jamming!

The snow held off and it was a lovely crisp morning for coffee at the Geffrye Museum, one of the best cafes we've visited this year - views over the pretty herb garden, helpful staff and excellent cakes made on site, and of course the cosy Christmassy settings of the Geffrye's period interiors. (If you visit yourself, we recommend the carrot cake, which scored a unanimous nine out of ten and the mince pies nine and a half, pushing the Geffrye's average cake score up to 8.4.)

It wasn't all hard work. We also heard about the forthcoming Imperial War Museum "Ministry of Food" exhibition from our guests. This is a new exhibition, opening on 12th February, that will tell the story of how the British public adapted to food shortages during the Second World War, learning how to be both frugal and inventive on the Kitchen Front.

We are delighted that the IWM has asked us to make jam and preserves for display and we'll be documenting the process as part of our contribution to the exhibition. This is an exciting project for us to be involved in and we are very much looking forward to it. We've given some thought to what we'll make and we'll be setting a date for making jam in January. Several of you have already said you want to be involved and shared your recipes and books.

We'll be visiting the exhibition when it opens to take a look at the "Ministry of Food" - and our preserves on display. A little something to keep us busy in the New Year.

christmas crafted

Thanks to everyone for joining in with the mulled wine infused frenzy and making our Christmas Crafts event so good. The wealth of talent is source of wonder.

Special thanks to Jo for bringing along the flowers, greenery and floristry tackle and working so hard to help produce so many accomplished floral displays; to Elizabeth for sharing the secrets of origami box making; to Niki for wielding the needles; and Sorella for the fairtrade florentine goodness.

Congratulations to Annie for winning the Mince Pie Bake-off. The homemade mincemeat really hit the spot with our totally impartial and dedicated judges. As did a wee drop of mulled wine. (Hope I'm forgiven for contaminating the first batch!)

One of the best part of the evening was seeing people waltzing off with their handiwork. If you're still wondering "Did I make that?" ...

...the answer is yes you did. And very good it was too.

(PS Geffrye Museum 10.30am tomorrow for the coffee morning)

december meetings

Come and join us at our annual Christmas Crafts session on Tuesday 15th December, 7.30pm at Chisenhale Art Gallery, 64 Chisenhale Road, E3. This year crafts will include an origami gift box, a table flower arrangement for Christmas feasts and much, much more. There will also be the annual EEWI Mince Pie Bake Off so please do bring your mince pies - there will be great prizes for the winner. Also if you would like to be on the judging panel please do let us know. There will be tea, coffee and mulled wine but please do feel free to bring a bottle. All welcome, free for members £3 visitors.

For our Coffee Morning on 18th December we will be visiting the Geffrye Museum (136 Kingsland Road, free entry). Meet in the café at 10.30am with a view to having a cuppa then checking out the Christmas rooms, decorated as they would have been across the ages. We are also going to be joined by a representative from the Imperial War Museum to talk to us about the upcoming jam project. It will be a chance for us to find out exactly what is expected of us for the exhibition – The Real Ministry of Food – which should be happening at the IWM next year.

We are having a low key Christmas Drinks this year as we will be going out for a meal in January. So if you fancy meeting for a quiet Christmas drink we will me meeting at the Victoria Pub in Grove Road, E3 on Tuesday 22^nd December at 7.30pm. We may stay there for a while or move on later – however we all feel.

Look forward to seeing you at least once in December!

tackling climate change

EEWI was proud to be active in supporting the NFWI Climate Change lobby. Sorella Le Var accompanied Ruth Bond, the NFWI chair, along with 4 other WI members and 2 representatives from Head Office to lobby politicians. The aim was to highlight why women are particularly important in tackling climate change, ahead of the planned talks in Copenhagen. The WI group met with Joan Ruddock, Minister of State for DECC and then seperately with Climate Change representatives for the Conservatives (Greg Clark) and Liberal Democrats (Simon Hughes).

It was fascinating to get an inside view of Westminster and to meet with all three political parties, one after another. There was a clear difference between them all and their preparation for the meeting. Sorella said "It was invaluable for the politicians to meet with the WI and to hear the concerns and opinions of ordinary women. Women are most affected by climate change around the world and yet are also very powerful agents of change".

The WI's various projects to raise awareness have been very effective. These have included Eco Teams, Love Food and Women Reaching Women. The WI are also taking part in The Wave, a march to highlight the Copenhagen UN climate summit this weekend. Go along if you can!

Annual General Marvellousness

A little later than scheduled here is a massive thank you to those who contributed to the Bee Craft Competition at this year's EEWI AGM!! There were some inspired entries - including a number of people who could not resist coming along in character - and a fab poem about beehive hairdoos,

The star of the evening by common consent was Jo's quilt, a masterpiece of bee-loveliness. With just the right message for the night.

Thanks are due to everyone who has made this such a busy and active year - bakers, makers, helpers, dancers, prancers, poets, punners, runners, knitters, sew-ers, growers, theatre-goers, speakers, quizzers, scissorers, coffee tasters, toastie makers. The list will go on. We promise.

join the wave

The Wave is a climate change march taking place in Central London on 5 December to draw attention to the dangers of runaway climate change and provide decision-makers with the grassroots mandate to take strong action at the UN Climate Change talks in Copenhagen. The march is organised by the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition, of which the WI is a founder member, and is timed to coincide with the UN climate change talks in Copenhagen. If you are free on that date, it would be great if you could join the march which will start at Grosvenor Square and march around the Houses of Parliament. Dress code is to wear something blue!

WI members will gather in the events room of the Mayfair Library (25 South Audley Street , London , W1K 2PB). from 11am. This is an opportunity to meet members who have similar interests, catch up with people you haven’t seen for a while, enjoy some light lunch and to feel a little more at home if you’ve never been on a march before.

At midday,WI members will head over to Grosvenor Square for the start of the march, staying together as a WI group. There will be a rally in Grosvenor Square whilst people assemble, then move towards Westminster via Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and 10 Downing Street before encircling Parliament. The climax will be as Big Ben chimes 3pm, when a wave of blue will flow through the people circling parliament. The Wave will then pass over Westminster Bridge and disperse.

See the WI website and the Stop Climate Change Coalition for more details.

november meetings

Our AGM is this Tuesday 17th November at Chisenhale Gallery, 7.30pm for an 8pm start. The AGM is for members only and you can join on the night if you wish. This is the meeting when we vote for our EEWI president and committee. The committee will be reporting back on our achievements throughout the year. It's a bee themed evening, so you are invited to bring along something you have made on a bee-related theme to have a chance of winning a prize.

Our coffee morning on Friday 20th November at 10.30pm will be at the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green. All are welcome, including children. We'll be cake testing as usual, so come along and share some chat and good company.

Looking forward to seeing you.