Monthly Archives: March 2020

Five Ways to Get the Most out of Working from Home

Working from home, whether by choice or necessity, is a growing part of modern life. Chapelton has great digital infrastructure, including superfast broadband, making it ideal for home working, but that doesn’t mean the transition from office to house is an easy one.

To help you get the most out of your new work setup we have put together some useful tips.

Keep your routine

One of the easiest things to do when you’re new to working from home is to let your routine slip. It can be very tempting to stay in bed until 8:55, take the chance to wear pyjamas to work or push breakfast back to mid-morning. While these things can be appealing, especially at first, they can throw you off mentally. Keeping your routine as normal as possible helps productivity and keeps you in the swing of things.

Plan, plan, plan

At the start of every day set out a plan of what tasks you need to complete for the day. Setting goals is a good idea regardless of where you’re working but is especially important at home with all the extra distractions. Doing this can also stop work pilling up and saves you time and stress in the long run.

Set up a dedicated space

If you can, try to allocate a part of your home to work. This doesn’t need to be a home office or involve redecorating a spare room, just a specific place you plan to work. Whether it’s a dining table or a living room chair, keeping everything in the one place helps you be on top of things and in the right mindset.

Pick up the phone

One of the hardest things about working from home can be the lack of social interaction. It is sometimes easy to forget the value of a quick chat while making a cup of tea or even just talking to your desk mate. Picking up the phone, or using a video chat, rather than relying on emails is a great way to keep in touch with others.

Boundaries and breaks

Many people find that they actually end up working longer hours from home than they would in the office. When the boundary between work life and home life is blurred it can be easy to not take your full lunch break or carry on checking emails well beyond finishing time. Scheduling in regular breaks and trying to be disciplined about start and finish times can help you keep a work-life balance in your new office.

Three Ways to Get the Most from Your Garden This Spring

One of the best things about living in Chapelton is easy access to green space and the great outdoors. So with longer days and slightly less bite in the breeze spring is a wonderful time to get outside and do some gardening.

To help you get the most out of your garden this year we’ve pulled together some handy tips for budding gardeners.

Save yourself work later

We all know that it is much easier, and more fun, cooking in a clean and well organised kitchen and the same applies to gardening.

Weeds are the bane of every garden and as with most things it is best to deal with them early. Doing weeding in the spring can save a lot of time in the summer and gives your garden the chance to look its best when barbeque season comes around.

The first step to dealing with weeds is to run a hoe over your flower bed to kill most weed seedlings. This is best done on a dry day with a light wind, not just to save yourself from getting wet but because weeds will dry out on the surface rather than re-rooting into moist soil.

For particularly persistent weeds digging them out with a fork can be a quick and effective solution.

Brighten up your garden with butterflies

Spring is a great time to plant flowers and doing so will make your garden a riot of colour when summer rolls around. But if you want to add an extra special touch this year then consider planting some flowers rich in nectar to attract butterflies.

There are lots of options here but Verbena Bonariensis, commonly called Brazilian Vervain, is particularly effective. These delicate purple flowers grow wild in some places but can bring a lovely sense of calm to your garden and are butterfly favourites.

Lavender is another great option for attracting butterflies but waiting until slightly later in the spring to plant is wise in case of any late cold snaps. Lavender also comes with the added bonus of adding a delicate and calming scent to your garden.

Get your summer vegetables ready

It is true what they say that a vegetable grown yourself tastes better, not just because they’re as fresh as can be but because of the added taste of success.

The good thing with growing vegetables is that no matter the time of year there is always something to plant. For early spring in Scotland there are plenty of options that will look and taste great on your plate come summertime.

Broccoli is a longstanding favourite and goes well in pastas, risottos and alongside a roast. Planting broccoli in March is ideal and will mean you will be ready to harvest in early summer.

Leeks are another versatile vegetable that if planted in early spring will be ready to eat by early summer. A good tip is to sow more seeds than you have space for and harvest them as baby leeks in the summer. These baby leeks are tender, tasty and much easier to harvest.

If the weather isn’t looking great there are a few things you can grow on your kitchen windowsill at this time of year to add that extra pizzazz when summer comes. Start off by planting some basil seeds and letting them grow inside until later in the year when the risk of frost has passed then move them outside. Basil is a great summer food and will add that extra special dash of flavour to your favourite dishes.

Inspiring Space Available in Chapelton

Chapelton has always been a great place to make a home for yourself and your family, but now it also offers the perfect home for your business.

‘The Cabin’ is in the heart of the community and overlooks some of the town’s green space, making it ideal for creative thinkers. The Cabin offers a great opportunity for everyone from writers and painters seeking inspirational office space to wellness gurus looking for a new venue to practice yoga or mindfulness.

It isn’t just the location that makes it an ideal spot, it also benefits from the town’s wider community facilities, fast internet speeds and ample parking.

Speaking about the space, The Duchess of Fife, Director of Elsick Development Company which is leading the build of Chapelton, commented: “The Cabin was previously the town’s community centre but with new and larger premises now available we’ve relocated this space and given it a fresh lease of life.

“Overlooking plenty of greenery, including the community’s allotments, this is an ideal area for a startup business or freelancer to transform into their own working environment, or give someone who leads community groups a venue to host activities.”

The Cabin isn’t the only community facility in Chapelton, the town is also home to an array of others, including a nursery school, tearoom and bistro and hair and beauty salon. To find out more about Chapelton and its community facilities, click here.

The Best That Money Can Pie

It’s National Pie Week this week (2-8 March 2020), the week of celebrating that hearty, full flavour, warming little package of promise that is, the humble pie. 

So, there couldn’t be a more appropriate time to introduce you to Chapelton Farmers Market’s newest addition! Aberdeenshire’s own Breer Pie Co. is making their debut at this year’s first Farmers Market in May.

Breer Pie Co. know that nothing quite matches the full flavour and hearty warmth of a home-cooked pie – so theirs are prepared, crafted and cooked at their family home in Blackburn, Aberdeenshire.

Breer’s individual gourmet pies use freshly prepared cuts of meat from local producers wrapped up in their signature wheatberry crust pastry.  Visitors to the market should expect ‘pies brimming with goodness, down to the last crumb.’ 

Thankfully you don’t have to wait until the market to fulfil your pie cravings! We got together with Jodie and Dale Barbour, the local siblings behind the magic, to get a recipe that you can make at home and to hear how it all began.

 “It all started over a flat white and pancakes one Sunday at a cafe in Aberdeen” Jodie says. 

“For years, we had toyed with the idea of starting a business.  After every family event, whether it be an extravagant burns supper with the most delicious whisky sauce for our sisters birthday or a mother’s day afternoon tea with handmade cakes and pastries there would always be talk about some kind of foodie business.

Like so many, we just never did anything about it.  So, that Sunday after leaving the café we decided we had better stop thinking about it, listen to our gut and just get on with it. 

With all the planning, recipe testing and pastry eating that has gone before us, we can’t wait to finally launch in May at the Chapelton Farmers’ Market.  It couldn’t be a better fit! 

While I worked at Elsick House, I was involved in several events held at Chapelton including the Bike Ride, 10km, Christmas Wreath making and Chocolate making workshop with Cocoa Ooze.  I love the sense of community that’s building as a result of these great events and look forward to being part of it once again.’“

If you want in on the pie action this week, check out this recipe for 4-6 from Breer Pie Co. Remember, beauty is in the pie of the beholder, so tweak to suit your own taste.  Even if you’re not too fussed about a pie this week, it’s still worth checking out point 6!

BreerPieCo__Black_Flat_NoTxt-1024x250 The Best That Money Can Pie

Beef Bourguignon – Easy as Pie

Ingredients for filling

  • 1kg Beef Brisket, diced 1”
  • 250g Smoked bacon lardons
  • 250g Shallots, peeled
  • 250g Chestnut mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 Garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tbsp Tomato Puree
  • 750ml Red Wine (Preferably Burgundy)
  • 200ml Beef stock
  • 1 tbsp Fresh Thyme, chopped
  • 1 tbsp Plain flour
  • 4 tbsp Vegetable oil

Ingredients for pastry

  • 125g butter
  • 250g plain flour
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1tbsp of cold water
  • 2tbsp flour for dusting
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 1 Tbsp Black Mustard seeds (optional)
  • Seasoning

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius (fan assisted) 
  2. Roll the diced beef in 1tbsp of flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
  3. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large deep pan (a casserole pan with high sides and a lid is ideal) and brown the meat all over in batches.  The hob should med-high to get a good caramelisation. 

    Tip: It’s the caramelisation of the surface sugars that creates the rich brown colour and flavour, which will give your gravy a lovely rich colour and taste.  To get the best caramelisation, make sure you brown the meat in small batches before transferring to a plate.  Too much meat will overcrowd the pan and cause the temperature to drop, which stops the browning that we want!  When all your meat is browned….

  4. Fry the shallots and garlic in the same pan until soft. 
  5. Add the tomato puree and cook out for a few minutes before adding the red wine and beef stock. 
  6. Pour yourself a lovely glass of red.  Chef’s perk! 
  7. Bring to the boil then return the beef to the pan along with the thyme and any resting juices from the plate your beef was resting on.  
  8. Cover the pan with a lid and pop in the pre-heated oven.  Braise for 2 hours (or more) until the meat falls apart when pressed lightly with a fork.    
  9. While the beef is cooking, you can prepare the delicious buttery pastry.  Sift the flour and salt into a bowl or food processor.  Cut the butter into cubes then add to the bowl or food processor
  10. If using a processor pulse until the mix resembles breadcrumbs.  If using a bowl, use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until the mix resembles breadcrumbs.  
  11. Add the water then mix until a dough forms.  Wrap in cling film then rest in the fridge. 
  12. After the beef has cooked for 2 hours, angle the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes to reduce and thicken the rich coloured gravy.
  13. While the gravy is thickening, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and fry the bacon and mushrooms until golden brown, then set aside to cool
  14. Remove the beef from the oven and set aside to cool
  15. Increase the oven to 190 degrees Celsius in preparation for cooking the pastry 
  16. Fill your pie dish with the prepared beef filling then sprinkle the mushroom and bacon garnish on top
  17. Dust a surface with the remaining flour and roll out the pastry from the fridge to the thickness of a pound coin
  18. Brush the edge of the pie dish with beaten egg then drape the pastry over, lifting with a rolling pin to prevent the pastry tearing.  
  19. Trim and crimp the pastry before brushing the surface with a beaten egg
  20. As an optional extra sprinkle black mustard seeds over the top
  21. Make a hole in the pastry to allow steam to escape then bake at 190 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
  22. Serve with lovely fresh greens (kale, broccoli, spinach) and some comforting buttery mash. 

The freshly milled flour Breer Pie Co. use in their own signature pastry will be available at Chapelton Farmers’ Market in May. Be sure to drop by and pick up a sample to try in your own homemade pies! 

To find out more about Breer Pie Co, visit their website at www.breerpie.co.uk.  You can keep up to date on progress over the next 3 months as they prepare to launch by following them on Facebook and Instagram @breerpieco