'From our Forums'

It might have been alright with loads of tomato ketchup I suppose.

And without the cashews...

Geraldine, I agree. There's a case for both. If I was pretending to be jolly when I wasn't, I would be displaying forced jollity, but if I felt under pressure by others to be jolly and succumbed, it would have been enforced on me, I suppose.....hard work being a pedant, isn't it?

Rubbish. It was delicious.

What kind of cake, by the way?

Rock cakes hopefully.

I didn't mean that Geraldine!!!!

My mother's rock cakes were prize winners. We always dunked them in a glass of milk [for some minutes] before taking a bite...

I cracked a terrazzo floor by dropping mine once. I haven't tried baking since. I was 14.

jeni that's so funny.

As a schoolgirl I got chucked out of home economy class on account of my rock cakes being a total disaster. Had to take Latin instead! Art, which I wanted to do, was reserved for the least academically able, and cooking for the ~practical homely types~ .

Yes, Latin or cookery - that makes sense!

If we were in the A stream which did Latin, we only had to do Domestic Science (as it was then called) - sewing, cooking and laundry - for two years. Loathed them and the teachers, so was glad to drop them. My mum taught me to cook, bake, and make my own dresses. Mums had the time and skills to do that in those days.

I learned some things in domestic science. How to make shortcrust pastry, and victoria sponge sandwich. And that the vitamins in a potato are all in that bit that you can see, just under the skin.

And the correct way to scrub a wooden table. (I've never had to use that bit of knowledge)

And I have never made soup by forcing the vegetables through a wire seive!

Nightmare that was!

If you cook them long enough, not much force is required. At least, it wasn't when I used to make lentil soup that way. Also depends on the vegetables. Root veg is easy.

The obnoxious cookery teacher was coming round the class to see if we were peeling the potatoes correctly. As she approached, I conscientiously started to take a very thin skin off mine. She came up to our table, looked at me (I thought accusingly) and said, 'Why are you peeling your potato so thinly?' Dismayed, I responded, 'But I thought we were supposed to do that, miss.'

I was ticked off for making a meat and potato pie (for seven people) which, according to the teacher, looked a "bit farmhousey".

"But we used to live in a farmhouse," I said, which was true.

I was sent out.

The pastry was supposed to be prettied up with decorative pastry leaves and flowers. I'd just tucked it in at the edges and crimped it all together. Still can't be arsed with unnecessary food faff.

annosame here. Then we split into arts and science. I wanted to do science and they tried to make me do arts. My father had to intervene and insist I did science. In my school the bright one did arts. The less bright science? a very weird religious school. I was told I should read theology at Oxford and become a mssionary. Moi? the only missionary I know is the so called position!

jeni

phoenix A woman crying in M&S on Christmas Eve because they've run out of sprouts reminds me of the episode in The Good Life when Margot and Jerry think Christmas will have to be cancelled because the Harrods delivery didn't turn up.

merlot!

The woman in question could probably have bought some from her local Co-op - but obviously thought they would be inferior sprouts....

Cubs perhaps?

Oh I've just got that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sprouts - scouts - cubs!

Not really inferior. Just smaller.

Yes - just learners really...