Do you find yourself yearning for the old days when life was simple and we ate good wholesome proper food? Or is this just me getting nostalgic again?

Even if you’re not an oldie, a little too prone to reminiscing, you’ll still thank me for introducing you to Tracklements Chutneys. They’re based in Wiltshire, where the founder, William Tullberg, discovered an old recipe for Wholegrain Mustard in the 1970s. He not only had a go at making it, but started selling it in his local pub, then not long after, unbelievably, Harrods took it on.

But he didn’t stop there. He searched out recipes for different savoury jellies, chutneys and sauces (even using a 17^th century recipe from an old book). And now, half a century later Tracklements have over 50 products and export to 24 different countries, and his son, Guy is continuing the family tradition.

So what’s their secret? Well no secret really, they simply choose the best ingredients, sourced from farms and small businesses across England. A fabulous example is the fruit for their crabapple jelly. Primary school children help pick them – the children learn about making traditional English preserves, and the school receives 50p per kg of apples collected, plus 25p per jar of crabapple jelly sold – win win. But it’s not just the fruit, vegetables and herbs which are grown locally, Tracklements have an arrangement with Aspell Cider company – another family business – to make a high quality cider vinegar for their preserves; the beer for the Beer Mustard is made just a few miles from Tracklements in Wiltshire, and the Cider Brandy for the Apple and Cider Brandy Chutney is from Dorset. How brilliant is that? (I’m getting nostalgic again).

 But the part I love most is that, despite having grown over the years, everything is still made by hand, in small batches using traditional recipes. 

Well, I don’t know about you, but having read the Tracklements story, I couldn’t wait to see if the local ingredients and careful production meant great taste. Happily Tracklements provided their Special Edition Coriander and Chilli Chutney for me to try. What can I say? Wow- Just Wow. I have never tasted chutney like it. The coriander was so fresh it was as if it had just been plucked from my herb garden and the flavours blended perfectly with a subtle bite from the chillie to balance the sweetness. The cider vinegar was delicate, complementing, not overpowering the natural flavours. It would go great with Indian dishes, also with a barbeque or even a mild cheese.

Amazingly, despite being hand-made from specially sourced ingredients, it cost just £3.75. I just loved it and I’m scrolling through their on-line shop with credit card in hand as I type – I may go for the chilli jam next.

Do follow this link to their website – you’ll be glad you did.

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By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

Today, 21^st June 2022 is the Summer Solstice. It marks the longest day of the year & the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere. It signifies change, new beginning’s, nature & the seasons & has been marked for generations & by cultures all over the world.

Stonehenge an ancient monument was erected around 2500 BCE & some historians believe is was built to establish the date of the summer solstice since the sun rises at a particular point on the horizon on the day of the solstice.

In China the solstice is a time to celebrate femininity & yin forces, complimenting the more masculine yang forces of the winter solstice. According to Chinese tradition the shortest shadow is found on the day of the summer solstice & is demonstrated as such in the Chinese symbol for yang & yin.

The Summer Solstice has been described as the day when the sun seems to stand still. Solstice comes from Latin: sol meaning sun, sistere meaning stand still. On the Summer Solstice the sun reaches its most northern & highest point, hovering & appearing to stand still over the Tropic of Cancer. Then it reverses direction & starts moving south again. The same happens at the Winter Solstice as it reaches its most southerly point directly above the Tropic of Cancer, hovers & appears to be standing still & then reverses direction back to the north.

Interestingly, the Summer Solstice isn’t always on 21^st June, occurring at any point between 20-22^nd June, although 22^nd June solstices are rare. The last one took place in 1975 & there won’t be another until 2203.

Although the Summer Solstice marks the first day of summer, the days start to gradually get shorter at first & then as we approach the winter solstice more rapidly so. But temperatures tend to continue rising with the Summer Solstice often not coinciding with the hottest day because the land masses & oceans take so long to heat up & cool down.

The Summer Solstice also does not mean that the sun is closer to the earth. The sun’s distance to the earth has very little effect over the seasons, which are driven by the Earth’s tilt of 23.4 degrees. Earth is actually furthest away from the sun at this time of year. Earth’s tilt also does not change as it rotates around the sun, what actually changes is the position of the hemispheres in relation to the Sun.

You may also be surprised to read that even though it’s the longest day it’s not the earliest sunrise everywhere, which usually happens a few days before & the latest sunset a few days later. This is due to the imbalances between measuring time using clocks & time measured by sundials.

Within the Arctic circle, there is 24 hour’s daylight on the Summer Solstice & likewise 24 hours of night on the Antartic.

Summer & Winter Solstices have been celebrated around the world for generations. And yoga is no exception. Flowing through sun salutations are a beautiful way to play homage to the Sun & all it does for us providing us with warmth, light, energy. Often you will find people practicing 108 Sun Salutations in a more meditative practice to shift energy & cultivate a sense of surrender.

What is the significance of 108? Well it has appeared in many ancient, sacred texts. In numerology, 108 add up to 9, the number symbolizing universal love, eternity & awakening. In Ayurveda medicine, said to be the oldest medicine on the planet & yoga’s sister science, there are 108 sacred points on the body. In Astronomy the distance between the Sun & the Earth is approx. 108 times the Sun’s diameter. Mala beads have 108 beads & are used to count during meditation.

Tonight I am practicing a Summer Solstice yoga practice in our regular class & then going home to tune into an online event to celebrate this auspicious day. However you choose to honour & celebrate the Summer Solstice may it herald new beginnings to you all.

Alex is based on the edge of the stunning Cotswolds & has been sharing her love for all things yoga & mindfulness for almost a decade, not just in the UK but also around the world. Her mission is to help everyone discover a more mindful way of living & to encourage them to embrace regular self-care practices for a happier & healthier way of being.

If you would like more information on how to practice mindfulness, meditation & yoga message her at alex@alexbannard.com.

For free resources check out her Facebook group: Mindfulness & Yoga for Self-Care, here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MindfulnessYoga4Relationships

Alternatively please check out her website: alexbannard.com

Joffe are today introducing us to an unforgettable historical family saga series by much-loved author Grace Thompson. Set in South Wales,  these heartwarming tales are just up my, and others, street – and look at the jackets – glorious.

Grace Thompson’s GOODBYE TO DREAMS and PAINT ON THE SMILES, books one and two in the Owen Sisters Family Saga series, are out now for just 99p | 99c for a limited time only.

GOODBYE TO DREAMS by Grace Thompson

South Wales, 1929.    In a beautiful corner of the south Wales coast, the Owen sisters run their family’s grocery shop. The popular seaside resort has always been their haven, even when their mother abandoned them.

Now Cecily and Ada live above the shop with their father and Myfanwy, a six-year-old girl they adopted when her parents died. With the assistance of friends and Willie, their hardworking stable boy, the shop becomes a roaring success. Their deliveries extend to the stalls and cafés on the beach, where one stall handler, Peter, becomes a close friend.

But their success is overshadowed by heartache.   Cecily’s wedding is cancelled.
Ada’s marriage is crumbling.   And a life-changing secret is unveiled.    Relationships will come and go, secrets will be revealed, but will the sisters’ relationship survive it all?

PAINT ON THE SMILES by Grace Thompson

South Wales, 1938.    Summer has arrived in the beautiful coastal corner of south Wales where for Cecily and Ada Owen business is booming. Holidaymakers are beginning to arrive and the cafés, tea stalls and shops lining the Pleasure Beach are clamouring to place orders with the Owen sisters’ shop.

But clouds are gathering on the horizon. War is looming and Ada’s husband, Phil, is released from prison. Phil’s arrest humiliated Ada and made the ugly sisters the subject of local gossip.  Phil is still a dangerous crook and Ada no longer recognizes the man she married. Meanwhile, Myfanwy is harbouring unspoken resentments — towards the mother who so long denied her — and is planning a cruel revenge.     Can the Owen sisters survive what’s coming their way and celebrate the end of the war with hope in their hearts?    This unputdownable historical family saga is packed with memorable characters you’re sure to fall in love with.

Perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries, Rosie Goodwin, Dilly Court, Tania Crosse, Carole Llewellyn, Fern Britton, Faith Hogan and Bill Kitson.

CLICK HERE TO BUY GOODBYE TO DREAMS BY GRACE THOMPSON FOR JUST 99P | 99C.

CLICK HERE TO BUY PAINT ON THE SMILES BY GRACE THOMPSON FOR JUST 99P | 99C.

And… And…  Evans Above by Rhys Bowen The most wonderful title – it has to be cozy and amusing. (my absolute favourite type of crime)  Read it, read it. You’ll love it. (Seems to be Welsh week at Joffe Books, and why not indeed.)

EVANS ABOVE  is the first in an unmissable cozy mystery series set in the sleepy Welsh village of Llanfair — out now for just 99p | 99c.*  ONLY available in the UK and Commonwealth, and best to check the offer is live and available in your location before purchasing.

Constable Evan Evans leaves the big city for the sleepy Welsh village of Llanfair.

Llanfair is his childhood home, nestled high in the beautiful Welsh mountains he is called in to investigate the deaths of two hikers on Mount Snowdon. It looks like a tragic mishap, but Evans isn’t convinced.  Then, a third body is found on the mountain. The man’s throat has been slit. Crikey, so this one  certainly is no accident. Does it deepen Evans’ suspicions about the hikers? Is there  a murderer in their midst who has slain all  three? And … roll of drums … is he or she also  linked  to the mysterious destruction of – no surely not –  Mrs Powell-Jones’ prize-winning tomatoes?

Yes, I did say tomatoes. Oh, my heart sings. Yours will too.

If you love Midsomer Murders, Faith Martin, Simon Brett, Glenda Young, Stella Cameron, Frances Evesham, Richard Osman, L.J. Ross, Clare Chase, Margaret Mayhew or M.C. Beaton, prepare to be hooked by this enchanting character-driven mystery

Rhys Bowen is a New York Times bestselling author and Edgar Award nominee and it shows. Really it does. Lovely jubbly book. 

Not yet 40 years old, Jon Cross (pen name) has been a criminal barrister, wine merchant, landscape gardener, a Conservative councillor and Cabinet member for a district council.

Jon, sadly, did not achieve greatness in these positions. However, his amusing view of modern political correctness and the world’s ever-increasing conformity gave him an advantage. He can write! And heavens, such a timely novel and seriously good. You will love it.

Was it Frankie Howard who said, ‘Titter ye not.’ Well, you will in this instance, but also very much pause for thought.

Being Woake follows Sebastian Woake: successful barrister, reluctant politician and a man struggling with political correctness.

Based on the author’s surprisingly real-life experiences, Being Woake is one man’s sometimes questioning yet amusing and politically incorrect journey attempting to answer the impossible: how to be woke in 21st century Britain?

“Newly elected onto the local district council, Woake’s political career will lead him to contend with the challenges which are quangos, obnoxious Chinese delegations, rampaging bulls, pompous (and occasionally corrupt) councillors, flirtatious colleagues, exploding nightclubs, over-zealous equality and diversity trainers, and dreary civil servants.

When he is promoted to lead the finance team (as surprising as it is unlooked for) Woake must achieve the impossible; keeping a bankrupt council financially solvent whilst maintaining his tumultuous legal career. Hate crime, Latvian drug traffickers, benefits cheats and an overbearing Head of Chambers are just some of the problems he faces.”

Jon says:

“Being Woake was written as my response to the on-going campaign of wokeness, raged by those in authority but not necessarily with the consent of the public. All of the events in the novel either happened, or very nearly could have happened had there been another twist of fate. First and foremost, I want the reader to be entertained and to laugh out loud, but I also want the reader to be enlightened about the inner workings of the justice system and local government, both of which have far-reaching consequences for the public.”

Jon now lives in the Surrey Hills with his wife, family and two dogs.

You can buy a copy of Jons Cross’ new book on many websites including Amazon and Waterstones.