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May 16, 2010

Coastal Cottage Holidays

Seaside holidays are extremely popular which is why every year, millions of tourists head for seaside beaches. Perhaps you like coastal holidays too. seaside holidays are fabulous, but that can be the problem too, because it frequently means overcrowding, queuing, rubbish and noise. Have you ever thought about renting your own private coastal cottage? Many only dream about it, but it is not that difficult or costly to arrange actually.

One point to bear in mind is that, public beaches are well-known and that is why they get too busy. However, private coastal cottages are often secluded or on private beaches, which makes for a much quieter holiday. Often, local people living only miles from the cottage do not know that they are there. In spite of this, most coastal cottages do not cost a fortune to rent.

These coastal cottages are to be had in many countries around the world. They are certainly very popular in Britain, Europe and the United States. The level of privacy and the amenities available will depend on where you go. A coastal cottage in Wales will give you a very different holiday than a coastal cottage in southern France or Coney Island.

Many coastal cottages are located near a popular holiday destination. Not right in the middle of the venue, but normally a few miles or less outside, so that you can easily drive in or even walk in, if you want some livelier entertainment. Typical coastal cottage leisure activities include swimming, sailing, fishing and walking.

Of course, one of the chief considerations when renting a cottage is the rent itself. Now the funny thing is that is not nearly such a big concern as you might think it would be. The macro location is more important than the micro location. So, Wales might be cheaper than the south of France, but within Wales itself, there is not a huge variation in price, when you equate like with like. Obviously, a five-bedroomed coastal cottage will be more expensive than a three-bedroomed one.

Another situation worth looking into is the ownership of the coastal cottage. Is it owned by a private individual who lives near-by or is it owned by a large business. Is the cottage a real, original cottage or is it a new, mock cottage building? If it is old, is it connected with anyone famous or a famous event? Knowing these facts can all heighten your enjoyment.

Make sure that you are given some maps or drawings so that you can find the place easily. Especially if you are going to the cottage in the evening or in the dark. Things often look considerably different at night than in the daylight, and if your chosen cottage is in a quiet spot, there may not be any street lighting

Finally, get hold of some pictures of inside and outside the coastal cottage you ultimately decide on and then book it early, because the best coastal cottages go earlier and earlier every year as this form of vacationing becomes ever more popular.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with the rental of Welsh coastal cottages. If you are interested in a cottage or Wales in general, please go to our website at Welsh Products Online

May 6, 2010

Wedding Cakes

Nearly every family or social event includes the eating of food and the drinking or drinks in the celebration. Think of Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings. In this article, I would like to speak about that centre piece of the wedding reception: the wedding cake.

The guests come to eat, drink and be merry and the bride’s parents always put a great deal of work into the organization of the wedding reception. The wedding cake is the focal point of the top table and the whole function in general. The wedding cake has traditional significance and it is often considered bad luck not to have a slice of the wedding cake.

There are specific rules for the timing of the cutting of the wedding cake that have become part of tradition. For example, if the wedding reception takes place at lunch or dinner, it is traditional to cut the wedding cake just before the sweet is served.

However, if the reception is to take place in the late afternoon or early evening, the cake is served as soon as the guests arrive. In some traditions the bride and groom cut and eat the first slice together as a symbol of their vows to love, honour and obey each other. The remainder of the cake is generally cut by one of the assistants, like the maid of honour or a family relative.

It can be quite difficult to choose the wedding cake. Traditionally, people go for a white cake with white icing for weddings, however these days, people are becoming more adventurous and are picking more exotic flavours and colours.

Some people choose to have a wedding cake which has different flavours on each layer. While white icing is still the overwhelming favourite, people do order other colours like pink and yellow. Chocolate and mocha are also popular. These days you can have what you like. It is your day, after all.

Everybody likes the wedding reception. It is the favourite part of the wedding ceremony and everyone looks forward to seeing the cake cut and sharing it with the bride and groom.

If you are thinking about becoming a cake decorator, you have a couple of options to go about it. You could buy a book or a course or get a video in order to teach yourself how to decorate cakes from the simple to the elaborate. You could also go to a night school class to learn the art or cake decoration.

Without a doubt, the very best way to learn cake decorating is to take a course. DVD’s, videos, and books are all well and good, but you cannot talk to them or ask questions. If you take a class for three months or more you will learn more and get a deeper understanding of the art of cake decoration. You will learn how to put real feeling into the decoration of the cake and you will be able to translate the wedding couple’s dreams into a cake that you and they can be proud of.

If you are interested in a Welsh gold wedding ring, or Wales in general, go to our website at Welsh Products Online

categories: Wales,terriers,dogs,history,politics,social issues,religion,hobbies,celtic,education,government,travel,writing,other

April 26, 2010

How To Use Dairy Products Correctly: Part Four – Eggs (cont.)

Preparation Of Foods: Dairy Produce.

Eggs: Part Two

Poaching: boil 40mm water in a frying pan; add a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of vinegar. Crack egg into cup, inspect and tip into water. Turn down the heat. Gather the white around the unbroken yolk with a spoon and simmer for 3-4 mins. Lift out with a fish slice, drain and serve on hot buttered toast.

Scrambling: beat the eggs well; add salt, pepper to taste and a dash of milk. Melt enough butter to cover the bottom of a shallow pan. Heat the eggs slowly, stirring continuously. Cook in a basin floating in boiling water, if preferred. Serve when almost completely set, in about 5 mins.

Fried: Melt enough fat to easily cover the bottom of a shallow pan. Tip egg in gently and gather the whites around the yolks. When the white has set, baste the yolk to taste and remove whole with a draining spoon.

Baking: lightly grease a fireproof dish and slide eggs into it. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and butter. Bake in a moderate oven and serve in the same pan after the whites have set.

Omelette: buy a pan and keep it only for omelettes! The base should be smooth and clean. Allow two eggs per person; beat lightly and add salt and pepper to taste. Heat enough butter to cover the base of the pan. When the fat is hot, pour in the eggs; as it sets, raise the handle up and draw set mixture up, allowing the liquid egg to run down onto the hot pan. When all is set, tilt the pan forward and roll the omelette over. Serve immediately on a hot plate. It can be filled with almost anything, before being rolled over.

Pouring Custard: beat 2-3 eggs for every one pint of milk lightly. Heat the milk and pour gradually over the eggs; add sugar and flavouring to taste; cook in a double pan or jug and hot water until the required consistency has been achieved. If it is not to be served immediately, pour a thin layer of water onto it to stop a skin forming.

Baked Custard: start as above and then transfer the custard into a greased dish; sprinkle lightly with nutmeg and place dish in water to halfway up its sides. Bake at 350 F for 35-45 mins; test its solidity by inserting a knife – it should be clean on removal.

Steamed Custard: as baked custard, but cook in a steamer or pan of boiling water. The cooking time is about the same too.

Custard Tarts: pour pouring custard into unbaked pastry cases and bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes. A little jam can be placed at the bottom of the pastry case first, if preferred.

For deliciousgourmet Traditional Welsh Recipes, go along to our website at http://welsh-recipes.the-real-way.com/ Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

April 22, 2010

The Ancient History of Barry, South Wales: Part Two

In the 18th. Century evidence of Neolithic man was discovered in the form of dishes, saws, knives, flints, a scraper, a prehistoric horn celt with obscure markings, a spokeshave and some arrowheads, amongst other things. Unfortunately, although these things reside safely in the Museum of Cardiff, no one thought it worth excavating at the time and now residences stand on the sites.

An ancient Roman kitchen replete with cooking utensils and food remains was also abandoned without investigation. In 1533, Leland, the King’s Antiquary, was ordered to visit ‘all places where records are held’. It took him nine years and he wrote of Barry Island:

“It is about a mile in circumference and has good corn, grass and some wood, and there is no dwelling on the Island, but in the midst of it is a fair little Chapel of St. Baruch which is visited by many pilgrims. It took the name Barri from this holy man who was buried there and whose remains are yet on the Island”. (The Welsh name for Barry is Y Barri).

Vikings raided the coastline of south Wales in the Tenth Century often taking hostages from the monasteries, but they did not seek to settle the area. The island was known as the ‘Saints’ Retreat’ or the ‘Island of Saints’ for a long time. Later, in the Sixteenth Century, the island was used by smugglers and pirates and was known locally as the ‘Smugglers’ Fortress’. This occurred at the same time as Bristol, Britain’s second largest port, was growing rapidly.

Barry Island soon became the centre of piracy and smuggling in the Bristol Channel. In 1784, the island became known as the “Fortress of Knight”. Knight was the most prolific pirate and smuggler in the channel and people were to terrified to speak out in court against him., although he was also considered a bit of a local hero. His armed ship was called ‘John O’ Combe’. He was eventually forced out to Lundy, which he also fortified. He and his successor, Arthur, returned to Barry so frequently that H.M. Customs asked the government to station a cutter in Penarth and 60 troops to Barry.

Rhoose was infamous for its wreckers and George II sent troops to break up the smugglers and wreckers. They landed at Aberthaw “the Rhoose men’s favourite landing zone, from where they could easily transport the contraband along Port Road to Cardiff, the main market for such things”. Several large caves were filled in while constructing the present day docks and it is likely that they were used by the pirates until they were moved on in about 1850.

If you are interested in Welsh corgi puppies, or Wales in general, visit our website at Welsh Products Online Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

April 12, 2010

Boarding Dogs In Temporary Kennels

Are you the sort of dog owner who likes to take your companion with you wherever you go? If you are then you know that that there are times when you can do this, but there are also times when you can not, for whatever reason.

On the occasions when that happens, you will often have to to find a boarding kennels that will take care of your dog while you are away.

A vacation is a time for relaxing, so you do not want to be worrying about your dog, if you can help it. Within your own country, it is not usually a big problem, but if you go abroad, then taking your dog can be more trouble than it is worth. Not only for you, but for your doggy friend as well.

If you can not place your dog with someone it knows, like a member of your family or a neighbour, then the only option is a boarding kennels.

I have put my dog in a bad kennel once and I learned a few lessons from that. I put my Becky in a kennel in a highly regarded village just outside our town. I was happy with what I saw and the patter of the owner, so I went to Spain, thinking that all was fine for both of us. I had a lovely holiday and went straight to the kennels from the airport on my return, although I had told them a fortnight before that I would pick Becky up the day after my arrival. I just could not wait to see her.

I went to the kennels and they were surprised to see me. Of course, I was a day early. They said that Becky was ‘resting’ and that it would be better to ‘come back tomorrow’. No way! So they took me to see her. I nearly cried. She was sitting in a good sized cage, but on newspaper sodden with pee.

She saw me and just looked down at her paws. I called her name again, but she did not want to know. I paid the bill and put her in the car on the front passenger seat where she always sat. She just looked out the window and showed no interest in me at all.

It was three days before she would speak to me again! The moral of this story is not to be impressed by big adverts or impressive locations as I was. Ask your dog-owning friends, write into the local paper inviting recommendations, phone the local animal protection society or the kennel club or look on the Internet.

If you are interested in Welsh corgi puppies, or Wales in general, go to our website at Welsh Products Online

March 30, 2010

The Traditional Use Of Dairy Produce: Part 2 – Cheese

About The Basic Preparation Of Foodstuffs: Dairy Products.

CHEESES

Cheeses are manufactured from milk which has been naturally or artificially turned sour. The first method is achieved by standing the milk in a warm place and allowing natural, beneficial bacteria to convert the milk’s natural sugars into lactic acid. The second method is effected by adding an agent, usually rennet.

Salt and colouring and frequently put in too. The whey is then allowed to drain away and the curds are pressed into moulds where they are kept until ripened or cured. Some cheeses, usually hard ones, are subjected to pressure; soft cheeses are not. Curds are ripened or cured by various means. The way it’s done, the quality of the milk, the breed of cow, sheep or other animal and its pasture, and the type of bacteria all govern the end result.

Some local conditions are unique and those areas produce cheeses that are not successfully copied anywhere else: for example Roquefort and Edam, although factories do try. They even have some success, just think most of the world’s Cheddar cheese now comes from the USA and Canada.

The constituents of cheese are typically: 33% fat, 33% protein and 33% water with salt, colouring, sugar etc making up the rest. These percentages vary from region to region as some producers use full-cream milk, others skimmed-milk and yet others add extra cream. Some add extra sugar, most do not. All cheeses have a high calcium content and may be considered ‘concentrated milk’ and stored as such.

Many people say that cheese must not be kept in a fridge and although storing in water, as for milk, is not a viable option, a cool larder is certainly ideal. Try the traditional method of suspending it from a hook in muslin in a cool, breezy place. If it is hot, moisten the cheesecloth with water to which a little vinegar has been added.

in Europe, cheese is frequently served with a salad or/and bread and is often presented after or instead of the dessert course. Hard cheese can be nigh-on impossible for children to digest and grating it first will make it more edible for them. After being grated the cheese can be scattered on vegetables or fish soups or sauces; combined with egg, pasta, rice and oatmeal dishes; put on baked potatoes or pastry; toasted on bread or put in sandwiches or salads.

How To Cook Cheese: A little known fact is that many people find cooked cheese indigestible and the reason lies in its structure. Here is why: cooked starch can be digested by the saliva in the mouth but other foods must pass to the stomach or intestines for this process. They are, however, broken up in the mouth. Digestion of protein begins in the stomach and is completed in the small intestine, while fat is not rendered soluble until it reaches the small intestine.

Cheese has a high fat and protein content, but when melted, the fat frequently covers the protein and stops the digestive juices reaching it in the stomach. This results in, its digestion is delayed until the fat has been absorbed by the intestines. Cheese can be made more digestible in the following way:

a] Combining it with some starchy foodstuff, since the starch will absorb the fat, not allowing it to cover the protein.

2] Using seasoning: Cayenne Pepper or mustard will irritate the intestinal lining, causing the release of extra digestive juices.

3] Cooking quickly at high temperature. This prevents the protein from becoming tough and stringy and therefore, harder to digest. Add cheese late to sauces.

4] Adding alkali: so, generous pinch of Bicarbonate of Soda per 75g (3 ozs) will help neutralize the fatty acids and make the proteins easier to digest.

If you would like to learn more about food in general or Traditional Welsh Recipes in particular, please visit http://welsh-recipes.the-real-way.com/ This article, The Traditional Use Of Dairy Produce: Part 2 – Cheese has free reprint rights.

categories: recipes,cooking,gourmet,celtic,tradition,food,kitchen,wales,diet,dieting,eating out,DIY,entertainment,other

March 22, 2010

Wedding Favours

There are many presents that can be given for wedding favours, after all the point of wedding favours is to show your guests that you are grateful for them coming to your wedding and expressing their support for your wedding. Therefore, you ought to really try to find wedding favors, that your guests will like.

Naturally, the present that most suits your guests, may not be one you would choose for yourself, but you are getting the wedding favours for your guests, not yourself. If you think about it, you should be able to come up with something that everyone will like and that you are pleased to give. In order to help you get the job done, we will offer you a few tips below.

Love spoons are a popular souvenir at Welsh and other Celtic weddings. A love spoon was a wooden spoon carved by a love sick man for the woman he loved. She would then either take or refuse the love spoon, although she was not obliged by the acceptance of the spoon. Miniature versions are often used as wedding favours. They can be inscribed with dates and names and symbols of love such as a hearts, bells, vines, key holes, anchors and knots.

Wedding favours can also be suitable to eat. There are a pile of choices available for couples who wish to give their guests some kind of edible favour. You can have many items personalized these days. Some firms specialize in personalized presents, which can also be given as wedding favours. Some examples of edible, personalized wedding favours might be: chocolate bars, mints, biscuits or gourmet chocolates. The box or wrapper could bear your photo or / and your names and the date.

Small wedding cakes are another concept for edible wedding favours. Small wedding cakes have a short shelf life so they will have to carry a warning, which will in all probability be put on the packaging automatically, but it is worth checking.

A half / quarter or small bottle of wine or other drink would also be quite easy to arrange as wine bottle labels can be bought in any home brew shop.

Picture frames are common wedding favors. You could give a picture frame and follow it up with a photo of the recipient of the frame enjoying your wedding party. This might be costly and awkward to set up as you will have to keep records of who has been photographed and who has not. It would be dreadful to miss someone out, would it not? You will possibly also need a professional photographer or at least a keen amateur.

Wedding favours can be anything really, but I reckon that they are better if they are useful. We gave very unusual bottle-openers away at our wedding. They had a pattern of a couple getting married, our names and the date. They also had a magnet in them to collect the bottle top as it came off. I have seen dozens of our bottle-openers stuck on our friends’ fridges over the years and the wedding was three years ago.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with Welsh love spoons, or Wales in general, go to our website at Welsh Products Online

March 15, 2010

Welsh Terriers A Facing a Struggle

Originally, Welsh terriers were bred for hunting rabbits, foxes and badgers, but public opinion and the decline in the lust for blood in general have gone against blood sports and so this native breed of Wales has become a show dog and a pet. Breeders try to outdo each other by breeding the Welsh terrier to have a thicker wiry coat and deeper colouration. The Welsh terrier is also a popular pet because it is one of the most easy-going terriers.

The Welsh terrier is a fun loving dog. It just loves to run, chase and play, which makes it a smashing companion and a perfect pet. Welsh terriers require lots of exercise, so be prepared for plenty of walks, if you make your mind up to get one.

It is a good idea to ’socialize’ your dog as soon as possible. This means that you should introduce your Welsh terrier puppy to children and other dogs at an early age. The more you encourage your dog to participate with other dogs as a puppy, the less trouble you will have with your dog fighting or barking at other dogs and cats. It’s the same story with children. Children can play very roughly, and a dog could be forgiven for biting back, but it can be avoided by introducing your Welsh terrier puppy to children while it is still young. The child might learn respect, but the dog will learn tolerance.

The Welsh terrier is easily trained, if you like your dog to do tricks. it is an intelligent breed and, being former hunters, they are good at learning commands and tricks. Train your Welsh terrier with kindheartedness and repetition. They like to retrieve sticks and play with a ball. Many people train their Welsh terriers to catch a flying Frisbee too.

A Welsh terrier will groom himself quite meticulously, but you can help out by brushing him once a week in order to eradicate the dead and loose hair. This will also help reduce the amount of hairs dropping inside your house, although terriers in general, and wire-haired dogs in particular do not shed as much hair as soft coated dogs. You could also lend a hand by wiping him over with a moist cloth from time to time in order to pick up any dust on his coat.

A Welsh terrier is very active and very curious, so it is prudent to keep your dog in a yard that has been fenced off. However, the fence needs to be realistically high, because the Welsh terrier has an exceptional ability to jump due to its long legs.

The Welsh terrier is Britain’s oldest breed of dog, but it is now under pressure. The British kennel club registers only 300 Welsh terrier puppies a year, whereas it registers tens of thousands of puppies of other, more popular, breeds. The Welsh terrier is a strong-willed animal, so it does need a strong-willed and patient owner.

However. if you want a Welsh terrier and you persevere with it, you will never look back. They have a lot to give and, as with so many things in life, you only get out what you are willing to put in.

If you are interested in Welsh corgi puppies, or Wales in general, go to our website at Welsh Products Online

March 11, 2010

How To Manage A Wedding Car Business

Have you ever thought about setting up a wedding car company? Although it can be demanding, because you do not want to let anybody down on their big day, it is also fascinating and exciting.

Some of the advantages are that you get to own good-looking cars – maybe a Rolls Royce or a Bentley and they are tax-deductible; you meet new people under happy circumstances and you are in the position to help them have a wonderful wedding day.

It is a very demanding industry, because you always have to bear in mind the desires of your clients and think about how you can realize and expand their’ wishes. That is difficult enough, but you also have to stay competitive. I hope that the following tips will be helpful.

1] Take care of the conditions under which you keep your vehicles. If you can afford to garage them, they will not collect dust and bird droppings so the paintwork will look better for longer. Do not have a gravel drive, because of possible scratching to the coachwork of the vehicles.

2] Get one or two really lovely cars. You will need to do a bit of research to find out what couples in your area like, but as a rule of thumb a Rolls Royce or a Bentley are sure bets. Or maybe a stretch limousine. Old vehicles go down well too. Build up your fleet of cars step by step but increasingly. Offer your clients as much choice as you can realistically afford to do.

Many wedding couples will not only require the wedding car, but also vehicles for the guests. Many of them want limousines or old vehicles for their wedding day. But a lot of other vehicles are required for the guests. Be adaptable and consent to bedeck the cars according to the couple’s wishes with flowers and ribbons.

2] Employ good, sympathetic personnel. A fully trained chauffeur is a necessity, but a military style chauffeur can add to your firm’s image.

3] It is a good idea to offer various packages or elements that a couple can use to build a package. So, you could offer transportation from the bride’s house to the church as one element. From the church to the restaurant as another element and from there to the chosen hotel, the airport or the railway station, as another element.

4] Make sure that your clients know precisely how long they have exclusive use of the vehicles for. This is useful for them, so that they know precisely how long they have to take photos, eat or chat.

Transport plays a huge and vital part in any wedding day celebrations. In fact, poorly timed or scruffy transportation can ruin a wedding day. If you let that happen, your firm’s standing will suffer badly, particularly in a town or village. You will need a high sense of responsibility; reliable, well-trained, sensitive staff and high quality cars that look the part. White wedding cars are popular, but other colours are acceptable, especially for the guests.

If you are interested in a Welsh gold wedding ring, or Wales in general, go to our web site at Welsh Products Online

February 2, 2010

The Ancient Roots of Barry, South Wales: Part 1.

Much of what we know or have supposed about Barry and the Vale of Glamorgan, in which it is situated has been gleaned from the buildings found there, many of which have been badly neglected for too long. There are also legendary stories, such as that of Joseph of Arimathea, who traded tin in Glastonbury, just across the channel and who was one of the first missionaries to this part of the country.

It is a widely-held traditional belief that the father of Caractacus took him to Rome where they both converted to Christianity. They later returned to the Vale of Glamorgan with the missionary Bran The Blessed. It is also well-known that Christianity had gained much popular belief in the Vale by the early fourth century and that several bishops on the Council of Rome were from the area.

Saint Baruch’s Church on Barry Island is one of the oldest places of historic religious interest in the region, but unfortunately, it too has been allowed to become dilapidated. Barry Island was one of the most important places of monastic interest in south Wales and around. The ancient Viking strongholds of Steep and Flat Holms also housed monks and Saint Illtyd’s Seminary in nearby Llantwit Major, which taught 2,200 disciples, was closely linked to it too.

There was an ancient Roman fort and accompanying naval dockyard on Porthkerry Point, which had obviously jutted out further into the sea than it does now and later a castle was built on their ruins. There have been found many wolf and deer bones between Sully and Barry – enough to show that they had existed there in great numbers. There have also been a large number of findings of arrowheads, flints, needles and coins, proving that people were there to prey on them too.

‘The Island’, as it is known locally, was first named Baruch’s Island after St. Baruch, who was found washed up on one its beaches dead in 700 AD. He had been drowned on his return from Flat Holm, where it was common practice for religious students to spend Lent.

He and Gwelches were both students of St. Cadoc and when they had got back from Flat Holm, they realized that they had left their enchiridion (religious manual) behind. St. Cadoc made them go back for it. Neither monk returned from the trip alive.St. Illtyd, St. Baruch’s most famous disciple was educated there too.

Barry Island has had several names, including Island of the Saints and Insular of Peiros. St. Peiro was the leader of the seminary after St. Illtyd and the mentor of St. Samson. St. Doeninas was also a leader of another abbey near Friars Point on the island.

If you are interested in Welsh corgi puppies, or Wales in general, go to our website at Welsh Products Online Don’t reprint this exact article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.

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