Sunday

We are due down to Mum's tomorrow taking lunch with us.  I am not sure she appreciates that this means I spend most of the day today getting things ready.  Mum has never, in all the years she has lived where she lives now, used the oven.  She used to have two combi microwaves and did all her cooking in them.  One of them died so she now only has the one and I am not even sure that this one reaches the temperatures it is supposed to.  I have to take just about everything down with me cooked ready to be reheated although I am ok if I want to use the hob except that mum's pans are few and far between and gave up being non-stick a lifetime ago!!! 

This week I decided to make Hunter's Chicken because she does say that no-one makes it as good as I do (no pressure there then) and I got some carrots and green beans and then John had seen a recipe on tintyweb for the ultimate potato gratin which I agreed to make although it took forever!!!!  At the bottom of the dish is a luxury cheesy mash and on the top are scallops of potato with cheesy buttery topping.  I have no idea how this will reheat but it did look and smell amazing when it was fresh out of the oven.

I suddenly realised I hadn't thought about a pudding.  That is because I don't generally 'do' puddings but mum, despite her declarations about being a diabetic, eats a pudding on a Sunday with relish and lashings and lashings of fresh cream!!!!  I didn't want to have to go shopping so I was reduced to scouring the cupboards for inspiration.  I had some pears which I poached with some ginger and the remainder of the mango puree that Laura had been adding to her Prosecco for a Bellini.  To go with it I made something which was new to me - Grammie's Cornflake Pudding!  John viewed it with some suspicion but we did try a bit once cooked and cooled and it was actually very nice and not dissimilar to the texture of the Cypriot Orange Cake I make.  I had followed the recipe so I could see what the natural flavour was going to be and it is quite delicate so will go well with the slightly sharp fruit mixture.

The Mighty Blades put in the worst performance we have ever had the misfortune to witness this evening.  So much so that at 3-0 down to Bournemouth at home with a performance akin to Fred Karno's Circus we switched off meaning we did miss the Ollie McBurnie consolation goal (whoopie-doo).  We tuned in to the new BBC black comedy/drama called Boat Story - two episodes in I can confirm it is both violent and bonkers - we shall be watching more!!!