Hello, darlings!
 
Miss Windsor excitedly presents her rather spiffing, yet terribly simple Great British wartime dish – Dig for Victory Veggie Asparagus Tart. A recreation of Irene Veal’s Vegetable Tart, on page 198, Recipes of the 1940’s.
 
I say it’s been quite a while since I’ve graced you with my presence. For my lack of, please do accept my heartfelt apologies as I was “incommunicado” for the best part of last year due to my posting as head cook in a top-secret location along the Western Front. I was not quite the Forces Sweetheart, but most definitely thought of very fondly by the courageous and kindly gentlemen who sampled Miss Windsor’s exquisite wartime cuisine……instead, one was affectionately known as Queen of the Naafi!

Darlings, as I frantically wave my British flag and jump with glee, one is indeed cock-a-hoop! You see, on 8th of May 1945, the war in Europe finally came to a halt – famously known as VE (Victory in Europe) Day, which Winston Churchill declared as a public holiday. Now zoom forward some 75 years, on Friday 8th of May 2020 (to be precise), The Royal British Legion calls upon the nation to join forces and mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

Moving swiftly onto my recipe, as per Irene’s instructions, it is packed to the rafters with wartime staples such as Potato Pete and Doctor Carrot which were plentiful during wartime Great Britain. In fact, The UK Ministry of Food encouraged the good folks of Britain to substitute rationed goods for carrots instead, therefore, the Agricultural Ministry increased the commercial production of this marvellous culinary asset.

PHOTO CREDIT – CLICK HERE!

Notably, if one had exhausted their supply of homegrown potatoes, nurtured and harvested within the boundaries of one’s Dig for Victory allotment or back garden, it was reported that many folks ended up in a spot of bother. Trouble is, local greengrocers often had limited supplies of potatoes, and so were not too sympathetic towards your potato quandary.

​Therefore, before entering a store, it was not unusual to be faced with a sign that read Regular Customers Only or if you were lucky, non-regular customers would be granted “one pound” of potatoes only – I say, barely enough to feed a large family!

PHOTO CREDIT – CLICK HERE!

​On a more jolly note, the 75th anniversary of VE Day propelled Miss Windsor to push the “U-boat” out a little, and so tweaked Irene’s recipe to include the addition of asparagus (well, it is asparagus season!), blue cheese, spring onion, seasoned white sauce, and baked within a buttery, light and flaky shortcrust pastry case.

Darlings, now I must share with you a most remarkable occurrence, a gift, that Mother Nature bestowed upon Miss Windsor on the 21st April 2020, which funnily enough, was on the very day that asparagus lovers celebrate National Asparagus Day!

One evening, as I pottered around my Dig for Victory vegetable patch, out of the corner of my eye I spied a small crop of asparagus – a miraculous moment, indeed! A sure sign from Mother Nature that one must recreate a British wartime recipe, with the inclusion of asparagus, to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

Darlings, when I delved deep into the history of Great British asparagus, I was delighted to learn that Battersea, London has a bit of an interesting past with this vegetable, an affinity one could say. During the late 1600s, St Mary’s Church was nestled within many acres of market gardens, and one almighty plot of 40 acres grew asparagus only – Cor blimey!

PHOTO CREDIT  – CLICK HERE

​During the Victorian period, the Enclosure Act came into force, therefore, Battersea Fields were divided into allotments and rented to local residents.

Then around 1846, in an attempt to eradicate the extracurricular activities of those who partook in illegal racing and gambling connected to the infamous Red House Tavern, a stonking 198 acres of Battersea Fields were turned into a royal park, which was opened by Queen Victoria (curtsey please) on the 31st March 1858.

​At the start of the First World War, as an early Dig for Victory campaign, a proportion of the park reverted to allotment plots – one presumes asparagus became a common cultivation, once again. And of course, during the Second World War, Battersea Park witnessed the return of the Dig for Victory campaign, thus our trusty asparagus returned as a fighting commodity for the health of our nation.

Miss Windsor wholeheartedly dedicates her recipe to all persons who contributed towards the war effort – including Commonwealth and allied forces, civilians, evacuees, The Women’s Land Army, munition workers, and of course those who tended to their Dig for Victory allotments/gardens……the list goes on.

Your dedication, bravery, loyalty to your country, selfless actions, and unfettered efforts, finally defeated Nazi Germany and put an end to the horrors of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich.

​I wish to pay particular thanks and homage to a couple of close family members who risked their lives for their country and fought to END the Second World War. Fortunately, my grandfather Lawrence Alfred Parfitt, who was a Royal Marine Commando, survived the war.

However, tragically, on the 1st June 1940, at the tender age of 22 years old, my third cousin Stanley Ewart Thomas, a Sapper in the Royal Engineers (205 Field Coy) was killed in action by enemy air bombing on the beach of Dunkirk.

On a lighter note, now it’s all quiet on the Western Front, so to speak! you’re invited to join the gaiety and indulge in a slice of Miss Windsor’s “Dig for Victory” Veggie Asparagus Tart – it’ll certainly give Lord Woolton’s Pie a run for its money!

Oh, and please note, in keeping with my theme of wartime Great Britain, all measurements are in “imperial” (converted into “metric” – for the modern-day society), and I express my sincerest apologies for any inconvenience caused.

​Enjoy! 

Miss Windsor x

​If you wish to further your acquaintance with Doctor Carrot and Potato Pete, or fancy recreating another wartime classic, then please do CLICK HERE for Miss Windsor’s Meatless Wartime Farmhouse Pie! 

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MISS WINDSOR – EXCEPT FOR GRANPA LARRY and COUSIN STANLEY. 

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Miss Windsor’s Asparagus Veggie Tart

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 Guests

Author Miss Windsor

Equipment

• 1 x 9 & 3/4 inch (24 cm) tart tin.  

Ingredients

Short Crust Pastry

• Homemade or shop bought will suffice – enough to line a 9 & 3/4 inch (24 cm) tart tin.  
• 1 whisked egg yolk

Vegetable Filling

• 3 medium potatoes
• 4 medium carrots
• 10 – 12 stems of asparagus
• 1 can of mixed beans (e.g kidney, haricot, etc)

White Sauce

• 1 oz (30g) butter
• 1 oz (30g) plain flour
• 3/4 pint (425ml) milk
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper
• Grated Cheddar cheese
• Blue cheese

Decoration

• 12 stems of asparagus
• 4 stalks of spring onion
• 15 Kidney beans (reserved from can of mixed beans)
• Cracked black pepper
• Parsley (fresh or dried)

Instructions

Shortcrust pastry – to bake blind.

• Preheat your oven to 210*C / 190 Fan / gas mark 7.
• Prepare the tart tin and brush with melted butter. Line with shortcrust pastry and fill with baking beans.
• Bake blind until edges are light brown, then adjust the temperature to 195 *C / 175 Fan / gas mark 5.
• Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes until the pastry is a rich, golden colour. Then brush with whisked egg yolk – this will achieve a moisture proof barrier; so the filling doesn’t make the pastry soggy. Bake for a further 2 minutes and put aside.  

Vegetable Filling

• Cut the potatoes and carrots into thin slices, then chop the asparagus stems into small pieces, discarding the woody part at the end. Using separate vessels cook the vegetables with a generous dusting of salt – to bring out the flavour.
• Cook the can of mixed beans with the water from the tin, add a little more if needed.
• Drain the vegetables and fetch your pastry base.
• First arrange a layer of potato around the edge, followed by a layer of carrot.
• Then add a circle of chopped asparagus.
• In the centre carefully spoon in the mixed beans – your tart should now appear half full.
• Darlings, now it’s time to crack on with the white sauce!

White Sauce

• In a small saucepan, over a gentle heat, blend the butter and flour together until creamy.
• Add the milk, stirring constantly, and bring to the boil.
• Season well with salt and pepper.
• When thickened (not too much, though) remove the pan from the heat.
• Pour half of the mixture over the tart filling.
• Sprinkle with a thick layer of grated cheese and crumble over the blue cheese.
• Repeat with another layer of vegetables.
• Pour over the remainder of the white sauce and repeat step 6.
• Decorate with asparagus stems, and if necessary, prune a little so they fit snuggly inside the tart tin.  
• Scatter with chopped spring onions and decorate around the edge and centre with kidney beans.
• Pop into the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
• For the finishing touch, grill for a few minutes and then smatter with pepper and parsley.

The post Miss Windsor’s “Dig for Victory” Asparagus Veggie Tart! appeared first on Miss Windsor's Delectables.

I say, with just a pinch of time remaining before gooseberry season is well and truly over, I’ve managed to rustle up a scrumptious steamed suet pud – Miss Windsor’s Gooseberry & Redcurrant Suet Pudding. I created this with the simplest of ingredients: suet pastry, green gooseberries, redcurrants, and the ultimate sweet touch of a generous helping of sugar.

I based my culinary masterpiece on a Mrs Beeton recipe, Gooseberry Pudding, published in the 1861 first edition of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management – puddings: the epitome of Victorian cuisine!

Darlings, for the last couple of days I’ve been running around like a blue-arsed fly, so my mother often trumpets! This year, flittered away at such a tremendous speed, it had completely slipped my mind that the end of gooseberry season is nigh!

​You see, gooseberry season is so blinking short (late June to July, plus a tad bit of August), within a blink of an eye there will be no gooseberries left to pick, just a mass of spindly stalks leftover instead. Do not despair, my dears, if you experience a shortage, Miss Windsor recommends using frozen or the tinned sort as an alternative.

In comparison, the redcurrant season is much longer – July to September, which boasts a whole two months of harvest.

So, as you can imagine, it was all panic stations in the Miss Windsor household. Thankfully, my local Waitrose supermarket stocks an array of summer fruits, so I was able to purchase a few punnets of the green common type of gooseberries. Oh, and I sourced some rather resplendent redcurrants from my local greengrocer, which I must say added a splash of vibrancy to what could’ve turned out to be a rather bland and washed-out looking pudding.
​​
Darlings, I must mention that it saddened me to read that our glorious gooseberry, an age-old fruit native to Europe, North-western Africa, and southwestern Asia, is at dire risk of completely disappearing from our pick of summer fruits; although some folks would argue that the gooseberry is actually making a comeback! Whether it is or not, dietary wise it’s bursting at the seams with vitamins A, C, and D.

A few more titbits about our good ol’ fashioned gooseberry: during the 17th century there were over 2000 varieties grown by farmers in the United Kingdom alone, thus it’s one of the first fruits ever cultivated for commercial purposes that reached its height of fame during the early 1900s. You could whip up just about anything with this versatile fruit – Gooseberry Crumble, Gooseberry Cobbler, Gooseberry Pudding, Gooseberry Tart, Gooseberry Sauce, Gooseberry Jam, Gooseberry Fool, Gooseberry Chutney, and so on………

The hard truth is my dears, gooseberries are just not as desirable for consumption in today’s modern world. It appears that strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries have certainly superseded the age-old gooseberry due to their availability all year round and can be enjoyed raw.

Also, it appears that the younger generation hasn’t got the foggiest idea what the heck a gooseberry actually is, or what to do with it if they just so happen to stumble upon one! 

​Fortunately, as a young lass, I was privy to all things gooseberry. You see, every year Grandmother Josie and I would frequent the local “pick your own” fruit fields in Tickenham, North Somersetshire, and together we’d strip the bushes bare of gooseberries and then squash as many as we could into my grandmother’s rather tired yet well-loved woven shopping basket. 

It also brings me great pleasure to tell you, that Grandmother Josie was immensely fond of baking, and after a hard days graft at the pick your own fruit fields, she would spend the next day baking pies in her Somersetshire galley kitchen, most of which she’d store in her 1970s chest freezer.

I affectionately recall, following a nourishing and hearty Sunday roast, Grandmother Josie would cut one of her fruity pies into slices, and served to each guest with a drop of cream in my great-great aunt Betty’s luxurious, yellow primrose encrusted, Art Deco dessert bowls – those were the days!

Enjoy with oodles of gusto and a splash of cream!

Miss Windsor x

Darlings, if you fancy recreating another gooseberry classic with a bit of a twist, then please do try MISS WINDSOR’S PINK & SPICY GOOSEBERRY RASPBERRY FOOL! 

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MISS WINDSOR 

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Miss Windsor’s Gooseberry & Redcurrant Suet Pudding

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 4 delightful guests

Author Miss Windsor

Equipment

• 1-pint pudding basin (570ml or 20 US fl oz) 

Ingredients

Suet Pastry

• 350g (2 & 1/3 cups) self-raising flour 
• 180g (1 & 3/4 cups) vegetable or beef suet 
• 60g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
• cold water  

Pie Filling:

• 1 & 1/2 pints (850 ml / 30 US fl oz) of green gooseberries and redcurrants – measured the traditional way
• lots of sugar!

Instructions

Suet Pastry

• First off, let’s get cracking with the suet pastry! Into a large mixing bowl sieve, the flour, then add the suet and sugar. Mix well. 
• Add a few drops of cold water at a time and with a curving motion mix with a knife. 
• Darlings, this pastry must not be dry, so add enough water and continue to mix with a knife until the dough is quite sticky
• Now using you’re pretty little mitts, bring the dough together until it’s rather smooth and elastic. Cover with cling film and rest for 30 minutes in the fridge.  

The Pudding

• Cut the stalks and the little bobbly bits off the gooseberries – top and tail is the official method here! Transfer to a colander.
• Strip the redcurrants from the stalks and add to the gooseberries – thoroughly wash the fruit and place to one side to air dry.
• Take a 1-pint pudding basin and grease well with butter.
• Retrieve your pastry from the fridge and cut away a quarter for the lid – set to one side. Roll out the rest of the pastry onto a floured surface – a fairly thick circle large enough to line the basin – plus a little extra.    
• Line the basin with pastry and firmly press into shape all round. Then add a layer of fruit and sprinkle with a generous helping of sugar. Repeat until you’ve used up all the fruit and your last layer is higher than the edge of the basin – don’t forget to cover the last layer with sugar.
• Moisten around the edge with water and cover with a rolled out pastry lid, then with a sharp knife trim off the excess pastry.
• With the left-over pastry make a few jam puffs and bake in a moderate oven for 10/15 minutes, or pop in the freezer for another time!

To Steam

• Now, place an old saucer onto the bottom of a large saucepan (this will prevent the basin from cracking) then fill with water, about half-way up the basin, and immediately put onto boil. 
• Time to prepare the basin for steaming. Cut a large piece of greaseproof paper and foil. Place the foil piece on the kitchen counter followed by the greaseproof paper on top, and lightly grease with butter.
• Holding both pieces together, make a pleat in the centre, then gently place over the basin and mould it around the edges.
• Using a long piece of string, tightly wrap it around a few times under the “lip” of the basin and secure with a knot or two.
• Make a handle by threading the string from one side to the other. Repeat and secure.
• Trim off the excess paper/foil and tuck both layers under neatly, then place the basin into the saucepan and cover with the lid – remember to weigh the lid down with something heavy.
• Regularly top up with water, as you wouldn't want your pudding to boil dry!
• Steam exactly for 1 & 1/2 hours. Turn out onto a pretty vessel whilst hot. 
• Serve to your delightful guests with lashings of cream!

The post Miss Windsor’s Gooseberry & Redcurrant Suet Pudding! appeared first on Miss Windsor's Delectables.

Hello, darlings!

Food for thought: have you ever wondered about the origins of the illustrious Gooseberry Fool?

Well, maybe it was first served to King George III of England at a lavish dinner party? Or could it be an invention of the overindulgent Victorians? Or possibly, this dish first graced the likes of a medieval banqueting table? Indeed, a farrago of possibilities, which Miss Windsor investigated thoroughly, and, delineates her findings right here………

Eager to revive the quintessentially British (or English!) dessert of Gooseberry Fool, I, therefore, sifted through my food history archives and stumbled upon a recipe in my 1903 edition of Mrs Beeton’s One Shilling Cookery Book.

With one or two adaptions to the original recipe, I created Miss Windsor’s Pink & Spicy Gooseberry Raspberry Fool – prepared with the most superior ingredients of posh pink gooseberries (instead of the green common type!), ravishing raspberries, sweetened whipped cream, and a smattering of ground ginger and cinnamon.

Before I indulge you with a titbit or two about this spiffing dessert, it has come to my attention that many folks assert that Gooseberry Fool is a rather chucklesome name for a dessert! For some bizarre reason or another, the title seems to tickle many Americans – an odd reaction, but it is known that they’re quite an eccentric bunch!

Darlings, the recipe from my 1903 edition of Mrs Beeton’s One Shilling Cookery Book, first appeared in the 1861 edition of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management. However, it’s difficult to confirm if my recreation is definitely of Victorian origin because if the truth is told, Gooseberry Fool has quite a fruity history.

According to the jolly old internet, our beloved Gooseberry Fool was enjoyed by our forebearers as far back as the 14th or 15th century. However, there’s a huge time difference of a whole century to argue over, yet it’s highly possible this type of “foole” (as it was once called), commenced its culinary journey as a medieval dish. So far, there are no recorded recipes that could uphold this claim.

Thankfully, one can rest assure that many recipes for Gooseberry Fool have been traced to the 17th century – 1658 to be exact! Although, it is of great belief to some that there’s an elusive recipe stowed away somewhere that dates back to 1598.

I was intrigued to discover that our fabulous fool can be made with either a cooled custard-like base or whipped sweetened cream. You see, over the years, keen cooks from across the country would’ve rustled up this classic dish with either ingredient – I have only experienced the latter.

Darlings, purely for your delectation, Miss Windsor presents a couple of recipes from two distinctly different eras. A recipe from 1658 notes a custard base (following the execution of King Charles I, the year of 1658 was the last year Oliver Cromwell was the leader of the republic of England), and a Georgian or Regency recipe from 1802 (written during the reign of King George III) favours whipped cream.

Of course, I recreated this dessert following traditional methods, which involved an old-fashioned pudding basin and potato masher. You see, Mrs Beeton suggests to steam the fruits in a “jar”, however, please do refrain from doing so, as when Miss Windsor followed her instruction the jar cracked then smashed to smithereens – a sturdy pudding basin will certainly do the job instead!

Before I retire to my parlour for a well-deserved G & T, I recommend one must serve their creation in style – a matching set of vintage bone China teacups would do the trick, or if one must, serve in tiddly yet elegant ceramic vessels.

I say, these exquisite, Haas and Czjzek, vintage teacups, as showcased above, once belonged to the rather wonderful and beauteous Valeria Wallace.

Miss Windsor x

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MISS WINDSOR – EXCEPT FOR THE PHOTO OF GRANDMA GEORGINA & VALERIE WALLACE. 

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Miss Windsor’s Pink & Spicy Gooseberry Raspberry Fool

Prep Time 1 hour

Equipment

• 1 large pudding basin or heat-proof bowl 
• Electric hand whisk
• a selection of teacups or small vessels 

Ingredients

• 540g (approx. 3 & 1/3 cups) pink gooseberries and raspberries 
• a sprinkling of golden caster sugar (for the raw gooseberries)
• 1 x heaped tablespoon of golden caster sugar (for the pulped gooseberries)
• a couple of pinches of ground ginger & ground cinnamon
• 500ml (approx. 2 cups) double cream
• 1 heaped tablespoon of golden caster sugar (to sweeten the cream)
• for decoration: sprigs of rosemary or mint
• for decoration: pink gooseberries & raspberries 

Instructions

• Prepare your gooseberries – ‘top and tail’ is the correct method – so use a knife to remove the stalks! 
• ​Now, thoroughly wash your pink gooseberries. 
• Transfer to a pudding basin or similar, and sprinkle generously with golden caster sugar.
• Promptly fill your kettle with water, then boil. 
• Darlings, to prevent your pudding basin from cracking, place an old saucer on the bottom of a large saucepan.  
• Once the kettle has boiled, carefully pour the water into the saucepan until it’s quarter filled.
• Moving on swiftly! Place your pudding basin onto the saucer, then carefully pour in the boiled water until it's about halfway up the basin.
• Transfer to the hob and boil the water on a high heat, then once boiling reduce to a simmer. Stir a few times with a metal spoon – the gooseberries are ready when broken-up and watery. 
• Drain off the excess water using a colander, then place the colander into a large mixing bowl.
• Using a traditional potato masher, beat the gooseberries to a pulp through the colander. 
• Darlings, now you’ll witness the ‘fruits of your labour’ – a bowl of glorious pink pulp!
• Roughly break the raspberries into the pink pulp, then give it a gentle squish-squash with the potato masher. Stir with a metal spoon until well blended. 
• Onto the next step: stir in 2 heaped tablespoons of golden caster sugar – add more if too tart!
• Stir in 2 pinches of ground ginger, along with 2 pinches of ground cinnamon – add a trifle more if you desire!
• Using your electric hand-whisk or manual whisk, thoroughly whisk together the double cream and 1 heaped tablespoon of golden caster sugar. Whizz ingredients until blended and the cream has thickened.
• Darlings, now it's time to dazzle your guests with your exquisite taste! Just like Miss Windsor – go for vintage china teacups or something of similar quality, size, and appearance.
• Gently place 1 heaped dessertspoon of the creamy mixture into each teacup or small bowl. Then with a steady hand, drizzle 3 teaspoons of the gooseberry mixture on top – repeat process until you have 2 layers of each – finishing with a glorious layer of the fruity stuff!  
• Now, decorate your delectable re-creation of Miss Windsor's Pink & Spicy Gooseberry Raspberry Fool with a sprig of rosemary/mint and a raw gooseberry/raspberry.
• Darlings, your culinary delight is now ready to be served – Voila!​​​

The post Miss Windsor’s Pink & Spicy Gooseberry Raspberry Fool! appeared first on Miss Windsor's Delectables.

Hello, darlings!
​​
In keeping with the “spirit” of The Championships, Wimbledon, one hoped to stumble across a recipe with a tennis connection. Well, lo and behold whilst flicking through my 1906 edition of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management, buried deep within the frayed and yellowed pages, I discovered a recipe for Tennis Cake!

Miss Windsor’s spin on Mrs Beeton’s most decadent, moist, and luxurious Tennis Cake recipe boasts an appealing light texture and colour – bestrewn with a plenteous amount of chopped almonds and flavoured with a subtle zing of lemon and RUM!

The said tournament was attended by 200 male spectators, who paid a “shilling piece” for the privilege. Yet I was horrified to learn that during such an era the presence of a woman was not permitted, “What a blimmin’ cheek,” you shriek! Also, according to my research, those devilishly lucky chaps feasted on strawberries and cream, which soon became a Wimbledon speciality.

Eager to step away from the traditions of the well-loved, iconic, British summertide dessert of fresh strawberries and cream, I couldn’t wait to dazzle your senses with Mrs Beeton’s frightfully mouth-watering, Victorian recipe for TENNIS CAKE.

Darlings, Miss Windsor is a huge fan of baking with rum, so of course, one soaked the dried fruit in a generous dousing of Wray & Nephew White Rum. However, please substitute with orange juice if you’re recreating this cake for the “teetotal” society, or if the taste of rum just isn’t your cup of tea! 

Although the clue is firmly in the recipe title, Mrs Beeton kindly suggests to the reader, Suitable for a tennis afternoon tea! Thank you for your counsel, Mrs Beeton, one can rest assured that this cake is the perfect accompaniment to a tennis-inspired afternoon tea. And will go down rather well with a cheeky tipple of Pimms’ No.1 Cup, or a dainty cuppa of Rosie Lee (How spiffing!). ​​

Oh, and for those who are wondering what the heck is Pimm’s No.1 Cup – it’s a terribly posh, gin-based, herbaceous cocktail. In fact, during the early 1800s, Mr James Pimms of London apparently invented this alcoholic beverage to promote one’s health! Thus, little did he know this would become one of the preferred refreshments imbibed by spectators at Wimbledon.

​So, darlings, now the ball is in your court, so to speak! please dash off to your kitchen and have a jolly good go at recreating this age-old, tennis-inspired baked goodie – toot sweet! 

Miss Windsor x

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MISS WINDSOR

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Mrs Beeton’s Tennis Cake

Course Dessert

Prep Time 50 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Author Miss Windsor

Equipment

• round cake tin (9.5 inches / 24 cm)
• 4 sheets of newspaper & string
• you'll need 3 or 4 mixing bowls for this operation! 

Ingredients

• 460g (3 & 1/2 cups) plain / all-purpose flour
• 4 & 1/2 heaped teaspoons – baking powder 
• 340g (1 & 1/2 cups) room temperature unsalted butter
• 340g (1 & 3/4 cups) caster sugar
• 60g (1/2 cup) chopped almonds
• 1 lemon – zest & juice 
• 8 medium eggs
• few glugs of whole milk 0r white rum! 
• 340g (approx. 1 & 1/3 cups) – wet weight of finely chopped raisins (soaked overnight in orange juice or white rum)
• 140g (approx. 3/4 cup) roughly chopped candied peel

Instructions

• Run along now and wash your hands, in readiness for some culinary action on ‘centre court’!
• Preheat your oven to 180*C / 160*Fan / 350*F / gas mark 4.
• First off: prepare your cake tin with butter, then line the base and sides with greaseproof paper. Darlings, please make sure the paper stands at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) above the top of the tin, as this will help to prevent it from browning too quickly.
• Grab a mixing bowl and mix together the raisins (I soaked mine in Wray & Nephew White Rum) candied peel, and almonds.
• Now, sieve the flour into a separate mixing bowl. Sieve at least 3 or 4 times, as this will help to make the cake texture a tad lighter.
• Using yet another mixing bowl and the back of a wooden spoon, merrily beat together the butter and sugar. Do so until the mixture has been whipped into a light cream! Now add the lemon zest and juice – beat well. 
• Beat in the eggs one at a time – much obliged!
• Add the flour and fruit/almond concoction to the creamed butter mixture. Gently mix together – with oodles of love, of course! 
• If a little dry, bring the mixture to a cake batter consistency with a few glugs of milk or white rum. The mixture should easily slide off the spoon when ready!
• Carefully pour the cake batter into your prepared tin. Then fold the sheets of newspaper (two at a time) until they stand a little above the greaseproof paper. Wrap them around the tin and tie tightly with string.
• Place on the middle shelf of your oven and bake for approximately 1 & 1/2 hrs – start checking at 1 hour. Cover about half-way through with foil to stop the cake from browning too quickly. 
• Your culinary ‘masterpiece’ is ready when nicely browned and a skewer when inserted comes out clean.
• Transfer to a cooling rack.
• When completely cool prick all over with a skewer and brush with white rum. Cover cake with greaseproof paper and foil, then if you have one to hand pop into a Tupperware box.  
• Darlings, preferably the night before your guests arrive enwreathe with white icing or festoon with pretty ornaments of your choice. 
• Oh, and Mrs Beeton suggests: this exceedingly decadent cake is, "Suitable for a tennis afternoon tea" – How spiffing!
• Enjoy each slice with oodles of gusto. 

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Happy British Pie Week!

By Jove! Miss Windsor has certainly surpassed herself today! You see, in the spirit of British Pie Week, and my passionate quest in “Bringing food history alive”, I recreated Mrs Beeton’s Veal & Ham Pie.

You see, whilst searching for something frightfully unusual, yet awfully hearty and traditional which one could recreate for British Pie Week, thankfully, Miss Windsor stumbled upon Mrs Beeton’s Veal & Ham Pie recipe – in her 1906 edition of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management – first published in 1861. 

Darlings, now you’re forbidden to turn your nose up to this glorious dish, which I must admit, is of an acquired taste; yet delightfully delicious (believe me, I was extremely surprised by how mouth-watering tasty this recipe turned out to be!) British, suet crust, meat-based pie created with an unusual concoction of ingredients such as sliced veal fillet or cushion, chunky bacon bits, hard-boiled eggs, a sprinkling of seasoning, followed by a “gill” (translation: 140ml or 5 US fl oz.) of beef stock – and nout more!

That’s right, darlings, you’ve read it correctly – boiled eggs, three in fact! Even Miss Windsor suffered a moment of doubt when she spied this rather interesting addition – a Victorian delicacy, I wonder? To to be honest, at first glance of this recipe, one presumed it could’ve been served during some kind of medieval banquet – curious to find out? Miss Windsor certainly is!
 
Okey dokey, I’ve just consulted one of my modern mentors: the jolly old internet, therefore, I discovered that we’ve been gorging on pies since the medieval times and maybe a trifle before then. Apparently, during the late 14th century a cookbook which included many recipes for all kinds of pies was written for the chefs of King Richard II. 

In fact, during such times a pie was commonly known as a “coffyn” or “coffin”, which means container. This was actually a stiff paste created with flour and water that would act as a robust vessel for baked sweet and savoury fillings. Apparently, in Elizabethan England, one would revel, “If it’s good, tis better in a coffyn.”

And rather interestingly, the Victorians were still making a similar kind of paste, which the cook of the house whipped together with ingredients such as flour, water, plus the addition of butter, egg, lard, or dripping. 

Also, during the Victorian era suet crust for meat and sweet pies was terribly popular and so easy to make – just flour, suet, cold water, baking powder, and/or sugar! I say, when Miss Windsor was a nipper Grandmother Josie advised that one must bring the pastry together with the blade of a knife, including the likes of suet pastry!

Therefore, I vividly recall Grandmother Josie reciting one of her mother’s culinary maxims, Great Grandmother Gertie’s to be precise, “Stir with a knife, stir up strife!” 

​​Darlings, I like to think it’s an old wive’s tale, but admittedly one is very superstitious, so if I ever find myself armed with a knife immersed in a bowl of pastry dough, I naturally mutter that rather ghastly phrase, which of course, as a matter of caution, I do so with all my fingers crossed, including my teeny toes!

Moving swiftly on, now according to the food history records, during the medieval times, one would feast on pies made with a hot water crust. You see, back in those days of beyond pies were an elaborate and exceedingly grand centrepiece of the banqueting table – How fabulous!

​They were baked in decorative moulds, often glazed, and on occasion would boast a stuffed animal or bird which would, of course, suggest the filling of the pie.

Just one more thing; whilst I scoured through the jolly old internet for snippets of information about veal and ham pie, I learned that many recipes require a hot water crust, and some recipes call for whole hard-boiled eggs, not slices. Therefore, suffice to say, I do believe some kind of version of veal and ham pie would’ve perched most comfortably on a medieval banqueting table.  

​​Darlings, now before you dash off to your kitchen to recreate this scrumptious slice of food history, I must say, if you’re a tad put off by the addition of hard-boiled eggs, then may I suggest slices of parboiled potatoes instead.  

Cheerio for now, 

Miss Windsor x

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MISS WINDSOR – EXCEPT FOR 1940’S FAMILY PHOTO!

Print

Mrs Beeton’s Veal & Ham Pie

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 6 hungry guests!

Author Miss Windsor

Equipment

• medium pie dish
• rolling pin

Ingredients

Suet Pastry

• 350 g (2 & 1/3 cups) self-raising flour
• 180 g (1 & 3/4 cups) vegetable or beef suet
• pinch of salt
• a sprinkling of coarse black pepper
• cold water
• whisked egg for the glaze

Pie Filling

• 680 g approx. (1.5 lbs US) lean veal (fillet or cushion) cut into neat slices by your butcher!
• 220 g (1 heaped cup) cooked bacon bits – diced
• 3 hard-boiled eggs or parboiled potatoes – thinly sliced
• 1 heaped teaspoon of dried mixed herbs
• 1 heaped tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley
• 140 ml (5 US fl oz.) beef stock
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Suet Pastry

• Pre-heat oven to 180*C / 160*C Fan / 355* F / gas mark 4.
• First off, let’s get cracking with the suet pastry! Into a large mixing bowl sieve the flour, then add the suet, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
• Add a few drops of cold water at a time and with a curving motion mix with a knife.
• Darlings, this pastry must not be dry, so add enough water and continue to mix with a knife until the dough is quite sticky.
• Now using you’re pretty little mitts, bring the dough together until it’s rather smooth and elastic. Cover and rest for a while.

The Filling

• Into your pie dish of choice, arrange a layer of veal and season with salt and pepper. Then add a layer of sliced boiled egg (or potatoes) and some cooked bacon bits. Season with mixed herbs and chopped parsley.
• Repeat step one until you have finished the ingredients.
• Pour over the stock and set to one side – How spiffing!
• Darlings take 3/4 of your dough and place onto a floured surface and start gently rolling until you’ve formed a circle or square shape to cover your choice of vessel. Oh, and please make sure that your pastry lid is rolled fairly thick – Ta very muchly!
• Cover the pie filling with the pastry and carefully trim off the edges.
• Now onto the creative bit – How exciting! Using the last of your dough festoon your pie with some decorative leaves and stick them onto the lid with some whisked egg.
• Darlings, you will probably have some left-over pastry, which one may use if needs must, or alternatively why not make one or two jam puffs out of the leftovers!
• Once festooned with pretty leaves, brush the whole pie lid with whisked egg.
• Pop in the oven and bake for exactly 1 and 1/4 hours.
• Serve piping hot with a dash of gravy and some seasonal vegetables – voila!

The post Mrs Beeton’s Veal & Ham Pie! appeared first on Miss Windsor's Delectables.

Hello, darlings!

Eat cake, sip champagne, and be merry!

​​“So, what’s all the fuss about?” I hear you squawk? Well, obviously it’s Miss Windsor’s birthday today and to mark such a joyous occasion, one has recreated an age-old recipe from one’s trusty, 1906 edition of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management – with a bit of a Miss Windsor twist, of course!

Darlings, now, believe it or not, Miss Windsor’s Celebration Cake started life as plain old Christmas cake. Yet, to one’s utter dismay, the original recipe appeared to lack one or two essential Christmassy ingredients such as ALCOHOL – How shocking!

In fact, my oh so generous Mrs Beeton provided three rather bland recipes to choose from – none of which recommended any form of liquor at all. So, I opted to recreate the slightly more interesting version that requires only two eggs and a “teacupful” of cream.

Now eager to cast my delectable spin on such recipe, I decided to explore my jolly old pantry, and so discovered a Tupperware vessel full to the brim of chopped mixed fruit soaking in liquor.  

So, as I gingerly peeled off the lid, my nasal passages were greeted by the delightful aroma of ye-olde dark Lambs Navy Rum. Oh darlings, thank goodness for savviness, as Miss Windsor had clearly stowed away for a rainy day, the remainder of last year’s Christmas pudding ingredients – she really is quite the culinary marvel! 

Following a further rummage around my wondrous pantry I endeavoured to “jazz up” the mixture just a tad more. Therefore, I added a few dollops of cinnamon and mixed spice, zest of a lemon and orange, followed by a generous handful of chopped almonds – plus a few glugs of rum!

I must say, due to the added extras, and my impeccable culinary skills (of course!) I successfully transformed this so-called festive number; into a terribly versatile corker of a celebration cake!

Rich, rummy, spicy, velvety moist, and almost russet brown in colour. You’ll find this delightfully toothsome baked goodie an excellent choice for any occasion of the celebratory kind – Christmas, weddings, birthdays, christenings, anniversaries – to name, but a few!

​Or to be thoroughly enjoyed as part of afternoon pageantry, accompanied by a steaming hot cup of Miles West-Country Original Blend Tea – to be brewed, of course, using a Brown Betty teapot. ​

Darlings, Miss Windsor’s Celebration Cake is best served “naked”, “My word, Miss Windsor!” you shriek with a touch of excitement! Now calm down, I mean to be presented without any form of edible attire, however, I must say it does scrub up rather well just sporting a natural layer of marzipan, followed by a silky sheet of royal icing! 

Enjoy with oodles of gusto! 

Miss Windsor x

​ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MISS WINDSOR

Fancy more cake? If the answer is YES, then may I recommend the following delectable delight! 

MRS BEETON’S SERIOUSLY SCRUMPTIOUS LEMON & COCONUT CAKE! 

Print

Miss Windsor’s Celebration Cake

Course Dessert

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Servings 10 delightful guests!

Equipment

• Round cake tin (20 cm / 8 inches)
• 4 sheets of newspaper & string

Ingredients

• bottle of any dark rum – for soaking the fruit (Miss Windsor prefers Lambs Navy Rum!)
• 220 g (1 & 1/4 cups) finely chopped, dried mixed fruit
• 280 g (2 heaped cups) self-raising flour
• 80 g (1/2 cup) dark brown sugar
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) black treacle
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) double cream
• 2 well-whisked eggs
• 60 g (1/3 cup) nearly melted butter
• 25 5 (1/3 cup) chopped almonds
• grated zest – 1 lemon & 1 orange
• 1 heaped teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 heaped teaspoon of mixed spice
• 1 heaped teaspoon of ginger
• 2-3 tbsp of any dark rum
• juice of half an orange

Instructions

• First off, roughly chop all the dried fruit and soak in any dark rum. This can be prepared weeks in advance – or if pushed for time a few days will suffice.
• Darlings – now let’s prepare to celebrate. So, run along now and wash your grubby little "jazz hands" – much obliged!
• Preheat your oven to 180*C / 160* Fan / 350*F / gas mark 4.
• First off, well-grease your cake tin with butter, then line the base and sides with greaseproof paper. Darlings, please make sure the paper stands at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) above the top of the tin, as this will help to prevent it from browning too quickly.
• In a pan or with the aid of a modern-day appliance, "nearly" melt the butter – do not allow it to reduce to oil.
• To your mixing bowl: add the flour (sieved 3 or 4 times) sugar, spice, zest of a lemon and orange, chopped almonds, and rum soaked fruit. Thoroughly mix together with a wooden spoon.
• Stir in the butter, cream, treacle and well-whisked eggs. Then give the mixture a good ol’ beating with a wooden spoon, or please do so with the aid of a modern-day appliance. Beat until sufficiently blended.
• Add 2-3 tablespoons of dark rum, and the juice of half an orange. Mix well. The mixture should easily slide off the spoon when ready – if not then add a tad more rum!
• For this step, one must steady their jazz hands! and carefully pour the cake mixture into your prepared tin.
• Now fold the sheets of newspaper (two at a time) until they stand a little above the greaseproof paper. Wrap them around the tin, then tie tightly with string.
• Place on the middle shelf of your oven and bake for approximately 55 minutes. Your culinary masterpiece is ready when browned, and a skewer when inserted comes out clean.
• When completely cool enwreathe with marzipan followed by a silky sheet of white royal icing. Or present as stark naked – Oh, I say! and enjoy with a drop or two of double cream.
• Oh, and darlings, if you've made this in good time, then prick your cake all over with a skewer and spoon feed with dark rum. Then wrap in foil and pop it into a Tupperware vessel until you're ready to ice.
• Darlings – enjoy each slice with oodles of gusto!

The post Mrs Beeton’s Christmas & Celebration Cake! appeared first on Miss Windsor's Delectables.

Hello, darlings! 
 
Happy British Pie Week! 
 
I say, my dear fellows, in the spirit of British Pie Week Miss Windsor’s been having an absolute blast reviving age-old recipes from the past! So, just in the nick of time before this wonderful week comes to an end, one wished to “Spitfire” back to the British wartime days and recreate something frightfully healthful and wholesome – a dish Grandmother Josie would’ve certainly approved of! 
 
May I present the rather delectable and exceedingly homely Miss Windsor’s Wartime Meatless Farmhouse Pie – How splendid! You see, I stumbled upon two terribly toothsome and similar pie recipes in my copy of Recipes of the 1940’s by Irene Veal. Therefore, my version is a fusion of both, just minus the meat! And evidently, darlings, you’ll soon discover that the operative word for British Pie Week in the Miss Windsor household is VEAL! ​

You’ll be pleased to know, that this easy, yet frightfully filling recipe is created with an abundance of vegetables such as carrots (which were plentiful during WWII), potatoes, swede, onion, seasoning, mixed dried herbs, little vegetable stock, and the piece de resistance – the wartime luxury of tinned peas!

Oh, and thank the dear Lord (Woolton!) that I had a little suet plus enough flour in my green and cream enamel flour tin to make some dough – so I covered this delightful concoction with a thick, feathery, rather mouth-watering blanket of suet pastry.  ​

A quick word about the courageous carrot! I’m proud to say that during WWII carrots played an important role in feeding the nation. The UK Ministry of Food encouraged the good folks of Britain to substitute rationed goods for carrots instead, therefore, the Agricultural Ministry increased the commercial production of this life-saving culinary asset.

Thankfully, particularly orange carrots, they’re bursting with vital nutrients such as “vitamin A”, and so are known to be “good for one’s eyesight” – bloomin’ marvellous! Also, do you have any idea how many dishes one can rustle up with our trusty carrot? Well, my dears, purely for your delectation, may I indulge you with the following:  Mrs Beeton’s Carrot Pudding, carrot soup, carrot jam, carrot cookies, carrot fudge, carrot cake, carrot tart, and so on!

Oh, and one of the recipes I based my fabulous version on originally required “very little meat”, any kind of meat, in fact, including Great Britain’s beloved bacon!

Unfortunately, Miss Windsor used every last scrap of meat from her rather sparse larder to recreate her first offering to British Pie Week – Mrs Beeton’s Veal & Ham Pie, which one discovered in one’s 1906 version of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management, first published in 1861. ​

Darlings, I must divulge, in the Miss Windsor household we’ve regretfully used up all of our meat and egg rations for the entire week on that blasted pie, “Oh, dearie me!” I hear you squeal with oodles of concern! You see, as one will appreciate, Mrs Beeton’s mouth-watering recipe, evidently, is an exquisite Victorian dish of an acquired taste!

It called for plenty of veal, sliced hard-boiled eggs, seasoning, plus a dash of beef stock – and nothing more! I say, the pie dish was packed to the rafters with meat, and it took days to munch our way through this somewhat Victorian overindulgence! 

I must admit, I’ve been a trifle reckless with our precious rations, but nevertheless, Miss Windsor has certainly prevailed, and will not see anyone go hungry in wartime Britain! Thankfully, vegetables are not rationed here, so without further ado, I whipped up this delightful pie which is full to the brim with nutritious vegetables, plus the addition of a small tin of garden peas that I found lurking behind a rusty old tin of Bird’s Custard powder – How spiffing! 

​Plus I threw in a smattering of garlic that I saved from dear Winnie’s allotment, which I chopped and dried during the summer months in readiness for a glorious pie moment like this!

Darlings I’m feeling awfully parched now! So, before I pop off to warm up my darling Brown Betty teapot for a well-deserved cuppa, to be, of course, supped from my sage green Wood’s Ware Beryl cup and saucer. I must say in the Miss Windsor household, not a thing is wasted, therefore, Grandmother Josie often trumpeted, “Waste not, want not!”

Of course, she was absolutely correct, as I have very fond memories of my darling grandmother saving anything from a few grains of cooked rice, half a small boiled potato, to a handful of cheese crumbs that one would store in a Tupperware container and used to whip-up the suppertime classic of Welsh rarebit – I dare say, you never know when that morsel of food may come in handy!

​So, come along darlings, join the jolly old war effort and Eat for Victory! ​

Miss Windsor x

​If you fancy recreating another wartime recipe, then why not try:

MISS WINDSOR’S BEETROOT & GREEN BEAN FRITTERS! 

Print

Miss Windsor’s Wartime Meatless Farmhouse Pie!

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 hungry guests!

Author Miss Windsor

Equipment

• medium pie dish
• rolling pin

Ingredients

Suet Pastry

• 350 g (2 & 1/3 cups) self-raising flour
• 180 g (1 & 3/4 cups) vegetable or beef suet
• pinch of salt
• a sprinkling of coarse black pepper
• cold water
• whisked egg for the glaze

Pie Filling

• 4 medium potatoes
• 4 large carrots
• 1 medium onion
• ½ large swede
• 1 small tin of garden peas
• a handful of fresh chopped parsley
• 4 heaped teaspoons of mixed dried herbs
• some fresh thyme
• little vegetable stock
• salt and pepper
• 2 or 3 garlic cloves (or the equivalent of dried chopped garlic)
• smattering of flour

Instructions

Suet Pastry

• Pre-heat oven to 190*C / 170*C Fan / 375* F / gas mark 5.
• First off, let’s get cracking with the suet pastry! Into a large mixing bowl sieve the flour, then add the suet, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
• Add a few drops of cold water at a time and with a curving motion mix with a knife.
• Darlings, this pastry must not be dry, so add enough water and continue to mix with a knife until the dough is quite sticky.
• Now using you’re pretty little mitts, bring the dough together until it’s rather smooth and elastic. Cover and rest for a while.

The Filling

• Chop the potatoes into chunky pieces and swede into small cubes. Parboil in vegetable stock, and when done set to one side and keep the vegetable stock.
• Cut the carrots into small cubes, then dice the onion and garlic. Transfer to a large frying pan and add the peas. Season lightly with salt and pepper and fry until browned in a drop or two of oil.
• Add the fresh parsley and thyme, then scatter over the dried mixed herbs and give it a jolly good stir.
• Transfer the parboiled potatoes and swede to the frying pan, add a smattering of flour and thoroughly mix together.
• Darlings, now pour in enough stock to wet the ingredients and fry everything together for a few minutes until well-mixed.
• Next, grab your pie dish and carefully spoon in the vegetable mixture.
• Now, take 3/4 of your dough and place onto a floured surface and start gently rolling until you’ve formed a circle or square shape to cover your choice of vessel. Oh, and please make sure that your pastry lid is rolled fairly thick – Ta very muchly!
• Cover the pie filling with the pastry and carefully trim off the edges.
• Now onto the creative bit – How exciting! Using the last of your dough festoon your pie with some decorative leaves and stick them onto the lid with some whisked egg.
• Darlings, you will probably have some left-over pastry, which one may use if needs must, or alternatively why not make one or two jam puffs out of the leftovers!
• Once festooned with pretty leaves, brush the whole pie lid with whisked egg.
• Pop in the oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and risen.
• Serve piping hot with a dash of gravy – that’s if you have a bit leftover from your Sunday roast dinner, if not then ‘hard cheese’!

The post Miss Windsor’s Wartime Meatless Farmhouse Pie! appeared first on Miss Windsor's Delectables.

​Moving swiftly on, whilst scouring through my glorious 1906 edition, there I discovered Mrs Beeton’s ONE and ONLY recipe to be of her very own creation – Benevolent Soup, which was originally known as Useful Soup for Benevolent Purposes. 

​Darlings, now rumour has it, she nobbled a fair few recipes from other famous cooks, such as Eliza Acton, who in 1845 published Modern Cookery for Private Families – slapped wrist, Mrs Beeton! She also included recipes in Beeton’s Book of Household Management that were created by readers of her monthly column, thus these recipes were first showcased in her husbands (Mr Samuel Orchart Beeton) publication – The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine.

Righty oh, let’s return our focus to Mrs Beeton’s Useful Soup for Benevolent Purposes. You see, during the month of February it’s usually rather chilly here in England, yet for some bizarre reason temperatures have reached around 18*C or so.

Anyway, the history books dictate that in 1858 England endured a terribly harsh and deathly cold winter. So much so, our charitable, selfless, and kindly Mrs Beeton set up a soup kitchen from her home and served this hearty, meat-based (ox-cheek) chunky vegetable, and liquor-laced concoction – in Miss Windsor’s case Thatchers cider! to the hungry, homeless, or destitute folk of Hatch End, Pinner, London.  Therefore, and quite rightly so, Mrs Beeton’s ONLY recipe was published in her very first book!

May I add, my revision of this wintery dish is a fabulous fusion between Mrs Beeton’s original 1858 recipe and the 1906 version as mentioned above – of course, I followed her instructions and cooking methods thoroughly, thus achieved excellence. 

Darlings, rather interestingly, my observations of Mrs Beeton’s original 1858 recipe is that some of the ingredient measurements differ quite considerably in comparison to my 1906 version such as a whole ox-cheek as opposed to 1/2 an ox-cheek; 1/2 lb. of carrots instead of 2 carrots; and 1/2 lb. of turnips rather than 2 large turnips – plus there’s a few extra ingredients that are not included in my 1906 version.
​
USEFUL SOUP FOR BENEVOLENT PURPOSES – 1858 Recipe! 
INGREDIENTS. – An ox-cheek, any pieces of trimmings of beef, which may be bought very cheaply (say 4 lbs.), a few bones, any pot-liquor the larder may furnish, ¼ peck of onions, 6 leeks, a large bunch of herbs,½ lb. of celery (the outside pieces, or green tops, do very well); ½ lb. of carrots, ½   lb. of turnips,½ lb. of coarse brown sugar, ½ a pint of beer, 4 lbs. of common rice, or pearl barley; ½ lb. of salt, 1 oz. of black pepper, a few raspings, 10 gallons of water.

I say, why not have a “goosey gander” yourself, then you’ll see that the original age-old recipe also called for 1/2 pint of beer, whereas the 1906 version noted only water! Oh, and if you’re wondering what the heck a 1/4 “peck” of onions actually is, please do not despair as Miss Windsor endeavours to ease your curiosity.

​Well, darlings, it’s a very early measurement which was originally introduced to measure flour during the 14th century, and so in this day and age a 1/4 of a peck is roughly equal to just over 2 kilos, “Cor blimey!” I hear you trumpet with immense surprise!

Have you ever heard of the culinary requirement of “raspings” before? Well, Miss Windsor certainly hasn’t! so on that note one consulted the jolly old internet and discovered that it means browned breadcrumbs. To be honest, darlings, I beg to differ, as the 1858 recipe calls for a “few” raspings, which clearly indicates that raspings are much larger than breadcrumbs, therefore, I do wonder what the Dickens Mrs Beeton was referring to? Please do enlighten Miss Windsor if you’re privy to such culinary knowledge – ta very muchly!

And just one more thing before you scarper into your kitchen, although I scaled down some of the ingredient measurements, Mrs Beeton’s Useful Soup for Benevolent Purposes is ample to serve a large family with leftovers, which one may decanter into a Tupperware dish and pop into the freezer for a rainy or in this case a rather inclement day!

For dessert, why not try my great great grandmother’s traditional British recipe created with suet:

GRANDMA GEORGINA’S COLD WINTER PUDDING! 

Miss Windsor x

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MISS WINDSOR 

Print

Mrs Beeton’s Cold Winter Soup

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours

Servings 6 Serves a large family!

Equipment

• A very large stew pan with lid

Ingredients

• 2 ox cheeks (request from your butcher)
• 6 large carrots
• 1 very large swede
• 4 stalks of celery
• 2 huge onions
• 500 ml (17 US fl oz) of any Somerset cider, but I prefer to use Thatchers.
• 3 litres (102 US fl oz) of water
• 360 g (2 cups) red split lentils
• ½ white cabbage
• Large bunch of fresh herbs – rosemary, coriander, flat leaf parsley, thyme, bay leaf.
• 2 beef stock cubes
• 3 vegetable stock cubes

Instructions

• Before you start, please lather up your mitts with a jolly good helping of Pears soap!
• Now you’re squeaky clean, one may prepare the meat by cutting it into cubes. Then chop up the vegetables any way you fancy and set the white cabbage to one side.
• Transfer the meat to your stew pan, sprinkle with sea salt, pour in the water, and cover with lid.
• Bring to the boil and skim off the frothy stuff. Reduce the heat to a simmer then crumble the stock cubes into the meaty liquid, add the cider, vegetables, bunch of herbs, and salt and pepper – give it a jolly good stir!
• Return the lid and simmer gently for approximately 2 hours.
• Now, carefully spoon in the lentils and white cabbage. Simmer for 1 hour.
• Once cooked, add salt and pepper to taste.
• Then serve to your guests from a decorative soup terrine – don’t forget your soup bowls and spoons!
• Enjoy with a scrumptious glass of Somerset cider – How spiffing!

The post Mrs Beeton’s Useful Soup for Benevolent Purposes! appeared first on Miss Windsor's Delectables.

Happy New Year!

I’m thrilled to present my great great Grandma Georgina’s Cold Winter Pudding!

So, darlings, it’s time to fasten your apron strings, pull up your sleeves, grab ya mixing bowl and wooden spoon, and join Miss Windsor for a gay ol’ time down memory lane where together we’ll recreate a delicious slice of food history!

This frightfully British suet pud will certainly raise one’s body temperature during those rather inclement days or evenings – How spiffing! And I dare say, if you’re a fan of bread pudding, although this recipe contains no bread at all, I’m sure you’ll fall head over heels with Grandma Georgina’s creation!

Oh, and I must admit Grandma’s Georgina’s original recipe lacked a bit of winter flair! So, I “jazzed” it up a tad with the addition of mixed spice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and lemon/orange zest.

Now, before I go into any further detail about this devilishly old-fashioned pud that my great great grandmother Georgina originally created. I must admit, for a good while I had been pondering when would be the right time to recreate a recipe from my most treasured hand-scribed heirloom.

“Blimmin’ heck Miss Windsor, what the Dickens are you harping on about?” I hear you squeal with immense excitement!

Well, the merry season has now fluttered away into the shadow of 2018, and so without fuss or fuddle, the bright skies of 2019 have beckoned Miss Windsor to showcase a recipe from Grandmother Georgina’s handwritten recipe book, which I believe she started to scribe during the early 1900s or maybe a trifle before that whilst Queen Victoria was still on the thrown – How riveting! 

Darlings and I must say, this marbled covered, rather frayed and fragile, sepia-tinged recipe book, splattered with dark blobs of cake batter and fat, handwritten in ink, pencil, then recipes and adjustments later written in biro, was lovingly passed down through the kitchen hierarchy of my beloved ancestral abode in the seaside town of Clevedon, North Somersetshire.

​Oh, and one must bear in mind, that most of the recipes, until the introduction of a gas stove, were created with the aid of fire – a wrought iron range cooker to be exact!

You see, although this gem of a book commenced its culinary journey with my great great grandmother Georgina’s beautiful handwriting in ink and pencil; recipes were also added by my great great aunt Betty. In fact, some of the recipe adjustments made in biro were by my darling grandmother Josie – a rather commendable joint effort, don’t ya think!

One of the most fascinating facts about this handwritten recipe book is that many recipes were either shared between friends and family, or they were simply snaffled from fellow cooks – of course, that’s if you were a lady of a dishonest nature! And, funnily enough, snaffled is exactly what our British culinary marvel, Mrs Beeton, is also guilty of. So rumour has it, she nobbled (or snaffled in this case!) a fair few recipes from famous cooks such as Eliza Acton – slapped wrist, Mrs Beeton.  

Therefore, I discovered recipes for Nellie’s Boiled Cake (a neighbour who lived at no.10) Miss Awdry’s Marmalade – cousin of Reverend W. Awdry and creator of Thomas the Tank Engine (Auntie Betty worked for Miss Awdry) Winnie’s Chutney, Jim’s Mum’s Sloe Gin, Olive’s Cake, and many many more. And some are clearly wartime recipes, due to their requirement of powdered eggs and butter ration – dated around the early 1940s.

Darlings, I do wonder if my great great grandmother Georgina was a Muffin Warrior (or Worrier?) of some kind? “Muffin Warrior, Miss Windsor, what the heck is that?” I hear you shrill with oodles of intrigue! 

Well, several moons ago I turned on the wireless and tuned into Wordaholics on BBC Radio 4. One of the panels mentioned Muffin Warrior, and if my memory serves me correctly, it translates to “A group of old ladies eating muffins, drinking tea, and gossiping.”

​Question is: was Grandmother Georgina guilty of participating in such an activity? And if so, one presumes she enjoyed a jolly good gossipy natter, gorging on muffins and supping tea, whilst she snaffled or exchanged (I hope!) recipes with her fellow Muffin Warriors’ – I dare say, sounds like terribly good fun to me! 

Darlings, sorry to disappoint, but there’s nothing left to reveal about Grandma Georgina’s Cold Winter Pudding! However, suffice to say it’s certainly stood the test of time as far as British food is concerned – to be consumed, of course, with a jolly good dousing of Bird’s custard!

​Oh, and if you’re keen to learn more about my handwritten culinary heirloom, or would like to further your acquaintance with my great great grandmother Georgina, great great aunty Betty, and grandmother Josie, then please do pop back soon.

In the meantime, please take a peek at the following recipe which features my beloved grandmother Josie.

You may also like…

MISS WINDSOR’S QUICK & EASY VICTORIAN BOILED FRUITCAKE – FEATURING GRANDMOTHER JOSIE!

Miss Windsor x

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MISS WINDSOR EXCEPT PHOTOS OF FAMILY!

The post Grandma Georgina’s Cold Winter Pudding! appeared first on Miss Windsor's Delectables.

Hello, darlings!
​​
I’m thrilled to present Miss Windsor’s Quick & Easy Victorian Boiled Fruitcake – a delightful addition to your afternoon tea pageantry of goodies; or a rather toothsome, time-saving alternative to the traditional Christmas cake. 

​I’m proud to say that my version is “loosely” based on my beloved grandmother Josie’s recipe. You see, ever since she sadly waltzed through the Pearly Gates in 2013, I’ve tirelessly strived to resurrect her scrumptious culinary creation – Grandmother Josie is quite a hard act to follow, plus she left no written record of her recipe.

However, thank goodness for my distinct memories of the taste and texture, which has certainly helped Miss Windsor to recreate something immensely similar to Grandmother Josie’s fruity teatime, or anytime favourite! 

Darlings, my quick-fire recipe, although loosely based on Grandmother Josie’s, has been developed for the terribly busy individual in mind, or for the frightfully forgetful kind!

Obviously, time is the essence for both parties, and so can be recreated within “two shakes of a lamb’s tail”! for any occasion you wish to serve this delicious fruitcake. So, do take heed my dears, as this cake requires little planning and minimal effort, “What a flippin’ relief” I hear you squeal with sheer delight!  

Darlings, one may whip up my mouth-watering Victorian-inspired recipe with mixed dried fruit soaked in orange juice – anything to satisfy the “teetotal” society! 

Or if your palate prefers something a little stronger, then may I suggest soaking the fruit for a week or so (a few days will suffice) in any white/dark rum or brandy – in fact, Miss Windsor prefers to soak her fruit (Oh, I say!) for months, even up to a year in white Jamaican rum. ​

This incredibly moist, subtly sweet, and spicy fruitcake is passionately enriched with a flavour of bygone days – hence my wonderful memories of grandmother Josie’s baking.

You see, every time I bake this cake I’m instantly swept down memory lane by the familiar celestial scent that filled the air of Grandmother Josie’s galley kitchen in her quaint Somerset abode. I say, just one glorious inhalation and I’m back there with my darling grandmother whipping up fond culinary memories of bygone days……. 

Oh, and please do take a peek at my rather splendid butter knife (below) which belonged to my great-great-grandmother Georgina – isn’t it a beauty! 

Darlings, I must proclaim my recipe is the ultimate sweet treat for the festive season. You may “jazz it up” a tad with dried cherries, cranberries, prunes or figs to the mixed dried fruit. And if one must, please add those ghastly, plastic-like glace cherries – I’m sure one can tell, Miss Windsor isn’t at all partial to this type of cherry!

I say, if you’re making this during the Christmassy period, why not present your cake enwreathed with a layer of marzipan, sporting a snowy silky-smooth blanket of royal icing – voila!

Please serve your culinary creation on a pretty vessel of your choice, and enjoy a slice or two (naughty you!) with a nice strong brew, a slice of Cheddar cheese, or a thick slather of West-Country butter!

​If you fancy bumping into Grandmother Josie
again, why not try:
​
MISS WINDSOR’S SHERRY & SPICE TIRAMISU – WITH HARVEY’S BRISTOL CREAM!

Enjoy!

Miss Windsor x

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MISS WINDSOR, EXCEPT THE PHOTO OF MISS WINDSOR WAS TAKEN BY DOMINIQUE NOK. 

Print

Miss Windsor’s Quick & Easy Victorian Boiled Fruitcake!

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 10 delightful guests!

Equipment

• Round cake tin (20 cm / 8 inches)
• 4 sheets of newspaper & string

Ingredients

• 600 g (4 cups) dried mixed fruit
• 1 Litre (34 US fl oz.) of orange juice or any rum/brandy
• 150 g (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 180 g (just over 1 cup) dark brown sugar
• 3 heaped teaspoons ground allspice
• 2 heaped teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 heaped teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 heaped teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 250 ml (9 US fl oz.) cold water
• zest of one lemon
• zest of one orange
• 2 eggs
• 150 g (1 cup) plain flour
• 150 g (1 cup) self-raising flour
• juice – half an orange

Instructions

• Darlings soak the dried fruit in orange juice for approximately one hour, then immediately drain. Or if you'd rather make the alcoholic version, then please soak the fruit in any rum or brandy for a good week or longer
• Preheat your oven to 180*C / 160*C Fan / 350*F / gas mark 4
• First off, prepare your cake tin and grease with butter. Then line the base with greaseproof paper
• Zest the orange and lemon
• Combine in a large saucepan: butter, fruit, sugar, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, bicarbonate of soda, water and zest of lemon/orange
• Now darlings, bring to the boil for a couple of minutes – be careful not to scald oneself! Stir and combine the ingredients with a wooden spoon, then leave to cool down for ten minutes or so
• Add the eggs, one at a time to the slightly cooled mixture, and beat well with a wooden spoon – How exhilarating!
• Sift the plain and self-raising flour, then add to the saucepan and mix well
• Okey dokey, if you fancy a rather moist cake, then squeeze the juice of half an orange into the mixture and give it another jolly good stir!
• ​With a steady hand pour into the prepared cake tin – there's a good darling!
• Now, the following instruction will stop the sides of the cake tin from becoming too hot, thus burning your cake. So, please fold the sheets of newspaper (2 at a time) in half, then half again. Wrap the folded paper around the tin. Tie with string
• Place on the middle shelf and bake for approximately 1 hr to 1.5 hrs – depending on your oven. To protect your cake from browning too quickly on top, cover half-way through with a sheet of foil
• Your cake is ready when it’s firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean. When cool turn out onto a wire rack

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