

Fruit fools
"Savlon for the tongue" Nigel Slater That's a somewhat weird, maybe even repulsive or at least unattractive way of describing, what to me and many other English people is the most sublime of desserts - particularly the gooseberry version. ‘Soft, pale, creamy, untroubled, the English fruit fool is the most frail and insubstantial of English summer dishes’ says Elizabeth David and even Claudia Roden - doyenne of Middle-Eastern food describes them as "one of the delights of s
Jan 3


"Worth a write-up" said David
"Little joys illuminating an increasingly darkening world. They feed the soul and nourish the spirit." Nigel Slater A somewhat overblown, even, pretentious some would say, quote from Nigel, and although it probably overstates how I felt about last night's dinner, the dinner itself and David's comment did indeed induce a feeling of quiet satisfaction and maybe even pride that at least keeps me going. So here is my not very good photograph of a meal that I suppose could be ca
Dec 19, 2025


Are we British ashamed of cream buns?
"The fisherman fishes as the urchin eats cream buns, from lust". T. H. White I actually started out with the idea of doing an oddments...
Jul 18, 2025


Wisps
"a small thin or twisted bunch, piece, or amount of something." Oxford Languages "something frail, slight, or fleeting" Merriam-Webster...
Feb 18, 2025


Old fashioned magic - possets
"Posset is persistent. It’s patient. It seems archaic and impossible, but it’s also just a boozy custard which is very easy to...
Apr 27, 2024


Normandy apples and cream
"The best thing I know between France and England is the sea." Douglas William Jerrold Last week was a guru week and it was Jane...
Oct 16, 2023


A postscript
"chefs are the kind of wizards who are bursting to share the many spells they’ve learned about food that they have transported from the...
Sep 4, 2022


Cream - a guilty necessity
"Cream is milk's soul: the sweet, luscious top-of-the-bottle treat." Nikki Duffy/River Cottage Years ago now I made yet another cookbook...
Jun 3, 2022


Crème fraïche
"For me, crème fraïche is the number one top of the pops cook's ingredient in the cream family." Delia Smith The first time I...
Feb 3, 2022


Crème brulée - it's really English
"For some reason, a bowl of custard isn't seen as an appropriate dessert for a grown adult – but scorch the top and give it a French name...
Dec 27, 2021


Cream buns
“The fisherman fishes as the urchin eats cream buns, from lust.” T.H. White Almost the last item in the current Coles Magazine is this -...
Aug 20, 2021

