place a small saucer/plate on top, with a 1.5kg weight on top. Leave in fridge overnight. Turn out onto a large dish and spoon juice over. Serve with cream or ice cream.

Do you have any recipes we can use?
Please let us know

Orange Competition

For our next meeting, it was voted that members would have a fun competition and bring along something orange with a slogan of some sort as a description.

Other W.I’s have done this and it has proved to provide some light entertainment as part of the evening.

Contact Details

Email: yawi@hotmail.co.uk

Emma Gwynnett 01443 483777 (daytime)
Lyn Daunton 01443 664768
Lynne Harris 01443 482274

May 2009 Newsletter

Hello all and welcome to the first Ynysangharad WI Newsletter!

It is hoped that this newsletter will be produced every month and will allow members to keep up to date with what is happening in the group. As it is your newsletter please make sure that you are as involved as possible in bringing news or items of interest forward so that they can be shared. Contact details can be found at the bottom of the page.

An initial programme has also been produced and can download one on the left or can get one at the next meeting.

Happy reading :)


May Speaker

This month’s speaker was Sheena Sarjeant who gave the group an interesting and informative guide to cooking with exotic fruits. Everyone had the opportunity to taste a wide range of fruits, including sharon, papaya and dragon fruits and also sampled Sheena’s delicious ‘Chicken Kiwi’ and ‘Passion Fruit Pavlova’. You can find Sheena’s recipe for Lemon or Lime Curd further down the page…..


June Speaker

‘Baskets and Bees’ is the title of our June talk with a demonstration by Aisling Judge on how to produce a perfect hanging basket. She will also be offering advice on what plants to use to entice bees into your garden- this is in line with this year’s WI ‘SOS Honey Bees’ resolution. N.B: You can also win Aisling’s basket in the raffle!


Groups News!

We are still finding our feet as a new W.I. group but the last meeting saw members starting to sign up for 4 new subgroups. These were: Reading Group; Walking Group; Theatre Group and a Lunch Club. If you would like to join one of these groups please let a commitee member know (contact details further down the page). It is hoped that members will come forward to take over these groups, so please also let us know if you’d be happy to lead one of these (or a new!) group. They need your help and input to flourish!


Committee Members

We are still looking for committee members to help out and so if you like to volunteer be sure to let us know at the next meeting or via the contact details at the bottom of the page.


Lunch Club

It is proposed that the first Lunch Club meeting takes place on Tuesday 23rd June from 12-2pm at Alfred’s in Pontypridd. Alfred’s have very kindly agreed to let us use them as a base and they have a special (delicious looking) two
course lunch menu available for £8.95. If you would like to join the Lunch Club can you please bring a £5 deposit to the next meeting so that we can secure a table.


August Trip- Getting Voting!

The planning for the first August trip is well under way and group members need to cast their vote for the date they’d like. The trip will be to the National Botanic Gardens nr Carmarthen and will include transport to and from Pontypridd, a guided tour of the gardens, a light lunch and an open air theatre performance.

The choice of dates are: Saturday 8th August – A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Saturday 22nd August- Alice Through the Looking Glass.

Members can vote up until the end of the June 10th meeting for their choice of date and the majority vote will carry. You can submit your vote by ‘phone, email or in person at the June 10th meeting. Tickets will be £25 all inclusive and a £10 deposit needs to be submitted at the 8th July meeting at the latest. All lady friends of members welcome (subject to availability).


Website and Email Contact

As you can see! TWe have the new Ynysangharad W.I. website up and running that you are visiting here at www.yawi.co.uk Members present at the May meeting decided that ‘yawi’ (standing for Ynys Anghard WI) was snappier than ynysangharadwi.co.uk and so yawi it was! The website has a chat facility on the home page so that you can leave messages for other members on the site. You can also use the email address yawi@hotmail.co.uk as a contact email address and please feel free to share this with any potential members.


Free Email and Internet Training

For those of you not comfortable with Information Technology, you will be able to access news and information via the newsletter. However, if you would like to learn how to get onto the ‘information super highway’ , Pontypridd Library has kindly offered to run a FREE 4 week course for our W.I. members. This will run at the library on a Thursday morning 11-12. If you are interested please contact Emma as soon as possible.


Refreshment Rota

If you haven’t got your name down on the refreshment rota yet, make sure you sign up next meeting as there are still some gaps left. The June 10th refreshments are being organised by Pat Porch and Margaret Perry- thanks ladies!


Recipe of the month!

Sheena’s lemon or lime curd kicks off our new ‘Recipe of the Month’ section. You could use this is a lemon tart, lemon meringue pie or spread it on your toast in the morning!

Lemon (or Lime) Curd

½ pt fresh juice from approx 6 lemon or limes
½ pt eggs, beaten and strained
200g butter
725g granulated sugar

Method

After removing the zest of the lemons with a potato peeler, squeeze well to make up ½ pt juice.

Mix the juice, zest, butter and sugar together in a bowl and either set over a pan of water on the stove or heat in the microwave until all the sugar is dissolved.

Allow the mixture to cool.

Add the beaten eggs and either set over a pan of water on the stove or microwave until the mixture has thickened to the desired consistency.

If you have a favourite meal or tasty treat that you’d like to share, make sure you bring the recipe to the next meeting!


Contact Details

Email: yawi@hotmail.co.uk

Lyn Daunton 01443 664768
Lynne Harris 01443 482274