Trollope gets a mention

The weather was lovely today, so I sat outside in my little back yard with a Trollope novel and a refreshing glass of Limonada - spiked with a little gin. Bliss.

I am about half way through Barchester Towers - the second in the Barchester Chronicles - which was written in 1857. Like all of his novels it has a slight plot. Instead he concentrates on how individuals deal with the situations they are put in: following their thoughts, motivations and doubts in a way that feels fresh and relevant today.

You can find out more about Trollope from the Trollope Society's web site on www.trollopesociety.org.

Now the Limonada recipe comes from Cooking the Mexican Way by Lourdes Nichols - one of those Sainsbury cook books from the 1980s. Basically, you put a quartered fresh lemon in a blender goblet with a pint of water and 7oz of sugar (actually I used 4.5 oz of fructose to reduce the calorie content) and whizz until a smooth mush. You then strain this through a sieve into a very large jug. Then finally you pour another pint of water through the sieve to extract even more lemony zing, making over two pints of delicious, cloudy lemonade. Simple! It is delicious with lots of ice, a few mint leaves and (ideally) a slug of gin.

More next week.

A note for Mad Middle Aged Bat. .. I have to say I am not much of a Yorkship pudding maker these days (too fatty), but when I do make it I swear by Delia Smith's recipe from the complete cookery course. And I always use olive oil in the patty tins.

Have a lovely week!

Lucia