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School Party

Di.Poppitt

Di.Poppitt

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
I don't think I ever knew why we had a school party, and I don't think it was at Christmas. The preparations went on for weeks, first we had to decide who would bring what type of food. Mothers had a reputation to keep up, and mine was favoured for her trifles, and she pulled out all the stops:

Sponge in the bottom, well soaked in fruit juice. I had the job of cutting the block of jelly into squares before it was covered with boiling water and left to set on the back window ledge. Then I squished it down into a pulp to pile on top of the sponge. Next the tin of fruit was added, and the kind depended on what was in the family box of goodies that an aunt majically conjoured up. And finally pink blancmange was poured over the top. There was no cream, it would be years before I discovered its delight.

The sandwiches were pretty awful, fish paste, jam and if we were lucky somebody would bring cheese, or there could be egg and cress. Everbody grew cress on the kitchen windowsill.

There were alway two or three jellies, sometimes there was a tin of condensed milk to pour over the top, and some wonderful mom would bake fairy cakes and put a glace cherry on top.

It wasn't a banquet, but with rationing in full flow it took a bit of ingenuity to produce, and as kids we loved every minute of it.
 
All i can remember about Christmas partys is choas and the fact that you had to take your own spoon and dish with your name on :lol: mine was written on to plaster and stuck on to the dish and spoon :lol:
 
Yes Pam, and there would have been trouble if you went home without them, or heaven forbid if the dish was broken, I never took my eyes off it.
 
blancmange

:D Di I haven't had 'Pink Blank-mang' blancmange for years, we always had it at parties, never even seen it in the shops here.
It was one of my favourites as long as it was not at school dinners when you could always taste the powder in it.
Other food I liked as long as it was not at school were Semolina pud with jam on the top and Bakewell tart 8) not had any of those for years either, althoughI do remember others on another thread saying that they hated all three :( .
One of the main pud’s here in NZ is Pavlova (not sure about the spelling –but can’t be fagged looking it up right now).
There's a real art to making a good 'Pav', my M.I.l and one of my friends make really nice ones 8).
When I arrived here in NZ I was inundated with recipes and advice on how to make the best kind of ‘Pav’ needless to say they all had a different idea on how this should be achieved and after tasting M.I.L’s I thought better of trying to compete and have never made one all the time I’ve been here (but don’t let any Kiwis know that as I would be excommunicated or worse). :) :)
 
Spam,spam,spam,spam

Went to a new Morrisons store yesterday and actually got a quarter of a lb. [no decimal rubbish here] of spam. It was lovely with pickle, home grown toms and a slice of cheese. Haven't had spam since the early 1950's. What an exciting life I do lead :roll: Let's have your address Pom and I'll send you a packet of pink blancmanc.
 
I like to occasionally buy Plumrose chopped ham with pork it reminds me of when mum used to pack my school sandwiches :lol:
 
Pom I use corn flour, with a drop of cochineal to colour it, for my pink blancmange, I still make the odd trifle. Pavlova is one of the big favourites in our house. When I was young and out to impress :wink: I would finish off a dinner party in style with the pav, and the recipe always went home with the gals.
 
My husband loathes jelly,what is the matter with him. Never to enjoy the delights of Jelly with pink blancmange,unthinkable.
Also a bowl of custard with banana slices.
 
:D I'll say he has and so have most Kiwi's (Sorry to keep on about NZ... :oops: )
as jelly here comes in packets of crystals a little like Kylie.
Thanx for the offer Grace 8) but If Di is willing to give some idea of the amounts of Corn flour and other ingredients she uses I will have a go at making my own first and if it's a flop on my part then...
:wink:
 
memories better than reality?

I send an old school pal of mine a box of stuff, that she couldnt get in Canada - she'd emigrated out there 25+yrs ago

The food didnt live up to expectations BUT the PINK windolene did! :lol:
 
I'm not a great measurer Pom, but a pint of milk with a couple of tablespoons of cornflour, a good table spoon of sugar, and two drops of cochineal which I add last of all when the cooking is done. I simmer it for about five minutes to get rid of the powdery taste of the cornflour, stirring all the time. That should give you a nice blancmange. :D
 
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