Friendship (+ cake)

Last week a lovely friend was discussing friendship cake – do you remember it? Many years ago I was given a jar of brown sludge, which was the starter, and a sheet of instructions. We had a young baby and my head simply didn’t have the capacity for something else that needed to be nurtured. I’m not sure what happened to the sludge but I certainly don’t remember it turning into a cake! This time though, I decided to resurrect the recipe and give it a go. I began with flour, milk, sugar and 3 tablespoons (yes, big ones!) of yeast.It then bubbled away on the worktop for quite a while, eventually arriving at the moment to share it. By sheer coincidence that was also day 1 of Lockdown #2. So we set off with it suitably packaged and a degree of anxiety that it would be met with reluctance and a sigh. But on that day it turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. Two and a half hour later I got home, put the kettle on then sat and pondered. Friendship and cake. A perfect combination.