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The Old Fireside
WHEN from the north the cold wind blows,
And when Jack Frost grips keen;
When fields are bare an ev’ry wood
Has lost its tint of green;
When leaves no longer deck the trees.
How quick the moments glide.
When we sit down in comfort
By our old fireside.
A king may boast of palaces;
A duke may boast of land;
And both have servants at their heels
To run at their command.
But with all their pedigrees:
With all their pomp and pride;
The working man’s as happy
By his old fireside.
L. A. Wentworth
The winter months in Great Britain tend not to be filled with cross country skiing, skating and the traditional winter sports of other northern European countries; that might change given the recent colder weather global warming seems to be bringing us. With the Sporting calendar winding down for the year its shooting, fishing and riding that take up the slack during a British winter and of course the pub. There is a noticeable growing interest in country sports in general; activities, what to wear and the sporting look from stylists and designers and the younger generation.
Established for 40 years in the famous Portobello rd, Henry Gregory has built on quality becoming a leading specialist in sporting art, luggage and antiques. Some of the sports established here are Racing, Boxing, Golf, Fishing, Croquet, Cricket, Tennis, Snooker and Billiards, Football and Rugby, Rowing, Skiing, Hunting, Shooting and Fishing.
Henry Gregory is reliable and friendly, offering an experienced shipping service to customers worldwide.
Kind regards
Camy & Henry Gregory
And finally we love this recipe from Bill Harriman at Hunting Life. http://www.thehuntinglife.com/quick-sloe-gin/
Sloe Gin the fast way
After perfecting a method of producing superb sloe gin in a matter of days, Bill Harriman is happy to share his groundbreaking secret concoction
Sloe gin has become the traditional shooter’s tipple. To my mind there’s nothing better than a flask of home-made sloe gin to refresh yourself and those who share your sport. I don’t care for ready-made sloe gins as they are too sweet for me. This year is showing a bumper crop, and the hedgerows round our way look like they are festooned with clumps of musket balls. With Nature’s bounty so close at hand, I thought it high time to make my own sloe gin for a change, rather than guzzling the efforts of my pals.
The only downside to this otherwise laudable aim is that my sloe gin would not be ready for November, when I have my first shooting day. So, I set about some developmental work to produce sloe gin that was drinkable in a fortnight and excellent after a month.
Sloe gin is simply a tincture that relies on alcohol to extract the flavour and colour of the sloes. Traditionally, each sloe is painstakingly (and in most cases painfully) pricked before being immersed in gin. It’s a long process. I know some folk freeze the sloes to break them down to allow the alcohol to penetrate more speedily, but I’ve tried this and the results were not up to scratch.
I was inspired to develop my own process after I saw the wonderful ruby red colour of the juices oozing through the crust of a damson crumble. They formed a syrup which held the colour and flavour of the fruit to perfection. I reasoned that if a similar approach was taken with sloes, then sloe gin could be made in days rather than months. I was right, and in the spirit of public benefaction, I wish to share this novel process with my fellow sporting ladies and gentlemen.
FAST SLOE GIN RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
• 450g sloes • 225g golden caster sugar • 1L gin • almond essence• 75ml 79.9 per cent Polish pure spirit vodka
STEP 1: Preparing the sloes
Discard any imperfect sloes and remove any leaves or stalks. Wash the sloes well. Place in an ovenproof dish and dust well with most of the caster sugar. Save 75g of sugar to adjust the sweetness later. Sloes are tart, but don’t overpower their fruity flavour with too much sugar.
STEP 2: Making the syrup
Bake in a low oven for about 20 minutes. You may need to add a teaspoon of water to get the syrup to form. As the fruit starts to break down, give it a stir to release the red syrup. When the fruit is a complete mush, take it out of the oven and allow it to cool. When cooled, you can adjust the sugar to taste.
STEP 3: Sieving the fruit
Spoon the stewed fruit into a sieve and force the skins and pulp through the mesh using a wooden spoon. This isolates the stones, which can then be thrown away. Put the pulp and syrup into a large jar. Rinse out the oven dish and then sieve the last bits of the fruit with some of the gin to make sure that none of the fruit mixture is wasted.
STEP 4: Adding the gin
Top up the jar with the rest of the gin and leave to cool. After 72 hours test the brew for sweetness and add more sugar if you think it needs it. (Sugar is best added in the form of a syrup.) You may want to add a couple of drops of almond essence. I find this gives the drink a slightly nutty taste. Buy the best almond essence you can and avoid the synthetic stuff, which is normally called almond flavouring.
STEP 5: An extra kick
After a week I add about 75ml of 79.9 per cent Polish pure spirit vodka. Most gins are only 37.5 per cent by volume and I find them rather thin. The Polish firewater supercharges the mixture and gives it body. It’s flavourless and designed as a base for cocktails. You can buy this rocket fuel on the Internet.
STEP 6: The waiting game
After a fortnight, the sloe gin is ready to drink. This method is certainly applicable to damson gin and may well work for cherry brandy or vodka, though further research is needed.
Martyn Lawrance Bullard on Porotbello Rd
Masculine Manner
“There’s a masculine flair to much of this sale and we did a lot of shopping at one of my favorite spots, Henry Gregory, also on Portobello Road. They sell magnificent leather goods and English decorative trophies, and I hand-picked a few of my favorites.”
—
Press: Henry Gregory our “Bike Hero” 17/08/2011
Henry Gregory owns a gorgeous antiques shop on Portobello Rd. He decided to be one of our bike heroes and document his cycling adventures, both here in London and in the Isle of Wight where he’s been holidaying.
August-September Newsletter
The Harvest
Author: Franca de la Pena
Golden sheaves stand ripening
in the setting sun,
Bounty of a fruitful harvest,
A year’s labor well spent.
The Sporting season is entering its majestic height, the stag and salmon seasons are getting under way. The dusting off of the brown tops for Mr Fox and the polishing of fine walnut for the Glorious 12th ; it’s a time to be heading for the hills.
If that’s not your bag, however there is the Rugby World Cup hosted in New Zealand, England V’s India and the fun fashion and thrill of Goodwood Revival motor sport 16th September -18th September.
Established for 40 years in the famous Portobello rd, Henry Gregory has built on quality becoming a leading specialist in sporting art, luggage and antiques. Some of the sports established here are Racing, Boxing, Golf, Polo, Fishing, Croquet, Cricket, Tennis, Snooker and Billiards , Football, and Rugby, Rowing, Skiing, Hunting , Shooting.
Henry Gregory is reliable and friendly, offering an experienced shipping service to customers worldwide.
Kind regards
Camy & Henry Gregory