Enid Blyton Cookbook Advertised

[Rob Houghton]

I think an old-fashioned traditional trifle doesn't have jelly in it - I've had a few like that - but I much prefer the jelly variety!

When I ate chocolate many years ago, by mom used to make a delicious 'black forest' trifle - with chocolate Swiss roll, raspberry blancmange, jelly (not sure which flavour but maybe black current) and a tin of black cherries, and of course fresh cream piped on the top. It used to taste really good!

[Courtenay]

I've just bought a copy of Five Go Feasting for Mum's birthday — a smaller book than I expected, but that's all to the better when you're posting it to Australia. The illustrations are very much in the spirit of Eileen Soper and the book is lots of fun, with plenty of quotes from the books and snippets of info about the era the Five lived in and the kinds of foods that were popular and why. Some of the ingredients do seem a little too modern — I have my doubts about the availability of paprika and chorizo in 1950s Britain — but as that's in the chicken stew based on Mrs Alfredo's in Five Have a Wonderful Time, which originally included hare and hedgehog, I think we can forgive the cookbook version for being a little inauthentic...

Anyway, it's a delightful little book and I'd happily recommend it to other Enid Blyton fans who love cookbooks and the Famous Five, as my mum does. Well, I don't expect her to try all the recipes in it, but some of them would be worth a go and others are at least good for a laugh. (I've written a Happy Birthday note in the book and advised Mum to go easy on the tongue and potted meat (p. 21 and 33 respectively). )

[Anita Bensoussane]

A great present! Let us know if your mum makes any of the recipes, Courtenay.

[Courtenay]

I will! I'll be seeing her (and the rest of my family) in August, so while I'm at home I might even pick up the book and try one or two recipes myself...

[Courtenay]

Just by way of an update, Mum received Five Go Feasting today in the post and she's delighted with it! I'll let you all know if she does try any of the recipes.