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Guy Fawkes
November 5th is known as "Guy Fawkes Night", and all over Britain people fire off fireworks, light bonfires to mark
the day of the "Gunpowder Plot".
About Guy Fawkes.. Guy Fawkes was an Englishman who, in popular
legend, tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament with barrels of gunpowder. He was caught, tortured, imprisoned, and finally
executed. Guy Fawkes was a co-conspirator in the "Gunpowder Plot" of 1605 in England. He and his followers decided to blow
up the Houses of Parliament in London, and succeeded in smuggling several barrels of gunpowder into the basement. The plot
was foiled at the eleventh hour; some of the plotters escaped, some turned King's Evidence and reported on the rest.
The men bought a house next
door to the parliament. The house had a cellar which went under the parliament building. They planned to put gunpowder under
the house and blow up the parliament with king James I and the King's leaders in it .
The king and his leaders
were to meet on November 5, so that gave then just what they wanted (all under one roof )..
Guy Fawkes was given the
job to keep watch over the barrels of gunpowder and to light the fuse, but he was discovered before he could blow up the Parliament.
Guy Fawkes was put in prison and tortured until he told them the names of all the people involved in the Gunpowder Plot..
and thats the story in brief about the Gunpowder plot .
Safety tips for Bonfire Night..
If you're not going to an ORGANISED FIREWORKS
DISPLAY this year be sure to follow these important safety tips and have a great time: Never
allow children to play with or ignite fireworks.
. Read and follow all warnings and instructions.
. Be sure other people are out of range before lighting
fireworks.
.Only light fireworks on a smooth, flat surface away from
the house, dry leaves, and flammable materials.
. Never try to relight fireworks that have not fully functioned.
. Keep a bucket of water handy in case of a malfunction
or a fire.
. Never smoke or have a naked flames near unlit fireworks.
. Always keep fireworks in a safe and dry place.. Eg; Tin, Home, Shed
etc.
Fireworks should be used only with extreme caution. Children should not
be allowed to play with fireworks.
Baked Potatoes
No
Bonfire Night party is complete without these! It is important that the potatoes are cooked right through. For fillings, try
experimenting with different butters, such as garlic, herb, chive or ketchup butter. Alternatively, split open the cooked
potatoes and add some grated cheese or chopped onion. Serves 12.
INGREDIENTS: Potatoes
- large, Sea salt.
1. Scrub
the potatoes and make a zigzag split down one side. While they are still wet dip each cut side in sea salt. Wrap potato in
foil, making sure that the join is over the cut side.
2. Cook the potatoes in a pre-heated oven for half an hour at 220C
/ 425F / Gas 7, and then place them in the hot coals at the base of the fire to finish cooking for about 1 hour.
3.When
completely cooked, open the foil and gently squeeze the potato until it opens up. Serve with butter.
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Parkin
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ginger
1/2
cup sugar (optional)
1 cup oats
1 cup milk
1/3 cup margarine
1 cup Golden syrup Mix together the flour, baking powder, and ginger as well as sugar
if desired. Soak oats in milk for 1/2 hour. Melt margarine and add syrup. Combine wet ingredients and add to dry. Pour into
a 9" x 11" pan and bake on 325F for 45 minutes or until the sides start leaving the sides.
Hot Spicy
Cider
Ingredients
2
pint (1.2L) medium dry cider
4oz (110g) soft brown sugar
12 whole cloves
4 sticks of cinnamon
8 whole allspice
1
apple, thinly sliced
6 dried apricots, thinly sliced
Method
1. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat until
the sugar has dissolved.
2. Strain the cider into tumblers and serve.
Date and Malt Flapjacks
Serves 4
5oz / 150g margarine
4oz / 100g malt
8oz / 225g oats
30z / 75g dates, finely
chopped
pinch of salt
Method
Melt the margarine and
malt in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the oats dates and salt.
Grease a 7inch square
baking tin, press the mixture evenly into the tin and bake at 190`C/370`F/gas mark 5. Cut into small squares while warm but leave until cool before removing
from tin.
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Toffee
Apples
Ingredients
6 apples
6
wooden sticks (lolly sticks)
225g/8oz granulated sugar
110ml or 4fl oz water
30g/1oz butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
Optional...4
tbsp mixed nuts, finely chopped
Method
1. Push the wooden sticks halfway into the apples at the stalk end.
2.
Put the sugar and water in a thick-bottomed pan and dissolve the sugar over a gentle heat.
3. Add the butter and syrup
and bring to the boil. Boil without stirring until the toffee reaches the soft-crack stage or 290C - measure this on the sugar
thermometer.
4. Remove from the heat and gently stir in the nuts.
5. Dip each apple into the toffee, one by one. Make
sure each apple is well coated and leave to harden on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.
Treacle
toffee
450g (1lb)
Soft Brown Sugar
225g (8oz) Black Treacle
110g (4oz) Unsalted Butter
2 tbsp Water
1 tbsp White Vinegar
Method
Place the butter, water and vinegar into a heavy bottomed saucepan; heat gently until the butter has melted.
Add the sugar and black treacle, allow to fully dissolve, this takes about 20 minutes. Boil the mixture to a temperature of
138°C (280°F). Remove from the heat, allow the bubble to decrease. Pour the mixture into a well-oiled 18cm (7 inch) sandwich
tin. When the mixture has cooled a little mark the surface into squares with a knife. When cold break into squares, wrap in
cellophane and store in an airtight container.
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Bonfire
Preparations for Bonfire Night celebrations include children making a dummy of Guy Fawkes, which is called "the Guy". Some
children even keep up an old tradition by walking in the streets and carrying "the Guy" they’ve just made, begging to
passers by for a penny for the Guy. The children use the money to buy fireworks for the evening festivities.
On the night itself, a guy is placed on the top of the bonfire, which is then set alight; and fireworks displays fill the
sky.
The extent of the celebrations and the size of the bonfires vary from one community to the next. Lewes, in the South East
of England, is famous for its Bonfire Night festivities and consistently attracts thousands of people each year to participate.
Bonfire Night is not only celebrated in Britain. The tradition crossed the oceans and established itself in the British colonies
during the centuries. It was actively celebrated in New England as "Pope Day" as late as the 18th century.
Rockets
The Chinese began experimenting
with the gunpowder filled tubes. At some point, they attached bamboo tubes to arrows and launched them with bows. Soon they
discovered that these gunpowder tubes could launch themselves just by the power produced from the escaping gas. The true rocket
was born.
The date reporting the first use of true
rockets was in 1232. At this time, the Chinese and the Mongols were at war with each other. During the battle of Kai-Keng,
the Chinese repelled the Mongol invaders by a barrage of "arrows of flying fire." These fire-arrows were a simple form of
a solid-propellant rocket. A tube, capped at one end, contained gunpowder. The other end was left open and the tube was attached
to a long stick. When the powder was ignited, the rapid burning of the powder produced fire, smoke, and gas that escaped out
the open end and produced a thrust. The stick acted as a simple guidance system that kept the rocket headed in one general
direction as it flew through the air.
The true me
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