Cottage Loaf

My dear Lucy,

Sorry I haven't written to you in a while, I have been giving our situation a good deal of thought and, upon great reflection, I realise that you wouldn't want to hurt my feelings - we have known each other for too long to indulge in such silliness; so, yes, all is forgiven, and if I have been ungenerous at all, I hope that you will forgive me. I must say that your story about your parents on the motorbike made me smile and realise that you are cut from the same cloth as your mother; I have a vision of you with your hem up around your 'ahem, whizzing along while Mr L hangs on for dear life!

Anyway, my latest bake turned out to be a great success on a number of levels: kneading bread dough for 10 minutes is excellent for calming a troubled mind and toning-up one's 'bingo wings'. What a juxtaposition of relaxation and tautness I experienced! However, I did make the mistake of attempting to bake bread by hand on the very day that I had arranged a play date for the little Chinos after Nursery; by the time we returned home, the risen dough had taken on a life of its own and was oozing across the work-top. All was not lost, however, as I simply 'knocked it back' and left it to rise again. The result was scrumptiously crusty bread (Cottage Loaf p101). I know that Margo will be disappointed to read that I normally use a bread-maker, but a busy mum of three who works part time must make concessions; at least I am serving up home made bread each week rather than shop-bought, so I do know what is in it. But this simple and delicious bread went down a storm and requests have been made for more. Perhaps next time I shall experiment with making two smaller loaves as the mixture did result in a whopping loaf that was hard to fit in the bread bin! Commiserations on the Cornish Pasties, Lucy; but we do need to learn from our mistakes, don't we?

We also need to welcome Amanda, another new follower, into the fold. I don't know what her stance is on mechanical gadgets, but I hope she enjoys our letters. By the way, I have just watched the man across the road put the finishing touches to a fence around the front of his property. I've observed the whole process from start to finish and feel that it will give them a good deal more privacy; people can be so nosey, can't they? I'm glad to say that I don't fall into that camp, I just find my eye is drawn across the road from time to time...

Glad we're back to the way we were.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Cathy x

Cornish Pasties

My Dear Cathy

I am so very sorry if I have upset you, but I realise now that I must have made a mistake. It wasn't 'mummy's tinkle cried' but 'mummy hitched a ride' I heard. I know you are an experienced festival-goer but I really wish you wouldn't hitch. If you want a ride to Glastonbury next week I will take you there on the motorbike. Do you think you could get astride it? If not, you'll have to ride side-saddle like my mother used to when pencil skirts were all the rage. She and father got stopped one night on the way home from a cheese and wine do, and the Police Officer in question made her hitch everything up to get her leg over the bike. How undignified. Gives another meaning to hitching a ride doesn't it?

Now, I would like to extend a warm welcome to our first follower, Margo Mocha, who cautions us against the use of kitchen gadgetry. Thank you Margo, how very wise you are, although I must say I wouldn't be without my egg slicer! I bought it recently along with some new plastic clothes pegs. I used one of the pegs to hold a towel around me the other day while I hung out the washing. I'd only done two vests and a pair of pants when the peg pinged off and landed in the shrubbery. There I was, stark-naked, with a pair of Jockeys in one hand and a peg-bag in the other. To top it all, who should come wandering down the lane, snooping through the Laurels but 'Mr Nosey' from Cosy Nook Cottage. I felt like Barbara Windsor in Carry On Camping - so humiliating.

When I had recovered my composure I thought I'd have a go at making some Cornish Pasties (p209). I've never made them before and I adore them. In my experience you can't get a decent one outside Cornwall. I knew the dough wasn't right when I put it in the fridge to rest. The recipe said not to over-handle it but I think I went too far the other way and didn't knead enough. As for the filling, I used stewing steak as they didn't have any skirt at the butchers. The recipe contained specific instructions on how to assemble everything in layers on rolled out pastry circles, but I opted to mix everything up and chuck it in. When I came to seal the pasties I found that bits of raw potato and swede were sticking out at all angles and puncturing the pastry. Let that be a lesson for those of us who think we know better - I shall layer next time. Needless to say, the end result was slightly disappointing. Strangely textured pastry and under-seasoned filling. Must try harder!

Before I close I must tell you that Mr Latte and myself enjoyed a fabulous evening at the Village Hall on Friday night. We sat amongst good friends and neighbours for an Italian Evening. Wine tasting (two whites and two reds on an empty stomach - oops!) was followed by Cannelloni and a green salad. Pudding was three-fold, Tiramisu, Panna Cotta and ... I can't remember the other one. Afterwards we had an Italian trivia quiz in which our table scored a less than impressive four out of ten, but a very jolly evening was had by all.

Hope all is forgiven, Lucy. x

Chocolate Brownies

Lucinda,

I hope that you will forgive my rather frosty greeting, but I must say that I'm a little bit cross; either one of my children must have been mumbling when they spoke to you, or you are just trying to get back at me for my 'cat licked the cake' comment. Either way, I feel that you must allow me to set the record straight.

Firstly: it's been years since I was on a bus;

secondly: I recently jogged the Race for Life with the only moistness being the perspiration on my brow;

thirdly: the only time I've ever been referred to as a Tena Lady was when singing in the school choir; although, actually, I'm more of an Alto...

Needless to say, my latest bake was somewhat in the pursuit of comfort food: Chocolate Brownies, page 54. Half a pound of butter, a slab of chocolate and 4 eggs is hardly the stuff of restraint, but was just what I needed to smooth my ruffled feathers. The only issue with this recipe is that you have to wait for it to cool completely before you can remove it from the tin; my self-control was tested to the limits before I could assuage my feelings. But what comfort!

My batch made 12 brownies; unfortunately, as you can see from the photograph, it took a plate full of these moreish morsels before I felt mollified. Lord knows what it's done to my coronary arteries!

As the great poet, W.B Yeats, once said: "Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." Well Lucy, perhaps you could tread a little more softly by kindly keeping your more 'earthy' sentiments to yourself in future!

Cathy x

Bread Rolls

Dear Cathy

What a lovely surprise it was to see you last week and thank you so much for the flowers, how fortunate that you passed a petrol station on the way. I'm sorry the cake wasn't freshly baked but I thought it defrosted quite well, and I promise the cat hadn't been at it. Isn't it shameful when children tell lies? Whilst you were in the garden one of your brood said 'mummy's tinkle cried when she missed the bus yesterday' but I'm sure it's not true.

Your Victoria Sponge looks most impressive. You are right in thinking that I won first prize for mine in the village flower and produce show last year (and the year before) so let me give you the benefit of my experience.
This is highly sought after information so keep it under your hat. 'Betty the Bun' told me her secrets when I first arrived in the village - I think she felt sorry for me.

A 'show cake' must be displayed on a plain white plate and don't forget the doily or you will have marks deducted as I discovered to my cost. Jam in the middle, not cream or butter icing, and dust the top with caster sugar, not icing sugar! Finally, it is most important to achieve an even rise. I must admit that I struggle with this, although Mr Latte never seems to have any trouble. My cakes are normally slightly domed (I blame the oven). Yours looks lovely and even - what's your secret?

This week I made plain white bread (p96). I formed my dough into rolls because I didn't have a loaf tin. The recipe said the bread would be ready if it sounded hollow when tapped underneath. A 'dull thud' meant it needed more time. Frankly, I couldn't tell the difference - I'm not Evelyn Glennie!
The rolls were quite delicious straight from the oven with a chunk of Shropshire Blue and a bowl of leek and potato soup, but there were rather a lot of them, so I froze some. This wasn't a success. After defrosting thoroughly they seemed awfully heavy, but it was a glorious afternoon so we adjourned to the garden and played Boules with them instead.

Will you be going to Glastonbury this year darling? I hear The Wombles are playing? According to the Guardian, there was an almighty cock-up with the bookings, a dreadful war-of-words ensued, and The Wombles are so upset they have withdrawn their offer to help with the post-festival clean-up! Also appearing are Don McLean and Kool and the Gang so there's something for everyone! No Queen, alas, but did you see their documentary on BBC2 last week? It included previously unbroadcast footage from Top of the Pops circa 1974. The BBC had lost the original tapes but luckily the programme had been recorded by a viewer - none other than the late great Dick Emery!

Time to make a drink and snuggle up with David Dimbleby now.

Much love, Lucy. x

P.S. Quiz Night was cancelled. I don't know why I bother!

Victoria Sandwich Cake

My dear Lucy, I cannot write any more until I have told you how lovely it was to see you and all the Latte family last week! I know that we write to each other regularly, but nothing can compare with being with your friends in the flesh; a cup of tea, a slice of cake and a chin-wag really do lift the spirits. And talking of cake, that Lemon Drizzle cake that you keep in the freezer for "unexpected guests (serves them right)" was truly delicious. So moist. I have to say that the news that it may have been licked by your cat, didn't dampen my enjoyment! Your smallest child is so droll.

Well, this week you can see that I have been baking again - Victoria Sandwich cake, page 262 - and again have slightly bent the rules. I used to think that I was a real stickler for doing things right, but appear to be proving myself wrong... The Chino family don't really go in for flim-flam and decoration, so I substituted strawberry jam for the fresh strawberries and cream. We had friends over for tea and served it for dessert, which is why there's only half a cake in my picture!

My husband reminded me that I really must enter a Victoria Sandwich into our local agricultural show this autumn; he says it could win prizes and has been encouraging me to unleash my creations on the wider public for a number of years. Perhaps I shall this year... Which reminds me; are you still the reigning champion in your village? Will you be defending your crown this summer? I must say that I think you are rather brave; it's all very well talking about it, but putting your cake where your mouth is is another thing entirely!

On a more serious note, you will take care when motorcycling along the country lanes, won't you? Mr Chino has had me watching the TT races this week; the image of leather-clad bodies hurtling along at high speed put me in mind of you and I don't want the next Victoria Sandwich I bake to be a funereal one.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

With love, Cathy x