We had a struggle this week at Catching Lives in putting a meal together. Supplies at this time of year seem to get to an all time low. I can see why. We get masses of food given to us from harvest festivals and then again at Christmas. By about March, supplies start to run out, but pick up again in early summer, when people start to bring in surpluses from allotments and gardens. At the moment, the only thing in plentiful supply is pasta. Even the baked bean mountain is looking low. An appeal is being put out, which will hopefully fill our shelves.
I was the pudding person this week as usual – and there was very little to make anything out of. No fresh fruit at all – really only store cupboard items. I decided to make chocolate sponge and custard, but when I started to make the custard, I realised that we were pretty much out of custard powder and I don’t rate my skills at making mega quantities of egg custard. However, I found some packets of strawberry blamange and reckoned that would do the job – it’s just custard really, only pink.
When I was a child, pink pudding, as we called it, would be served up at least once a week with a dollop of jam on top. Exciting stuff!
In the 60s, we got excited about the first burgers in Wimpy bars, and in the 70s about chicken in a basket.
Chicken took a stranger turn in the 1980s. When my daughter Gwen had a birthday party. The chicken was served on strange hanging gadgets with sparklers on top. Super trendy!
Maureen, one of the Wednesday cooks at Catching Lives, has recently been in a visit to Scotland. She was very struck by the availability of haggis, and the variety of ways in which it is served from haggis pie to haggis lasagne.
We have all heard about the Scottish health food, deep fried Mars bar, but I was intrigued by a fusion offering in an Indian restaurant in the Scottish Borders – Snickers Pakura. It actually looks like a nasty accident, with its embellishment of whippy cream and red sauce.
I hope to avoid such fusion delicacies on Kilimanjaro. I am not too sure what the promised mealie meal mix or dry wors are exactly, but I think it likely that they will be healthier options than the Scottish/Indian fusion pudding!