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!

Special Sausage Rolls

My poor, dear Lucy,

I had to have a large glass of full-bodied red and a lie down in a darkened room after reading your latest news! Crikey! I do hope that you're feeling a little more chipper by now and have lived down the humiliation of your efforts at the village fete; I think they should have awarded marks for sheer effort, but one does find that the 'ladies' in charge of judging these affairs have little imagination and don't credit the entrants with any, either. I was charged with helping my mother with the entries for her garden club show last summer and, quite honestly, the amount of red tape involved would have equipped a dozen may-poles, never mind one. I suppose they would justify it by claiming that "a level playing-field makes it fairer to everyone concerned", yet it does nothing but dampen the spirits of those keen to support local community events as far as I can see. (Of course, we must not forget how proudly you reigned supreme as Queen of the Victoria Sponge in previous times, or the reflected glory in which you now bask following the little Latte's triumphs... I hope you can gain strength from these...)

I notice, again, that Margo has given us her penn'orth of wisdom; it's all very well taking the high ground, but has she even entered her wares into such a competitive arena? I doubt it. As the kids say, "Don't listen to the haters", Lucinda. Gird your loins, ride the storm, hold your head erect and all will soon pass.

Things have been rolling along here: the eldest Chino child is now in Y6 and we face the imminent prospect of choosing a secondary school for him and the two youngest have just started in Reception; how time marches on... To stop myself from getting broody, we acquired a puppy over the holidays and, you'll be pleased to note, have called her Muffin; cut me open and you'll find baking written through my core, like a stick of Blackpool rock! She is a delight and we are now able to explore the local countryside on our daily walks. A good job, too, as I have put on a little weight around the middle over the summer, so need to do something about it. My latest bake was Special Sausage Rolls [page 324]. I'm afraid I took the easy option and used ready made, frozen puff pastry (thank you, Mr B. Rowe!) as I had some in and was a little pressed for time - the recipe said it was a good alternative to making your own, and so it was. The Chino children were able to enjoy a delicious after-school snack. I must say that they were far less greasy than those sold in our local bakers and have popped them into the freezer to defrost as required. I split the batch in half and made about 8 good-sized plain rolls and spread some caramelised onion chutney inside the others, to cater for more exotic tastes. Both were a real success although, if I am to bake them again, I'll have to improve on my 'knocking-up' and 'scalloping' - as usual, my results look a little rustic. I would also cut them smaller as they are definitely more than a mouthful.

Haven't seen anything of our neighbours since they erected the fence; it's probably for the best as relations were distinctly soured when our eldest scared their cat into the road just as a car was passing. Things like that can be so hard to get over, can't they?

Hope to hear good news from you soon.

With love, Cathy x

The Village Produce Show 2011

4pm

Dear Cathy

I have just returned from the Show and I expect you are eager to know how I got on.

My Lemon Drizzle Cake was not placed, and I can't say I'm surprised. I am led to believe that the judge had very high standards, and there were several excellent entries. She did leave an advisory note for all entrants with a very useful tip for next time though:

'Best to test with a warm skewer as a cold one leaves a mark'.

There was also a note with the Bakewell Tarts as follows:

'Flan cases should be well filled. Always read the schedule carefully - 7" approx size."

I had a hot flush when I read it as it was clearly directed at me, but it gets worse I'm afraid. My tart was marked 'N.A.S. - Not According to Schedule' which means it was disqualified!

I tried to laugh it off, but truth be told, I felt quite ashamed. I let the village down, I let you down, and worst of all I let myself down.

The little Lattes did very well with their Rock Cakes, winning first and second prizes in the Under-8s category. They also won prizes for their Scarecrow Collages and their Poems.

That's all for now dear, I'm going for a lie down.

Lucy x

The Village Produce Show 2011

10am

Dear Cathy

What a fiasco! I have just returned from the Village Hall where I have been setting up for the Show. I feel quite deflated. It all began yesterday...

My friend Stevie and her three children came over for lunch. I made Lasagne with a fresh salad followed by Eton Mess for pudding. After lunch the children frolicked in the paddling pool while Stevie and I spent a happy afternoon sitting in the warm sun and chatting over a lovely bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

Our friends left late afternoon and we set to work on the children's Rock Cakes, getting them into the oven without much trouble. I then told the little Lattes it was 'mummy's time now', and they toddled off to play. I had already made the pastry base for my Bakewell Tart and had lined my newly acquired flan tin. The shop it came from had several sizes of tin. The recipe asked for 22cms but they only had 20 or 23cms, so I opted for the larger one. There was also a choice between shallow and deep. I opted for deep, as a shallow tart is always a disappointment in my opinion. Anyway, I spread the jam on the base and made up the topping quite easily. When I put the topping into the case it wasn't easy to spread as it was quite thick, and there didn't seem to be much of it - I was not optimistic. It looked alright when it came out of the oven, but the filling was inadequate. 'No matter' I thought. 'Onward and Upward'.

Next was the Lemon Drizzle Cake which I had made many times and had off to a fine art, as I think even Margo, who has sampled some, will agree. I casually threw the mixture together, chucked it in the oven and half an hour later I had a burnt cake. By this time, Mr Latte was home from work, the children were glued to 'Horrible Histories' and I'd opened the second 'bouteille de vin'. 'Sod it' I thought, 'I'll get up early tomorrow and make another one'.

By 7.15 this morning, slightly shaky and sick of the sight of cake mix, I had Lemon Drizzle Mark II in the oven, and thirty minutes later I had another burnt cake - DISASTER! I had two choices - turn up to the Village Hall without an entry in this category or support the show by entering anyway. After all, there can be no winners without losers, and that Cathy, is exactly what I did. I popped some icing on it and brazened it out!

I was up at the Hall by 8.30 and put my Lemon Drizzle Cake with the others (which were all loaves - oh dear, that will be another point deducted). Placing all my hopes in the Bakewell, I went to place my entry with the others, which all looked rather puny. I then realised to my dismay that the Schedule had actually specified a 7 inch tart, so mine was over size - more points lost!

Sorry there are no pictures yet, I will take some later when the show open to the public this afternoon.

Yours, Lucy x