Becky Bakes…

This phrase is becoming more relevant as the weeks roll by. We must all have noticed that the price of many basic foods has risen and with the impending utility bill hikes there are many people who are now “just about managing” and soon will find themselves tipped over the edge. Pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes – all ingredients I use regularly have gone up by frightening amounts. Here in our little seaside town we have a community pop-up shop in different locations each day of the week, where anyone can go to buy a bag of groceries for £2. In addition there are food banks to which those in dire need are referred. In both cases the items are all donated by charities and shops as well as shoppers… and that leads me to think long and hard about what we need to donate. Any item of food which needs to be heated will add to the heat/eat dilemma, so my feeling is that breakfast cereals are one of the most useful items, along with, for example, tinned tuna and meats. Disposable nappies, sanitary products, laundry necessities, toothpaste.. all these could be high on our list and if we add one item to the donation box each time we shop, there will be someone somewhere who will benefit.

This week I read another report about the amount of food wasted in this country. Top of the list, surprisingly, are potatoes. It seems that people feel any little sprout from the skin makes the potato unfit to eat. Simply throwing out a potato because there’s a sprout is a shocking indictment of our lack of knowledge and when money is tight it’s a dreadful shame that there are those who know no better. Second on the list were bananas. A blackening banana needs to be used and is fine in a cake or, as we often enjoyed them, in custard. There were lots of ideas suggested, including freezing them to use later. The simpler solution would be to buy fewer bananas ! Not unexpectedly salad leaves were high on the list and I find those bagged varieties quite a challenge myself. Washed in spring water with instructions to use them within one day of opening, they are often found on our compost heap. I’ve tried all sorts of ways to avoid wastage, even making soup with the sad leaves (it was dreadful!) But our local greengrocer sells growing plugs of salad leaves and these present much better value as they are happy in the fridge for a week or more and between April and October we grow our own in pots. So, what is the answer to all this waste of food and money? Education.

Whilst shopping this week I lingered in the baking aisle, perusing the range of unusual flour available these days. A young woman pushed in front of me and took down a packet of crumble mix and threw it into her trolley. Somewhat affronted by her lack of manners I looked at the other items she’d chosen – lots of ready meals for one and tinned vegetables were in evidence. Now I don’t know about you, but even if I’m VERY busy, making crumble isn’t that much of a chore and requires few ingredients. Maybe she was a “Captain of Industry” and had plenty of responsibility but very little time, who knows. There are some things I rarely make, take sticky toffee pudding, for example, but this week I did make it, complete with the toffee sauce and creme anglaise. I’ve often bought the well-known Cartmel version, but in all honesty, this home-made version was utterly delicious and well worth the effort. I hope she enjoyed her crumble……

How I wish I’d read it when I looked at the Platinum Pudding competition. It was only a trawl through the F&M entry form which had a section marked “FAQ’s” that I discovered I wasn’t eligible to enter. Anyone who has a professional qualification is unable to enter…. so that counts me out. I was doing the research prior to chatting on local radio, making sure I had as many answers as I could find, just in case there was a tricky question. Hey ho. I’m convinced that small print is getting smaller. Reading ingredient lists on packages is practically impossible these days. Bags of crisps sometimes print the variety of potato that’s been used and I search for that. Of course not all producers put it on, but I wish they did. France has banned all excess packaging which is a brilliant move, but will no doubt lead to more wastage and higher prices, but I do like a paper bag. No printing needed. x

By now I’m sure we’re all aware of the pastry recall. It seems to affect all ready-made, both the “own-brands” and Jusrol too, which is a bit of a nuisance to be honest. Two other P’s are Platinum Pudding and, as you might have guessed, I intend to enter the competition. The trouble is that my plans so far involve puff pastry. Of course I could make some, but how likely is that to appeal to the competition judges? I need to have a rethink. There have been a few inventions to commemorate celebrations in the past – Victoria Sandwich, Coronation Chicken and Queen of puddings spring to mind. The entry form for the competition is on the Fortnum and Mason website and asks for information about inspiration….currently I’m struggling, but will keep you posted !

This week most of us probably marked the end of Christmas by taking down the last of the decorations. Twelfth Night is known as the Feast of Epiphany. There is a very simple dessert called Epiphany Gateau, Gallette des Rois, which I like to make – and had the perfect opportunity this week when invited to share a meal with some special friends. The gateau is simply two layers of puff pastry with marzipan and cherries in between. I chose not to hide the traditional little ceramic figure (le feve) for fear of a broken tooth, but if I had, the finder would have worn a golden crown and been king/queen for the day. I’ve made this for many years as it’s a great way to use up the last of the marzipan and so is a favourite here. The cherries are said to signify the jewels in the crowns of the three Wise Men and whilst multi-coloured ones would be ideal, I can’t bring myself to use them !

I hope you’ve had an enjoyable and happy Christmas and that the new year will bring good health to you and your family. Many of our friends and neighbours have been affected by Covid recently and I sincerely hope that we can begin to enjoy a more normal way of life this year. We managed to see most of our family over the Christmas period, one of whom arrived as a complete surprise on Christmas day. All that cooking was well worthwhile, even the last minute chocolate log which disappeared in a trice. Sprouts, mince pies, citrus biscuits…you name it, I made it… all our family favourites were there. But it’s the conversations round the table and time together that are the best ingredients ❤

Over the last 20 months we’ve shared with you 69 videos, 78 recipes and countless gems of wisdom 😉 Now that my tech team have, thankfully, become much busier I have to tell you that for the time being we are having a break. What that means is fewer videos – just seasonal ones or recipes I feel you need in your portfolio. I’m not going anywhere so please continue to message me with questions and send pictures of your dishes. So from now on all the uploaded material will stay where it is, with seasonal and others added from time to time. Filming and editing all takes time and that’s something we’re all short of now. Life moves on for us all, thankfully we are adapting to life under the new constraints, but keep in touch my friend and thank you for your support. x

As yet there still no fewer recipe books on the shelves. I’ve looked at each one, with a view to removing it, but each one has given me a reason to stay. With the new TV series this week, where Magnificent Mary tells us of the recipes she loves, there is another that I feel needs to be added. I suspect that the only way to have a successful cull may be to offer free choice to friends – come and choose a book?….. hmm, maybe a step too far! Perhaps not such a good idea, and let’s face it, some people collect china dogs, or stamps. For me it’s clearly cookery books (and I’m working on one of my own at the moment too 😉 )

Earlier this week I had a conversation with a local radio host about recipe books. Why? I hear you ask. Well, a friend had asked me where I keep mine and this led me to take a look at my collection – not just where they sit but also how many I have. This was a bit of a surprise, to be honest. Whilst I see them sitting neatly on the bookcase, I hadn’t counted them or considered them for a while, they are just there. Let me tell you that I stopped counting at 56, in the knowledge that there are more in a cupboard… the ones that are more like textbooks. My biggest problem is not the space they take but how seldom I take one out to consult the pages. Each book contains one or two, sometimes three recipes that we like and there are one or two books which haven’t moved for a very long time. A cull is needed, but it’s so difficult to choose those I no longer want to keep. Where to start? Answers welcome!