Longacres Blog

Once you try this brined turkey, you’ll agree that nothing does a better job of roasting meats than the EGG. The turkey has a subtle smoky flavour and is moist and succulent, but if you prefer a bolder smoky flavour, add more chips in increments during cooking. This turkey would be great for holidays, and you can use the leftovers to make wonderful sandwiches. Ingredients 16 cups (1 gallon) water ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar Rind of 1 navel orange 3 sprigs rosemary 1 cup kosher salt 3 yellow onions, quartered 2 heads garlic, halved 1 (12-pound) turkey 2 lemons, quartered 10 sprigs thyme 10 sprigs sage 1 cup chopped potatoes ¼ cup olive oil Freshly ground black pepper Garlic powder Instructions Set the EGG for direct cooking at 350ºF/177ºC. Pour the water into a large bowl. Add the brown sugar, orange rind, rosemary, salt, two-thirds of the quartered onions and 1 halved garlic head. Mix until the sugar and salt dissolve. Remove the giblets from inside the turkey and reserve for another use. Rinse the turkey well. Place the turkey in a 2½ gallon resealable plastic bag or any container that is large enough to hold the turkey and the liquid. Pour the brine over the turkey, making sure it’s completely covered. Refrigerate for 12 hours, turning occasionally. Soak 4 cups of hickory chips in water in a medium bowl for 1 hour. Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse well to remove the brining liquid, and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the brining liquid and solids. Stuff the turkey with the lemon quarters, the remaining halved garlic head and onion, thyme, sage, and potatoes. Brush the turkey with olive oil and season with pepper and garlic powder. Scatter 1 cup of the hickory chips over the hot coals and, using barbecue mitts, add the ConvEGGtor™ Plate Setter, legs up, in the EGG. Place the turkey on the V-Rack and put the V-Rack in the Drip Pan. Place the Drip Pan on the ConvEGGtor Plate Setter and close the lid of the EGG. Cook for 2½ hours, adding more chips every 30 minutes. If the turkey starts to brown too quickly, carefully tent the turkey with aluminium foil. Continue cooking until the instant read thermometer registers 165ºF / 74ºC. Remove the turkey from the EGG and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Carve and serve immediately. Serves 8 To find out more about the Big Green Egg, you can contact us by email - thebiggreenegg@longacres.co.uk

This blog post has been kindly contributed by ukoakdoors.co.uk

The team here at Bevan's Butchers - Longacres, are preparing for Christmas and are taking your orders now for the exceptional Copas Turkeys (whole birds) and turkey breast joints. They are also selling locally reared Bramble farm turkeys from west Horsley in Surrey. For those customers who require something smaller, why not try their turkey thigh roast, stuffed with cranberry and chestnut stuffing, with their special fruit pepper seasoning, in it's own cooking tray, making it nice and easy with no fuss. If turkey is not for you why not try their beef Wellington, or a salmon en-croute? They have plenty of other options to choose from so pick up a brochure in store or follow the links below and download a copy today. Also on their deli they have a wonderful selection of cooked meats and a large selection of cheese and olives for you to choose from. Speak to one of the Bevan's staff about having a bespoke cheeseboard made as a great gift or for your special Christmas meal. Come and pay us a visit and speak to the team at Bevan's, see their range of products and talk to one of the friendly staff about making this Christmas a little bit more special for you and your family! A link to the Christmas brochure can be found here and their Christmas deli range can be found here!

For some people nothing quite beats the smell, touch and feel of a real Christmas tree in their home. However, busy lifestyles mean we often want to re-create that traditional look more easily and conveniently. We take a look back at the humble origins of the artificial Christmas tree and look at how it has developed over the years; now a popular choice for homes the length and breadth of the country. The first artificial trees were made in Germany in the 19th Century and made from wood and goose feathers which were dyed green. The idea originally came due to concerns about deforestation. Over time the materials used to manufacture them have transformed moving from bristles, to aluminium, to plastic, to recycled and fire retardant PVC. In the 20th Century trees became more outlandish and fashionable and the start of coloured trees and ornate decorations became popular. Today there is a vast choice of style, size and even colour available so that everyone can find the perfect artificial Christmas tree for their home. At Longacres we are proud to stock some of the best available and our ranges include Royal Christmas, Tree Classics and Kaemingk. Amongst these are traditional, frosted and even black trees. What we guarantee is that we have some of the finest lifelike trees available giving our customers the best of both worlds: a realistic looking beautiful tree that has all the style, ease and convenience associated with an artificial one. If you are looking for a beautiful artificial tree for your home look no further than Longacres, our team can give you help and advice on the different ranges we have. They are also available to order online and can be delivered nationwide.

There are some people who treasure their Lemax Christmas villages more than anything else in the world, and their collections can grow to massive and unbelievable proportions. Some of them can become a part of the record books, while others become local attractions and annual traditions in their towns and homes. These collections take years of planning; from what goes in the village to plotting where each building goes. Some people may think about creating their own Christmas village but when it comes to it are not sure how and where to start, here at Longacres we will help get you started. Start Small Don’t worry about having to invest in a pricey centrepiece to kick start your collection. It can be a common misconception that to build a town you need to get the centrepiece and work outwards. The best way to build a Christmas village is to focus on the more affordable items first;  for example small houses and cottages. Larger buildings sometimes need more components to achieve that Christmas look, with the addition of villagers, carol singers and lamp posts. However with a few smaller buildings and the addition of some cotton wool you can make a festive village quickly and inexpensively. Creating A Village Lemax give you the opportunity to expand the village in years to come which is something most collectors want to do. Buying small pieces first gives you great flexibility and creativity when adding larger items to your collection. A single larger piece can act as a visual anchor as your collection grows. To get more buildings for your own Christmas village, contact us today. Here at Longacres, we can help brighten up your Christmas décor with the Lemax Christmas Village items. Our teams are always ready to give customers advice on anything, especially on building Christmas villages.

The final bouquet of the month for 2014 is now available; and what a stunning December arrangement it is! The December seasonal arrangement includes red roses, red mini gerbera, green chrysanthemum, burgundy carnations, and red ilex berries on a base of attractive foliage. And as always, it comes with a FREE glass vase! Click here to buy now. Bouquet of the Month Subscriptions (psst - a great Christmas present idea!) Each bouquet of the month costs £30 each individually, but if you want a frequent supply of bouquets each month you can save money and time by purchasing one of our fantastic value flower subscriptions. Available in subscriptions of 3-month (£105), 6-month (£200) or 12-month (£400), we will deliver a specially prepared hand-tied bouquet of beautiful seasonal flowers on the date of your choice each month.

In the US, Black Friday refers to the Friday following Thanksgiving Day (the third Thursday in November) - it marks the start of the Christmas shopping season and the biggest shopping day of the year. However, Black Friday has only really taken off in the last 5 or so years in the UK - we only ever knew about it from seeing images on television of crazed shoppers fighting over discounted products in big-name shops such as Macy's or Bloomingdales. The phenomenon finally travelled right across the pond to the UK and we are pleased to announced that we are joining in on the hype this Friday 28th November 2014! For Black Friday we will be offering a whopping 15% off all of our Christmas lights* when you purchase them in store at our Bagshot and Shepperton branches. We have a fantastic range of quality lights from specialist companies such as Premier and Kontsmide. Whether you want them for indoor or outdoor use, want to decorate your tree or front porch with lights, or even if you want to treat yourself to an LED reindeer or a Lemax lit-up building - you name it, it has 15% off! *Offer ONLY applies to purchases of Christmas lights made in store So come on, grab yourself a bargain and we look forward to seeing you shopping with us on Friday!

Are you and your children planning a visit to meet Santa in his grotto at either our Bagshot or Shepperton stores? Then you can be in with a chance to win a Springfree Trampoline courtesy of Rainbow Play worth a whopping £775! To enter the draw is simple: Pick up a Grotto Activity Sheet near to the entrance of the grotto Keep an eye out for all of the woodland critters around the grotto and tick them off the sheet as you go along 'Like' the Longacres & Rainbow Play Facebook pages when you next get a chance Leave your contact details on the activity sheet and place in one of the post boxes around the grotto before you leave (so that we can let you know if you're our lucky winner!) Keep your fingers crossed! There's no need to book your entry to the grotto, but if your time is limited then we advise you phone ahead to check on the current queue cut off time. The prize draw will take place on December 24th so best of luck and enjoy your visit to Santa!

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Some say that Christmas would not be complete without the presence of the Poinsettia. So how did this festive brassica become such a symbol of the yuletide calendar? The poinsettia is native to Mexico where they are known as ‘La flor de la Nochebuena’ or ‘Flower of Christmas eve’. Apparently the ancient Aztecs prized the poinsettia as a symbol of purity and centuries later, Mexico’s early Christians adopted the plant as their prized Christmas Eve flower. The Mexican legend tells of a child who could not afford a gift to offer Christ on Christmas Eve, so he picked some weeds at the side of a road. The child was told that a humble gift, if given in love, would be acceptable in God's eyes. When brought into the church the weeds bloomed red and green flowers and the congregation felt that they had witnessed a Christmas miracle. The poinsettia was born. The plant is actually named after former US ambassador to Mexico Dr Joel R Poinsett, who was responsible for introducing the plant to the USA and from there on it has reached a global presence at Christmas. Not the easiest plant to care for, but these few careful pointers should ensure your Poinsettia looks good throughout the festive season. They require sunlight for at least 5 hours a day so make sure you have it placed in an area of good natural light. Temperature must be maintained at a constant level They must be situated where there are no draughts They are a sub-tropical plant so at night ensure the temperature does not drop below 10 degrees cent Keep the soil moist, but well drained It’s a shame but I would suspect that most of us dispense with the plant once Christmas has passed as it does require some effort to encourage re-flowering, but if you are so inclined, prompting the slogan ‘a poinsettia is not just for Christmas’ the plant requires long periods of uninterrupted light free nights… about 2 months to be precise. Even a sudden, tiny exposure to light during this time could prevent re-flowering. So good luck with that one. For the rest of us..enjoy the poinsettia in its prime this time of year and be assured that the presence of the bright red brassica in store spells that Christmas has definitely arrived. This Longacres blog post was contributed by Jo from our plants department

Imagine this: the birds are singing, the sun is shining, the children are playing and you're taking a barefooted walk across your freshly mown garden whilst the Summer breeze blows through your hair; bliss right?! Now allow us to recreate that feeling for you! ...Okay, so we might not be able to recreate an ACTUAL outdoor Summer's day - but what we can give you is that feeling of walking on cut grass with the revolutionary flip flops that are KUSA Flip Flops. KUSA Flip Flops are your typical flip-flops with a twist; they have added quality synthetic turf for super comfort. Over time the turf bed will conform to the shape of your feet - the ultimate pleasure for your tootsies! Inspiration and Development So where did KUSA Flip Flops come from? They've travelled right across the world from where they were launched in 2011 by a small family company based on the Central New South Wales Coast in Australia. Yashin Radhakrishnan - MD of KUSA Flip Flops: "I am an Industrial Designer based in Sydney. During the course of my work I am exposed to many and varied design briefs, manufacturing processes, materials, consumer information and insights, brands and visions of the future. First and foremost in any designers mind must be innovation and change. Not just for the sake of it but with the open intention to "Surprise and Delight" the end user. One particularly project we worked on involved synthetic grass (as project which never came to fruition). Talk in the design office inevitably went to the extreme thought... why don't we carpet the office in this stuff! I was all for this, being the type of person who removes his shoes as soon as he sits down at his desk. The idea grew and I thought "what if I could walk barefoot on grass anywhere, anytime". Who doesn't like that? I made a single pair of grass flip flops. Just for myself at first. I wore them to work and the reaction there and on public transport was stunning. It took a few months of wearing them to decide that I had an idea worth marketing. Another six months of design and development, sourcing the right type of grass, patents, manufacturing research, samples after samples and they were finally ready for market. KUSA Grass Flip Flops were released in the first week of January 2012. I sent images to 2 blogs. 1 ran with the images. The rest, as they say..." At £17.99 these flip flops are perfect as a gift or as a treat for yourself. You can choose from a selection of four different colours (Blue, Mustard, Orange and Pink), and from three different sizes (Small (2-5), Medium (5-9) and Large (9-12)), so you are sure to find a pair that's just right. Best to check out their size chart to make sure your pair are the right fit for you! Don't panic if they feel too tight for your feet at first - after a bit of toe-wriggling your KUSA's will conform to your feet. One last reminder: Do not mow - the grass won't grow back!

One of the most difficult things to do in a garden is to provide for a long season of interest, so that when you look out of the window, or walk in the garden, there is always something that is "strutting its’ stuff", capturing your attention so you enjoy the plants in your private kingdom. The first thing that most people look for from a plant is flowers. The following collection of shrubs are all suited to what is termed ‘background’ planting. They have their period in the limelight when in flower, and provide a pleasing backdrop to other plants the rest of the year. These shrubs are generally quite tall and could be placed near the boundaries of your garden so smaller plants can be placed in front of them. They might be positioned round a seating area which you decorate with pots of annuals for the summer, or they might edge a lawn. All these plants can grow in any reasonable soil that is well drained or moisture retentive, and all but one takes both sunny or partly shaded positions. The shrubs Choisya x dewitteana 'Aztec Pearl' is the cornerstone of the selection. This is a rounded shrub with slender leaves and white flowers that come from pink buds. It flowers in April and May and will eventually reach a height of 2 metres. Deutzia crenata 'Pride of Rochester' follows on with masses of double white flowers, also coming from pink buds. It flowers in June and July and stands around 3 metres in height (it can be pruned to a shorter height). It has chestnut brown stems and the bark peels attractively – a feature in winter. This is the shrub that needs a sunny position. Rosa Avon = 'Poulmulti' is a semi-double white rose, the flowers again coming from pink buds. It should flower from the end of May all through summer providing you deadhead (remove the dead flowers). This stands around 1.5 metres in height. Abelia x grandiflora 'Hopleys' is an attractive variegated plant with an arching growth habit and delicate pink flowers from July, and is still flowering in September. This stands around 1.5 metres in height when mature. Euonymus grandiflora is grown for its foliage. It makes a large shrub or a small tree, reaching 4 metres in height. It is glorious in the autumn when its leaves turn rich shades of red and purple; they are accompanied by interesting green fruits. Viburnum farreri reaches around 3 metres in height. It comes into flower as early as November and may still be in flower in March. The flowers are white, from pink buds again, and enticingly scented – so place near a pathway. And that pretty much wraps round the year. Enjoy making the most of your garden. This Longacres Blog post was contributed by Susan A. Tindall