Just Desserts?

According to the charity English Heritage, unless Somebody Does Something, the British Pudding will become extinct in the next 50 years. My immediate reactions were

1 - not in this family, mate - I know children who love puds!

2 - why are you worrying us about steamed puddings during these hot summer months?
The answer to #1 - here are their [dubious] statistics...

62% of British households stated they made puddings once a month or less [27%] or never [35%].
36% of people named steamed puddings [10%], fruit crumbles [19%] or pastry-based baked pies or tarts [7%] as their favourite puddings.
17% percent of 18-24 year olds named steamed puddings [4%], fruit crumbles [10%] or pastry-based baked pies or tarts [3%] as their favourite puddings. 45% of respondents over 55 named steamed puddings [11%], fruit crumbles [27%] or pastry-based baked pies or tarts [7%] as their favourite puddings.
838 people eat homemade traditional puddings at home, in comparison to 1405 people saying they ate ice cream at home. Ice cream is therefore eaten 68% more than homemade traditional puddings. Bad maths, and what happens to those of us who eat BOTH? or put i/c on their pies and crumbles?

The answer to #2 is - EH are about to launch "The English Heritage Baking Book" in a couple of weeks time. Cynical old me thinks they are 'scare-mongering' to get grannies to buy the book as gifts for their fruit&yogurt eating daughters-in-law.
Even though we do frequently have fruit and/or yogurt as dessert, I regularly serve up baked, home made puddings, like rice pudding [Rosie loves it] sponge puddings, fruit pies and crumbles. Luz made an excellent blackberry cobbler on Monday. Bob likes almost all puds [except lemon meringue pie] Any leftover cake is often turned into a hot pud, with the addition of fruit, custard etc. On Saturday I said "Well done, Jess, you have eaten all your first course" she replied "And is there  pudding, Grandma?" It was a hot day, so I'd prepared fresh fruits, sponge fingers and ice cream for a DIY Sundae. But often I give them something&custard.

EH name a few puddings which have already 'died the death' namely

Twelfth Night Cake - a fruity Tudor post Xmas pud. If your portion contained The Bean, you got to be Lord of Misrule for the day. It survived the Reformation, but was supplanted by our modern Christmas Cake [and the bean replaced by a silver 6d in the festive pud]

Cabinet Pudding a steamed sponge with glacé fruits and custard. Also called Newcastle or Chancellor's Pudding. In the 1970s this was regularly on the menu at The Lamb in Norwich, I always chose I if Dad took me there for lunch. I must make it for Bob sometime*

Soul Cake  a spiced roundel of flour, butter, sugar, spices and currants. Dating back to 1511 or maybe earlier, these were given to poor people and children who went from house to house singing and reciting prayers at Hallowtide [the days surrounding All Saints/All Souls Days, Oct 31/ Nov 1st] A more wholesome Trick or Treat reward than a bag of Haribo...

Anglo Saxon cake honey, oats, butter and dried fruit, mixed and cooked over an open fire. Sounds like fruit flapjacks to me.

I checked out my older cookbooks and found lots of puddings I'd forgotten about. I think many modern women can't hang around the kitchen all day topping up the boiling water round the steamed Pudding. I do make puds, but avail myself of the modern technologies.

Microwaving sponge mixtures, happily leaving things unattended in the slocooker where they don't boil dry, using my pressure cooker, and air fryer...batch baking and freezing to eat later. 

I shall share some favourite pudding recipes in another post. 

Do you still eat puddings?

It Started With A Book...

Liz taught me the phrase cascade of chores when one task leads to another, and another...and eventually,  maybe, some of them get completed.  A few weeks back, I said I would lend a book to someone. I put it on the table - then left the house without it. I have apologised to her now, because neither Bob nor I have seen it since July. "I must sort the bedroom bookcase" I declared "It is really overloaded" But it was too hot for housework

It has been baking in our bedroom "The fan is not very efficient" said Bob. I pointed out it was rather old, dusty, and tired [like me] We have had it 20+ years. He looked at it, and declared the the back of the grill looked rusty. But when dismantled, the brown rust proved to be a thick layer of dust. Bob cleaned it all up, it works much better. Back to the book sort. 

Technically the top 2 shelves are all Terry Pratchett, the bottom 3 are craft and cookbooks, and in between, "current reading" with ½ a shelf designated "borrowed" [from library or friends]

I cleared 5 shelves onto the top of the drawers for sorting. And soon realised it was a dusty task. I grabbed an old washing up brush and brushed down each book in turn [just like the NT conservators in Blickling Hall library]

Oh so very dusty! And there were far more books which were not craft or cookery than I'd realised. Some have come from the lounge "fiction" selection and need to go back there. Some need to leave the house forever. And that missing book is still missing [sorry, Heather!]

This is still a WIP, as I have realised there are cookbooks in the study and kitchen. But only 5 in the borrowed pile.  I am embarrassed to have found three CS books bought in Essex in March which I'd forgotten about. I'm giving books a good shake, dislodging all sort of random cards and clippings. Some to be recycled, others will be kept as bookmarks because they bring back happy memories. Like these from 1992!

How often do you sort or dust your bookshelves?

I know some of you are former librarians,  so I'm sure you are more diligent than I am!

Long Ago, Before The Great British Bake Off...

Next month marks 15 years since GBBO started. I was looking back and found this post from 12th July 2010. Long before I had grandchildren. I think I shall make some of this for them this summer... The post was originally called Super Saucy!

In Mary Berry’s “Real Food Fast” I came across this easy-peasy recipe for toffee sauce. It gets my vote because it is made from store cupboard ingredients [no need to rush out for fresh cream] and has a sensible method for measuring the golden syrup.

I have enjoyed MB’s no-nonsense approach to cooking ever since the 70s when I used to read “Home and Freezer Digest” – where she often had “Half-Term Bake-Ins” which I think were designed so mothers could stock up their freezers and larders for hungry children, but also jolly useful for a busy teacher with a hungry young husband! One intense Saturday in the kitchen provided us with loads of pre-prepared meals and snacks for weeks.

The sauce is very rich and you don’t need much – but it keeps well in the fridge and is lovely over ice cream..

or sliced bananas…

or chocolate sponge…

Toffee Sauce

50g butter
150g light muscovado sugar
150g golden syrup
1 x 170g can evaporated milk

• Weigh 150g sugar in the scale pan – spread it out, and then gently spoon syrup on top till it all weighs 300g.
• Tip the sugar and syrup into a pan, add the butter, and heat gently until melted and liquid. Gently boil for 5 minutes [stirring like crazy!]
• Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the evaporated milk. The sauce is now ready.
• Serve immediately, or leave on one side and reheat to piping hot to serve – or allow to cool and serve cold. Keeps in the fridge for a month [unless eaten first!]

I got this book out of the library last week – there are some interesting recipes in it – this is the only one I have tried so far. But MB seems to have developed a passion for mangoes- about 1 in 8 of the recipes appears to list mangoes or mango chutney among the ingredients.

Does Mary still like mangoes?

Do you have a favourite sauce for ice cream?

May Books - Some Maybe, Others Maybe Not

 

My first stash of library books for May - 

200 recipes, reviewed on Saturday 3*

The Folding Lady, reviewed Friday 2*

Stunning Stitches,see May 5th fun read, very detailed, but too complex to be of practical use to me. 4*

Nordic Knits for Children- again, a good read, excellent patterns, I can see Ro in that cover dress - but the patterns would take hours to knit, and I think the cost of wool would be prohibitive, so not for me. Still 4*

Upcycle - by Annie Phillips,  Sewing Bee winner. Some good patterns and instructions about technique. But you have to have the right things in the wardrobe to remake, and a desire to wear the new garment.
Do I want a balaclava made of crocheted granny squares? Or horrid orange fluffy cuffs on a pink blazer [I would dye it, and change the buttons!] The jeans skirt looks slightly strange. The floaty tablecloth dress is ok - but there are no quantities given just "adjust it to fit the tablecloth you have" 2*

Finally the OTK Extra Good Things. I admit to bias. I really like the stuff produced by Yotam and his team. I have two books already [here and here] I bought the first OTK book 2nd hand, and Julian gave me Simple for my birthday [thanks, I love it!]. This is an 'inspiration' book - every recipe includes the 'extra takeaway' - a sauce, sprinkle, topping or rub which you can make up and keep half in the fridge for a couple of days the use to "zhuzh up" a completely different recipe. It is big on adding flavour to your dish.  Ways to incorporate all the spices in my new kitchen drawer into exciting 'Ottolenghi-style' recipes. 5*

Senior Moments

Oh dear, I have done some daft things lately. I am so looking forward to getting my new glasses. There we were at the tile place buying tile trim. How thick are your tiles? asked the helpful assistant. Bob guessed, and I scrabbled about on my phone trying to find the details of the product. "75 millimetres" I announced brightly. Bob suggested quietly I had missed the decimal point. I should have realised that three inches is rather thick for a wall tile!

On Sunday, in his closing prayer, the Pastor prayed that God would "marinade our hearts in his love" I have no idea what he meant, but I realised that I'd forgotten to deal with my chicken before we left for church. The recipe said "marinade for at least 30 mins, preferably longer" I was able to sort them out once we got home, and lunch wasn't really delayed. A good recipe from my library book.

You remember that disturbing Corsodyl advert with the girl with the missing teeth? I was brushing my teeth late the other night,[in pjs, sans specs] and was horrified to see the sink was full of  bloody foam. 

Now I am 70, should I expect to lose all my teeth? I squinted at the new toothpaste. I was so relieved to discover it has a red stripe, and that was the source of the incarnadine froth!

This book was wedged between two origami books in the library 'papercraft' section. I liked the title. Only when I got home did I discover it is about a woman who makes her living producing videos of herself folding all her possessions!

I will review the airfryer book and this bizarre little tome later. 

What's Cooking?

The first air fryer was not around f9r the Battle of Hastings and the Bayeux Tapestry.  It was made of wood, and aluminium, with a chicken-wire basket - and it was as big as a dog kennel. The inventor was a Dutchman, Fred van der Weij in 2006. I know this because I watched Hannah Fry [who seems to be all over the BBC TV and radio lately] in this programme

I have a confession...having declared very firmly back in November that I didn't need one, I must tell you that one arrived at Cornerstones at the beginning of March.

Liz and Steph had suggested it might be useful once the Kitchen Project started. Who knew how long I'd be without my oven? 

After much discussion and research, we settled on the Tefal Dual Drawer model, agreeing it should be counted as part of the Kitchen Project. I was still dithering, then discovered it was on offer in John Lewis. [I think the reduction was because it was about to be rebadged as part of their Jamie Oliver range]

Four weeks in, I have to report I'm getting on better than i expected. Sunday breakfast croissants are delicious. Jacket potatoes are quick and easy.  Salmon fillets, and other fish pieces are moist and flavourful. The two baskets with synchronised finish time are a good idea. Fish and chips, meat and potatoes, all work well. I got a small chicken and produced a proper Sunday Roast Dinner. I did pork steaks with Aunt Bessie's bake-at-home Yorkshire puds, combined with veg from the microwave...all good. I've not tried any cakes yet.

"We lived on sandwiches for over a week when they were doing our kitchen" said a friend, most concerned that our DIY plan, with a longer time frame would mean uninspired cold meals. I assured her we were enjoying a varied, flavourful cooked diet, and not splurging on meals out or takeaways.

Jamie's chicken and mushroom parcels looked and tasted good [with baby potatoes cooked in the second drawer, and mixed veg in the m-wave] Recipe here

It will be interesting to see if my cooking styles change when I'm back to a full size kitchen with oven and hob. But I'm managing on a small worktop with the microwave, toaster and A-F [and kettle] 

Which is a lot more than a lot of families have. So many people across the globe have one pan on a fire or single gas ring. I am grateful for good food, and so many ways to prepare it.

Oh Don't You Know, There's No Such Thing As...

 ...A Gruffalo

I was quite thrilled to read last week that Julia Donaldson has become the UK's best selling author, by volume, since accurate records began. She has beaten J K Rowling to the top spot. My family love her books [is it really five months since Jess went to see Zog at the Theatre, wearing her doctor's outfit?]

I didn't intend to do two  book reviews in one week, but when I took the Duplo into the Hospice Shop, I picked up this book for £1,

It is based on the recipes referenced in the original story, like Gruffalo Crumble and Roasted Fox. The author is not named, but it is all very well thought out.

There are breakfast dishes, and sweet treats, and in between you can find snacks and main meals. I like the fact that two thirds of the recipes are savoury, and even the sweets are not too heavy on added sugar [eg the Mouse's Nut And Date Bars are sweetened with fruit]

The illustrations are delightful, interspersing pictures from the original book with photographs of the food. And they are so inventive, and look very tasty

Snake's Logpile House is a stack of lengths of celery [stuffed with peanut butter and raisins, or cream cheese and poppy seeds]

I think these would make delightful foods to serve at a Gruffalo themed party.

There are Turned Out Toes[ mini beef burgers] Poisonous Warts [pea and feta frittatas] Orange Eyes [Cheesy Quiches] and Roasted Fox [sweet potato wedges]

Terrible Tusks are fruit skewers, and of course there is Owl Ice Cream [with bananas and almonds] And finally a Gruffalo Cake

I am looking forward to Rosie arriving for half term, and we can try out some of these recipes. Then I can give a proper review. But it will be 5* I expect

I came across a lovely YouTube clip of the story. The BBC animated film is excellent [I do not know if this link will work]

But here is Julia herself, with friends, retelling the story beautifully. She plays the part of the mouse....

Does your family love Ms Donaldson's books too?

Which food from the book would you choose to eat?

International Cuisine

I must start by saying thank you -  So many helpful comments about the curtains, I feel much more able to tackle the task. But that's next week... 

For Christmas, Steph gave me an aebleskiver pan. Aebleskiver means "apple slices" and the pan makes 7 of these  Danish snacks at a time.

The batter is light and fluffy, similar to a Yorkshire pudding batter - but you separate the eggs, folding the beaten whites into the mix so it is full of air. You cook one side then flip them - and the result is a plateful of golden globes. A recipe was printed on the packaging - it made 3 batches, I put apple slices in the first 2, and squares of dark chocolate in the rest. [the batter keeps in the fridge, we didn't eat them all at one sitting]

I looked up the history of this snack. They date back over 300 years, some people maintain that they were first made by the Vikings, cooking them on their dented shields. I think that's a little far fetched. But here's an old Danish wife with her pan

In Belgium and the Netherlands, they serve a similar sweet treat called poffertjes. In Norway, they are munker [monks' balls] and in Germany nonnenfürzle [nun's farts] I prefer the Danish name. The batter took a while to prepare, but I got into a good rhythm cooking them. I'd seasoned the cast iron pan and the little balls slipped out easily. 

I look forward to cooking them again,I think the children will enjoy them. Here's Bob tucking into some chocolate ones. Recipe HERE

My other foray into international cuisine this week was to make Jannson's Temptation. This is a Swedish dish involving layers of slim potato batons, sliced onions, tinned/jarred sprats, and lots of cream.

I've wanted to try this out for ages, and I picked up a jar of fish in IKEA.  There's a recipe HERE

My bake looked just like the picture. But Bob did not enjoy the dish at all! He said it was the wrong sort of fish, he would prefer cod, or salmon or prawns... And were he Jannson, he'd be tempted to throw it out of the window! [it is really unusual for Bob to react so strongly against a meal too] 

Never mind, you win some, you lose some... 

Jolly Jollof

 Did you know that World Jollof Rice Day was celebrated on August 22nd? We missed it too! Jollof is a one pot dish, of rice, spices, meat and veg - it was first served in the Wolof Empire*, which covered modern day Senegal, Gambia and Mauritania - but now most countries in West Africa have their own version of the recipe. It is ten years since Jamie Oliver got into trouble demonstrating his own recipe on TV - despite the varied versions from the different countries, his was deemed definitely inauthentic!
In Norwich at the Summer Market the other week, Bob bought a jar of jollof paste from Shirley, an enthusiastic Londoner who is bringing her family's spice blend to the table, making it easy for everyone to put together a pot of jollof.

He cooked the rice with the paste, adding in onions, beans, carrots and some leftover chicken. It was very tasty [and not too hot for my sensitive taste buds] 

*Spelt Wolof, it is pronounced Jollof. The empire lasted from 14th-16th centuries. Maps below show the location then and now!

A Batch Of Borrowed Books

 APOLOGIES - I have managed to delete the post  whilst in the process of adding your comments!

Here is my latest stack of library books from the mobile van.

The Christmas Card book [why did I borrow that in August ? I hardly send cards anymore anyway] No new ideas, and required the purchase of various dies and stamps. **

The Vintage Sewing Book - interesting, fun, some useful ideas - but not really aimed at sexagenarian grannies! ****

The Sew Beautiful book was just that. Inspirational ideas, for eight basic garments with variations on sleeves, length etc.  And patterns included for tracing, Ideal for novice sewers - NO ZIPS, NO BUTTONHOLES. Very cleverly fitted. well thought out. *****

Rosie and I enjoed Ellas book - aimed at cross generational meal prep and planning , with easy to follow charts and recipes - stuff about nutrition and healthy eating*****

Slow Cooker Book. Better in the cold winter months I think but some interesting recipes ***

I have started the Val McDermid, and I'm enjoying it. Looking forward to the Robert Galbraith [aka JK Rowling] the next in the Cormoran Strike series. I did enjoy Tom Burke on TV playing CS!

I will give these their * ratings later!!

Sorry that the comments thus far have disappeared

Are You Sitting Comfortably?

 ...then I'll Begin

Older readers may recognise those words as the beginning of the day's story on the Radio Programme "Listen With Mother". It ran from 1950 - 1982 [ending when Liz was just a few months old] I think this was the first Radio programme which I considered 'mine'. Mum and Dad listened to other stuff - Woman's Hour, The Chapel in the Valley, Desert Island Discs and The Archers etc - but LWM was for children.

Even after my great aunt gave us her elderly B&W TV  - a tiny screen inside a heavy wooden box - we were still more of a radio family.

As I grew older, I discovered other programmes I liked, and by Grammar School I had other favourites- I'm sorry I'll Read That Again, Hancock's Half Hour and various quiz shows. But there was just the one family radio, so any programme had to be ok with everybody. Unlike my friends, I didn't have a transistor radio hidden under the bedclothes, for late night listening to Radio Caroline.

Many programmes came and went - and I love the fact that BBC I-player enables me now to catch up with all those dramas, and classic serials from years ago. Paul Temple, Dick Barton, and more recently Cadfael, Raffles, After Henry. 

I listened to the Archers from childhood right up until covid. At Uni, my landlady and I sat in the kitchen after washing up. My children were always in bed by 7 when they were in primary school, so I could listen in peace with a cuppa. I was an Archers Addict. But i went Cold Turkey in covid, and haven't listened since!

But one programme which began just a few weeks after my wedding in summer 1979  is still around. It has recently moved from its original Sunday/Monday slots to Friday/Saturday. I try and catch it at some point in the week [I previously used to listen on my way home from Sunday Morning preaching engagements]

And 45 years on, I still think the Food Programme is excellent. In the beginning it was presented by Derek Cooper, who had a lovely voice for radio - Now Sheila Dillon and Dan Saladino are the main presenters. I have learned about the development of farming methods, food preparation. changes in the nation's eating habits, the cost of food [to our pocket, and to our planet] artisanal producers and high tech solutions, older food traditions and the newest trends. It is different every week and always interesting. 

There are well over 900 programmes available to catch up with on iplayer.

Last Friday's episode was part of Just One Thing Day - and looked at the many aspects of diet which had been highlighted by Dr Michael Mosley. Presenters had picked out their favourite highlights of his JOT show. It was excellent. 

I am definitely a Radio Girl. I can sew or knit whilst listening, and I'm not distracted by the pictures! But just recently my Radio Pleasure has been greatly enhanced. My tablet gave up the ghost [I'm losing track of Household Items which are packing up and irreparable this year] and the replacement came with an unexpected bonus - bluetooth earbuds. 

Now I can listen clearly whilst using the sewing machine, or sit in the lounge doing embroidery, listening to my radio programme, without disturbing Bob who is watching TV.

It's mostly OK - unless I am listening to the Daily Service,[15 minutes of reflection, 9.45am  Radio 4Extra] as I sometimes forget and start singing along to the hymns!

I am sure Guiglielmo Marconi  never realised in 1896 just how his invention would transform our lives.

Do you listen to the radio - national or local?

And do you have a favourite programme?

EWOKs and NEPOs

If you are a Star Wars fan, you will know that ewoks are "sentient furry creatures, 1 metre tall, native to the Planet Endor. Skilled in primitive technology, they created gliders and catapults and helped the

 Alliance beat the Stormtroopers"  
In my back garden, however EWOK stands for Egyptian Walking Onion [from Kirsten]  The two plants she sent me last August split into four quite separate shoots, producing bulbils which made divided into more, and then leaned over...I've planted some of the small bulbils in a pot, and taken some of the red onions [size of large marbles] and planted them in the earth behind the oil tank. We wait to see what happens. Other red onions have been sliced into salad, or halved and fried off and dropped into casseroles and ragu sauces. And the green shoots chopped finely and sprinkled like chives. All very satisfactory [thanks K] 

Then there's NEPO. Bob was checking our shared calendar, and there was a mysterious entry saying "Breakfast with W @ NEPO" He knew who W was, but NEPO? I had to explain this is North Elmham Post Office.

An excellent spot to meet with friends for breakfast, elevenses, light lunch or tea and cake...

But the rest of the world has a different understanding of NEPO - it is shorthand for Nepotism Baby or Nepo Baby. That is, someone who follows a famous parent into the same line of work - leaving many to question if they would have got the same breaks if they'd 'come up the hard way' without all the right connections.
The term has nepo has become popular in the last 4 or five years, but the concept has been around much longer, particularly in the film & TV industry.

Take this list

Jamie Lee Curtis-Tony Curtis 

Michael Douglas-Kirk Douglas

Paris Hilton-Richard Hilton

Angelina Jolie-Jon Voight

Jane Fonda-Henry Fonda

Lily Allen-Keith Allen

Charlie Sheen-Martin Sheen

Nancy Sinatra-Frank Sinatra

Hilary Benn-Tony Benn

Kate Hudson-Goldie Hawn

Miley Cyrus -Billy Ray Cyrus

Stella McC-Paul McCartney

Kiefer Sutherland-Donald Sutherland

Not to mention the acting dynasties - check out Samuel West's relations, the Redgraves, the Cusacks, the Foxes...and all those Katdashians

Well, as of this week, there's a new NEPO  out there on the BBC. Son-of-celebrity-chef, Jamie, Buddy Oliver is hosting his own show on CBBC. I watched on i-player whilst working through the ironing mountain. And I really did enjoy it. 

Buddy is approaching 14, and has been making short YouTube cookery clips for about 4 years. This new show, Cooking Buddies has this lad teaching another young teen to prepare a simple dish - and then his guest teaches him a skill [boxing, football, karate] I thought it was fun. These young people were patient with one another, complimentary when things went well, and encouraging when they didn't - with plenty of good humour thrown in. 

I know some people think there's altogether too much Jamie O on TV - but personally I thought this personable young chap came across really well. And he has clearly learned much more from his dad than just knife skills! I shall definitely be talking to Rosie about this show next time I see her.

Today the BBC is designating "Just One Thing" day, in tribute to the late Michael Mosley. I hope there is not too much unctuous hagiography,[I suspect MM would have hated that] but I shall try and catch a few of the highlights on TV and radio.

Sunny Delight

"Isn't it delightful, sitting in the sun like this?" I said to Bob - and suddenly remembered Sunny Delight orange drink. It was so popular in the 90s - "Do they still sell it?" I mused "And didn't a boy in Wales go orange after drinking too much?"

So of course I looked it up - yes they do still sell it, [in Tesco, Asda and Iceland] reformulated and rebranded as SunnyD and focussing on its healthy Vitamin D content. And yes sales took a massive hit after a four year old girl turned orange. You can also get  SunnyD "blue raspberry", which has Brilliant Blue FCF colouring [a synthetic dye with dubious side effects]

But enough of that - the food I am more interested in was in the two books I was enjoying, both very appropriate for delightful sunshine

Frozen Yogurt is by Constance and Mathilde Lorenzi, two sisters who started a chain of food outlets in Paris and elsewhere called It Mylk selling Frozen Yogurt, about 10 years ago. Sadly these have all closed now, or I should be eating in one this week! But as I make my own yogurt, and want to avoid UPF supermarket icecream, I thought this CS bargain might help me with this. They have two basic recipes - using 'whole' or 'fat-free' milk for their end product.

Also there are instructions for those with an ice cream maker, and those [like me] without this gadget. The book gives the basic recipes, recipes for flavoured ices, and recipes for 'extras' - milkshakes, gateaux, cookies, toppings etc. It makes your mouth water! I decided to try one recipe out, but realised I did not have any single cream to hand, even though I had plenty of yogurt.

I cheated, and used a can of evaporated milk to make the 'salidou' salted caramel version. It was OK, although it taste a little of evap. I think I will definitely try these recipes again, using proper cream. You have to beat the freezing mixture every hour for four hours, to break up the ice crystals. After the final beating, I poured it into individual plastic tubs, so It was [a] easer to portion, and [b] thawed a little to a softer consistency for eating quickly. Please note artistic strawberry garnish.*****

My second sunshine read was "Taste- my life through food" by actor Stanley Tucci. I love this clever and funny guy. He has been in so many films - my favourite is Julie and Julia, where he stars opposite Meryl Streep as the husband of Julia Child. There is a lot of food in that film! Tucci is of Italian Heritage, and has recently done some TV shows where he goes to Italy, in search of his roots, and eating the local foods. 

Jay Rayner describes the book as "A delicious story of appetite, family and pasta...the ever tasteful Tucci invites us to his table, and feeds us all the good stuff."

Lots of great Italian recipes, mostly meat based, plus some cocktails, I looked up hopefully at my tomato plants, willing them to produce lush crimson globes so I could make the ragu, timpano, tropiano sauce and more. 

The book is full of anecdotes, the story of his life, his first wife [who sadly died of cancer] and his second very happy marriage.

But I am only giving this one **** - partly because he uses the f-word far too much, and quite unnecessarily [being American is no excuse] and secondly, there is no index for the recipes, they are dotted about through the book and not easy to locate [and have no pictures either] 

But definitely two delightful books to read in the sunshine.

A final thought - do you think Donald Trump drank too much SunnyD and that is why he is that absurd orange colour?