Atherstone area forum

[Shizara]

My grandmother, with money from an insurance payment left to her by her father, put some away for a rainy day and also bought a cow. My uncle used to milk the cow. This provided milk, cream and butter for the household and a surplus. The surplus was swapped with others for eggs and other necessary food items. She would also bake cakes - usually ginger or rich fruit. They would be put into an air tight tin, sealed with solder and placed into a canvas bag for posting to family in London. With the time it took to get there by boat they must have had good keeping qualities, perhaps well "laced" with whisky. Whilst, geographically the details will differ the same principles were to be found on both sides of the world.

Often recipes were "in my head" ... that usually meant that there was nothing on paper but the recipe was learnt from mothers and grandmothers and you just knew how to do them. Probably one of the most versatile was the batter used for Yorkshire pudding. That same batter with the addition of baking powder made pikelets. Without the baking powder and a little more liquid it was used for pancakes. You knew how much extra to add by the "feel" when you were mixing. An economical mix. One egg went an incredibly long way.