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SNOW STARS
A father and daughter star-jump for joy during an afternoon walk across the snow-capped moorland hills near Stow in the Scottish Borders. The silver lining to the shorter days of winter is the opportunity to enjoy glorious sunsets earlier in the day, as the sun slinks below the horizon. This bare, leafless tree creates a striking silhouette against the amber sky, and the fresh snow is the icing on the cake. No wonder our two walkers are leaping in glee. www.countryfile.com
HARBOUR LIGHTS
The coastal village of Mousehole in Cornwall dazzles in winter with its brilliant illuminations, as fishing boats and buildings are decked with lights and the glowing colours reflect in the calm waters of the sheltered harbour. This year, the display will switch on gradually from 12 December, turning off on 6 January.
BERRY BRIGHT
The classic Christmas plant, holly’s red berries and shiny pointed leaves have long graced festive wreaths and houses, while its image adorns greetings cards. Considered magical by pagans, holly later came to symbolise Christ’s crown of thorns, with the berries as his blood and the evergreen leaves representing life after death.
TOASTED TREAT
Roasted sweet chestnuts are a traditional treat at this time of year, sold at markets and on street corners, filling the air with a warm, earthy scent and inspiring seasonal songs. The Greeks dedicated the sweet chestnut tree to Zeus, while the nuts were a favourite food of the Romans, who possibly introduced the tree to Britain.
JOLLY FELLOW
A red-breasted robin puffs out his feathers and wings in snow, near Bradworthy in Devon. This well-loved passerine is often viewed as the spirit of Christmas, but in fact the birds are not known for their conviviality in winter. Rather, they can be aggressive and territorial in defending their patch from rivals, as they battle to survive the season of harsh weather and scant resources.
Top five…
Festive Santa trains
Enjoy a touch of magic this Christmas on board a heritage railway line, journeying through frost-kissed countryside all the way to the North Pole, where Santa and his band of merry elves await
TANFIELD RAILWAY
East Tanfield, Yorkshire, 27 Nov–24 Dec
Collect your North Pole passport before finding a seat on the ‘world’s oldest railway’ (above), parts of which were laid down in the early 1600s. Meet Santa Claus in his grotto, then warm up at the cosy Mrs Claus’ Tea Rooms at the North Pole. tanfield-railway.co.uk
EAST LANCASHIRE RAILWAY
Bury, Lancashire, 26 Nov–24 Dec
Wander through Bury Bolton Street Station’s Winter Wonderland, where there will be singing polar bears and a magical talking Christmas tree, then meet Mrs Claus and the Ice Princess before taking an 80-minute voyage through the enchanting Irwell Valley. eastlancsrailway.org.uk
BO’NESS AND KINNEIL RAILWAY
Bo’ness, West Lothian, 4–24 Dec
Climb aboard festively decorated historic carriages for a trip to the North Pole (Birkhill). Children can fill in their Christmas wish card and post it in the magic post box before meeting Santa. bkrailway.co.uk
LLANGOLLEN RAILWAY
Llangollen, Denbighshire 3–24 Dec
Enjoy a festive drink and mince pie then board a chugging steam train for a trip through the Dee Valley from Llangollen to Lapland (Carrog). llangollen-railway.co.uk
SPA VALLEY RAILWAY
Tunbridge Wells, Kent, 18 Nov–23 Dec
Fans of The Polar Express movie will love this adventure through sparkling Kent countryside, where you will get the chance to meet the conductor, dancing chefs and a mysterious ghost. spavalleyrailway.co.uk
ID guide
SIX THRUSHES OF BRITAIN
Five of our six thrushes can be seen in the winter months. How many can you spot?
REDWING
Turdus iliacus
A winter visitor from Russia and Scandinavia, this small thrush appears in flocks of 10–50 birds plundering berries and windfalls, but it is shy and easily spooked. Redwings travel at night, even over cities, so listen for icy “tzeeee” calls raining from the dark skies. While foraging in daylight, its call has a rounded “hope” note.
BLACKBIRD
Turdus turdus
One of Britain’s most widespread garden, park and woodland birds – and still common, thankfully, as it rummages noisily in leaf litter. The male is black, the female brown. Though we don’t hear its glorious song in winter, listen for its metallic “tuck-tuck-tucktuck” contact/alarm call, especially at dusk.
MISTLE THRUSH
Turdus viscivorous
Superficially resembles a large song thrush and inhabits the same sort of habitats. Its loud, rapid clicking flight call is like an old-fashioned football rattle. It is one of the earliest spring singers and the plaintive melody can be heard as early as late December at twilight and on brighter mornings.
FIELDFARE
Turdus pilaris
Another winter visitor that gorges on hedgerow and garden berries, the fieldfare is larger than the redwing, with a blue-grey head and tail either side of a chestnut rump. Flocks in large numbers fill the stark winter landscape with movement. Its raucous “chacka-chacka-chacka” call is a giveaway.
RING OUZEL
Turdus torquatus
A summer visitor ,and a rare one at that, though it winters as close as southern Europe and a few birds leave it very late to migrate in autumn. A lover of uplands, it nests in crags and escarpments. It is slightly smaller than a blackbird and its white bib is its defining characteristic, as well as a much harsher song and rattling call.
SONG THRUSH
Turdus philomenus
With its perky upright stance and streaked chest, the song thrush is still a regular sight on playing fields, lawns and woodland edges, hunting worms and snails. It has suffered severe declines over the past 50 years and needs wilder garden and parks – with no pesticides – in order to thrive.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR BIRDS AT COUNTRYFILE.COM
On the plot
Jobs for the garden with Rekha Mistry
Another gardening year is over. Tools are cleaned and sharpened, the shed is swept and packed away and the plot sits eerily dormant and silent. The once-hot days of summer spent with doors wide open are a distant memory and, instead, I pass the days tucked up inside with feet toasting by the log burner.
But there are still jobs to be done. Someone has to perform the hard task of sifting through stacks of seed catalogues, musing over and ticking off which seed varieties to order and which to painfully leave out.
The best excuse to get into the garden arrives on Boxing Day, when I sneak out of the back door and into the greenhouse to sow onion seeds, using these blissful few hours as a respite from visiting guests. While I’m outdoors, the last hardwood cuttings of favourite shrubs are taken and potted up in the coldframe.
If I must go back indoors, I do so with a trug full of winter vegetables, such as kale, savoy cabbage and parsnips. As I clink my glass with my guests to what was a wonderful gardening year, I rejoice, for with the winter solstice now behind us, spring days have started to edge closer again. Happy holidays to you all. Your gardener, Rekha.
Rekha Mistry is a garden writer and recipe developer. Discover more kitchen-garden inspiration at rekhagardenkitchen.com
A taste of December
SPROUTS WITH HAZELNUTS, BLACK PUDDING, SAGE AND APPLE
Nothing shouts December more than the humble sprout. We now have foil-wrapped chocolate versions, sparkly cartoon sprouts to hang on the Christmas tree, sprout-printed festive jumpers and much, much more. Yet on the big day itself, the sprout is often maligned, boiled until soft and sulphurous. It’s little wonder that this diminutive brassica gets a bad rap – especially so among the younger generation. Shredding and roasting sprouts until sweet and nutty is best, trust me. Add hazelnuts, black pudding, sage and apple, and you’re winning at Christmas dinner.
INGREDIENTS
• 150g good crustless bread, cut into 2cm pieces
• 6 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil
• 40g hazelnuts, peeled and roasted and roughly chopped
• 350g sprouts, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 200g black pudding, roughly crumbled
• 2 green apples, cored and cut into wedges of 8
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 fresh sage leaves
• 2 tsp runny honey
• 1 tbsp red wine or cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• ½ small bunch of parsley, leaves roughly chopped
METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC, and line a baking tray with some greaseproof paper.
2. Add the bread to the tray and drizzle over with two tbsp of oil. Roast the bread in the oven until crisp and golden, stirring midway, for five to eight minutes. Remove from the oven and put to one side on a plate. Keep the tray.
3. Lightly roast the hazelnuts on the tray until they take on a bit of colour, around three minutes. Remove from the oven and put to one side on a plate. Roughly crush when cool enough to do so. Keep the tray.
4. Using the same tray lined with greaseproof, add the sprouts, onion, black pudding and apple in an even layer. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle over two tbsp of oil and add the sage leaves. Roast in the hot oven for around 12–15 minutes, stirring midway through the cook time and spreading the mix out in an even layer to continue cooking. Remove from the oven when the black pudding is piping hot and the apples, sprouts and onions have all softened, with some taking on a bit of colour.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the honey, vinegar and mustard together, then whisk in the remaining two tbsp oil and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. In a serving bowl or large plate, add the sprout mixture, including the sage leaves, and dress all over with the honey mustard dressing, before scattering with the chopped hazelnuts and bread. Serve warm.
Claire Thomson is a chef and food writer. Discover more seasonal recipe ideas at 5oclockapron.com
Sumptuous sprouts
Join writer and cook Nigella Lawson for more festive food ideas, including another delicious sprout recipe on Nigella: At My Table, Christmas. BBC Two, available on iPlayer.
This month on the Plodcast
People and place
NEW SEASON!
The proud winner of the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022, BBC Countryfile Magazine’s Plodcast is a mindful exploration of the countryside to help you find rural bliss when you can’t get there yourself. This autumn and winter sees the start of a brand new season of wanders to find wildlife and wild people.
Episode 1
Botanist Leif Bersweden recently cycled around the UK to find our most beautiful wildflowers. In this episode, in an Oxfordshire meadow, he talks about his passion for plants, his strangest encounters and why we must fill our gardens with nature.
Episode 2
Editor Fergus takes us back to spring on the unspoilt Handa Island off the coast of Sutherland. Here he encounters skuas, seals and puffins while exploring some of the UK’s mightiest seabird cities.
Episode 3
Cook and presenter Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall invites us to River Cottage HQ to talk about the magic of growing your own veg.
Episode 4
Part one of two episodes recorded at Folk by the Oak music festival in Hertfordshire. Hear magic melodies from The Unthanks, Salt House and We Are The Monsters.
bbccountryfile.podlink.to/plodcast
IT’S THE SEASON FOR EXPLORING
Three apps to inspire outdoor adventures this winter
1 Explore Moor
Identify classic uplands wildlife, plant and moss species with Moors for the Future’s new app. Winter stars include red grouse, redwings, mountain hares and numerous species of sphagnum moss. Once you have identified your find, learn all about how each species helps make these moorlands such important and unique places. moorsforthefuture.org.uk
2 Explore OS Maps
The Ordnance Survey’s incredible, ever-evolving mapping app is a must-have for lovers of the outdoors – and a great gift idea for Christmas (£28.99 for an annual subscription). Get unlimited use of every OS Explorer and OS Landranger map for the whole of Great Britain, discover thousands of ready-made routes and visualise landscapes in 3D. explore.osmaps.com
3 The Wildlife Trusts: Nature Finder
This app lets you explore more than 2,000 Wildlife Trust nature reserves from around the UK. It also contains a list of events, information on 800 UK wildlife species and a directory for all 46 Wildlife Trusts. Find a wood, meadow, moor, heath or lake near you using the handy interactive map and get exploring. nature-finder-website.web.app
Countryfile on TV
BBC One, Sunday evenings
18 DECEMBER
John Craven and Anita Rani help deck the halls with boughs of holly at Rockingham Castle, Market Harborough, where the doughty 950-year-old castle is putting on a Victorian-style Christmas. Chef and broadcaster Romy Gill will be whizzing up a special feast for John and Anita with the help of four talented young countryside cooks, while Adam Henson takes a look at the damage mistletoe is wreaking on our orchards.