In Retrospect

^{Click to enlarge}

Fragile Beauty - V&A South Kensington
_{Closes Sunday, 5 January 2025}

^{Click to enlarge}

As I get rid of so many books I'm flicking through and finding recipes I may want to try. I found this which took me right back to my first memorable visit to Bestbrook and we ate confit garlic that you had made Craig. I like the introduction of curd cheese and thought it could be a whipped feta or something with a smidgen of tahini in it.

^{Click to enlarge}

Left: Mam would have plenty of other sweet treats on hand, of course, some of which made up my first feature in Woman and Home magazine in 1988, or maybe it was '89! It was titled Country Fare.

Right: This is the Primus stove Mam used in her back kitchen at Forest Lodge Stannersburn to make Lou’s Dainties and Tilly’s Fudge.

^{Click to enlarge}

This Vanity Fair mag from 1963 when I started studying fashion Here is the wonderful Grace Coddington as a just starting out on her modelling career ...up from Wales. She is still such an amazing women ...exited American Vogue of course but still making trends.

Aquafaba meringues made for Kitty who can’t eat eggs. She was blown away I must say they were the best version I’ve managed so far because I spent more time whisking. They took a while to cook and crisped up more when cooled.

I used 125ml drained from a 400g can of chick peas. I whisked with an electric hand whisk for around 9 mins until very stiff (although stiff isn’t a great description as its such ethereal foam) It won't destroy the texture if you keep beating as egg white protein does.

Then 125g white caster sugar (I will use golden next time) Add a heaped tablespoon at a time whisking to a stiffness (now the appropriate word) until strong patterns form. Use quickly having prepped your trays before hand then sticking down the paper with some mixture from the whisks before forming into blobs the size you fancy.

It begins to loose volume very fast but I didn’t try re whisking I just managed a fast turn around. Into a fan oven 110C then turned up to 130C after 1 hour They seemed to take an age to enable me to gently lift off the tray. When placed on a wire rack they hardened dramatically.

^{Click to enlarge}