There are seven important World Heritage Sites within the country of Ukraine. Saint Sophia Cathedral and related Monastic structures is the first site on the list, an outstanding and architectural construction of Kievan Rus. Next is Kiev Pechersk Lavra, part of the Cathedral complex, but counted as two separate entries and classed as an Orthodox Christian Monastery.
Lviv Old Town, containing some 2000 historic sites within the centre of the city 214 of which are considered to be National Landmarks. The Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans, now part of the Chernivtsi University.
Struve Geodetic Arc, part of a chain of triangulations to yield the first accurate measurement of a Meridian. Wooden Tserkvas of Carpathian Region, an important group of wooden Orthodox Churches.
And the Ancient Greek City of Tauric, founded some 2500, years ago, which has survived on the Crimean Peninsula.
This is an aerial view of the £100k marquee erected in advance of the wedding of Phillipa Middleton and James Matthews on Saturday May 20. The marriage service will take place at St Marks Church, Englefield, Berkshire.
Custard, creamy, silky, sweet yellow cup of pleasure, it's not Sponge and Custard, but Custard and sponge, at least for those who know anything about cookery. The English Sauce, as the French, like to say, disparagingly, if any contempt is actually meant.
I can recall, some years ago, working in a catering establishment which had to produce a menu for the staff and Custard would make a regular appearance upon this menu. The problem being that the chefs had a bad habit of not measuring or weighing the ingredients which always produced an end result of stodgy or watery vile and flavourless mess. Not fit for human consumption, let alone staff!
However, there came a day when a new Head Chef arrived and took the trainees to one side, then told each one to prepare a half-pint of custard and serve it accordingly and the trainees, in their care free careless way, all thought this would be easy. But then the Head Chef added; For any sauce which wasn't perfect, the maker could expect to be dismissed! And the end result, well no one was dismissed and the custard served on the staff menu was perfect for ever after.
In my humble understanding of the culinary arts and the production of custard, I can honestly advise, weigh, measure, stir-well and become familiar with the recipe.
A simple recipe; 1 pint of milk. 1 flu oz of single cream. 1 vanilla pod. 4 egg yolks. 1 oz caster sugar. 1 level teaspoon cornflour.
Now, in a suitable pan, preferably over a gas ring (adjustable flame) bring the milk, cream and vanilla pod to a simmer. Remove the vanilla pod. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together, in a bowl (you could already have done this) and then pour the milk and cream onto this mixture, whisking with a balloon whisk all the while. Then return this mixture to the pan and stir well over a low heat, with a spoon, wooden if possible, personally I use a melamine spoon, which works just as well. This process will help to thicken the custard, I often take the pan from the heat in the final stage and stir a good thirty or forty times for an extra smooth and creamy consistency. The sauce is now ready to serve, pour into a jug or straight into a bowl, with fruit or sponge.
Of course if you haven't got a Vanilla Pod, you could always go to the corner shop.
A new photographic image of Princess Charlotte, upon the occasion of her second birthday, photographed by her mother Katherine the Duchess of Cambridge. The photograph was taken in April at the family home Anmer Hall in Norfolk.
There are surprisingly few photographs of the young Princess due to her low number of public appearances and permitted formal photographs. And her privacy has been carefully guarded by her parents, over the past year and no doubt for the foreseeable future.
