Team SHWI pull papercutting out of the bag

My last meeting as WI President summed up the best things about being in Seven Hills WI - teamwork and friendship.

Sometimes, planning a smoking hot programme of activities and speakers a year in advance comes a cropper and we have events that fall through. A week before our meeting, our plans came undone.

But instead of taking the easy option and filling in with an easy back-up meeting, my crack team of dedicated commitee members decided that a papercut workshop was something we could pull off ourselves.

Cue desperate googling off templates, trips to a high street stationer and certain individuals ordering hundreds of scalpels online. 

When we arrived at St Andrews before the meeting, it was fantastic to see so many members arrive early to help move tables and chairs. We got ready in super quick time!

Members mingled and chatted about the month's news and helped themselves to Vicky's awesome vegan courgette cake.

It was fantastic to be visited by WI friends from around the country - Joanne Croxford from Cambridge was in Sheffield prior to our trip to the Good Life Experience, as well as ladies who are setting us a new group, Wellbeck WI.

The meeting soon began and we ran through WI business. My amazing committee members presented me with a surprise bunch of flowers and asked me to give a speech! I was not prepared at all. In fact, I'm still President until next meeting but I won't be able to make the October or November's meeting. Apologies for mumbling a strange thank you! 

After a quick break, it was time to start papercutting. Laura and Grace decided to put the skills they have learned at Denman College to good use and lead the workshop. They showed members how to use templates to practice their designs or simply come up with their own patterns. I was amazed to see some of the fab designs people came up with in such a short amount of time. 

Soon enough, it was time to get packed away too. Another big thanks to everyone who helped clear away.

Being President has been fantastic. I have got to be involved in so many things I would not have had the chance to - a judge on the Great British Menu, a guest on BBC Radio Sheffield, and help fundraise thousands of pounds.

I'm really excited to take a break as President, continue to support the group and campaign for change in the organisation that we are a part of and the society we live in. 

Kirsty Bowen

President 2014 - 2016

Forge Bakehouse meal out

I’m writing this the morning after the night before. At one point I didn’t think I’d ever get enough blood-flow to my extremities to be able to move (let alone type) again, with my digestive system being overwhelmed yet delighted by the feast I consumed last night.

Wow, Forge Bakehouse – what an evening! I never imagined that I would go to a pizza night and come home with five out of 6 slices of my pizza intact! I mean this as a huge compliment – the quality and quantity of food was so awesome that I had to make some sacrifices – and everyone knows that cold pizza is still delicious the next day. Adding a soupcon of salad cream is my accoutrement of choice. (I mean if you want to elevate any dish to Masterchef, nay Michelin-starred standard, everyone knows all you’ve got to do is add salad cream…) But I digress.

Our group of 22 lucky SHWI-ers arrived for the sell-out event ready and raring for pizza and dessert, all pre-ordered from a bespoke designed menu. What we weren’t expecting were the starters. I mean, we knew we had some tapas style starters awaiting us, but we didn’t expect the range that greeted us. Martha and the team at Forge Bakehouse had provided us with 8 dishes per table! And the portion size was extremely generous. 

We started off with a platter of bread, oils and dukkah, with a butternut squash dip and coriander and butterbean hummus. Happy bunnies all round. 

Then they brought s deceptively simple ‘Tom Pom salad’ – mixed tomato and pomegranate salad with fresh oregano and pomegranate molasses. WOW! The sweetness of the pomegranate combined beautifully with the freshness of the tomatoes, and I would never have thought to add fresh oregano, but I am going to try and recreate this baby at home. 

Next came the grilled slices of baby aubergine with a bulghur wheat and herb salad, topped with pine nuts and feta. Again, this is something I will (no doubt very poorly) attempt to replicate at home. So subtle, but soooo good! 

We thought that was it and were feeling pretty stuffed already when the panko friend green olives with yoghurt and salsa verde came out. They went down a STORM, with Rhian ‘just checking’ that she didn’t like olives by scoffing several – something tells me her opinion may have changed! 

And finally, a lovely retro-style dish FILLED with aubergine fries (with a polenta crust) and some of the loveliest arancini I’ve ever had. The herbs complemented the mouthwatering molten mozzarella centre perfectly. See, I’ve even cracked the alliteration out here, so you know it’s gotta be good! 

Then came the main event – the pizzas. We’d pre-ordered and knew what we were getting, but the process was made even more fun by the waiting staff jotting our numbers down on the paper-topped table in front of us. It was at that point that some of the less observant of us (i.e. me) realised that we had been provided with crayons to doodle away on the ‘tablecloths’! A brilliant touch! You can see some of Grace’s WI-inspired art work here:

Back to the grub – the team had designed 4 pizza topping options for us: Pizza One was king prawn marinated in lime and chilli, mozzarella, grilled courgette, chilli, coriander and optional chorizo. Pizza Two was a #vegan option of Sri Lankan pahi with aubergine, ramiro pepper, onion, parsley and tahini sauce - if I was blogging this from my phone right now, there’d be an array of heart-eyed emojis right here! Pizza Three was purple potatoes, garden peas, grilled asparagus, mint pesto, pea shoots, ricotta and mozzarella. Pizza Four was sausage meat with shredded tenderstem broccoli, oven-dried tomatoes, smoked onion and mozzarella. 

Nobody needs me to crack out my thesaurus right now to bombard you with adjectives to describe them, I’ll let the pics do the talking. Suffice to say, we had VERY happy customers.

And still, there were the puddings to come. Three options had been provided, based around specific flavour combinations and catering to all dietary requirements – vegan-friendly choc dessert anyone?

Dessert A was ‘Apricot and Almond’. This comprised of quite frankly the BEST vanilla panna cotta I’ve ever had (ooohhh the jiggle!) This was complemented by roasted apricots, cherries, apricot jellies and amaretti morbidi (for the uninitiated, these were chewy amaretto-flavoured biscuit-y balls). 

Dessert 2 was ‘Raspberry and Pistachio’ – raspberry sorbet baked Alaska with pistachio sponge, Italian meringue, fresh raspberries and jellies. Every portion was perfect – I have no idea how you can make 8 perfect portions of baked Alaska all served at the same time, but Forge Bakehouse managed it with aplomb! 

Finally, we had dessert C – ‘Chocolate, Lime and Rum’. This was vegan chocolate and lime pudding with mango salsa, coconut and lime granita and passionfruit. This deceptively simple-sounding dish was presented so beautifully (with a chocolate work garnish no less), that it seemed such a shame to eat it. We soon got over that! 

10pm flew round and it was time for us to stagger home (some of us even turning down lifts in a vain attempt to walk off our fullness). All I can say is that we all absolutely loved every aspect of the evening. We were very happy to be Forge Bakehouse’s bistro guinea pigs – although you would have thought they’d been running nights like this for YEARS. Thank you, thank you, thank you once again to Martha and the team for arranging a wonderful evening. When can we come back?

Anna Pilson
Committee member

Another New Wave weekend at Denman College

Last weekend, 10 SHWI members went to the 'New Wave weekend' at the WI’s own Denman College.  Some of us had been before, a couple of years ago, but for others, it was our first time to Denman, and we didn’t quite know what to expect.  What we found was a glorious Grade II listed Georgian house, filled with around 70 women from other WIs, and the most accommodating and friendly staff (except for one slightly disrespectful barman, but he was more than made up for by the lovely Matt!).

Joanne, Lauren and Lucy outside Denman

Once we’d settled into our comfortable rooms, Friday evening started with a welcome talk and cocktails.  The slight tardiness of the cocktails (don’t keep a roomful of thirsty women waiting for free drinks!) was thankfully no indication of the organisation of the rest of the weekend, as everything ran like clockwork.  Dinner followed, and although not Yorkshire portions, was delicious.  After a cookery demonstration by Peter Lien, Head of the WI Cookery School, the evening drinking could begin in earnest…

The SHWI gang enjoy the food and wine

After a hearty breakfast on Saturday morning, we separated to go to our workshops.  We each got to choose three activities from a range including making textile decorations, biscuiteering, Bollywood dancing, meringues and vintage corsages.  To ensure our energy levels didn’t drop during the day, there were plenty of coffee breaks with homemade cakes and shortbread, a lovely salad bar or hot meal for lunch, and another three course dinner.

I found all the workshop tutors to be excellent, although they each had their own teaching style.  I enjoyed all of the sessions I attended, even if biscuit icing turned out to not be one of my greatest skills! (They still tasted good, though).

Grace's iced biscuits

I also really enjoyed the tour of the house – it gave some fascinating information about the history of the building, and sneaky peaks into some of the other bedrooms!  Most of the rooms on the first floor were quite grand, with original features and large windows.  My room was on the second floor, in the old servants’ quarters, and featured the call bell for the previous owner inside the wardrobe.  Luckily it didn’t ring whilst I was in residence!

Laura made this at the papercutting workshop

Saturday evening split our group between the two entertainments laid on.  Some partook in the lively salsa/zumba dancing, whilst others entered the quiz.  After the organised entertainment was over, it was back to the bar for some more drinking!  SHWI managed to be last up on both nights, and I heard stories of a game of hide and seek in the early hours.

Sunday morning gave us time for one more workshop, then, after lunch, with our waistlines and horizons broadened, and new friendships forged, it was time to say farewell. 

I feel like I am running out of superlatives, but I really did thoroughly enjoy the weekend, much more than I was expecting to.  My main question now is 'can we go again next year?'

Mary Beckingsale

SHWI Member

Annual Meeting, new President and plenty of Henderson's Relish

I wanted to start this month's blog with saying one final thank you and farewell to our founding President and Secretary - Lindsay Garfitt and Kim Whelan. Without them, I probably would't be a member of a WI today and I wouldn't have made the friendships I have made. The success of Seven Hills WI is a testament to the hard work they have put into the group since 2009. So thank you so much.

From left to right: Kirsty, Lindsay, Kim and Laura

Since we waved goodbye to Lindsay and Kim last month, we've had the excitement of our SHWI getaway, our successful Christmas market plus Laura, Vicky and I appeared on Sheffield Live TV. It's been a jam-packed start to my term as President!

November soon came round and it was time for our meeting. Part of being in the committee is to organise our meetings and Lindsay and Kim have always been a huge part of making them run smoothly. That means getting to Electric Works before our members, making sure the tables and chairs are all out and ready, teas and coffees are prepared and any activities set up. It was somewhat daunting to realise that this was down to Laura and I now. I got to Electric Works ridiculously early and was soon met by Laura Bainbridge, our new Secretary. We looked at each other and laughed - our faces both said 'so what are we supposed to do now?'.

Of course we knew. Laura has been a member of Seven Hills WI from the very start. She lives and breathes WI - baking for our food festival, attending federations events and always first to help with our campaigns and activities. Well-respected by other local WI's, Laura will make a fab secretary - she has the pencil skirt and sexy specs down.

Sam Foster, our new meeting attendance secretary, Treasurer Vicky P-M and Vice Treasurer Leanne Sunter had a busy night. It was the last chance for our current members to have their membership guaranteed for 2015 so we had a good turn out of familiar faces wanting to get their place for next year.

It was also our annual meeting - a chance for us to review the highlights of the last year. Laura had spent hours putting together a brilliant presentation running through everything SHWI had done since October last year - that's a lot of stuff! It included our food festival fundraising, the start of SHWI Mad Skillz, ceilidh dancing and our Christmas party. Vicky P-M also gave us a run though of finances where everything is ship shape and shiny. Then we had our yearly rousing rendition of Jerusalem (one member did ask me if we would be singing every meeting from now on but unfortunately I don't think we would be able to fit it in every week!).

Laura's presentation for our annual meeting

Our guest speaker was Jim Connolly, illustrator and artist. Jim grew up in Sheffield but has moved to Manchester now and works freelance at home. He showed us some of his illustrations, prints and commissions which was great to see. I particularly enjoyed seeing the designs he has done for Kelham Island brewery's beer pump clips.

Jim Connolly and one of his most iconic pieces

As Jim has been inspired by Sheffield's favourite condiment, Henderson's Relish in his artwork, we asked him to be a judge for our Hendo's bake-off. Aided by condiment expert, Anna P, Jim got to taste some fantastic bakes including two sets of muffins - one with chedder and the other wensleydale as well as spicy sausage rolls which went down a treat. It was a close competition and Karin Safwenberg was runner-up with her incredible pork pie with cheese centre and hendo's jelly. But the winner once again was Sam Foster with her homemade blinis topped with mozarella, tomato, basil and Henderson's Relish caviar. That's right - CAVIAR. I think we might have to ban her from the next competition, she is just too good. A big thanks to Paul Cocker for donating the prize - a copy of the new Henderson's Relish cook book.

It was soon time to end the meeting and our members did a fab job of clearing away tea cups, tables and chairs. We were out of the door in record time so thanks very much ladies!

Hope to see lots of you at our Christmas Party on the 4th December at Haggler's Corner. If not, see you next month for Secret Santa, Christmas food and our annual quiz!

Kirsty Bowen
President

Christmas market raises £368 for the Young Women's Housing Project

We're proud to announce that our Christmas market on Saturday 15th November raised an awesome £368.

The market featured stalls from local WI members and local businesses such as Crafty Jackdaw and Abbeydale Road beer shop, Hop Hideout. Cakes and refreshments baked by Seven Hills WI members raised over £200.

All money raised will go to our charity of the year, the Young Women’s Housing Project. The project helps young women aged 16 to 25 who have been affected by sexual abuse, sexual exploitation or sexual/domestic violence.

Vice President Jennifer Marsden said: ‘I'm so pleased we could raise £368 for Young Women's Housing Project. They make a huge difference to the lives of vulnerable women in South Yorkshire. A big thank you to everyone who supported the event and our super talented members for baking cakes.'

Some of our cakes baked by members

September meeting - Badge and mirror making

Our September meeting saw us getting nifty with glue and scissors, with Crafty Jackdaw helping us to design badges and mirrors.

As members and guests gathered in the club area at Electric Works, Crafty Jackdaw were already busy setting up the conference room into three long tables with a finishing station at one end.

Kim, Lindsay and Vicky started the meeting by going through WI business, including news of the upcoming Don Valley Rally, Autumn Council and our fabulous limited edition Christmas cards (which we’re selling for £5 a pack in aid of our charity of the year, Young Women’s Housing Project).

During the break, while we were all quaffing tea and cake, Crafty Jackdaw put out all the bits and pieces we needed to make our badges and mirrors. Following a brief explanation, members set about using the templates to create their designs out of everything from comics and children’s story books to sheet music and vintage fabric. 

The ladies from Crafty Jackdaw press our badges

Members could make various different items, which saw even the creatively-challenged (that’d be me) engrossed cutting and sticking. Crafty Jackdaw were kept busy all meeting, as members queued to have their inspired designs made into badges or mirrors, so that everyone got the chance to take home a unique keepsake they’d made themselves.

I found it quite therapeutic and enjoyed doing something that meant we could chat while we had a go at doing something new!

Some of Laura's badges

Next month we will be celebrating our 5th birthday with party games and a pot luck supper. Remember, to bring a dish a long to share and if you fancy getting your bake on you can also enter our birthday cake competition!

See you soon,

Jennifer
Vice President

August meeting - Blood donation and why it's important

After a month off, it was FINALLY time to head back to Electric Works for some Seven Hills action. After catching up with familiar faces and meeting a few new ones, the ladies settled into the meeting room for an informative evening of talk. 

First up - business! President Garfitt announced her decision to step down as captain of the great ship SHWI in 2015, a post she has kept since she conceived the group back in 2009. There'll be lots of changes afoot next year, as the committee loses some major players (including another founder member, Kim Whelan, our current Secretary). I don't think it's possible to thank these ladies enough for all that they've done. I think I speak for all SHWI members when I say we are SO grateful that they set this wonderful group up. But before I start blubbing, I know that the ladies that take on their roles will also do a fantastic job and so while it's the end of an era, the future is looking bright for SHWI.

Our first guest speakers were Katie and Jo from our charity for 2014, Young Women's Housing Project. It's great to have representatives from the charities come speak to the group – not only do we find out where the money goes, but it's nice to know how much the funds we raise are appreciated. The YWHP ladies seemed genuinely surprised and delighted that we had chosen them, courtesy of a nomination by SHWI member, Kat. The ladies explained the money we raised at the Sheffield Food Festival would be used to take some of their young women on a day trip with their children, an opportunity some of them would never have had before.

Lindsay and Kim handover the cheque to Katie and Jo from YWHP

Our main speaker was Holly Mason from the NHS Blood and Transplant Service – rather fitting for the WI, as our national resolution this year is to encourage people to talk about organ donation. Holly gave us a talk on blood – why we should consider giving it, what we can donate (it's not just blood! Platelets and bone marrow can also be donated) and where to do it. With only 4% of the population giving blood regularly, it really is something worth considering – not only does it help save the lives of people who have been in tragic accidents, but premature babies, people with sickle cell disease, cancer patients (to name but a few) all benefit from the generous donations of blood givers.

Kirsty and Liz meet Holly

After we'd all learnt a bit about Dracula's favourite drink, our resident blood expert (and Assistant Treasurer) Dr Leanne had prepared a little bloody themed quiz for the group. Did you know that blood can be used as an egg substitute? Bear it in mind, SHWI bakers! (Actually...perhaps not... brings whole new meaning to red velvet cake!) The winners were treated to some Haribo strawberries (as hearts weren't available) but the pride of winning was the real prize! We know how competitive these SHWI quizzes can get...

If you fancy finding out more about blood donation, check out Give Blood – Do Something Amazing

Laura Bainbridge
SHWI Committee member

All About Beauty

Hello, Ruth here.

Hands up who doesn’t love a freebie?

Anyone? Anyone?

Nope, thought not. I definitely do love a freebie, so I was more than a little excited to find a bag of fragrance samples and No.7 goodies on our each of our chairs upon entering the meeting room at Electric Works for May’s meeting. Yes, this month was all about beauty as we were joined by Meadowhall’s No.7 consultants, Clare and Natasha.

No.7 goodies were brought along

After Lindsay and Kim (our President and Secretary) gave their updates on local and national WI news, including welcoming new members to the committee, we were each given the opportunity to be colour-matched using the swanky No.7 Match Made machine. Essentially, it takes a picture of your skin, and then tells you which one of their foundation shades is most suitable for you. 

Members find out their perfect shade in the break

After the break, it was down to the real beauty business. Lots of hands shot up when Clare asked for two volunteers to help during her talk and Victoria was chosen to receive a skincare consultation.  As an avid skincare fan, I was interested to find out about the No.7 take on cleansing, toning and moisturising, and  I was particularly pleased to hear that they don’t advocate the use of face wipes (*cough* even though they sell them *cough*). Clare shared some other useful tips, including how exfoliating a couple of times a week will remove dead skin cells and help improve absorption of products, and she talked about the importance of wearing facial sunscreen rather than relying on a moisturiser with SPF which won’t provide adequate protection.

Amy gets her new look

Next up, member Amy was treated to a makeover. As someone who doesn’t usually wear much make-up she wanted a natural look, which Clare achieved through a sheer base and neutral tones on the eyes, lips and cheeks. Once again, multi-tasking Clare shared some useful snippets with the rest of us whilst working her magic on Amy. Members seemed particularly keen to find out more about primer, which Clare advised can smooth out uneven complexions and add longevity to your usual base. The other burning question was about eyebrows. As someone cursed with straggly albino brows, I’ve long known the face-lifting benefits of adding colour and shape to my brows, and Clare advised us on how to achieve a natural look whilst avoiding the dreaded Scouse Brow – never a good look.

The primer was a relevation to some of the audience

At the end of the meeting we were offered the chance to receive our own skincare and make-up consultations at the No.7 counter, along with a pleasing 10% off all No.7 products. It was no surprise that a long queue quickly formed as members lined up to get their consultation booked in. A sign of an enjoyable talk me thinks.

 Ruth Kirkman

SHWI Committee member

For more beauty news, reviews and make-up tips, read Ruth's blog – The Beauty Scriptures – and like The Beauty Scriptures Facebook page.

Warp Films' Barry Ryan comes to talk

April’s meeting began with our newly streamlined monthly notices where we heard about various opportunities and events open to us as WI members. This included information about the Denman College Trip priced at £255 for members and £295 for non-members.  Also part of the new format are the notices posted outside the main meeting room with details about different spin-off group events, so remember to read them if you’re interested in joining up!

Members and guests chat before the talk begins

Then, after the usual – and very important - tea break, we sat down to hear from Barry Ryan, Head of Production at Sheffield’s very own Warp Films. With creations such as This is England, Four Lions and Submarine, members couldn’t wait to hear what Barry had to say.

Barry Ryan talks about Warp's most successful film

Talking about the history of Warp Films, which began in a spare bedroom before graduating to the garage, we learned that Warp have now won seven Baftas, have made eighteen feature films and seven television series and even have one world record for the largest collective amount of zombies at a music festival! We were shown clips of Those in Peril, Warp’s first film to make it to Cannes and Southcliffe, a TV show which aired on Channel 4 last year.

With a number of exciting projects coming up, including feature film ’71 starring up-and-coming actor, Jack O’Connell and the next installment of the This is England television adaptation, Barry told us more about the average amount of time it takes to make a low-budget British film (210 days) and how difficult it was to get Jihadist comedy, Four Lions, off the ground.

Interestingly, Barry turned the subject onto how only 12% of directors and writers in the film industry are women, which prompted one of our members to ask if they could submit an unsolicited manuscript!

At the end of the talk, various hands shot up with questions such as how could we get involved as extras, how were certain special effects created and, with regards to the instrumentality of Brass Eye’s Chris Morris in aiding the success of one of Sheffield’s best exports, how significant relationships are within the film industry? 

Committee member Ruth and President Lindsay with Barry Ryan

Eventually time ran out and the meeting had to end but members left feeling proud of Sheffield and its exports, aware of how it can stand on its own two strong feet, independent of the big city in the South. But members also left wondering how we, as the WI, can introduce and encourage more women into the fascinating industry that is the media?

Hannah Sutton, SHWI member

SHWI do beer tasting

February brought with it Valentine’s day and a lot of SHWI beer love as the long-awaited beer tasting meeting came around. Members had been asking for a beer tasting night for a couple of years so when my former colleague Sean Clarke, a former College teacher, set up a craft beer shop in the new Moor Market I knew we’d found our man!

Di and Lindsay enjoy their bottles with Beer Central's Sean Clarke

Sean’s shop, Beer Central, stocks all manner of local, national and international beers, real ales and ciders, and he, along with colleague Tommy, brought along four of these for us to try at our meeting.

From Bradfield Farmer’s Blonde to Saltaire Triple Chocoholic stout, Timmerman’s fruit beer to Maisel’s Weisse, we mostly enjoyed them all, although I felt let down by the chocolate stout which tasted nothing at all like chocolate! Afterwards, to check we’d been listening (the teacher in him coming out there!) Sean gave us a quiz on the beers we’d tried and some other beer trivia…plus a cheeky question on Tommy’s age - we all guessed too low, much to Tommy’ delight! There was tension as the quiz went to two tie-breakers before the ultimate winners bagged a bottle of Farmer’s Blonde each, which incidentally we also voted as the favourite beer of SHWI.

Saltaire's Chocolate stout had mixed reviews from our members

SHWI has within its ranks some proper beer fans, we even have a beer ticker on the committee, but I’m not a big beer fan myself - give me a cocktail over a beer anyday - so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the evening. Sean is a great speaker who I’d recommend to other groups in the area and I even bought a couple of bottles of Timmermans to take home…maybe Beer Central will make a beer lover of me yet!

Members enjoy tasting the beers

We also voted for our 2014 charity at this meeting. Many worthwhile charities were put forward by members but the winner was the Young Women’s Housing Project, as nominated by Kat.

It was great to see so many new members getting involved at the February meeting, remember you get from the WI what you put into it so we always love to see enthusiastic people enjoying meeting new people and doing new things.

See you at March’s meeting for a talk on Cuban women and cocktails from Blousey’s Bar. 

Lindsay

President, Seven Hills WI

Merry Christmas, Love SHWI

It's sometimes hard to avoid Christmas, with tinsel being made available in October and fizzy cola flavoured beverages making adverts that manage to whip up the majority of TV watchers into a frenzy in November. But when it's actually December, then I'm more than happy to get into the festive spirit! Praise be then, that SHWI had not one, but THREE festive events to enjoy. 

First up was a Christmas Coffee morning for the Don Valley Group - a selection of Sheffield based WIs - at SHWI HQ Electric Works. All the ladies were encouraged to bring cakes and bakes, with Glee Bah Gum making a return appearance (they were our guests at the September meeting) to treat us to some carols. It didn't take long for the ladies to join in, with members of Crosspool WI and Norton Lees singing away to some festive favourites. 

Cakes and bakes at the Don Valley Group Coffee Morning

Next up was the SHWI Christmas Party - a rather less sober affair than the coffee morning, it has to be said.  Electric Works allowed us back in to take over our usual meeting room, but this time with funky red lighting and DJ K-Bo (aka committee member Kirsty) providing some banging tunes. A delicious buffet was provided courtesy of SHWI member Blanche (of Coco Catering), treating the ladies to arancini (giant crumbed balls of luscious risotto), pork pies, moreish dips, beautiful brownies and much more.  

Blanche and Vicky enjoy the party atmosphere

Thankfully it didnt get too messy - it was a school night after all - but the photos taken that night might suggest otherwise....

Last, but by no means least, was the December monthly meeting. We kicked off proceedings with the now traditional Christmas Quiz - compiled and hosted by president Lindsay.  

New members sign up and get ready to quiz!

Last year I was lucky enough to be part of winning team 'Specs and Tits', and this year we were determined to keep our title. Team Captain Anna P rallied the troops and put in some revision, by scouring gossip columns and looking at the biggest news headlines of 2013. All that work paid off, as Specs and Tits were victorious and no doubt determined to win again at the 2014 quiz.

After all that excitement, it was time for our guest speaker, SHWI member Liz. She was here to give us a confidence building class and did so in a friendly and encouraging way.

First she gave us tips on how to set goals and the best way to achieve them - by being realistic and believing in yourself. Next we were asked to compliment our fellow SHWIers and learn to accept compliments graciously. This was a little funny at first, but once we got going you could feel the love in the room. There might have been a few tears shed... But it was all good! I've kept my list of compliments to give me lift when I need it.

Finally it was time to swap Secret Santa gifts! Another festive SHWI tradition - if you bring a wrapped up present (£5 budget) you can swap it for another! Picking one to take home is more stressful than buying one for a random lady!

Some of our Secret Santa presents

All in all, December was a great month for Seven Hills... But now the 2014 programme is out I'm looking forward to seeing what the new year brings! 

Laura Bainbridge, SHWI committee

SHWI say it with flowers

Tracey from Campbell's Flowers demonstrates

Even though we’re hurtling towards Christmas, it’s the start of the new year for Seven Hills WI! We’ve entered our fifth year (I know, I can scarcely believe it either) and that means that the third Thursday in November saw us hold our Annual Meeting. It also saw members queuing in droves to renew their membership. We began the meeting by naming those members interested in taking up committee roles – and much to the relief of our willing volunteers, there were no objections!

Exciting news about our all our upcoming events, including the fabulous-sounding Christmas party followed. We also heard that our charity calendars are selling like hot cakes which was fitting since Robin Jeeps, trustee of our chosen charity, came along. Robin was kind enough to share with us why PACT is so important to him and to other parents whose children have battled with cancer, as members listened attentively. Then our photographer, Laura Bainbridge, snapped away as he accepted a cheque for the money we’ve raised so far this year. 

Kim, Vicky and Jen give Robin from PACT our cheque

In our looking back at the past twelve months, we remembered our meetings, outings and first sighting of the helter skelter at Electric Works! Then, all the women in the room stood and joined in for that great WI tradition – a rousing rendition of Jerusalem.

Next, Tracey from Campbell’s Flowers was introduced and explained that she’d be showing us how to complete a hand-tied bouquet, before giving us all the opportunity to make our own wrist corsage. The room hushed to complete silence. Believe me, this could-have-heard-a-pin-drop atmosphere is a rare occurrence at SHWI and a blatant sign that we were utterly engrossed as we watched Tracey work. The result was a natural-looking, vintage-inspired bouquet of seasonal flowers – and a round of applause for Tracey. The lucky winner of our raffle got to take the bouquet home, but none of us went empty handed. We had a demo on how to make a simple-looking wrist corsage, followed by Tracey and her daughter dishing out flowers and ribbons so that each of us could have a go. Some women were undoubtedly naturals, whilst others (me included) could probably do with a tincy bit more practice.

Our members make some lovely wrist corsages

As we all prepared to head out, adorned with our corsages, we were reminded that next month, people on the waiting list can also sign up for membership next year. It’s a meeting not to be missed - and not just because of Secret Santa or President Lindsay’s infamous annual quiz. WI member and force to be reckoned with, Liz Mellors, joins us to talk about the award-winning women’s development programme, Springboard.

Right, I’m off to write my Christmas card list….

Jennifer (Vice President)

SHWI loves tea!

I love Tea. No, I really love Tea – so when I heard that Seven Hills WI had invited Kirsty from Teabox Online to our March meeting I was over the moon.

Tea for me is the elixir of life itself – without a hot (oversized) mug of Yorkshire’s finest brew in the morning I am incapable of being a useful member of society. It’s a drink for all seasons – warming in Winter, and thirst quenching in Summer. And so many different varieties! I cannot remember a time that I have ever turned a cup of tea down, often rushing to finish the one I have to accept happily a fresh brew – me and my Dad share the same love of tea and have the kettle on constantly when I visit!

But – back to the meeting...Kirsty; accompanied by her Mum and Tea making assistant extraordinaire; Ann – arrived at March’s meeting to a flurry of activity – an excited hum around the room as the throng of ladies caught up on the last month’s news.

Highlights from News and Views – and an exciting up date on out Pot painting plans for May were delivered.
Exciting times ahead for SHWI include our Fantastic Cookbook – featuring the best of the SHWI baking skills and accompaniments too! The sad news that the Denman weekend in May was fully booked was balanced by the joy of another announced for December. After a short interval including a number of members being interviewed by Mark Ansell of BBC Radio Sheffield we gathered for the main event.

Kirsty began with an introduction to her business. Started in 2010 by tea lover Kirsty Munro, Tea Box is a loose leaf tea business based in Sheffield. The aim is to constantly evolve their tea offering, embracing traditional tea tasting values as well as innovative ‘outside the box’ flavours and combinations. Quality is of the utmost importance to them and to ensure the highest standards, all of the tea is packed and blended by hand.

We learned that Tea had been drunk in Britain for over 350 years, however according to legend, Tea was first discovered by Chinese Emperor Shen Nung in 2737 BC. Tea was popularised in Britain following the marriage of Charles II to Catherine of Braganza – the Kate Middleton of her day – who as a Portuguese Princess was partial to a cuppa and very soon the middle and upper classes took to quaffing the fashionable import to keep up with the Royal trend.

Kirsty explained that very much like wine – all Tea comes from the same core ingredient – the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant, an evergreen, tropical plant from the Camellia family. The tea plants are cultivated for easy plucking at around 1 metre high – however if left to their own devices they would be quite a lot taller.

The tea leaves are then taken through a different process depending on the type of tea required. For the delicately flavoured white tea – the leaves are simply dried then steamed. For the robust flavours of Black tea the leaves are dried, rolled, fermented, left to oxidise and fired to create the dark tannin rich tea that we are more familiar with.

With introductions complete the tasting began.

The first tea, the beautifully named, Chinese Silver Needle – clear with fine silvery flecks, little to no aroma but a lovely delicate tea taste.

The second, An Oolong Tea – which is dried, bruised, dried, and pan fired – unfortunately never made it to our table. But after a sniff of the wet leaves (lovely!) you could pick up a much stronger smell.

The Third, a Green Tea, named Chinese Gunpowder for its dark coloured appearance, had a slightly seaweedy after taste! It reminded me of sushi – and would probably make a nice accompaniment to it.

Fourth – a first flush Darjeeling from India – the first flush means that it is the first crop from a new plant – and is often called the Champage of Tea. A much more rich traditional tea taste from this and quite dry.

Fifth – a bright pink number, Strawberry Punch – an infusion – that contains no tea, but a hand blend of hibiscus, rosehip and strawberry pieces amongst other things. Lovely and fruity and when held on the tongue really revealed its full flavour.

Finally – a mystery tea. An expectant hum grew as the tea was handed round. A nod to check all had the opportunity to taste. And Boom – the code word of Sausages was shouted...by me!! With assistance from my table mates Hannah and Stella we had deduced the flavour of the infusion. Rhubarb and Custard – I confidently announced – and we were right! And the prize – a beautiful hand crafted badge with a teapot motif which Stella took, a Teabox mug for Hannah and a sample of the mystery tea for me.

What a fantastic evening – and I finally won something!

Excited about next month and our ‘baked goods’ pot luck supper and cookbook taster – along with the Pampered Chef party …. Now … where’s my cheque book?!

Much love,

Sarah, Webmistress x

SHWI talks sex!

I've started trying to write this blog post about five times now, so I'm really wondering why I volunteered to be the guest blogger for this month's SHWI meeting! So, after so many failed attempts I'm just going to dive right in and hope that no one looks at my internet browsing history. I'll also give you a heads up that this post, especially some of the links, might not be suitable for the workplace but I'll leave that to your better judgement...

The meeting kicked off in traditional fashion with plenty of tea and cakes (yum!) before Lindsay went through some key pieces of information from the last committee meeting. There are lots of exciting things going on at SHWI at the moment , with the Sheffield food festival, our amazing cookbook, bunting and charity nominations to pick out just a few!

Our guest speaker was Liz Wilson (who had really fab leopard-print tights on by the way!) from the Centre for HIV and Sexual Health was at the meeting to talk to us about women's sexual pleasure.... I was already a bit nervous about what I'd let myself in for and I have to say my trepidation only increased when one of the ladies on my table said "oh my goodness, she has love eggs and lube".

That said, Liz put us all at ease immediately when she told us we wouldn't be recreating any scenes from Fried Green Tomatoes - phew!! Liz gave us a brief history of women's sexual pleasure (I had no idea the Kama Sutra is as old as it is!) before kicking off a discussion about our perceptions of women's sexual pleasure. It was really interesting to hear different views from lots of the women at the meeting, and also really funny. My favourite anecdote was about an awful, and completely useless, sex education video which I also remember being subjected to when I was about 11!

Liz showed us a really funny Friends clip; check out the clip if you can as I won't be able to do it justice, but basically Chandler asks Rachel and Monica for advice about how to please a woman and Monica draws him a diagram and gives him some tips. This led to a discussion about what things we thought affected women's sexual pleasure. There were some really thoughtful and serious points raised but again I have to share the funniest - Xbox!! Liz also introduced us to Geena the 'gina. Yup, you read that right!! Geena is a fold up vagina in a box and a very useful tool for explaining female anatomy. We didn't get to meet him, but there's also a George the ejaculating penis apparently....

If you hadn't guessed by now the talk and discussion was only going one way; how we thought you could increase women's sexual pleasure. I'm not going to go into the ins and outs (no pun intended!) of what was discussed but I do want to share the highlight of my evening. Liz was showing a selection of... items, specifically a picture of a famous model of said item, when someone (who shall remain nameless!) declared that theirs broke within a day! Naturally, we all jumped to the same conclusion but apparently it was not from overuse.

I'm pretty sure I can speak for everyone there (and it was another packed meeting!) when I say it was a really fun, vibrant and enjoyable meeting - and also a lot less embarrassing than I'd expected. Stay tuned for next month's blog post though as we will be doing some tea tasting and I'm already really excited as I love tea!!

Leanne, SHWI committee