Satima's Blogspot: Where did the last week go?

Wednesday, 20 December 2006

Where did the last week go?

Wednesday, December 20, 2006 |

Posted by Satima Flavell

Omigod, it's almost Christmas! Actually, insofar as such ideosyncracy is possible in our society, I'm opting out. I've sent no cards (although I will write greeting letters to the few friends I won't see and who don't have e-mail) and there's absolutely no money for gifts in my present impecunious state.

I will, however, eat as many mince pies as are on offer. I wait all year for mince pies. As soon as they are in the shops I buy packet after packet, a different one each week; trying out brands, comparing them to my memory of earlier mince pie delights, and especially remembering my mother baking them from scratch. Now those were mince pies! They contained real lard and sundry other strangenesses, and omigod, they were good! No mince pies since have borne comparison, but that doesn't mean I won't keep looking...and buying...and tasting. Mmmmmm...

Merry Christmas, everyone!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...: Lard, eh? Them wuz the days ... I can remember my mother saving the dripping. I have a vivid picture of it sitting in the fridge waiting to be re-used for cooking other stuff. Nobody worried about the state of their arteries in the 1950s.; Thursday, December 21, 2006
Satima Flavell said...: Heh heh - as a product of WWII I well remember dripping. You know, the goey dark stuff with all the meat juices burnt in. When it was past being reused we'd have it spread on bread.

And clogged arteries not withstanding, it was yummy.; Friday, December 22, 2006
Helen V. said...: Mince pies. How could you resist them? Why should you? Although they're on my 'forbidden because they make me sick' list, I always manage a few and suffer the consequences much to my family's bemusement.; Friday, December 22, 2006
Anonymous said...: My very British mum makes the best mince pies. She doesn't use lard any more, but does spike the fruit mince with lots of alcohol. Can't resist them.; Friday, December 22, 2006
Satima Flavell said...: There was suet in the fruit as well as lard in the pastry. I think my mum used to put a dash of brandy in, too. And we talk about junk food today!

You are with mince pies as I am with chocolate, Helen. An excess gives me the worst migraines possible, yet confronted by a superfluity of the stuff I feel obliged to gobble the lot, with disastrous consequences. Somehow, I just forget in between!

Carol, ask your mum for the recipe. Such treasures should not be allowed to die with their owners.; Saturday, December 23, 2006
Anonymous said...: Yep, my mum gives me her recipes. Yorkshire pudding, dumplings, steak and kidney pie (except I leave the kidney out), shepherd's pie, christmas pudding, rhubarb and apple pie...

Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.; Sunday, December 24, 2006
Sara said...: I heard a piece on mince pies the other day on ABC radio. Apparently the first ones had minced meat (not fruit mince) filling and were rectangular to represent the manger, with a tiny pastry baby Jesus on the top.; Monday, December 25, 2006
Satima Flavell said...: That reminds me of a time my mother offered one of her amazing mince pies to a very Occer neighbour - this was in the days before mince pies became commercially available here in Oz - and he poured tomato sauce on it. You can imagine the expression on his face when he discovered that it did not contain meat, but fruit!; Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Where did the last week go?

8 comments:

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