Hatches and Thatches-A Final Look At Colyton In Devon With It’s Thatched Cottages Plus An Announcement Of the Birth Of Burmese Kittens...

I am so glad people have enjoyed reading my posts about the delightful place of Colyton in Devon. 

For my final post in this series, I thought I would mention a little more about the thatched roofs that adorn quite a few of the cottages in Colyton and across Devon in general.

There is something so very quintessentially English about the sight of thatched cottages and pubs.

The UK has the most thatched buildings in Europe. There are, of course, some wonderful thatched buildings in other countries- some of which I saw in my visit to Russia and the Ukraine featured on a previous post,

http://green-dragonette.blogspot.co.uk/2012_04_01_archive.html

Such as this delightful old Ukrainian cottage that I saw there...

But, back to Colyton...

In Colyton there are some lovely old thatched cottages it seems around almost every corner...

Some are in better repair than others...

Even the smallest out building may be a proud processor of a thatched roof...

It is good to see that the once proud tradition of thatching is now having an upsurge. Many old thatched buildings can have traces of the original thatch dating back over 500 years. 

Unfortunately the majority of old houses had their thatched roof replaced by Welsh slate in the Victorian times as thatch was seen as a symbol of poverty and the new slate roofs a symbol of richness!

 Nowadays we have almost come full circle as to maintain a thatched roof is a sign of affluence, as it can be around £20,000 to re-thatch a roof every 25 year or so...

There is a very detailed document on the state of thatching in Devon in this very interesting enclosed article...

http://www.devon.gov.uk/thatching.pdf

On a more uplifting and amusing front, can I show you this short video clip of a Thatcher with his dog at work up on top of a thatched pub roof...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-17814451

Thatching is a very proud ancient tradition.

 I remember as a child being taken around any local cottages that were being re-thatched. As my family chatted to the thatchers, I would explore the bales of aromatic straw and reeds waiting to go onto the roofs. None of the modern day scaffolding was used-it was then just a simple ladder up to the roof carrying the straw over a shoulder. Each Thatcher had his own particular style- be it in how he laid the roof ridge or around the corners and windows.

I’m afraid that thatched roofs did attract rodents as they liked to nibble on any remaining grain from the straw. This was one of the reasons my grandmother did away with the straw roof on our cottage and I clearly remember the sound of scuttling rats or mice when I used to stay in the bedrooms underneath the thatched roofs of friend’s homes...One of my friends had her bedroom in the attic of her thatched home and we used to have to climb a ladder to reach it which we thought was so exciting. Less exciting was being that close up to the wildlife!

Good thatching also depends on the pitch of the roof. In order to get a good run off from the rain, the pitch needs to be at a sharp angel and to overhang the building and, in this way, no guttering is required.

Fire is a very real concern...

 The biggest problem can be from chimneys and therefore they need to be checked very regularly. The stacks must not get too hot and light, inflammables such paper must not be placed in the fireplace so that sparks do not rise up and light up on the straw roof. The local fire officer needs to perform a (free) fire assessment and local fire stations informed. Dealing with a fire from a thatched roof is very different from a normal roof as, instead of normally dousing a house fire with water, they need to pull the actual thatch off. 

Consequently house, and household insurance, is considerably greater than normal...

Ecologically, thatching is an ‘in thing’...using natural ingredients is great. Unfortunately much of which used nowadays is imported from abroad as using heritage seed of wheat from longer growing stalks required for thatching is not allowed to be sold and used under EU regulations here in Briton... 

Thatching is also an art that needs to be fully mastered. There is no national qualification for setting yourself up as a Thatcher in Britain and therefore people employing a Master Thatcher need to be aware of how good their work is and will be in the future...

One such company which I’ve heard recommended which gives all this information (and I’m sure there are others) is

 www.thatching.net

 

Thatched buildings are undoubtedly beautiful but the upkeep is great and so I am truly thankful that the tradition continues in the lovely picturesque corner of Devon, that is Colyton......

Now on to food...

My grandmother was a crafty cook, though she would have been the first to have dismissed such a title...

As a child, we had an abundance of vegetables from both the home grown garden and those from our neighbours, relatives and friends.

In those days, most of the home revolved around the kitchen and as such we were usually put to work helping to prepare the meals. 

One very prolific herb was mint which grew in abundance. I seem to have memories of picking it when it was actually taller than myself! 

Another was parsley which was used in many, many dishes.

Once cut and brought into the kitchen, both Mint and Parley were chopped and as a child I was allowed to use the chopper which consisted of several wheels which I ran up and down the parley until it was finely grated. I’ve never seen such a device again-mores’ the pity as it did a grand job and was thoroughly entertaining to a small child who was concentrating on mashing up with gusto, some green stuff! 

The smell of freshly chopped parsley or mint is also, I have to admit, even now, is rather intoxicating! 

For a parsley sauce...

The macerated parsley was then added to a basic roux sauce and a sublime parsley sauce then resulted...

As I got older, I was allowed to participate in the measuring of the flour and butter and to tip the jug full of milk ever so slowly into the saucepan and then gently stir it.

This rather wonderfully vibrantly green and aromatic parsley sauce was then draped generously over any vegetables on our plate from Spring Greens, Spinach, and Cabbage to Cauliflower.

 Seen below is some of my home-grown Green Chard.

And then the true crafty nature of my grandmother emerged...

Because which child would refuse a generous helping of a vegetable that was smothered with an unctuous and truly delicious green sauce that they had helped to create?

Parsley Sauce

25g plain flour

45g butter

1 pint milk

1 bay leaf (or 4 Myrtle leaves)-slightly crushed

One small onion or a handful of chives finely chopped

Four very generous handfuls of parsley finely chopped

Sea salt-Maldon for preference and freshly ground pepper to taste

This sauce uses the basic roux method for cooking. If you are unfamiliar with it then you may get some lumps. I use a silicon whisk when making it and whisk frequently and don’t have any problems...

In a large pan melt the butter and fry off the flour for a couple of minutes. Very gradually add the milk, stirring all the time until all the milk is added. Bring to the boil then reduce to a slow gentle simmer and add the chopped onion/chives and parsley. Cook gently for 20 minutes or so and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove Bay/Myrtle leaves before whisking or serving. NB if you do get lumps then whisk briskly with a heat proof whisk until smooth.

Add to your chosen vegetables and serve immediately. This can also be frozen to portions to use at a later date.

 

 

And finally, going back to the ‘hatching’ part of the title of this post, may I announce the arrival of my latest litter of Burmese kittens...

My lovely Brown Burmese girl, Wilma, gave birth at the weekend to her first Burmese litter of kittens...

Mum and offspring are doing very well...

And so this finishes off my short series on Colyton in Devon. 

I do, though, have more photos and stories and possibly some dishes involving the wonderful Devonshire Clotted Cream if anybody is interested...