Hatpins and a Tasty Thing!

I love to visit antique stores and search for hatpins. 

I don't know why I started to collect them, especially since they are not used in modern times that I know of. Maybe Queen Elizabeth of England still uses them!

A hatpin is a decorative and functional pin for holding a hat to the head, usually by the hair. They are typically around 20cms in length, with the pin head being the most decorated part.

The first hatpins were handmade. In Britain, demand eventually outgrew the number that could be supplied by hand-making, and they began to be imported from France.

In 1832, a machine was invented in America which could mass-produce the pins, and they became much more affordable.

During the 1880s, bonnets gave way to hats, and the popularity of hatpins soared. They remained a standard women's accessory through the 1910s and were produced in a vast range of materials and types.

Hatpin holder boxes were also produced.

Laws were passed in 1908 in America which limited the length of hatpins, as there was a concern they might be used as weapons.

Also by 1910, ordinances were passed requiring hatpin tips to be covered, so as not to injure people accidentally. Various covers were made, but poorer women often had to make do with items like potato pieces and cork.

I don't have a large collection. The ones I do have are very decorative. I also have a few of my mother's which I treasure.

I found this old advertisement for hatpins in a paper to give you an idea of what they looked like.

Unlike hatpins, this recipe will never go out of fashion. 

Prawns and Mushrooms in a Special Sauce

Ingredients

3 tablespoons of olive oil
3 medium size tomatoes, diced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
500 grams of mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
A pinch of salt
Half a cup of sour cream
500grams of prawns, peeled and deveined 
One and a half cups of chicken stock, or vegetable if preferred

Method 

In a large fry pan put in one tablespoon of olive oil, garlic and tomatoes. Cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes until tomatoes are soft and releasing juices. Remove from fry pan into a bowl and set aside.

Now in the fry pan place the rest of the olive oil and onions and cook until caramelized. Then add sliced mushrooms. When cooked add the tomato mix back in.

Add salt, sour cream, chili sauce and combine. Then add the stock and stir. Bring the sauce to a simmer and add the prawns. Mix the prawns a couple of times until they are cooked. Do not leave too long or prawns will go tough. Only a couple of minutes is needed.

I like to serve with steamed rice or linguine pasta, garlic bread and a glass of wine.

Serves 4 People

Enjoy!