pudding boy

I was bought up in the late sixties/seventies when pudding was a piece of fruit or plain yogurt with wheatgerm and honey and very very occasionally my dad would ask for either a treacle tart or a lemon meringue pie and I do remember the occasional home-made trifle but these were very rare occasions, and the tarts were never home-made, my mum had a fear of baking and still does to an extent, which she passed on to me. 

I was led to believe that it was all a bit special and that you needed special things to do it and that it was difficult and a faff.........well you do and it is, but as I have discovered in my 17 years of marriage to "pudding boy" it does get easier and I've found that I can whip up a sponge in no time, bake a cake using two bits of wood and turn out some pretty impressive desserts from the kitchen from hell and the condemable oven, all it really takes is passion and a desire to make someone happy (and some homegrown, fresh ingredients), just to see the look on their face when you show them what you have done and then to listen to them enjoy it and be soooo grateful. The only problem is, that as any good chef knows you have to taste the stuff you are making, you know, for quality control purposes and improvements/modifications, and since I got back four weeks ago, I've cooked all this and more......and am getting FAT

Pear and almond tart

 served with a dollop of maple syrup and greek yogurt

Lemon surprise 

and there's the surprise, lemony custard underneath a very delicate sponge

chocolate covered lemon drizzle cake, tasting remarkably like a lemon jaffa cake

and the last of the summer puddings