Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Ho Ho Ho Cathy!

Gosh, what a lot of baking, and it all looks so good. Your presentation is second to none dear.

We had a fabulous Christmas and only finished off the last of the turkey gravy this afternoon. We've been eating roast dinners every day to use it up, all except for yesterday when I went to London for my lunch. It was a very special occasion as an old friend from abroad was visiting, so I made the trip to Covent Garden to see her. We had a light lunch accompanied by Champagne Cocktails. Ever so slightly dizzy, I just about made it to the right platform at Paddington to catch my train home. On alighting at our local station I had a twenty minute walk, which might have been a bit spooky, had the bubbles I had imbibed not kept me all warm and floaty.

We have enjoyed all the usual festive village traditions including the Christmas Coffee Morning and the Christmas Pudding. The latter, is a special evening when a mixture of villagers get up on stage and do
a turn, a little bit like all the wonderful ingredients that go to make a Christmas Pudding in the culinary sense. Speaking of which, I didn't make a pudding, but not to be out-done by you my dear, I did make Mince pies (with home-made mincemeat),

a Christmas cake,

a Trifle,

Christmas cookies with the children,

and some Bread Sauce. I know that Bread Sauce doesn't really count as baking but I do so love it. I go a bit heavy on the cloves as you can see.

On Christmas day I cooked the lunch, and all was going swimmingly until I went to prep the sprouts and found there weren't any. The silly woman who put together my veg order at the local market had not put them in and I had not checked. It didn't really matter because we had lots of other veg and I put some frozen peas on the plates for a splash of green. When I gave mother the bad news however, she looked gloomy and remarked:
'I always say it's not Christmas dinner without sprouts' - typical.

The next thing was that the oven started smoking. Some of the juices from the turkey were leaking onto the bottom shelf, so I took out the bird and got on my hands and knees with a fish slice to scrape up the sticky black mess. Just then Mr B from up the lane stuck his head through the open window to give me some of his chocolate covered Vodka Damsons. I must have looked a right state when I got my head out of the oven to wish him Merry Christmas. To top it all, as soon as I'd cleaned up the mess I managed to drop my delicious bread sauce on the exact same spot. I was quite upset, so I scraped it up and put it back in the bowl. Nobody seemed to notice, although it wasn't quite as creamy as it had been and there were a few little black flecks in it.

Anyway, we all survived. It's turkey curry tomorrow and the day after we are off to the panto - oh yes we are!

Speak to you in the new year, much love, Lucy. xxx

PS The Damson Gin worked out very well and I shall be making more next year. I found out too late that when you have drained off the liquid you can make a very nice crumble out of the gin-soaked damsons. Alas, ours were already on the compost heap!

Chocolate Shortbread

My dear Lucy; Happy Christmas! You didn't need to apologise for being so busy in the run up to the holidays - it was madness, wasn't it? But so joyful! We attended all the Chino children's nativities, which were wonderful; the little ones were a shepherd and a traveller and the eldest was a boy in a play about being homeless at Christmas. I cried at them all and for very different reasons: the 'traditional' nativity was so sweet, complete with X-Factor-style dancing from some of the angels! And the more contemporary offering made me so grateful for what we have that I admit I wept with gratitude. How awful it must be to be alone and struggling, when everyone appears to be so happy at this time of year...

Anyway, needless to say, Christmas for us was joyful and my baking was triumphant!

I made a couple of batches of Chocolate Shortbread [Page 31] and gave some to friends, with a bottle of wine, as a gift; the rest I kept for the boys, but felt the need to sample some myself with a cup of tea... Yum!

We had a houseful, so I ended up baking quite a lot: Saturday was Death by Chocolate (as recommended by you) and was delish!

(I added white chocolate stars for a more festive feel!)

I was "brave" enough to bake on Christmas Day due to the fact that Mr. Chino cooked the lunch. Pudding saw me revisiting the Lemon Meringue tart [Page 168], but this time with less disastrous results due to cheating and buying ready-made pastry cases from the supermarket - this provided a delicious, and safe, alternative to the debacle that ensued when last I tried this recipe. Unfortunately, I neglected to take photographs so Margo won't get to see that I really can make this dessert.

Finally, on Monday, I made Bread and Butter Pudding [Page 297]. Now, previous attempts to make this humble pud had baffled me, with something akin to a sweet toast and egg concoction emerging from my fan oven. Not so, this time! Hurrah! I am now able to produce something so light and moist it borders on the erotic; there were groans and murmurs of delight as we ate!

Now all the guests are on their way back to Shropshire, the beds are stripped and the vacuuming has been done. Christmas feels like a world away, but I am reminded of Santa's visit every time I hear the little ones knocking out a tune on the drum kit; wishing you 'peace and joy' for the season!

Much love, Cathy. xx

Sticky Nutty Flapjacks

My Dear Cathy,

A pinch and a punch for the first of the month! Did Santa leave you anything exciting in your advent calendar this morning?

So sorry for the delay in responding but I'm up to my ears, as I'm sure you are. Concerts, school trips, baking for this event, helping at that - I'm quite exhausted. Last week I helped the school with their Church of England inspection (ho ho ho), I have been asked to make trifles for the village christmas lunch next week, and I have been asked to sit on two more local committees. I might as well get a job darling! I'm dealing with wardrobe for the school nativity play (little Latte is narrating AND playing Mary. I have hand-made her costume out of crushed velvet). I was so behind with all my shopping, that I have just placed a panic order with Amazon which might just save my neck.

Now, I did bake a variety of little cakes for the Brownies last month and they were beautiful en masse, but I forgot to take a picture! Never mind, here are some Sticky Nutty Flapjacks (p61) which I baked in my electric oven on Sunday last. They turned out much better than previous attempts in my somewhat aggressive gas oven which you know all about. Very easy to make and you can pretend they're healthy because they've got oats in!

The Halloween party was fun by the way, but I was unable to make the grand entrance with my fabulous hat and costume that I had planned. Including my high heels and huge pointy hat I must have measured six foot nine, but the cottage has low ceilings which I had not allowed for, and as a consequence, I had to stoop all evening. The hostess had turned down all the lights to enhance the spooky mood and this made it difficult for people to see me. I had a terrible crick in my neck by the time we went home - which wasn't late because one little Latte was so scared of the gruesome decorations and sound effects that we had to leave early!

My diet is a great success thank you. I have lost a stone and a half. One or two people have been kind enough to comment, though I had expected a bit more reaction. Quite honestly, I think some people are just too mean to mention it. I even wore a shortish skirt to the Curry and Casserole Night at the Village Hall recently, but this only resulted in shocked faces. C'est la vie!

I may not get the chance to write in full again over the festivities, but I will try to drop you the odd short note if that would be welcome?

Toodle-pip, Lucy. x

Apple Scone Round

Dear Lucy,

And they say that village life is quiet and boring, well not with you around, my dear! I do hope that your past isn't catching up with you, we all know how rumours are hard to live down... It puts me in mind of a particularly rigorous customs search I once endured due to a small, yet innocuous, bag of white powder in a suitcase; those memories can scar, but at least none of my neighbours witnessed it. I do hope that the Village Gossip hasn't been told and that you managed to enjoy your Hallowe'en shindig.

We don't much go in for that 'trick or treat' malarkay, but we did hold our usual firework party on November the 5th; we had about 15 guests of all ranges and, I'm delighted to say that most of them brought pudding and alcohol! Perfect!

My latest bake was a masterpiece, though I say it myself. I know you're struggling to cope with your damsons, but my issue is cooking apples. We have a very tall tree in the garden, so the fruit is impossible to pick and I have to wait for the blighters to drop before I can do anything with them. That means I have to act quickly before they rot on the ground; it's feast or famine with apples in our house. Anyway, I was hosting our latest book club meeting (we'd been reading "One Day" which is very pleasant but not at all the 'masterpiece' the testimonials claim it to be) and the apples were there, so I tried the Apple Scone Round [page69]. It was so simple to make and designed to look rustic, so it suited me down to the ground. I served it with both clotted cream and Wensleydale cheese, but most of the Book Club members went for cream; it was delicious warm from the oven, but the problem, I find, is stopping after one slice... I had visitors the next day and offered them what was left of the round with a cup of tea; though not quite as perfect as the previous day, it was well-received and very tasty. I don't think a damson version would work, though...

How's the liquid diet going? I must say I'm very impressed as I find any kind of self-deprivation beyond me; have you managed to fit into anything without lycra, yet? I'm not quite into anything with an elastic waist, but I do find that jeans with a bit of stretch in them are far more forgiving once you've had children; the fat seems to move south, doesn't it?

Keep up the good work! Let me know how you're going on; I think you're marvelous for even trying (unless your liquid diet consists mostly of alcohol, that is!)

Much love, Cathy

Tarte au Citron

Dear Cathy

You have been a busy bee haven't you? Not too busy to watch the final of 'The Great British Bake Off' I hope? I was very pleased for Jo, the winner, although I must confess that Janet was my favourite. I thought she was fabulous, even though Sue Perkins said her croissants looked like neck-braces! We all make mistakes Sue, and Janet's Tarte au Citron was a masterpiece compared to mine.

The pastry was sticky and difficult to handle, but I managed to patch it up in the flan tin quite adequately and the filling was easy-peasy. So 'what went wrong' I hear you ask. Quite simply, I couldn't get the blooming thing out of the tin. My filling had leaked and stuck the whole thing down like super-glue. In the end my only option was to turn the tart upside down and give it a bash. It might look like a pile of sick but it tasted divine.

Speaking of glue, I must tell you what happened to me last week. I was bagging up damsons for freezing (bugger the jam), and putting the required number in little plastic bags. I then needed to suck out the air. Normally, I do this with a drinking straw but I had none to hand, so I just put the bag to my mouth and sucked as hard as I could. When my lungs were at full capacity I happened to glance up to see one of the neighbours staring at me through my kitchen window. I am the talk of the village once again as everyone now thinks I have been glue-sniffing! I am helping with the village lunches on Wednesday and I don't know how I'm going to face everyone. Still, you know me dear, I shall just brazen it out. If nothing else, I shall look fabuous. I am now on a liquid diet (porridge, soup and skinny lattes), but it seems to be doing the trick. I have done lots of swimming and hill-walking (I bought some very expensive, state-of-the-art new walking shoes which I'm very pleased with, although they do give me blisters), and I have lost a stone in weight. TA DA! I expect it will all go to pot on Saturday when I'm off to a halloween party where there will be food and drink a plenty. I have a magnificent costume though, and may even send you a photo after the event. Watch this space!

Lots of love, Lucy.

PS By the way my deara - I think you mis-spelled Madeira!

Madiera cake

Hello, dear! How are you?

I'm all over the place at present and can't seem to get much of a grip! I think I'm just ready for the half-term hols so I can catch my breath. I've a pile of ironing the size of a small family car; the dog keeps chewing various items of clothing; I won't even mention the state of my bathroom (suffice it to say that I'll have to give it a good seeing to before I open the front door to any visitors...) But much of my disorganisation is down to having a healthy social life and having little time to dedicate to being a domestic godess as a result. On Saturday last, not only did I meet a friend for lunch in Leeds, but Mr Chino and myself went out to dinner with friends; on Sunday I catered for the little Chinos' fifth birthday party - they went as Darth Vader - baking two cakes in the morning; Monday was the boys' parents' evening and Tuesday saw me travelling to Leeds (again) to watch "Madam Butterfly"! I can't believe what I packed into the last few days... Needless to say, I'm pooped!

Thank goodness I had to bake birthday cakes, else I'd never have got round to baking at all. The boys are so different and, just like last year, wanted different cakes to one another. I ended up making a chocolate and a Madiera cake. Both were delicious! The Madiera cake was so simple to make, good job too, as I had burnt one chocolate cake on Saturday and had run out of eggs. I had visions of a mercy dash to the Co-op to purchase a Caterpillar cake (cover your ears, Margo; I bet your children have never suffered such abuse at your hands...), but was saved that fate. As you can see from the photo, my cake decoration skills are limited, but the boys were delighted.

I must say that the Brownies never appealed to me either, all that calling grown women by owl names seemed a little strange; come to think of it, I never joined the RSPB for that matter.

I'm sure you'll manage the November bake very well, although Margo's suggestion was a little obvious; what about Parkin - very 'Bonfire Night', or Treacle Toffee? Have a look through the Great British Book of Baking, I'm sure you'll get an idea.

Well, that's all for now; I'm off to get into my pyjamas and curl up in front of the tv with a nice cup of tea.

Night night; Cathy x

Apple and Bramble Pie

Dear Cathy

Thank you for your kind words dear. There have been one or two unkind remarks since the show which are rather hurtful, but I stand by my decision to enter a burnt Lemon Drizzle Cake and an over-sized Bakewell Tart. Some time ago I was asked to join the W.I. to bolster their dwindling numbers, and I was giving it serious consideration, but on further reflection I don't think I'll bother!

We have been very busy adjusting to the new school term and all the new after-school activities and associated logistics. No sooner do I think I've got it all sorted than something else crops up. My eldest has just started Brownies and is loving it already. Strange really - as a young girl I attended for a while but could never muster up much enthusiasm and ended up getting thrown out. I never knew why and mother still can't talk about it! Anyway, at the end of each meeting there is a cake sale and everyone takes turns to make little cup cakes etc. We're not baking until November but I'm looking for inspiration already. Do let me know if you have any suggestions for something special won't you?

The latest bake was Apple and Bramble Pie (p221). The recipe said one could replace blackberries with various other fruits and I used Whinberries, hand-picked by the Latte family at the end of the summer holiday. It was a beautiful sunny day and we had been pond-dipping in the morning. We followed this with a cup of tea and a slice of Wild Edric's Tart at the Bog Visitor Centre, and then continued up to the Stiperstones where we spent a happy hour picking the delicious little berries. It was so satisfying to take them home, sort them, wash them and put them in a pie. I took a picture of them because I thought they were so beautiful.

The Damson tree in the garden is also laden with fruit and we have been picking that too. I have tried three times to make jam. The first batch burned, the second set like concrete and the last separated into a thick syrup with a few damsons floating around in it. I have now given up as I was wasting such a lot of fruit. I have frozen some for pies and have started off some Damson Gin which takes three months to brew! The rest I have given to Lois for her to make jam, and she will repay me with a couple of jars of the finished product.

That's all for now. Your dear friend Lucy. x

PS ref your last letter - what happened to the cat?

PPS I am having a lovely time playing with Pottermore. I have opened an account at Gringotts Bank, bought all the equipment I need for Hogwarts in Diagon Alley, and I've got my wand from Ollivanders!