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