The Enid Blyton Mince Pie Challenge!

[pete9012S]

8.Exciting Time for the Secret Seven

Everyone nodded. “Hurray, an adventure before we go back to school!” shouted Jack, happily. “Right, so we’ll make some plans,” said Peter, with a wide grin and taking charge again. “And we’ll eat those lovely looking mince pies as we do.”

They each tucked into the mince pies and waited for their leader to speak. “We’ve already said that the map looks like a road, with either houses along each side, or warehouses.

I'm currently re-reading this excellent continuation novel by Julie and it has a fantastic seventeen mince pie references - superb!

[pete9012S]

9.Mystery Of The Secret Room:

Christmas came so quickly, and there was so much to do that Fatty had no time to teach the Find-Outers any of the things he had learnt. The postman came continually to the three homes, and cards soon stood everywhere. Parcels were hidden away, Mince-pies were made. Large turkeys hung in the larders.
“I do love Christmas,”said Bets a hundred times a day. “I wonder what I shall get on Christmas morning. I do hope I get a new doll. I’d like one that opens and shuts its eyes properly. I’ve only got one doll that does that, and her eyes always stick shut. Then I have to shake her hard, and I’m sure she thinks I’m cross with her.”
“Baby!”said Pip. “Fancy still wanting dolls! I bet you won’t get one.”
To Bets’great disappointment there was no doll for her in her Christmas parcels.

Bad news chums,
I'm running low on Enid Blyton mince pie references now - it may be unlikely that we will reach our goal of twenty.
Time to read all the new Christmas short story collections to see if we've missed any!

[pete9012S]

Aha! Here's another:

10. The Mystery Of Tally-Ho Cottage:

Thank you, sir, said Fatty modestly. May I suggest, sir, that as it's rather cold, we all go to my shed and celebrate there? I know our cook's making mince-pies today, sir, and I've got a few things I'd like to show you - a new set of false teeth, sir, and a gadget to make large ears, and…"
The Chief roared. "Large ears! Why don't you invent something in the way of large brains, Frederick - and hand a few out to poor old Goon?"
"That's an idea, sir!"said Fatty grinning, and off they all went, Ern too. What a morning!
We can't follow them, alas! The shed door is shut and there is a fine smell of mince-pies on the air. Hey, Fatty, don't wait too long for another mystery, will you!

Not a bad scene to bow out on and who knows, a few recalcitrant, straggler mince pies may show up between now and Xmas - sorry, CHRISTMAS Nigel!

[Anita Bensoussane]

11. The Enchanted Table:

What parties the Snips gave! Roasted chickens, legs of pork, suet puddings, mince pies, apple tarts, sugar biscuits, six different sorts of cheese - everything was there and nobody ever went short.

[pete9012S]

A great addition from Anita - I thought there would be lots more, but the Blyton pie reserves are running low!

12....

[KEVP]

My Mum used to say we should eat mince pies on each of the 12 days of Christmas. One mince pie on the first day, two on the second, and so on, until we eat 12 on the 12th day of Christmas. Did anyone else have this custom?

[Anita Bensoussane]

No - I've never done that, KEVP. Twelve standard-sized mince pies in one day would be a lot!

12. Six Cousins Again:

"I bet Dorcas does wonders!" he [Roddy] thought. "I bet there'll be the biggest plum pudding in the world, and the finest mince-pies. Gosh, it will be grand!"

[Courtenay]

My Mum used to say we should eat mince pies on each of the 12 days of Christmas. One mince pie on the first day, two on the second, and so on, until we eat 12 on the 12th day of Christmas. Did anyone else have this custom?

Sounds like an indulgent variation on the Christmas carol!

[pete9012S]

...

13.Santa's Workshop [Whiskers for the Cat]
Story: Christmas Treats / Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories No. 366, Nov 2 1945

In the nursery all the toys were getting ready for Christmas. The doll's house dolls were making paper chains and the wind-up sailor was making mince pies.
Even Panda was helping to make decorations, and he had only arrived in the nursery three weeks before - a present from the children's Aunt Jane.

[Lenoir]

Too early for mince pies. What about some parkin to go with the Secret Seven Fireworks!

[pete9012S]

Sadly, I cannot find even one reference to parkin in Enid Blyton's books - anybody else ever come across one?

On another note, my wife has just allowed me to have one of the box of six mince pies I bought her!

[pete9012S]

The Best All-Butter Mince Pies, £2 for 6, Morrisons..

Anyone had a mince pie yet?

My Wife and I discussed this last night and she said we could buy some at the weekend.
(Well it is the 1st November!!!)

With every supermarket and bakery claiming that their version is the most delicious, figuring out which box to buy can be tricky, but according to BBC Good Food, there’s one supermarket brand that should be top of your list this Christmas: Morrisons’ Best All-Butter Mince Pies.

https://www.you.co.uk/best-supermarket-mince-pies-2019/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[floragord]

It's that time of year again ! Unfortunately I detest mince pies, but make a couple of dozen and freeze them to offer to those in the household and visitors who insist they're the only thing to have with a coffee or sherry over the next few weeks - mine's a sagey sausage roll

[Courtenay]

I prefer Bramley apple pies myself.

[Daisy]

The Best All-Butter Mince Pies, £2 for 6, Morrisons..

Anyone had a mince pie yet?

My Wife and I discussed this last night and she said we could buy some at the weekend.
(Well it is the 1st November!!!)

With every supermarket and bakery claiming that their version is the most delicious, figuring out which box to buy can be tricky, but according to BBC Good Food, there’s one supermarket brand that should be top of your list this Christmas: Morrisons’ Best All-Butter Mince Pies.

https://www.you.co.uk/best-supermarket-mince-pies-2019/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Those look really very good! My mother used to make ours herself and she would add cooked apple to the mince mix. This made the mince less strongly flavoured and it went further too!