Becky Bakes…

Do you remember that programme? Bernard Braden, David Frost and Millicent Martin who sang (badly) when they reviewed the past week. It’s been a bit of a week here too – not least because we’re still trying to settle our rescue cats amid trips to the vet. They are very nervous, easily spooked by unexpected noises and one of them needs medicine for a few more days, still unable to go outside till they are really settled and we’re confident they will come home. As well as this we’ve had a plumber to do small jobs…leaking taps…you get the idea. He happened to notice a leak from our hot water tank and decided to fix it, but that didn’t go well. I’ll spare you the details but, suffice to say, we’ve had no heat, hot water then cold water, for quite a few days. I don’t like upheaval or being cold at the best of times and we’ve had a mixture of weather this week, today being very chilly. Meal plans have gone out of the window and I’ve just become more and more cross. But now, by a minor miracle, we are warm and have water that’s hot. We can wash up and shower with impunity. The moral of this tale? Value your tradesmen, keep them sweet and make them copious amounts of tea/coffee. Oh, and if it’s their birthday, make them cake.

Do you remember the egg crisis of the late 1980’s ? Edwina Currie MP made a passing comment that most of the eggs in the UK were contaminated with salmonella (at that time) This caused chaos – with her resignation designed to calm the situation. The egg producers and farmers all denied her claims and tried to reassure the public, but the immediate panic led to vast numbers of chickens being culled and hardly any eggs being bought for quite some time. Only yesterday I read a report of one journalists experience at the time…whilst she and her family as well as their neighbours all suffered the effects of salmonella. They had all eaten chocolate mousse – it was a popular, speedy dessert made with melted chocolate and raw eggs. Later, there was a Whitehall inquiry into the sorry situation and it was found that Mrs. Currie had been absolutely right, but the damage was done. Public confidence in eggs was at an all time low. With the trailer for a comedy show frequently airing on TV at the moment, the reflection of the anxiety is perfectly illustrated when raw egg is mixed into a cocktail – Alan Partridge’s advice to camera is always to cook your eggs thoroughly. Isn’t it interesting how just a few words spoken in haste can have such a lasting effect? I still can’t bring myself to encourage anyone to lick the cake spoon even though salmonella in eggs has been (almost) totally eradicated.

It was heartening to read of the alliance formed recently between chef Tom Kerridge and footballer Marcus Rashford who are working together to encourage families to cook economical meals. Both grew up having free school meals and understand the implications of that “entitlement”. We waste and throw away so much food in this country that a down-to-earth approach to shopping and cooking couldn’t be more relevant. Which brings me to one of my bugbears – bagged salad. Once the bags are open some need to be used within 24 hours and that isn’t always possible. I tried adding left-over leaves to soup which was a mistake, it tasted awful. So now, as well as growing our own from seed to cut as we need it, we also buy pots or trays of young plants from the garden centre to grow on the window sill instead of planting them out. Having snipped off a few leaves as we need them the plants keep growing with just a little care. One of our better ideas?

Now that restrictions are lifting and life is returning to a kind of normality, we’ve decided to alter our routines – just a little. The tech-department is finding many more demands on his time and whilst the deputy cameraman has been doing a sterling job, it’s the editing of the videos that takes the time. So, as a result, we are going to upload videos every two weeks which means there isn’t one today..sorry! There are 54 already on Youtube so I’m sure you’ll find something useful amongst them and please don’t hesitate to message me if you have a question. Happy cooking, Bx

There were lots of these in our little Suffolk seaside town this week – people relieved to at last be able to go shopping in all those “non-essential” places. They were certainly getting plenty of retail therapy judging by the number of bags being carried too! A new phrase seems to have been coined – “revenge purchase” which aptly describes the feeling that you just need to be able to spend some money after being locked-down for so long. I felt it myself in spite of having made some internet purchases. There is nothing like being able to wander into a shop and to see (close up) and feel the item before you decide whether to buy it or not. Lots of the people in town seemed to have visited from out-of-town…. Essex and Norfolk of course, but further afield too, I met some from Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. No doubt the local self-catering properties will be booked to capacity which will help revive the local economy. What a relief. Let’s all do our bit to help with recovery and shop locally. (“Smiling faces, beautiful places” was the state’s slogan on our car’s registration plate in South Carolina)

There is a standing joke that if a good friend asks what we’re having for dinner the chances are it will be chicken! For many years famous chefs have exhorted us to buy the free-range, well-flavoured chickens sold by butchers rather than the mass produced birds found in all the supermarkets. I did this recently, paying a huge sum for quite a large chicken – my goodness, it needed to be good! We were expecting a delicious bird, tender, without too much fat…..you get the idea. All I can say is that we were extremely disappointed. It took ages to cook, was tough and tasted very”gamey”, not nice at all. So now I buy from the supermarket – whichever one is chosen that day – and feel no anxiety about my choice. More recently a trip to a local shop resulted in an amazing deal. They were offering 3 for £10 – not big chickens, but British and perfect for my plans. Each of these would make an inexpensive meal for a family, with two in the freezer for later perhaps in these straightened times. So, we need to buy according to our tastes and pockets without being critical of others and whilst ethics and policies matter, let’s buy what’s right for us without being browbeaten and feeling guilty.

With the relaxation of some Covid restrictions, I am really looking forward to a trip to the hairdresser and will be hot-footing it to her early on Monday morning. After that, a stroll through town is needed. I’ve done some on-line shopping, but there’s nothing like the ability to see and feel something I might choose to buy. To try clothes on, compare, ponder, wander away then come back and decide it’s the right thing – or not. The chance meeting with an old friend is precious and maybe a coffee, or more likely a cup of tea, over which we can chat and catch up after so long. All of these are treats I have missed and look forward to. But what about those people feeling less confidant? This attempt at a return to normality will be a mountain for some to climb and I suspect will happen slowly for some. At the same time there has been an increase in the workload for my tech-team, installing equipment, testing electricals and working for families during their saddest times so they can share their grief with others around the world. All this means a new man behind the camera…..did you notice? By the way, when I first met him 47 years ago we were both watching when a Chieftain tank fell off a low-loader in the presence of The Duke of Edinburgh. I couldn’t see The Duke’s reaction, but I bet he laughed…! What a man.

Whatever your plans for this weekend, I hope you have a lovely time. There’s so much to do today and so little time to do it that I’m making an early start. A veggie layer bake to put together so it can cook with the turkey (not needed at Christmas) later today and potato salad to make for lunch. Lemon bakewell was made yesterday and cooked alongside the fish parcels, which were delicious and so easy. In the midst of all this we found the leak in the pond liner, but now that needs to be sorted out. Just when you want the garden to look at it’s best, the secateurs jump out of the jacket pocket and create havoc. Never mind, the plants needed to be divided and rid of a rampant weed that took hold. Thank goodness the rainwater barrels are full – the hose pipe will shortly be connected and the lost water replaced…all 12″ of it! Must dash! Bx

Whilst it’s easy to remember delicious meals in our favourite places, it’s often harder to remember the less enjoyable ones. The reappearance of some long forgotten photos reminded me of school trips (not the falling over varieties!) to interesting cities – Barcelona, Turin and Tallinn immediately sprang to mind. There seemed to be a reluctance among the staff to volunteer for the exchange visit to Estonia, so when invited I decided to accept. Bearing in mind I really don’t like snow, it was either brave or foolish. So armed with thermals, a duvet coat and very thick boots I was well equipped. Over the weekend the children were entertained by the host families and we were free to explore – having to be out all day as guests of the head teacher. Tramping through waist-high snow to visit a sick pupil led to the need for a medicinal brandy in a bar where my colleague became engrossed in a rugby match on TV. The young woman sharing our table looked across and asked if I was Mrs.C who taught her in Hemel Hempstead – well, yes, I was! Later that day a meal at the Old Hansa restaurant was interesting with staff dressed in traditional costumes and the few candles making it impossible to read the menu. In desperation I chose the “special”. Not my best decision. Wild boar sausages with lumpy mashed potatoes and (the best part) lingenberry sauce. I’d previously had boar sausages with polenta in Milan and hadn’t liked them that time either. The views across the frozen sea to Finland and produce sold from the Sunday market in wooden sheds, the artisan bookbinder and the hat maker, an evening at the ballet and the amazing fish are much sunnier memories of that trip.

The first house we rented near Milan was a four-story monstrosity with a mansard roof, all created from concrete. The absence of rafters meant we had a vast open space to set up a model train set and my sewing machine under the skylights. Occasionally I would catch sight of “Balcony Bill” and his wife who lived in the adjacent apartment – especially when their kitchen light was on. I soon discovered that every day , around 11.30 a.m., she would start to make pasta for lunch. A large wooden board covered the table and she began to work eggs into the mountain of flour, her fork methodically working round and round until she could begin to knead. Eventually she rolled the dough with a very skinny rolling pin, then folded it and rolled again. When she was happy with the texture she gave it a final fold and used a huge sharp knife to cut narrow slices, shaking out the ribbons and dusting them with flour before hanging them to dry on pegs – imagine a very tall mug tree. Half an hour later she’d boil the broth or stock and drop them in. Balcony Bill would appear ready to sprinkle lots of Parmesan cheese on top and devour a large bowl full for lunch. Dessert, taken on the balcony, was always fruit – a peach, a couple of apricots or nespole (lowquats) followed by a cigarette. Then he’d disappear again, leaving Mrs. Bill to clear up. It was a fascinating insight into the locals way of life, but we never knew their names nor they ours. Simply a nod or a wave was the extent of our conversation – although one day Mrs.Bill shouted a question – “Hai vista la lenzuole?” Have you seen my bed sheet? It had disappeared from her balcony, taken by the wind, never to be seen again!