1970s Fabulous Fondue - Anyone seen Abigail?

Fondues are still popular so here is a fondue recipe from the Good Housekeeping CookBook 1972 edition. First you'll need a cast iron fondue of course!

1 clove of garlic

1/4 pint dry white wine and a squeeze of lemon juice

8 oz cheese cut into thin strips (half gruyere and half emmenthal)

2 level tsps cornflour

1 liqueur glass of Kirsch

a little pepper and grated nutmeg

Rub the inside of the fondue with the garlic, place over a gentle heat and warm the wine and lemon juice in it. Add the cheese and continue to heat gently, stirring well until the cheese has melted and begun to cook. Add the cornflour and seasonings, blended to a smooth cream with the Kirsch, and continue cooking for a further 2 - 3 minutes; when the mixture is of a thick creamy consistency it is ready to serve. Take to the table and place over it's burner.

Serve with cubes of crusty bread.

Can be made with strong cheddar cheese, cider instead of white wine and brandy instead of Kirsch

Kitchen Craft's Red Cast Iron Fondue Set - just add friends

For a Fondue Bourguignonne 

6 - 8oz fillet or rump steak per person cut into cubes

Oil for frying

Dips such as Horseradish, Curry, Paprika, Tomato, Mustard - in fact any dip you like. Heat the oil to around 375F and spear the cubes, cook in the hot oil then dip into the dip of choice and enjoy

1940s Wartime Recipe for Bread Pudding

This is a family favourite based on a Bread Pudding Recipe handed down and altered to taste. Delicious hot or cold - in fact it is nigh impossible to have a cup of tea and NOT have a chunk!
What you need:
Stale bread (about half a loaf's worth - we placed any left over bread in the oven as it cooled to let it dry out and last longer until we had enough)
4 oz Margerine or butter
2 oz Suet
Dried fruit to taste (it's delicious well loaded, in the war dried fruit was hard to come by)
Black treacle (the family like it nearly black in colour)
4 oz brown sugar
Nutmeg and/or mixed spice to taste
Good sized dish like this pyrex

Cook at about Mk 4 for approx 45- 60 minutes

• Break the dried bread up and cover with water to soften (we leave it overnight). When it's soaked wring out as much water as possible either by hand or push through a sieve. Get the kids to do it - but wash hands first!

• Melt the marg and suet and add to the bread and mix then add the sugar and about a tablespoon of treacle if you like your Bread Pudding dark and flavoursome.

• Add the amount of dried fruit and mixed spice you want and mix thoroughly together and place ina greased ovenproof dish. Press flat and if you wish, mark out portions. Sprinkle more sugar on the top or some grated nutmeg for extra zing.

• Place in the oven and wait patiently - it'll be worth it. Let it cool a little and become  more solid and enjoy.

Play with the recipe until it's just as you like it.

1936 - Steamed Suet Pudding is Nation's Favourite

Back in 1986 the Daily telegraph published an article on 'Everyone's Favourite Pudding' - voted for in November 1936. Steamed Suet Pudding was what the nation loved so here is the 'winning' recipe that won a whole guinea!
½lb S.R.Flour
4 oz shredded suet
5oz chopped dates
1 cupful of milk
1 egg
1 cupful golden syrup
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
       Cream suet and syrup together. Add well beaten egg. Stir in flour and milk alternately, mixing all well together but do not beat. Dissolve soda in the last of the milk and add to the mixture. Lastly add the dates.
      Turn all into a well greased pudding basin, cover with greaseproof paper and a cloth tied down. Steam for 2½ hours.

Just imagine it. How about blackberry and apple as an alternative served with lashings of proper custard. Or Jam served so hot it burns your tongue. Or figgy pudding ......... Hungry yet?

Anzac Biscuits - dated 1951

This recipe was found in an old recipe book first published in 1951.
½ lb flour           1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½lb sugar            2 tablespoons warm water
¼lb coconut         1 tablespoon golden syrup
¼lb 'quick'outs
¼lb melted fat
¼ teaspoon salt
   Mix together all the dry ingredients. Blend the golden syrup with the warm water and mix all together thoroughly. Place on a greased baking tin in small lumps. Bake until crisp. 350° f

For those of you in metric convert the ¼lb to 113 grams and the ½lb to 227 grams. 350°f converts to Gas Mk4 180° C.
With the Jubilee here this year we'll try and find some more recipes from the period and see if they are as tasty now as they were then.
Good Luck.

DIY Safety - Think First and Stay Safe

First of our simple tips to stay safe when doing-it-yourself.

How many of you replace the plug on an appliance and never give the fuse a second thought? The fuse is there for a reason - should the worst happen and the appliance fails the fuse is the first line of defence in stopping fires. So think about it - a hair dryer that should have a 5 amp fuse at least but has a 13 amp in it keeps going past its safety cut out. Is it really worth the risk?

Here is a basic list of you need to know:

up to 230 watt = 1 amp fuse

231 - 690 watt = 3 amp

691 - 1150 watt = 5 amp

1150 watt and over = 13 amp

(1 kilowatt is 1000 watts)

Fuses are easily purchased at your local hardware store or supermarket. A pack will only cost you about 99p - that's not too much to pay for safety.

When Your Drill Slips.......

Have you ever had a problem drilling a hole in masonry, brick or stone - say putting up a shelf or hanging a gate - and the drill has slipped? The hole is suddenly a lot larger than needed and the holes HAVE to be where you started because what you're putting up has to be just there. Apart from a severe case of swearing, which will get you nowhere, there is a solution.

Try Unibond Repair Express power putty, an epoxy putty that is ideal for repairing, rebuilding, filling and sealing a vast range of materials. The cured putty can be sanded, drilled and painted  - so good no-one will ever know!

Thanks to Alan from Hardware for this Staff Tested Tip.

Mrs Robinson's Elder Flower Champagne

4 elder flowers

2 sliced lemons

1½ lbs sugar 2 tablespoons vinegar

1 gallon cold water

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and stand for 24 hours. Strain and bottle - it's as simple as that!

Start saving your plastic drinks bottles now! This is a truly tasty drink. Although we at Mortens sell glass bottles we have found that plastic pressure bottles (like lemonade, cola etc) are more successful with this recipe. Cuts the explosions down greatly.

So have a go and enjoy the results

Thanks to Mrs Robinson, one of our regulars, who gave us not only the recipe and sound advice but also a sample to test. Hic!