Virtual BYC Week 4

Well, it’s been four weeks since the proper lockdown. What are you missing most about BYC?

Is it the table tennis, where our talented group were just beginning to play some really brilliant games? Is it the Arts and Crafts, where Sadie and Debs and Steph have treated you to some fascinating sessions, from oily swirls, to candle making and lino printing? Is it the tuck shop, brimming with treats and snacks to keep your energy boosted for 2 hours? Or is it the people? Your friends, new and old and the staff that keep this exciting new project feeling fresh and fun.

Imagine BYC now. The sun is out! The outdoor space is open! There are planters showing the first sprouting leaves of our first batch of BYC veg. There are bird feeders and nest boxes on our interactive nature wall. There are murals representing all we love about BS3 and Bristol. We’ve taken over the huge advertising board that fills our space and made it into a THANK YOU to all the care, NHS, and essential service workers that kept us going through the lockdown. It promotes a BBQ that we will be having to show that thanks to those people and to celebrate the new, slightly strange world that we are now inhabiting. There are bee and bug hotels, building on the work that Ben has done, and showing that without so much human interference, nature can prosper. And there is you lot, filling the air with noise and energy and laughter.

This week I thought I’d give a recipe a go. What I didn’t realise was HOW LONG IT TAKES TO UPLOAD VIDEOS LONGER THAN 5 SECONDS!!! So I’m cooking Onion and Carrot Bhajis in the videos. Ik currently eating them. Yum. You will need flour (I use Gram (chickpea) flour but any will do. Some spices (I use cumin, coriander, turmeric and garam masala), once again any will do. Then theres the three essential ingredients garlic, ginger and chilli. Can be fresh or frozen. Add in a tiny bit of bicarbonate of soda, some salt and water, you’ve hot all your ingredients apart from veg, which can be anything. Just thinly slice whatever you use so it cooks quickly. You’ll also need some oil for frying.

Once these videos upload I will post them here. In the meantime let me know what you’ve been up to and what you’ve been cooking and would like to cook in the coming weeks!

Have a lovely week,

Simon and Sadie.