City Cottage No 5 | Page 15

Then - I have them. Large numbers of pies. Are these ready for the continued consumption of the holiday season? Not these pies! In the name of frugal living, in the need to continue the memory of family feasting and joy and the hatred of waste. The undeniable organisational obsession. Ladies and gentlemen, I confess that the boxing day pies usually last until Easter! Once a week, the freezer draw is opened and pies are dished up. The flavours of Christmas taking us to the next holiday season. What to do when Easter comes and there are no more pies? What to dish up once a week? What will take up the place of the flavours and memories of family together around the Christmas table? That’s when I remember….. Spring will have sprung and the fresh supply of own grown and the satisfaction of providing food through the new season brings its’ own sense of togetherness and giving which goes beyond the winter solstice.

Just as we complain at the sight of Easter eggs in the shops the day after Christmas, I know that I have secretly and frugally planned up to the same time- not in a sinister marketing plan, but through the optimism that we have made it through another year and are able to joyfully look forward to the next.

You can find Jayne's website by visiting :

http://www.allotmentcooks.co.uk/

And on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/jaypop74

Recipes available at Allotment Cooks include: Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Chutney, Pumpkin Loaf, Pumpkin Curry Dishes, Butternut Squash Soup and Curry as well as ideas from the community on stuffed smaller squashes.

By Jeremy Keith (originally posted to Flickr as Mince pies) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons