We’ve unwrapped the glass baubles, hung the wreath, made the figgy puddings and dressed every spare inch of the Water Lane glasshouses and our new shop in festive foliage, dried flowers and seed heads, that we’ve saved from the Summer cutting garden. It’s our last few days open before we shut, on Sunday 19th December, for the Christmas period. We have Christmas puddings, mince pies, pickles and preserves to jazz up your cold cuts plate and some lovely gift ideas.
While the pandemic is still in full swing, we, like so many of you are in the mood for conviviality and warmth. Gone are ostentatious displays and lost days in the kitchen prepping for groaning feasts. We’ll be keeping everything as simple, and hopefully, stress free, as possible. We’ll be decorating with foraged evergreens and pinecones and prepping simple food well in advance of friends arriving. There’s a beautiful recipe for baked scallops with celeriac and apple, below, ideal to serve individually in the shell with a tiny spoon as a canapé, or as a festive first course.
Our new shop has opened. Situated in the entrance of the Victorian vinery, just past the green gates of the walled garden, the shop is a considered edit of thoughtful and beautiful gifts to give or keep for yourself. We have created a calming space with the intent of championing the local, the artisan and the small-scale. All the objects we have sourced combine functionality and beauty and are made by independent makers and creatives for the home and garden. We are also selling our homemade Water Lane Pantry honey, pickles, preserves and granola plus our fabulous Christmas puddings and mince pies. We will be closing Water Lane for the festive period on Sunday 19th December and won’t be reopening until 19th January, so now is the time to come along for plenty of last-minute present ideas.
Tableware and ceramics come from Atlas Works making recycled glassware; Kate Monckton ceramic dog bowls and candlesticks; Chrissy Silver botanical porcelain tea light holders and lamps. Cosy knitwear made by Rose Brown; candles and home fragrance from The Botanical Candle Company; stationery by Ariana Martin; Goldrick and Isla Middleton; Utilities from Norfolk Home; Tapp on Wood; Creamore Mill; wool chevron blankets and hot water bottles by Tweedmill; leather garden gloves by Pittards; wild seed flowers by Mabel and Co; Bloom magazine, Noble Rot and Rakes Progress; Postcard Teas; Cold Blow Coffee; Melrose and Morgan chocolates and mulled syrup and Pump Street Chocolate. We are a proud member of 1% for the Planet.
(Serves 8 as a starter)
We think a little seafood decadence doesn’t go a miss over the festive period. Serve these delicious scallops in their shells piled high on your favourite platter. They can be made ahead of guests arriving. Keep them in the fridge after stage 7 below, then just blast them in the oven ahead of serving. Pepper dulce adds a peppery salty tang to the scallops, if you can’t source it, try a sprinkle of seaweed salt or even crispy fried bacon or chorizo.
Ingredients:
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24 scallops (in the shells, ask your local fishmonger to gut and clean them)
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1 medium celeriac peeled and diced in 2cm pieces
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50g butter
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20ml light olive oil
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150ml double cream
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3 red eating apples, cut into matchstick size pieces
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1 lemon, juiced
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50g *pepper dulce, cleaned and chopped
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(*available via the ‘Bello wild food’ app)
To make the celeriac purée:
Melt the butter in a large pan with the olive oil. Add the celeriac with a large pinch of salt and cover with a cartouche, or scrunched up baking paper, and put the lid on. Cook gently for 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the celeriac is very soft and starting to collapse. If it starts to stick, add a splash of water to the pan. In a separate pan bring the double cream to the boil. Combine the cream and cooked celeriac into a blender and process until smooth.
To cook the scallops:
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Preheat oven to 240°C.
Prep the apple into matchsticks, adding drops of lemon juice to prevent discolouring. Rinse the dulce then roughly chop and brush the scallops with a little oil and season. Spoon a tablespoon of the celeriac purée onto the bottom of each reserved, washed and dried scallop shell and bed the seasoned scallop meat into the purée. Roast in the oven 10 mins. To serve, garnish with the matchstick apple pieces and a sprinkle of pepper dulce.
We hope you have a wonderful and restful festive season and as ever, we look forward to welcoming you to Water Lane.
Nick and Ian