Childhood food memories

[kate egg]

My parents were VERY unadventurous when it came to food. My dad's speciality that I loved (at the time - late 1960s) was fish fingers with peas and mashed potato, and then he discovered Vesta Chow Mein - what a treat, but how did he stretch it to feed 3 of us

Later on mum made spag bol which was new on the scene and we loved it, sometimes she made egg curry vile.

The only thing I remember that I wish I could find the recipe for is Nan's fruitcake, she made my Grandad one every week and I loved it, it was a light rather than dark cake and for years I had the recipe that she had written down for me but I cannot find it any more

Nowadays we have anything from roast dinners to pasta to paella or jambalaya to toad in the hole etc,etc, all home made. Just goes to show the variety of what we eat has changed dramatically.

Funny thing when I married DH in 1987, he knew what day of the week it was from what he had for tea, same thing each week and all very trad English, even now his dad thinks you aren't having a proper meal if it is rice or pasta and it can only be a proper meal if accompanied by spuds in one form or another

[julie_lanteri]

Mainly my great-granma's cooking. I was spending a lot of time with them after school and during school holidays so I "helped" a lot. A shame she knew what she was doing and never needed a recipe. "A bit of this and a bit of that, you see? That's when it's good". Even if we try, it's not the same... pissaladière, tourte de courges (courgette "pie"), tourte de blettes (chard "pie"), gnocchi (I was a pro at shaping them with a fork!), baked jam raviolis... And obviously the soupe au pisou (pesto soup) during the summer
nostalgia... :)

[baldybloke]

I have fond memories of mum's lancaster hotpot and she did a mean gingerbread as well.

[fluffy]

Well after reading about the bread pudding which I haven't had for ages, I decided to make sojme today and cook it on my woodburner! It has turned out good, but the only thing is I am having to finish it off now under the grill to get the top crunchy, can't think how to do it otherwise.

Anyway thanks for the reminder of some delicious and simple food.

Fluffy
x

[Penny Lane]

Whenever I make Welshcakes I always think of my Bopa (Aunt, although she was my great-aunt). We used to go there every Friday after school and she'd have a tin of freshly made Welshcakes ready for us (and copious amounts of tea for Mum). It was the only thing she could bake and she never ate any herself!

Mum grew up in S.A. and Rhodesia so she brought back to Wales Melk Tert (milk tart!!), koeksisters (similar to yumyums) and vetkoeks which are fried doughballs.
She still makes melk tert for special occasions, yum!

[zaxdog]

What are Welsh cakes?

[Penny Lane]

What are Welsh cakes?

I've never been asked that before!

They're cakes made of flour, sugar, egg, butter, mixed spice or cinnamon and milk that has been cut into rounds and cooked on a bakestone then sprinkled with caster sugar. You can add raisins too or split them in half once cooked and spread with jam if you like.

And they taste wonderful!

[oldjerry]

My dad did quite a lot of the cooking for a bloke of his generation(mum cleared up the mess).So many things I remember,but above all,soused herrings in the bottom rayburn oven,egg custard(cooked likewise) self-gathered and cleaned,cockles,and(dont knock it till you've tried it) homemade fishcakes and fried bacon for breakfast! Happy Days.

[spider8]

My husband, as a boy, was once asked by his grandfather if he wanted a drink of Bovril so Dave said 'yes please'. He was given a cup containing the Bovril but with milk in it........ .

[zaxdog]

Welsh cakes don't sound like something I would enjoy but thanks for letting me knoe what they were

Some of my childhood memories are of being ill and having "egg-in-a-cup" (boiled eggs mashed in a cup with butter), Heinz cream of tomato soup and Ambrosia creamed rice All things I still crave when ill now! And my Mum used to make shaped sandwiches (pressed out with a biscuit cutter).

I also used to love Mum's homemade pizza (a big hit and something I must ask her to make next time we visit)

[chickenchargrill]

My husband, as a boy, was once asked by his grandfather if he wanted a drink of Bovril so Dave said 'yes please'. He was given a cup containing the Bovril but with milk in it........ .

My Dad was left in charge of making my sandwiches for school one day and put a nice, thick layer of Bovril in them. I do wonder whether it was to get me to make my own.



My best childhood food memory - Sundays. I'd always wake up to the smell of a roast dinner being cooked, we'd have that at 1 and then my mother and I would spend the afternoon making cakes and puddings. We used to try all sorts, but I loved snow eggs, peppermint icing sweets and her cinnamon rolls. My favourite to make was lemon meringue pie.

Always roast on Sunday and fish (including the vile kedgeree) on Friday.

[indy]

Fish paste sandwiches ( i know, i know) fish and chip crisps, (no one remembers them but me) milky bars, Braunschweiger mettwurst, fried fish on a friday and my grandad's potato and bacon concoction!! oooh and my grans rock cakes and victoria sponge with quince jelly in the middle makes me feel alll warm and fuzzy just thinking about it

[mrsflibble]

toast and dripping. always wholemeal bread.

camp stew: whatever grandad could get in tins, shoved in a pan and cooked until dead. freshly gathered puffballs and mussels fried with bacon on freezing cold mornings in a trailer tent at Shell Island in wales.

Grantham Gingerbread and brandy snaps at goose fair.

every year on bonfire night we'd have the same meal, tomato soup (heinz) followed by baked potatoes with cheese and beans and then grilled sausages on sticks or forks while we watched the fireworks by the trent.

mum's sausage meat sag bol. I still go home for this lol.

Aunty Deb's bombay potatoes or baco, butternut and cheese risotto....

basically i have a lot of fond food memories because although i didnt eat a lot as a kid, food was love (italian heritage).

[irigg]

I remember fish and chip crisp and i loved them,they also did chicken and chips in the same style lol

[locum76]

The first salads and potatoes in the early were always to be relished, especially after the last three months of half rotted spuds from the farm. Cremola Foam was awesome as was sodastream juice. My dad made great fruit loaf from all bran and my mums raspberry jam and coconut tarts were amazing.