Grandma's War ,No Sweets or Chocolate

There were virtually no sweets or candy for civilians  during WW 2 owing to the absence of sugar and the difficulty of importing cocoa beans.The troops deservingly seemed to have access to some of these things .When my father came home on leave from the army he would open his kit bag and share the stuff that he had saved up and we had all tiny amounts of Mars Bars and Fry's Chocolate Cream .Sweet rationing continued until well after the war.
No wonder my age group still love these treats. I will remember them while I  have an expensive trip to the dentist on Friday.


                                     

                                                                    

                                       


                                          

Grandma's War -Snoek

The loss of the fishing industry owing to enemy attacks on fishing boats and the mining of beaches meant an absence of the cheap but tasty and nutritious fish like herring and mackerel from the UK diet.

Desperate to replace this the government arranged for cans of a fish called Snoek to be imported from South Africa.

I remember being given this in a fish pie at the kindergarten that I attended and was thoroughly told off because I was unable to eat the vile smelling grey mush that  made me retch.It had this effect on many people and remained on the shop shelves eventually being renamed and sold off for cat food.

 

 

 

 

                                                                               

                                     




                                

Grandma's War 1942

 By 1942 the war was seriously underway and supplies of the foods that were  imported into the UK were interrupted by U boats and other attacks on merchant shipping.The BBC made this series some years ago showing the problems and how food rationing and the governent attempted to deal with it.

I liked dried egg.

 

A war time childhood and "J'Attendrai" (Jean Sablon)

I think I might use this blog to record some memories of my early childhood. Born in 1941 most of these recollections will in some way reflect what was going on around me in World War 2 in England.
One of my earliest memories is of my father, his brothers and a French Canadian married to a cousin gathering at my grandmother's house when they all had a short leave.They had been serving in France and wanting to show off their French,they sang this song together with my father playing the piano.It still has the power to move me to tears.I can see them in uniform now ,of course I was too young to realise that they never knew if they would see any of us again.

T

OVER RIPE BANANAS

                                                                           

The bananas in my fruit bowl are looking like this as the hot weather speeds up the ripening process.Time to turn them into this easy all in one loaf cake.

                                                        Banana Loaf
         Recipe

100g softened butter
175g caster sugar
2 large eggs
2 ripe bananas that have been mashed until smooth
225g self raising flour
1 level teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons milk


Method 

1. Heat the oven to 180C,Fan160c,Gas4.Line a large (900g)loaf tin with a baking parchment liner
2. Put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat well for about 2 minutes.Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin.Smooth the surface
3.  Bake for about an hour until golden ,well risen and firm to touch
4.  Cool in the tin for a few minutes then cool on a wire rack.
5. Butter thick slices  if you like but butter is not really needed.

Summer Shoes for Grandma

Summer Shoes


This summer I have had knee problems  and have been thankful that I have a selection of Gabor shoes which are so comfortable to wear and support me when walking without looking orthopaedic.They are worth every penny.
 This is my latest style, the wedge heel gives me some height and the silver finish some summer glamour.
They are avalable in a wide fitting,just perfect for me.

                                                    

                                   














                                                       

What Grandma is reading and watching

 

 

  Books Grandma is Reading, TV programmes she is watching

Tangerine

  Two young women with a shared history of going to the same college meet up in Tangiers .A convoluted story which dragged on with various unlikely characters added to hold it together. A silly story  of jealousy, love and loss which  I finished although I felt like giving up several times.Might be a good read if you are visiting Tangiers.

My Cousin Rachel -- Daphne du Maurier

Seeing the recent film has sent me back to reread this book .A master story teller at work here with the mysterious widow of wealthy landowner Ambrose arriving in Cornwall to stay with his nephew and heir, Philip.Is Rachel  a truly heart broken widow or a manupulative adventuress?A beautifully written book ,unable to put it down.The film is good too with Rachel Weisz as Rachel.

Do not buy the abridged Kindle version, it is very poorly adapted.

 

  The Couple Next Door--Shari Lapena

Although on the best seller list I found this book rather tedious with the story going round in circles.

 A couple go to a dinner party next door and foolishly leave their baby daughter alone,unattended in their own house.She disappears and what follows unravels the relationships between family members and their ambitions and secrets.An okay read for a journey or on the beach.Silly ending

 

 

Anne With An E -Netflix

I loved this adaptation of Anne of Green Gables .A darker view is examined of the welfare of orphans put up for adoption or put out to work in Canada in the late 1800s.The photography is superb, especially the winter snow  scenes .Geraldine James as Aunt Marilla is moving and dignified as she finds herself becoming attached to the orphan Anne .

 

The Handmaid's Tale -Margaret Atwood

This award winning book has been made into a 10 part TV series that is compulsory viewing.Offred ,played by Elizabeth Moss is the narrator in a state run by Gilead.This strict fundamentalist world has become infertile and the few fertile women available become the handmaidens of an elite whose high ranking men try to impregnate them.

Costumes copied from paintings by Vermeer add to the bleak washed out world of fear and repression that has references to the present world of Trump's America.

  Since writing this review there as been a second series.Enjoyable but not as good as the original adaptation

TEA BREAD

Tea bread sliced and buttered  is delicious and economical for tea time and  for packed lunches .Good with a cup of coffee too.



                                                                                                

 TEA BREAD 

375 ml (3/4  pint) cold tea saved from the tea pot.
350 grams mixed dried fruit
175 grams soft brown sugar
250grams self-raising flour
1 beaten egg

Method 

1. Put the tea,sugar, and dried fruit into a bowl and leave to soak for at least 1 hour ,preferably overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C,Gas 4 ,
3. Line a 1kg loaf tin or 8 inch cake tin
4. Sieve the flour into the fruit mixture ,add the egg and beat well.
5. Put the mixture into the loaf tin  and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until golden and firm and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean 
6. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes then turn out and cool on a wire rack
7.  When cold slice thickly and serve buttered

MOCHA CAKE USING A CAKE MIX TO CHEAT (a little)

 There are some excellent cake mixes on the market, take advantage of them

                                                MOCHA CAKE

                                                                   

Mocha is a delicious combination of chocolate and coffee.This method uses a cake mix topped with a mocha chocolate icing.

I packet Betty Crocker  Devils Food cake mix

3 teaspoons instant coffee

water, eggs and oil as described on the packet

for the frosting

5 tablespoons Apricot jam -slightly warm

150 grams dark chocolate (e.g. Bournville)

4 tablespoons black coffee

150 grams  sieved icing sugar

method

1.  Line 2x  8 or 9 inch cake tins
2.  Add the instant coffee to the water needed for the cake mix
3.  Follow the instructions on the packet ,leave the cakes to become cold  before attempting the frosting
4. The Frosting
5. Fill the 2 halves of the cake with most of apricot jam and sandwich them together.
6. Brush the remaining apricot jam over the top of the cake
   
7. Put the chocolate squares and coffee into a basin over a pan of hot water until the chocolate has melted then beat in the icing sugar
8. Pour the frosting over the cake and smooth with a round bladed knife dipped in hot water.Work quickly .

                     Allow to set for at least 1 hour before serving
       Good enough for a party dessert when served with thick cream .This cake can also be made as a tray bake-- omit the apricot jam filling.

CHOCOLATE CAKE-very easy