A Community Notice – the council needs our feedback to improve broadband

A message from the council’s OxOnLine - 

“Broadband is playing an increasingly important role in connecting residents and businesses. OxOnline, a leading partnership supported by all six local authorities in Oxfordshire, is a driving force behind bringing better broadband to Oxfordshire. OxOnline recently finalised and submitted a broadband bid to Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), a government funding body with a programme for improving nationwide broadband infrastructure.

This week OxOnline is launching a new broadband community toolkit and we want to get the views of local residents and business as part of our demand registration process. We also want to update people on our recent BDUK funding bid which will bring faster broadband (known as “next generation access”) to the county and will be delivered by a private sector partner. This will bring significant benefits to Oxfordshire broadband, with broadband speeds of up to 24Mb available to most of the county by the end of 2015.

We are encouraging both residents and businesses to do a new broadband survey online at

http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/content/have-your-say-broadband-plan

What can better broadband offer?

Improving connectivity allows you to do more with your time online:

o   Staying in touch – benefit from better quality video conferencing, multi-tasking with chat programmes and social media all at the same time.

o   Finding a job – search for opportunities faster and effectively.

o   Entertainment – get more from your TV experience: better online gaming, watching TV programmes, e.g. BBC iPlayer, and other live online streaming.

o   Getting educated – swifter access to online educational resources, making it easier to learn something new.

o   Saving while shopping – save time and money with online shopping and using online services (such as online banking).

o   Working at home – use your time more efficiently with hours that suit you. You can also more easily link up with cloud services, working with online partners and driving your business forward.

If you do have any further broadband questions please get in touch with the OxOnline team on 01865 81 6933 or email oxonline@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

The Big Lunch… only a few days to go

New Stuff this weekend

We’ve got NEW PUDDINGS hand made by Jacqui of Saucy Puds, East Oxford… bread & butter pudding, Eve’s pudding, Rhubarb crumble, chocolate pudding, sticky ginger pudding…..

http://www.saucypuds.co.uk/

“Saucy Puds are handmade in Oxford using the finest locally sourced, sustainably produced ingredients. This enables us to support our vibrant regional food culture and lowers our carbon footprint. Our chocolate, sugar and spices are supplied by the Essential Trading cooperative in Bristol using their fair trade, ethical andenvironmentally friendly brands.”

We’ve got lots of DELICIOUS NEW JAMS made by Sarah Doidge, Brynmoor Conserves, Abingdon – award winning blackcurrant & damson, forest fruits, rhubarb & strawberry, raspberry & strawberry, apricot, red fruits, gooseberry & strawberry, pineapple & ginger, and 3 different kinds of plum! A real treat. Definitely not your ordinary run of the mill jam.

We’ve also got a new stock of CHEESE.. including bries, stilton, camembert, Markesbury cheddar, goats cheese, lancashire, Oxford’s spitfire…

Don’t miss out. Make sure you take your coffee for a good explore of the General Stall…

Tessa’s recipe for Foxbury chicken

The Foxbury chicken breasts or supremes are fabulous done this way: juicy, tender and tasty.  And low fat if you’re bothered about such things!

2 chicken breasts/supreme

chillies (to taste)

ginger (1″ – no need to peel)

2 cloves garlic

2 stalks lemongrass

1 onion

2-3 pints chicken stock (or stock cube/s) or water (to just cover the meat)

2 tablespoons ight soy sauce

100ml coconut milk (optional)

6 kaffir lime leaves (optional)

blend chillies, ginger, garlic, onion and lemongrass finely with a few tablespoons of water and a couple of table spoons of soy sauce.

add to water/stock with coconut milk and/or kaffir lime leaves (if using).

Bring to boil and simmer for 10-15 mins to cook off the onion.

Add chicken and keep on very gentle simmer (i.e. bubbling slightly, don’t boil like mad!) with the lid on for around 15 mins (stick the point of a knife into the thickest part of the chicken to see if it’s cooked – there should be no pinkness if you’re going to use it straight away).  I like to leave it to cool down in the broth, as it retains its juiciness best that way.

Quantities of everything (spices. soy sauce, coconut milk etc) can be adjusted or omitted according to taste… I usually add a few splashes of fish sauce too, but you have to be careful not to overpower the tasty chicken….

Once made, you can have the chicken cold in salad, sliced thinly in sandwiches, added to sauce (e.g. for coronation chicken), cubed and added at the last minute to clear broths…. all sorts of ways!  And I usually use the broth as a clear soup base too – I just heat it up, chuck in some steamed veggies and sliced mushrooms, add some chopped coriander and pre-cooked rice noodles and top with slices of the chicken.

Get creative at the market this weekend from 10am

The Kennington Artists are holding a competition to design a postcard to celebrate the 2012 Olympics. Come and have a go tomorrow at the market from 10-11am. It’s an opportunity to try out different mediums and to see what was commissioned from current top artists. Jess has got lots of great art stuff and postcards to work on.

The competition deadline is 23rd May. There are prizes for 5-8 year olds, 9-12 year olds and 13-16 year olds. All entries go on display at The Kennington’s Artists’ exhibition from 24th to 27th May.

And sit down with Honor, Megan and Caroline to get some more food growing. It’s time to plant gourds, pumpkins and squashes now and they’ll have lots of other seeds to choose from too.

Make sure you pick Caroline’s expert brains on top tips for success in growing on.

They’ll have sunflower seeds for the little ones too – we’re keen to see just how big a Sandford sunflower can grow.

That’s from 10am to 11.30am.

See you tomorrow.

Oxford Mail celebrates our First Birthday

Market’s flourishing first year

12:00pm Wednesday 2nd May 2012 in Oxford Mail

Enjoying a ride on the horse was 18-month-old Sam Garbutt, helped by his dad Ben.

VOLUNTEERS celebrated a year of being at the heart of the community at the weekend.

The Sandford-on-Thames Community Market has run every Saturday for the past year, after being set up by local action group Talking Shop.

It is hoped enough money will be raised from the market, in the village hall, to pay for a village shop. Chairman Abi Johnson said: “It has been great. We have about 60 volunteers involved and we are busy every time.

“It is a popular place to come and bump into your neighbours, support the community and find out everything that’s going on.”

Celebrations on Saturday included Shetland pony rides for children.

Enjoying a ride on the horse was 18-month-old Sam Garbutt, helped by his dad Ben.

Mr Garbutt, 36, said: “It feels like the market has been there such a long time now, we go there regularly to get bacon and eggs for breakfast.

“It has a wonderful community atmosphere.

“There is no other village shop, so this encourages people to sit down and talk to each other.”

Roast Lamb with mint, cumin and roast carrots

I’ve been roasting Caroline’s carrots with Foxbury meat, really easy, just need a quick wash, the pop them in. Completely delicious.

By Nigel Slater

Young carrots in late spring, roast sweetly, especially when tucked under the roast. I have used a leg of lamb here but in fact any cut would work – a shoulder or loin for instance. The spice rub also works for chicken.

Ingredients (enough for 4-6):

* 1 x leg of lamb – 1.5kg * 4 x cloves of garlic * cumin seeds (2 – 3 large pinches) * large handful of mint leaves * juice of two lemons * olive oil * finger carrots * baby beetroots * white wine or stock – a large glass

Method:

Make three or four deep cuts into the lamb. Cut right through to the meat, not just the fat. Put the meat in a roasting tin.

Peel the garlic and put it into a blender with the cumin seeds, the mint and the lemon juice. Add salt and pepper and blast to a coarse paste, adding enough olive oil to make it spreadable, thick enough to cling to the lamb.

Massage the roast well with the paste, spreading it over the skin and into the cuts you made. Set aside for an hour in a cool place (not a fridge) basting occasionally with any of the paste that has run off.

Preheat the oven to 200C / Gas 6. Scrub the carrots and beetroots. If they are small you can probably get away with a rinse. Either way be careful with their skins which are tender. Put the meat in the oven and roast the meat for 45 minutes to an hour, tucking the vegetables in around it after about 20 minutes. The cooking time for the lamb will depend on how you like it done: 45 minutes should give you a roast that is still pink and juicy inside. Remove from the oven and rest the meat for a good ten to fifteen minutes before carving and serving.

If you want to make a gravy, transfer the meat and carrots to a warm place, put the roasting tin over a moderate heat, then pour in a large glass of wine or stock, or even water, and bring to the boil. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping away at the tin to dissolve any stuck on meat juices. Let the gravy bubble a little, check it for seasoning (it may need salt and pepper) then keep it warm whilst you carve.

Delicious Smashed Celeriac

By Jamie Oliver

Ingredients

• 1 celeriac, peeled • olive oil  • 1 handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper  • 3–4 tablespoons water or stock

Method

What a surprisingly simple and comforting veg dish. Unfortunately everyone seems to be completely baffled by celeriac, but it’s beautiful in soups or thinly sliced into salads. When roasted it goes sweet and when mixed with potato and mashed it’s a complete joy.

Slice about 1cm/½ inch off the bottom of your celeriac and roll it on to that flat edge, so it’s nice and safe to slice. Slice and dice it all up into 1cm/½ inch-ish cubes. Don’t get your ruler out – they don’t have to be perfect. Put a casserole-type pot on a high heat, add 3 good lugs of olive oil, then add the celeriac, thyme and garlic, with a little seasoning. Stir around to coat and fry quite fast, giving a little colour, for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to a simmer, add the water or stock, place a lid on top and cook for around 25 minutes, until tender. Season carefully to taste and stir around with a spoon to smash up the celeriac. Some people like to keep it in cubes, some like to mash it, but I think it looks and tastes much better if you smash it, which is somewhere in the middle. You can serve this with just about any meat you can think of.

Asparagus Tarts with Lemon and Creme Fraiche

Recipe by Nigel Slater

You need just the top half of the spears for these crisp, rich tarts. The lower halves could be eaten in a salad, made into soup, added to a stock or tossed with warm new potatoes in a mixture of mayonnaise and crème fraîche. This recipe is easily doubled. Makes 2.

* 10-12 asparagus tips * 125g puff pastry * 100g crème fraîche * 20g grated Parmesan * 1 egg, lightly beaten * a few sprigs of flat-leaf parsley * 1 lemon

Boil or steam the asparagus tips until tender. They will take 5 to 9 minutes depending on the thickness of their stems. They are ready when you can easily slide the point of a knife into the stem. Drain and set aside.

Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Cut the puff pastry in half and roll out each piece thinly into a square large enough to cut a disc roughly 14-15cm in diameter. Place the discs of pastry on a lightly floured baking sheet. Cut a narrow rim around each of the pastry discs by scoring the surface with a knife roughly 1.5cm in from the edge. Don’t score so deeply that you cut right through to the baking sheet.

Stir the crème fraîche and grated Parmesan together and grind in a little black pepper. Divide half of the mixture between the centre of each tart. Place the asparagus tips on each one, then spoon the remaining crème fraîche mixture on to each one. Brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten egg.

Bake in the preheated oven till the filling is just starting to turn golden brown in patches – about 15-20 minutes.

While the tarts are baking, finely chop the parsley leaves then grate the lemon finely and mix them together. Remove the tarts from the oven when they are ready and scatter over the lemon and parsley.

Serve immediately, while they are still hot and crisp.

Sandford’s Big Jubilee Lunch – Tickets on Sale Now