December 27, 2017

Clove Orange Pomanders!

Christmas Time Traditions!
'Tis now the season when we make apple, orange, lemon, and lime pomanders. After the cloves have been put in all round the fruit, it is rolled in an orris root and cinnamon mixture.  Orris root is a ground powder from the rhizomatous roots of Iris Florentina. Pomanders, with their pleasing scent, have long been a tradition at our house at Christmastide!
Tillie Tinkham, the seamstress mouse for the dolls at Corgyncombe, with clove in paw, explains to Emma how to make a delightful smelling clove orange! Tillie made the smaller clove orange several years ago.
Emma is a doll inspired by the old Izannah Walker dolls.
September 25th, 2017 would have been Izannah Walker's 200th birthday.



December Moon over Corgyncombe
In Eleanor Farjeon's poem "The Clove Orange", she speaks of selecting "a small orange as round as the moon is, ..."




Corgyncombe's "Emily & Ethlyn's Potions & Perfumery", where lavender, rose, and clove oranges are favored fragrances. According to the "American Dictionary of The English Language" by Noah Webster, 1828, a potion is: a draught; usually, a liquid medicine; a dose.

Making Dundee cakes for tea is another tradition around Christmas time at Corgyncombe Cottage.
During the days before Christmas, delicious and festive Dundee cakes are enjoyed at tea time.
At the Corgyncombe Bakery I make many Dundee cakes in all different shapes and sizes.
 Dundee cakes are made a month ahead of time and put in cold storage until time for St. Nicholas Tea.

The receipt for Dundee Cake is in "The Tasha Tudor Cookbook".
I never add the citron nor the raisins as called for in the receipt, but add more than the called for amount of currants and in addition to the almonds in the receipt, add walnuts.
This combination makes the most delicious Dundee cake!

In her cookbook Tasha Tudor says to decorate the top of the Dundee cake with cherries and almonds. I have always decorated my Dundee cakes in a different pattern than those that I have seen Tasha illustrate. I use the cherry as the center with almonds or other nuts around the cherries forming flower-like shapes. I also use the currants to decorate the top of the Dundee cake.


Oranges, lemons, and cider for making wassail.

Miniature sized fruit and a clove orange pomander.

863 Park Avenue where Tillie has her shoppe "Tillie Tinkham's Frocks & Fashions" with Millinery and Tea Room.
Nearby the dollhouse is our old fashioned table top Christmas tree like my Grandmum always had! The tree is surrounded by an old fashioned fence; it looks like a park in the distance from the house. In front of the dollhouse are little trees and another fence.
The address 863 Park Avenue is above the door.
The dollhouse, with its two large opening doors, reminds us of Beatrix Potter's doll's house at Hill Top.


 The dollhouse was from the Parsons family's stone summer home at their estate in Connecticut. The dollhouse is a miniature version of 863 Park Avenue in Manhattan where the Parsons family had lived at one time.

Tillie has a millinery shoppe and tea room at 863 Park Avenue. Tillie is helping the little dog decide on a hat. Trying on hats, what fun!


The blue and silver scenes on the walls are like diamond shaped windows looking out to fashionable folk walking about on cobbled streets. The rows of close buildings with their steep roofs and chimneys are reminiscent of the charming old English villages Lacock and Bibury in the Cotswolds.

This Regency lady is charmingly similar to Cassandra's portrait of her sister Jane Austen.


Hitty pours herself another cup of tea at "Tillie Tinkham's Frocks and Fashions" with Millinery and Tea Room at 863 Park Avenue. Tillie balances on her rose tuffet and sips her tea.





Silent Night at Corgyncombe

We hope all our Dear Readers
had a wonderful Christmas!


Some of the photographs and some of the writings on this post are from previous Corgyncombe Courant posts that can be found here on the Corgyncombe Courant and from our web site and our previous postings elsewhere on the internet.

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