Becky Bakes…

Many years ago my mother belonged to the W.I. (Womens Institute) and took part in the monthly challenge. One I remember clearly was to make a jar of lemon curd and I was given the job of creating a batch from which she would choose the jar she would enter. She was awarded second prize because the judge found a fleck of egg white but commended the “potting and covering” – always closely scrutinised by judges, myself included in later years. Whilst on holiday last week I spotted a jar of this delicious spread in an upmarket garden centre and felt it worth the investment, if you get my drift. Honestly it was utterly scrumptious, worth every penny and almost on a par with the home made version a dear friend makes from time to time. Do you remember the poster we used to have in school “if life gives you lemons, make lemonade”? I’d change that to lemon curd 😉

This week I was struck by just how flat our eastern county is, as we drove west through the Chilterns to the Cotswolds. There were so many Red Kites soaring over us and swooping down to pick off their prey as we traveled on, marveling at the hills and vales on our route. Journeys’ end was Shilton, just outside Burford, and a stunning cottage that was home for a few days. Always one to investigate local eateries, we came across “Huffkins” which looked interesting and didn’t disappoint. On asking the lady server what a Huffkin was, she replied “Just a bap with a dent in the middle”. Well. It would have been more helpful if she had described it in a little more detail… it’s actually a milk roll, flattened and prodded by the baker and it originates in Kent. I wonder if these restaurants are all over the south of England ? We came across another in Whitney, the home of Early’s who have been making blankets for over 300 years. These were shipped to America and turned into coats for the indigenous peoples who traded with the settlers. Not just a blanket! x

As a self confessed foodie, I can’t help but look on with sadness and fear for the people of Ukraine. To hear someone speak of hiding in a basement with 20 others without fuel or water, just carrots and potatoes to eat, is desperate. Politics aside, in the 21st century, this is a barbaric situation which should never have happened. All we can do is offer our support in whichever way we can, whether by donating money, clothes, medecine or blankets to try to help. Just to show that we care. Numerous vehicles have been setting off from our little town, laden with all manner of necessities. Anything and everything is needed – nappies, wet wipes, sanitary products. How impossible to stay clean, keep a new baby safe, care for aging grandparents, those unable to care for themselves. Where will it all end?

Shrove Tuesday has always been a great favourite of our family. For many years we held competitions to see who could eat the most…this entailed a huge jug of batter of course! I had a very old Tupperware jug, with a lid and a hinged spout and whisked together 3 eggs with plain flour and plenty of milk. As the transparent pancakes were made I often added a little more flour and milk to the jug so we could keep going. As far as I can remember the children might reach a tally of 12 or more pancakes each and claim victory! Of course they were served with lemon juice and a sprinkle of sugar, then rolled and sliced to be eaten with a knife and fork. Now some people prefer orange juice – that’s fine too, as is maple syrup or honey. Scotch pancakes are much smaller and thicker as they’re made with Self Raising flour and the batter is very thick so they don’t spread. These are good with butter and for us Ski-Sunday on tv 😉 How do you like yours? x

We’ve woken to a sunny, calm morning after such a wild day yesterday. There were many warnings of the severity of storm Eunice and it seems most people heeded them, with schools, shops, libraries etc all closed for the day. Travel was badly affected with trees falling almost everywhere – even here in our little seaside town. Thankfully flooding didn’t occur here as far as I’m aware. We sat and listened to the gusts of wind across the chimney pots and watched some fence panels collapse into our garden. That was the worst damage we saw here but noticed the street lights were off when it got dark. I’d checked that the gas cooker would light with a match if we lost power, then made tomato soup….what else to do? Cuddle the cats, check on our family from time to time, looking at their pictures – garden damage mostly. Hopefully you and your families are all ok, but can get help quickly if it’s needed. Stay safe x

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 !