Wednesday 17 November 2010

Home Baking

I have an acquaintance who is exactly the same age as me - but we couldn't be more poles apart. When I talk about what I have cooked or baked, she almost smirks! I can tell that she thinks I'm some sad old, mad old lady who's ready for a Shackletons high chair and a blue rinse!

Her standard reply when I bake is "but you can buy that in Morrisons!". Her hubby argues often with her about how much she spends.

My Yorkshire Parkin is baked using my old school cookery book recipe. It fills the house with the most gorgeous aroma of ginger. The recipe says to leave it a week to go sticky - it never makes it past the next day.
My Apple and Blackberry crumble is made with berries that hubby and I picked on a late summers day and froze. We "scrumped" the apples from a tree that was on the old colliery site. They are very sweet eating apples, a really old variety and so tasty. The berries and the apples are free. So for a few pence I am able to make the most scrumptious crumble to warm our cockles on a winters eve.

(If you look very closely, one apple has the worlds tiniest snail on it! It didn't make it into the crumble! Hows that for organic! )




And when hubby walks in from work, and can see that Ive made the effort to make him his favourite pudding, the smile on his face is priceless.
Now you don't get that shopping in Morrisons, and we never argue about how much I spend.

35 comments:

cieldequimper said...

I'd choose home baked over bought any day unless someone brings me a Pierre Hermé cake. This looks so scrumptious, no wonder it never makes it to a whole week!

Anne said...

Oh yummy, yummy,I'm drooling. Home baked is fantastic, I love it and as you say, the baking smells are divine.
That being said, the other day I bought some fruit cake and some biscuits because I wasn't in the frame of mind where I could tackle baking. Wow, you can sure taste the difference.
Enjoy,
Anne xx

JuanitaTortilla said...

Oh, the homebaker's pride is priceless :)

This is the first I've heard of a Yorkshire Parkin, and it's love at first sight for me. To hear you say it has a gingery smell, that just sounds delightful, and I bet it wouldn't stay alive for 2 days in my household as well.

Lovely bakes!

Lynne said...

I'm with you Diane. There's nothing better than home baking and cooking. It tastes so superior to shop bought. I still use my school recipe book too. I've been making ginger cake over the past few weeks but I must replenish my supplies of syrup and treacle. Nothing can beat home made cakes.

Kathy said...

I couldn't agree more ...I love home baking. It gives me pleasure doing it, and more pleasure when everyone enjoys what I've made.
Nothing shopbought tastes as nice!
Keep baking!!!!
Love Kathy xxx

Vintage Tea Time said...

That parkin looks yummy. I used to do masses of home baking - used to bake and sell at a WI market years ago. Now I don't do much as I have a real problem with lack of control re eating it!!

Mrs Bent said...

Homebaking is loving, frugal, tasty, E number free & a lot less calories. And I've has Morrison's apple pie & it looks nothing like yours :)

Happy Baking

WinnibriggsHouse said...

We Are home made lovers too, especially the crumble. I have loads of apple and blackberries in my freezer now. Your Parkin looks delicious, any chance of the recipe? Pretty please!!

Rosie said...

Mmm - they look delicious - another fan of homebaked here! So much better without all the additives of shop bought and far tastier too:)

menopausalmusing said...

A woman after my own heart...... :O)))))

mooncalf said...

You're the second person to mention that 'leave parkin for a week' theory to me recently. I'd never heard of such a thing. The will power!

The parkin I made on Saturday has already been eaten...

andamento said...

I'm with you - home baking is always better than shop bought, though at least we have the choice - I'm glad I can buy tea biscuits!

Ellouise88 said...

I agree with you completely. I'm sure some people just have no taste buds! I bake when I'm happy, I bake when I'm sad, I bake for friends (those that appreciate it!), I bake for charity stalls and suchlike; I don't think a day goes by without the oven going on for something. I honestly don't know what some people do with their time! Shame you're so far away, we could have a proper teatime together!

Diane said...

Some people were somehow brought up to think that home made was second best for people that couldn't afford to buy. I've always baked and cooked, though, and am very rarely treated with derision for it. In fact, I'm often informed that x, y and z will be coming to tea. :o) You can't beat the taste of home baking and if there was more than one of me I'd be baking bread the whole time too. Fresh bread doesn't keep very well so I need lots of eager mouths to help me eat it every day ... or I get very fat indeed.

Living the frugal life in France said...

I quite agree with you. The only shop bought sweet thing I have bought in 3 mths is digestive biscuits that they have had in Lidl and they are such a treat I can't resist.
Can you post the recipe for the parkin. MOH loves anything with ginger and I have never made parkin before
Sue

love those cupcakes said...

Would you like to adopt me????

Jill said...

I much prefer to back and cook than buy, so much better. It's her loss, maybe your colleague can't cook !!

Hugs RosieP xx

Diane said...

We shope the same way! Best made in the kitchen. Diane

Rowan said...

Can't think why she smirks - she and her family are the ones losing out! I'm just about tomake the Christmas cake so the house will smell wonderful in an hour or two - you don't get that in Morrisons or any other supermarket or shop!!

Ray+Joan said...

save me a slice of parkin please

Val said...

I think Parkin needs a special timelocked tin...you know one where you pop it in and it locks only to spring open a week later... (but then how long would that last with tin openers? lol)

noelle said...

would love your parkin recipe Diane! I'm the same love to homebake. Your post reminded me of my Mum being completely horrified when a friend came for tea and ate her homemade cake and commented ' its almost as good as shop bought' , how rude!!! x x

BadPenny said...

Jess has become a good pudding & cake maker - I prefer to cook the savoury stuff so between us both we do OK !

A garden just outside Venice said...

As all the ladies before me have already said, the taste of homemade food is priceless..ah, Mr Darcy would really appreciate your home baking, I'm pretty sure! :)
xxxxxxxxxx

BusyLizzie said...

Too right! I am with you on this. Tomorrow is apple crumble day.. the apples are picked and ready.... Lizzie

harmony and rosie said...

You're so right, the satisfaction of making your own is huge - plus you know exactly what goes in it and the ingredient list is a LOT smaller than shop stuff. You tell her Diane !!

Jennyff said...

I'm on your side. I have a neighbour who constantly tells me how much money she's spent on the best cuts of meat, I just nod my head and think there's something missing in her life.

Sandies' Patch said...

Parkin! Love it!
There was a folk group in the seventies called, 'Fivepenny Piece' and they sang a song about parkin!

Sandie xx

Deb from WhatsInMyAttic said...

You really are an inspiration! I love berries in anything baked...looks so yummy!

Petit Filoux said...

She should take a leaf out of your book that's what i say! What a silly old woman! I just can never understand people who'd rather buy buy buy everything instead of trying to make it themselves - so much more satisfying!

driftwood said...

I heard this in the playground yesterday - a little boy was telling his mum that his friends had bought cakes in their packed lunches, and asked if he could have one. she replied that bought cakes aren't made with love like his were, and he gave her a hug and skipped off to play.
priceless.
so you're right, homemade is best x

JuliaB said...

I could say something extremely rude about the Morrisons woman, but I shall be a lady instead and refrain ... :)

sea-blue-sky & abstracts said...

Quite right Diane! Everything looks delicious - and homemade is so much more satisfying in every way. x

lazylol said...

anything baked by hand is far better than shop bought :)

Lisa said...

If that's the result of ebing mad and sad, bring it on!
Silly woman, deoesn't know what she's missing.
Lisa x