My Comfort Foods; Food That Preserve’s A Memory
I have a love for food, I’m that girl who does a little dance when she’s eating, that girl that can go from angry to happy with one bite of yummy goodness. But one of my favourite things about food, other than the taste, is how it creates memories, it creates moments and I love how food can preserve memories like a little jar of jam or chutney.
Family, as many of you know, means everything to me. When I was 12 years old, my nanny passed away. I had a great bond with my nanny and she was a feeder ‘haha’, but there are a few certain foods and meals that just mean more that food to me.
When I stayed over at my Nan’s she would make me a bowl of Spaghetti hoops with bread and butter, cut up in to triangles for lunch. It was such a simple little dish that I love. After school I would go round to Nan’s and she would always have a cup of tea and cheese on Jacobs crackers ready waiting for me, a little after school snack. Finally my favourite childhood desert when I had dinner at my nan’s was a good old Jubbly. She had a freezer full of them in the cupboard under the stairs. My favourite flavour was the blackcurrant and they were so sweet, if anyone doesn’t know what Jubbly’s are its basically they are a triangle shape ice lolly. Then there is my nannie's perfect autumn/winter dish. My nanny made the best stew ever!! She would always make it the day before so that it slow cooked for a full day before serving. The aroma was intoxicating! When we finally ate it she always made enough for seconds, sometimes even thirds. Sadly it's the one homemade dish she never got the chance to put in her recipe book before she passed away. And still to this day my sister tries to prefect it and every-time she makes it she gets closer and closer to perfecting the dish.
Me and my Dad also share a few food combos that are just too good. I remember when my dad made me an ice cream float it was so nice; All you do is fill a cup or glass half way with Vanilla ice cream and then add either: Pepsi max, Coke, Dr Pepper, Lemonade or Cream soda for me personally I like: Pepsi max, Dr Pepper or Lemonade it's a sweet, simple, cold and refreshing treat. Then our number one savoury treat is Cheese, crackers and chutney aka the 3 C’s. As you now already know I’ve always loved cheese and crackers. but as I’ve grown up my taste buds have matured and when my dad introduced me to chutney I was sold! I didn’t think that cheese on crackers could get any better but it did. My 2 fav chutneys would be apple chutney and Mango chutney and always enjoy using my creative side by creating a cheeseboard on occasions.
From childhood to adulthood one of my best family dishes for me is a Sunday roast. My family has a busy, always on the go life but when a Sunday roast is on the menu, we all gather round the table filling our bellies with the best roast dinner. My mum never fails to make a delicious roast and no I’m not being biased, because no one makes a home made roast like a mum does. After eating, everyone is in a ‘food coma’ which leads to a Sunday nap ‘haha’. The one thing I do miss, that we no longer have since my nan passed, is her home made Yorkshire pudding. She would make them from scratch and they were rectangular in shape and its tasted amazing. I also thinks thats why Yorkshire puddings are my fav part of a roast dinner.
As a child my mum told me I really enjoyed the rusks biscuits and let me be clear they are not just for children so yes to this day I still have them with a glass of milk and they are delicious. Everyone had and even still has their little when I’m ill routine and ever since I was younger when I got unwell I loved to snuggle up on the sofa In my duvet watching Disney movies with my big Disney cup filled with Tomato soup, soup when I am well just hits differently.
Then there is my food for occasions around Easter. I enjoy a cream egg and a bag of mini eggs. Fireworks night is all about roasting marshmallows and melted chocolate. Halloween is the classic bag of sweets collected from my neighbours, but now I’m older and don’t go trick or treating, my niece and nephews share with me theirs when they get back and Christmas and New Years Eve is all about after eights after Christmas dinner, a lint chocolate bear in my Christmas stocking and a cheese board, as we already established the 3 C’s a dinner party must have.
Like I said Food is more that just taste when you really think about it, And I bet as you're reading this your thinking about your own food preserved memories?
