Mrs Appleby writes from A Dales Kitchen
Reproduced from the original Dalesman pages, first published in 1956.
Most people love a picnic except, perhaps, those who have to take a packed lunch to work each day. Their biggest grumble is that the lunches become monotonous, and it is difficult to “ring the changes.” In these days of sliced bread it is easier to use quite new bread for sandwiches, and do include brown or wholemeal bread for variety.
For the sandwich fillings, foods mashed up to a paste will stay between bread better than foods which are only sliced. It can be very embarrassing to remove the entire sandwich filling in the first bite.
Here are some sandwich filling ideas:
- Corned beef goes further if flaked and mixed with sweet chutney-2 level dessertspoons to 2 ozs of beef.
- Add a dash of Worcester sauce and chopped parsley if available.
- Pilchards or other tinned fish mashed with a little vinegar or salad dressing and pepper.
- Beef dripping flavoured with meat extract.
- Flake up some cooked, smoked haddock and mix with tomato pulp.
- Mix three tablespoonsful of grated cheese with a teaspoonful of anchovy essence and one teaspoonful of vinegar
A change from sandwiches is to take bread and butter and a piece of something such as cheese, a whole tomato or a hard boiled egg. A bacon and egg pie made and left in a small deep tin should carry satisfactorily. Make use of washable polythene bags for wrapping. They are attractive, hygienic and save trouble.
Tea does not improve when carried to a picnic site in a thermos flask. It is better to choose coffee. Flasks are also useful for keeping things cool such as lemonade or ice cream (in special wide-topped flasks). Fruit set in jelly will carry in waxed cartons.
The campaign continues for “drink more milk.” Milk is, at all times, a good food, but more so at this time of year when the cows eat fresh green grass and they are outside in the open air.
Youngsters occasionally suddenly develop a dislike for milk. In this case introduce it in a varied form. A touch of pink colouring will sometimes disguise it. Make a milk jelly for tea. Dissolve the jelly cubes in a small amount of hot water and allow to cool. Make up to the required amount of liquid with milk, adding it gradually and stirring all the time. If the milk is added whilst the mixture is hot it will curdle and look speckled, but this will not spoil the taste.
If you like something spicy, here is a good hot pudding. It is called Dutch Apple Cake.
- Mix together one breakfast cup of self-raising flour, two level teaspoonsful of baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Work in an ounce of margarine or lard with the fingers and mix in by degrees a third of a teacup of milk.
- Spread this an inch thick in a greased shallow baking tin.
- Peel and core some apples and cut into slices.
- Press the thin edge of these into the top of the cake, and sprinkle the top with sugar mixed with cinnamon.
- Bake for about thirty minutes in a moderate oven, until the cake is brown and the apples are soft.
- It is best eaten hot with custard
Last month I mentioned custard tarts. Why not make savoury custards ( with or without the pastry) using the same proportions of two eggs to a pint of milk? Use salt and pepper instead of sugar and include cheese or cooked cauliflower or fish. Decorate the top with slices of tomato and strips of pastry (if used). A little grated cheese sprinkled on top will turn golden brown in the cooking. Serve hot or cold and garnish with parsley or cress.
