My favorite recipes

This is the second installment of a report on a Christmas trip to the British Isles by Gazette recipe columnist Linda Marler.

Christmas in rural Norfolk County, England, has surprises, but mostly it has a very pleasant country feel.

Our first impression on arriving in Mundford is that the English must love blue Christmas lights; they dominate the landscape here, and when they are flashing or twinkling, they really get one’s attention.

All of the shops are decked out in Christmas decor, and the Castle Hotel in Conwy, Wales, was very elegantly done up. The specialty foods in the supermarket caught our attention, too. There are so many varieties of mince pies and tarts and also a variety of steamed puddings. We tried some tiny tarts, and they had the flavor of mincemeat, but just raisins, filling and seasonings, not real mincemeat like some of our mothers and grandmothers made from scratch.

Cakes and sweet treats in shops were available in wide variety. This is the land where biscuits are cookies, with the exception of chocolate chip cookies. They have nothing similar to American baking powder biscuits. A favorite of our family is the Yorkshire puddings, popovers cooked in the drippings of a beef roast.

This truly seems to be the nation of brussel sprouts—freshly bagged or on the stem. Broccoli and root vegetables are abundant, too. Turkey and beef joints (English for roasts) are popular for Christmas dinner, as well as lamb roasts. Cranberries are popular, too.

Chef Jamie Oliver was exceedingly busy showing us how to prepare all of the traditional English Christmas dishes with a gourmet flair on English television. We found that our brussels sprouts should be steamed until tender, then sauteed with diced onion and pancetta for extra flavor. His Beef Wellington, a beef tenderloin wrapped in puff pastry with finely chopped and sauteed mushrooms between beef and pastry, looked like a sure winner. We had to stop watching!

On Christmas Eve, shops and stores were busy, but many were closing at 5 p.m. A quick run at 4:30 after checking supplies had to keep us fed until Thursday morning. There were a number of British vendors selling hats, mittens, handbags and all sorts of things at the RAF Lakenheath Base Exchange who were packing up by 4 p.m. to go home and begin their own Christmas celebration.

It appears that military members are skilled last-minute shoppers, too. The BX is for military members and their dependents only. People watching was a joy and the variety of accents in such a place and then stirring in a variety of British accents produced a wide variety of styles of speaking English.

Yallop’s Butcher Shop in Mundford prepared a beautiful crown lamb roast for us and they included the bones and trimmings. Allison sauteed the bones, some shallots, added rosemary and simmered the stock through the evening. That reduced stock makes a wonderful gravy for Christmas dinner.

Another traditional English dish graces the tables of many Americans living there—roasted root vegetables. Carrots, parsnips and sometimes potatoes, chunks of garlic, rosemary leaves and pieces of kale sprinkled with coarse salt and drizzled with olive oil, are baked in a casserole for an hour or so, depending on the size of the vegetable pieces.

Late afternoon service at the Anglican Church in Mundford (Episcopal in the United States) focused on the children. Any child large and dependable enough was holding an orange which was decorated with toothpicks, a ribbon around the center to designate the equator and a candle on top. The candles were lit and carols were sung. The small, beautiful church was all built of stone and looking its best, filled with people and with the organ booming out Christmas music. They sang every verse, too.

Christmas morning dawned sunny and clear, a great time to walk the dog. We were not the only ones with that idea. On the edge of Mundford is an old manor house, Lynford Hall, with walking trails to and from Mundford and through Thetford Forest. These trails pass a stream and small lakes and are popular with walkers and runners. Lynford Hall is thriving in its second life as a hotel, restaurant, wedding venue and conference center.

The trails are generally well used and Christmas morning there were many out enjoying nature. These are areas where dogs who are well-behaved are welcome to run off leash. Since the Tucker’s dog is a five-month old Labrador retriever, the waterfowl are very interesting to her. Two graceful swans all puffed up and hissing at her have made her more cautious. “Happy Christmas!” is the traditional greeting here as walkers meet.

People from Eastern Washington are accustomed to early dusk and late sunrise in the winter because we are 48.88 degrees north. Mundford is 52.51 degrees north, and in December, over three degrees further north, is noticeable.

Christmas Day, sunrise was at 7:33 a.m. and sunset was at 4:05 p.m.

The RAF Lakenheath gym has lightboxes for people to use who are negatively affected by lack of sunlight. In summer, it is lighter even longer here than in Colfax.

While the local Royal Air Force bases, Lakenheath, Mildenhall, and Feltwell, have base housing and the military also provides off-base housing in some small towns, some families choose to lease homes in the villages. They meet the local people and become better acquainted with the countryside. These RAF bases have honorary RAF commanders, but nearly all personnel on these bases are Americans in fighter, tanker and helicopter squadrons. There are also active Royal Air Force bases manned by the British.

Several other locally leased homes we visited were older homes attractively renovated and updated, featuring historic architectural features and updated kitchens, bathrooms and elegant lighting. Those who live “on the local economy” must have a UK bank account, transfer money to it from their home banks and pay their rent and utility bills in British pounds.

Thousands of American Army Air Force personnel were stationed here during World War II and the first volunteers from the US joined the famed Eagle Squadron, flying for the British. After the US entered the war, they joined the US AAF, continuing to fly from England. This part of East Anglia had many air bases for both fighter and bomber aircraft.

Many of those airfields still exist. Rougham Airfield, where John Ellis of Colfax was based, now has a small museum and an engine from his bomber and the story of the flight in which they ditched in the sea. The late Don Hart of Colfax was a fighter pilot flying out of Duxford which is now an Imperial War Museum. Duxford has aircraft from both Britain and the US, plus equipment and displays from the European ground war.

East Anglia was a practical choice for airfields because the area is closest to Germany. Bomber crews had to complete 25 missions out of England to qualify to go home, a very tough job.

Due to all of those airplanes flying here during WWII, there is a huge interest in aviation in East Anglia, from plane spotting around the local bases to a large number of people who fly remote-controlled models at fields like Rougham Airfield and for light aircraft on its two grass runways.

Recipe:

Crown Roast

of Lamb

Have the butcher prepare a crown roast, and he can calculate how large by the number of adults and children will be dining. Ask the butcher to include the bones he removes.

Rub kosher salt into the meat. Marinate the roast in a large bowl with 2 parts olive oil to 1 part red wine vinegar, and add fresh rosemary leaves and garlic.

Saute or roast the bones, then place in a large stock pot with water, rosemary, and sauteed shallots. Boil for hours, reducing the stock.

Preheat oven to degrees 375 degrees F. Place the crown roast on a rack in the roasting pan, roasting until medium rare. Let the roast rest, tented with foil, while making the gravy.

Strain the reduction sauce and add pan juices. Thicken with a little cornstarch blended with cold water, if desired, or simply simmer to reduce the volume.

While the British add some mint flavoring to the gravy, some Americans prefer to serve minted apple jelly on the side.