Issue #140 - End of an Era: The Late Great Mrs. Pendergast

[Witch Weekly]

  

[Witch Weekly]

     

A delicious receipe to try at home! Or get the maid to try!

Savoury Summer Pie Serves 6 For the pastry: plain flour 200g lard 50g butter 50g egg 1, beaten For the filling: olive oil 4 tbsp wild rabbit meat 1.2kg, prepared but on the bone chicken thighs 2, skinned shallots 200g, small button mushrooms 150g carrots 200g, small thyme 10 sprigs butter 50g plain flour 50g stock 700ml (from cooking the rabbit) parsley 4 tbsp, chopped tarragon 2 tbsp, chopped egg a little, beaten A Happy House is a Hearty House Make the pastry: put the flour into the bowl of a food processor, add the lard and butter, cut into small pieces, then process to coarse crumbs. Add the egg to the mixture and enough cold water to give a firm but rollable dough. Roll into a thick, fat cylinder, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 20 minutes. Warm the oil in a large, wide pan over a moderate heat. Add the rabbit and chicken pieces, browning on both sides and removing to a large casserole as they become ready. Peel the shallots and colour lightly in the oil in which you browned the meat, then add the mushrooms, cut in halves or quarters, as you think fit. When they are golden, transfer the mushrooms and shallots to the rabbit pan, then pour over 2 litres of water and bring to the boil. Peel the carrots and halve them lengthways. Add the thyme sprigs and lower the heat. Let everything simmer for an hour with the occasional stir, adding the carrots halfway through the cooking time. Remove the chicken and vegetables with a draining ladle and transfer to a deep pie dish. Leave the stock simmering while you tear the meat from the bones into large pieces. Melt the butter in a heavy pan, add the flour and cook over a moderate heat, stirring, for a couple of minutes. Pour in 700ml of the stock and stir until you have a thickish gravy. Add the meat, vegetables and chopped herbs, check the seasoning, then tip into a deep-sided baking dish. Slice the pastry into ½cm thick discs, then lay them, slightly overlapping, over the filling. Brush with a little beaten egg and bake for 40 minutes or so, until golden.

  

[Witch Weekly]

 

The second of our exceptional women series

Exceptional Women #2: Meet Dame Phyllida Spore! You know of her book - it has been used in Hogwarts classrooms for generations - but how much do you know of the Dame Phyllida Spore? *Phyllida Spore lived in the 15th century *She studied herbology - which led to the authoring of her book - One Thousand Magical Plants and Fungi *She has written more than one book on herbology *On top of her book and teaching, she was made head mistress. *She has two portraits of herself hung at Hogwarts; one was painted in 1408 and the second was of a younger Miss Phyllida Spore that hands in the Headmaster's office. *Outside of her work with the school and her book, Dame Phylida Spore specialized in the healing aspect of herbs. *Her date of death is unknown

  

[Witch Weekly]

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The End of an Era: The Late Great Mrs. Olivia Pendergast

It is true that society lost one of its most revered and respected ladies this month, but it would be a great disservice to the memory of Mrs. Pendergast to suggest that her influence on society is anything but thriving, if only the same could still be said of the great lady herself. The tragically late Mrs. Pendergast. For those unfamiliar with the formidable witch, Olivia Regina Pendergast née Lestrange was born February 23rd, 1837 – Pisces is evidently an unfortunate star sign to have this month if one recalls the jilting decisions of another Piscean – the fifth child of William Lestrange and his second wife, Octavia Lestrange née Yaxley. With an illustrious lineage such as this, it cannot be a surprise to anyone that Mrs. Pendergast rose with such apparent ease to the very pinnacle of high society. While she has been a fixture in the upper echelons of wizarding society for many years now, the youngest of society may struggle to imagine that Mrs. Pendergast was not, in fact, an amortal paragon of social grace and virtue; that society was without her once before as it is again now. At least this time society has the advantage of having known her influence. Her faultless character may be traced back as far as Hogwarts where she was not

only selected to be Slytherin house prefect in her fifth year, but was rightfully deemed worthy of an even higher promotion when made Head Girl in her seventh. It was only a year after leaving school that she married Philip Pendergast and entered society for the first time as Mrs. Olivia Pendergast. Over the years, the young wife blossomed into the revered matriarch of society known so well today. She is survived by sisters Katherina Selwyn and Mariana Macnair, and brother, Lucius Lestrange. Her legacy lives on in sons Regan and William, and daughters Evelyn Abercrombie, Ellory Pendergast, and Regina Pendergast. Her second legacy, however, is the prestigious finishing school she was responsible for founding in 1884. Pendergast's School for Young Roses has been responsible for three years worth of exceptional debutantes, each a credit to Mrs. Pendergast and part of her legacy themselves. Mrs. Evelyn Abercrombie, the eldest Pendergast daughter. Despite the loss of its founder, the doors will not be closing on students any time in the foreseeable future; its fate has been assured by her daughter, Mrs. Evelyn Abercrombie, who will take up the running of the school and is sure to maintain the standard set by her mother.

  

[Witch Weekly]

A runaway carriage may spell disaster for another, but for the family to which it belonged, their source of income has run dry. What, or who, could aid them in their time of need?

Play Recommendation: Heavy Hooves This week, our lovely Witch Weekly reporters had the pleasure of viewing Mr. Victor Todson's newest piece entitled "Heavy Hooves". The production is set in a small village filled to the brim with eccentric personalities and overly patient shopkeepers, and follows the Cartwright family who run the area's only carriage service. After but a few disasters, the poor people are left with just one cart and the lack of funds to afford any repairs, proving difficult for the customers given their wary natures. What would you do if you were stuck in a runaway carriage? After a freak accident, the horse pulling the carriage becomes spooked and jolts off with a customer still on board. The Cartwright's take note though are unable to reach the scene before the horse is long gone. They face many immediate troubles and fear what may come of their business, and the audience has the opportunity to witness what they do--or who intervenes--to help remedy this situation. In honor of the victims of the recent tragedy at the World's Wizarding Market, Mr. Todson is offering free admission to the first week's attendants. "I acknowledge the struggle and hardship sudden accidents may bring and only hope my offering may contribute to relief efforts," he mentioned in a brief interview with a heavy heart. Although the timing of this production isn't exactly wonderful, we urge you to come and support the play to fight against adversity and grow stronger as a result.

  

[Witch Weekly]