Scones. I just can't make them! I wish I could! Mine always seem to come out somewhere between biscuit and lead weight. I remember my Grandma just making batches of scones like it was the easiest thing in the world - ones with raisins in, cheese ones and plain ones, all delicious!
I wish I could ask her how she did it. I wish I had asked her and we had baked some together so that I could make them myself now, but alas I didn't and so I'll never know her secret! One thing I do know is that whenever I try to make scones I always think about my Grandma, without fail.
When I think about it, lots of things in our family have centred around food. I will never forget the roast dinner my Grandma made when she decided to try out Aunt Bessie roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings! She wanted to see what all the fuss was about, and thought maybe she would be able to save herself some time and effort, but she was disgusted with how they turned out!! I can still hear her now, apologising about serving them up and promising never to do it again haha! I am smiling and picturing it even as I write this!!
As a family, we always spend family celebrations squashed around a table that is just a little bit too small, to the point where we used to have to commute chairs to each others houses to get us all in! I wouldn't have it any other way, just don't give me the seat next to the table leg ;-)
When we weren't squashed around a table at home we would always go out to eat. In recent years we have celebrated birthdays at very different locations - we spent Grandma's 80th at L'Ortolan in Reading which has a michelin star, but more often than not we'd go somewhere like the Bird in Hand. Grandma and I are quite similar in that we both love picky foods. I love a good buffet! Loading a plate with lots of different flavours and going back for seconds and thirds. Grandma's appetite was not so big as mine, however Pete and I cooked an Easter lunch once, and instead of a starter we put out lots of little picky things, like olives, crisps, nuts, chorizo etc etc. Grandma told me how much she loved that kind of food, and could pick at it all day, which is exactly what I am like.
We are also a family of BBQ fans! I remember having several BBQ's around my Grandparent's house where we had to move the BBQ under the covered passageway down the side of the house because of the rain, but it never stopped us!
Most of all, what Grandma loved was to have all of her family around her, all together enjoying a good meal, a good drink and a laugh.
However, aside from the scones and roast dinners, there is one slightly random food that reminds me of my Grandma. Once when I was at college, I called in at lunchtime on my way home. Grandma and Grandad were about to eat their lunch and so Grandma offered to make me some. It was melted cheese on toast, with a splash of worcester sauce. I thought it would be rude to say that I didn't really like melted cheese on toast (yeah, I know I'm weird) or worcester sauce, so I said yes please. And it was heaven! I have never had cheese on toast as good as that before or since, and believe me I have tried. I think it was all to do with the fact that my Grandma made it for me, and then the three of us sat and ate it together with a cup of tea and chatted about our day. It's strange I know, but it was more than just cheese on toast, it was cheese on toast with a large side helping of love. That was what Grandma's food always came with, a large side helping of love, and it's something I'm doing my best to carry forwards in life. Food brings people together in the best possible way!
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| Grandma and some mince pies! |
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