Borough Life Plus Winter 2021

Welcome to Borough Life Plus

Gloves, tick. Scarves, tick. Woolly hat, double-tick.

Winter has arrived and we’re all looking forward to the festive season, catching up with friends, family and loved ones.

This edition of Borough Life has provided an opportunity to look ahead to some of the exciting things on the horizon for 2022, in particular, significant steps forward with town centre developments and Haigh Hall.

As usual, here on the Borough Life Plus page, we’ve picked out some extra content that supplements what’s in the actual magazine.

Think of it as that extra present that gets lost under the Christmas tree!

It’s important to emphasise, as we have done in the magazine itself, that this time of year brings its own set of pressures in addition to all the fun stuff.

The winter edition has loads of handy links to support services across the borough. The important message is; please, if you’re struggling, reach out to someone for help.

Throughout October residents flocked to Haigh Hall to share their memories, hopes and dreams for the future.

Often described as the borough’s ‘jewel’, it was clear that everyone is proud of the Hall and the surrounding Woodland Park.

These conversations will inform any future plans and we can’t wait to report back to everyone in 2022 with more details about what happens next.

We all know our borough is a hotbed of rugby league, from its inception right through until the present day.

A new exhibition at the Museum of Wigan Life has captured the elements of the game that we know and love so much, from the passion and energy to the history and community elements.

It’s well worth a visit but just in case you need convincing any further, here’s a video of what you can expect.

Amazing cultural experiences have wowed thousands of visitors across the borough recently.

Organised as part of ‘The Walk’ by the Manchester International Festival, the visit of Little Amal in October is surely one of the highlights of the year.

Although we didn’t have the weather on our side (what a day to have torrential rain!), the 3.5m tall puppet certainly warmed the hearts of the thousands who came to watch.

Amal’s 8,000km journey has taken her from the Turkish-Syrian border to Greater Manchester, highlighting the plight of refugees with the key message of ‘Don’t Forget About Us’.

Over in Leigh, we hosted internationally renowned artist Luke Jerram and his Gaia or ‘Floating Earth’ installation at Pennington Flash.

Using images from NASA, it provides a perspective of our planet as if you are looking down from space and is underpinned with a powerful environmental message.

Coinciding with the Floating Earth, Wigan town centre also played host to the Light Night festival.

Here’s a selection of our favourite images:

The major redevelopment plan for The Galleries in Wigan town centre took a big step forward earlier this year with the designs gaining planning permission.

The project is very exciting and is all ready to start off with its first stages early in 2022.

Rather than have us describe what impact it is going to have, the individuals in this video are worth having a listen to.

Exercising and eating healthily can feel like it’s the most difficult to do around this time of year.

But it shouldn’t!

This edition of the magazine includes some useful guidance on how to stay active and as an added bonus, Rachel from the Borough Life team has promised to share her healthy pie recipe with the world.

We’re reliably informed that it’s delicious, so please give it a go.

This pie recipe can be cooked and eaten the same day or batch cooked, divided into portions and frozen for use in the future. The recipe is adaptable to you and your family, portion guides are included. Add or remove ingredients needed as necessary, per person. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ingredients to find your perfect pie filling!

What you will need

• Frying pan (large enough to fit all ingredients in)
• Mixing Spoon
• Measuring Jug
• Pie dish (enough to fit your mix in for the family)
• Chopping Knife
• Chopping Board

Ingredients

• 1 x Tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 x Tbsp Plain Flour
• 1 x Vegetable stock cube mixed into 500ml of boiling water
• 1 x pack of ready rolled pastry (shortcrust or puff pastry is fine)
• 1 x egg (beaten) or 25ml of milk

Pick 2 (Pick 3 for a vegetarian pie mix)

• Peas, Sweetcorn, Broccoli, Mushrooms, Carrots, Asparagus, Green Beans, Spinach, Squash, Sweet Potato, Onion, Spring Onion, Leek, Peppers, Celery.

Frozen, tinned or fresh all work well for this recipe.

A portion per person would be the same size as the persons clenched fist.

Mix the colours of veg for a higher range of vitamins and minerals consumed.

Each veg chosen to the right portion size counts towards 1 of your 5 a day.

Pick 1 (or pick an extra veg instead)

• Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Turkey, Sausage, Meat substitutes (e.g. Quorn), Mince

A portion per person would be the same size as a deck of playing cards. ½ a deck for children.

Pick a herb, any dried herb will do

• Oregano, Basil, Rosemary, Parsley, Sage, Thyme, Mixed Herbs, Tarragon, Garlic

Method

1. Add the vegetable oil to your frying pan and heat.
2. Add your meat choice and cook through so it is no longer raw (skip this step if just having veggies). Remove from pan and place in a bowl.
3. Add a drop more oil to the pan and add veggies to the pan and fry for between 5-10 minutes. Add your meat back in once this is done
4. Once they are starting to go soft, add the flour and mix all the ingredients around to coat in the flour and continue to cook in the pan for 3-4 minutes.
5. Now gradually add the stock, do this a little at a time and stir continuously to ensure the flour and stock mix together and start making a paste or sauce. The sauce is the right consistency when it resembles a thin soup like texture. At this point you can leave the mixture to cool, split into portions, add to storage containers or food bags and freeze for future use. If you are making the pie now, continue to step 6.
6. Transfer your mixture into and over proof dish.
7. Roll out the pastry over the top of the dish and push into the corners so that you have made a pastry lid. Cut off any excess. Optional - At this point it can be quite fun to make a pattern on the top of your pie with the excess, you can be creative with shapes and letters. Ask the kids to suggest what they want on top of their part of the pie.
8. Cover the pastry lid with the beaten egg or milk and put into the over to cook. This should take around 20-25minutes.  Keep an eye on the pie, you will know it is ready when the pastry has turned a golden brown colour.

Remove from the oven and serve.