Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot.
And so we have had Bonfire Night with its warming soup, jacket potatoes and stuffed peppers followed by comforting parkin and sticky toffee apples eaten outside by the amber glow of the fire amongst the gunpowder aromas of the fireworks.
This has been followed by another kind of remembering; that of Remembrance Sunday when the whole nation remembers and honours those who have sacrificed themselves to secure and protect our freedom. This day is also known as Poppy Day.
Last year ceramic poppies were planted at the Tower of London to mark one hundred years since the start of Britain's involvement in World War I and each one marked the life of a soldier lost during that time.
This year, here in Yorkshire, at the Sculpture Park, part of that installation, Wave, can be seen.
Although poppies are known for being toxic with their alkaloids used to manufacture opium and morphine, their seeds are in fact edible and a good substitute for nuts.
In the West we use them mainly scattered on baked items such as breads, bagels and pretzels but they can also be used in baking such as poppy cake, strudels and Danish pastries. In the East they are used in chappatis but can be added to mixed spice and used in some curries as a thickener and to add texture. The whole seeds are used in chutneys. Poppy syrup and poppy oil can also be made.
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