Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2008!

The end of 2007 was interesting (forever known as the year the Arts Council announced a massive cull of arts organisations - guess who's company was one of them?) and the year when hopefully, I became a bit more centred and made some resolutions like....

• Save some dosh (got to get that artisan deli/bakery open somehow)
• Eat some fish
• Eat more veg
• BLOG MORE!!!

...............and there is a very, very small resolution to try and strim some of my books - yikes!

As you can imagine there was a lot of eating and scoffing as well as time spent pottering in the kitchen and entertaining. I made sausage rolls for the first time but noway as good as my Mum's.

So I suspect I best get on with blogging properly eh? Rememeber that Marguerite Patten recipe I promised in my last entry? Lovely and retro, perfect for loads of fun in 2008 - here it is; enjoy!

Nut and Pineapple Upside Down Cake

5oz Butter/Margarine
5oz Sugar
2 Eggs
6oz SR Flour (or plain flour and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder)
3 tablespoons of Milk (I used cocomut milk - it works great)
2oz Butter
2oz Brown Sugar
Vanilla essence
Fresh Pinapple slices
Glace Cherries
Pecans

Cream together the butter and sugar until soft and light.

Whisk the eggs well and beat gradually into the butter mixture. Sieve the flour (with baking powder if using) into the mix and add a few drops of vanilla essence and the milk. Fold in gently (so you don't knock out all that lovely air).

Melt the butter with the sugar in a 8 inch cake pan (I have to say when I made this the mix came right up the pan so a tray underneath is a good idea).

Pop in the pineapple slices, nuts and cherries in a pattern. Top with the sponge mixture and bake in a moderate oven, gas 3-4, I think I used 150c (fan oven you see, always a good idea to pop in a small bowl of water to create a steamy atmosphere). Put it in for an hour or until a skewer comes out clean.

This tastes great and is fantastic as a dessert or with aftrenoon tea. Yum!