Chocolate Shortbread

Dear Cathy

I'm so sorry I didn't write last weekend but I spent most of Saturday and Sunday talking to the Producer of Radio 4s 'Woman's Hour'. As you know I'm a regular listener, and I had contacted the programme to complain about the way stay-at-home mothers are talked about as 'sat at home mashing bananas'. How very dare they! Needless to say, my comments were picked up straight away and 'Kirsty' telephoned me personally to invite me on to the programme. She made a point of saying how eloquent I was and thought I'd come across very well on Radio 4. I was to broadcast on Monday morning with none other than Jane Garvey! I spent all weekend preparing, strangely though, in the end the call never came. I can only assume that they lost my number...

I used the time to bake some chocolate shortbread, and I must say I think there might be an error with the recipe, or at least with the way it's been written up. I was in a rush so I took the easy option, putting all the ingredients into my Magimix and blasting them. The recipe said the mixture should look like coarse sand after this, which it did. The next instruction was to transfer 'the dough' into the prepared tin. Well, I didn't have dough,  I had coarse sand. 'Perhaps I've missed a stage' I thought. 'It must need something wet to bind the sand into a dough. An egg perhaps or some milk?' I read the recipe again but nothing, so I just tipped the mixture into the tin as it was, and put the mention of dough down to an editorial oversight. I think I was right because the shortbread was lovely. I would recommend cutting it into smaller pieces however, as it was rather rich.

Well, the children are off school for the next two weeks and the Latte's will be spending Easter weekend in the Royal Borough of Windsor. We'll be visiting the castle, walking around the Great Park and having some fun at Legoland!

Ta ta, Lucy. x

Countryfile

Dear Margo

How fabulous you were on Countryfile! I rang everyone I know to tell them you'd be on. Some of the ladies in the village misunderstood and thought you were the expert on food miles. I had to tell them that you were being featured as the 'ordinary person'. How lucky you were to get so close to John Craven and share your Marmalade Loaf with him, no wonder you had sticky fingers afterwards.

Toodle Pip, Lucy.

Bloody Margo!

Well, Lucy, she's at it again! Hobnobbing with the 'Country File' crew - is that what happens when you get yourself a new kitchen? Can that woman get any more superior? I'm surprised she condescends to write to such a mere mortal as you... What inside information do you have on her? Is there a skeleton in her Smallbone of Devizes cupboard, I wonder. I know I shouldn't let her get to me, but she's fast becoming a major source of irritation - like itching powder in one's underwear. I do hope that she's not going to come between us; you know how much I value your friendship and, at times like these, 200 miles may as well be 2000. Even my cakes have sagged this week. Do say she riles you a little, won't you?

I'm afraid that Margo's purchase of 'our' book and her delightful-looking Marmalade Cake sent me scurrying into the pages of another cookery tome: "The Great British Bake Off: how to bake"; I just had to put a little distance between us.

Anyway, comfort was needed, so chocolate was the answer! A girl at school has Turner's Syndrome and was doing a cake stall to raise funds, so I made Chocolate Crackles (yummy biscuits) for her and Chocolate Chilli Cake for me. Both were delicious; she raised £80 and I expanded my waistline!

The cake is quite extraordinary, you get a variety of flavours from the chocolate, ginger, chilli and treacle that seem to develop as the cake matures. I've had it a week now (none of my brood will eat it as it isn't pure chocolate) and it's still moist and delicious. Perfect with a cup of tea.

Well dear, all this talk of cake has reminded me it's lunchtime, so I'll send this and get on. Hope all is well with you, I haven't even asked (sorry).

Love to you, my dear friend,

Cathy x

PS: I've just had a naughty thought - I wonder if Margo's cake contained any of those strange black things that were in the jar of marmalade she gave to you? I do hope she didn't damage a tooth...

PPS: Be careful; I think she may be delusional: Country File wasn't anywhere near your neck of the woods last Sunday. The TV listings for the next two weeks don't look good for Margo, either. Were they even at her house?

PPPS: Alas, not delusional at all. Having watched said episode on BBCiPlayer, I can confirm that she did eat with John and Mike and that her kitchen is gorgeous. Bloody Margo!