Food in the books!

The books! Over seven hundred of them and still counting...
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Paul Austin
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Re: Food in the books!

Post by Paul Austin »

talk of rationing always reminds me of that scene from the Simpsons where Homer and co. are lost at sea and Homer wants to waste their precious water supply on washing his socks because they feel dirty!
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IceMaiden
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Re: Food in the books!

Post by IceMaiden »

Enid's descriptions of foods in her books make me want to go out and instantly buy it myself! Even stuff I don't really normally like (except tinned tongue, which now I've found out what it actually is, makes my stomach churn at the thought of it :x ) such as lettuce and ham sound exciting and enticing when she mentions them.

Her puddings and cakes are even more moreish, I remember desperately wanting some macaroons after reading about them in the find outers and begging my mum to get some. She did, and they were every bit as good as they'd sounded, but I don't think they were the same thing as Fatty and co had. These were like a big biscuit dipped in chocolate, with a coconut filling to make them soft in the inside and chewy on the outside, whereas the find outers were described as very gooey and seem more meringue like. They actually sound something quite fancy, more like japs than plain coconut macaroons. The only other type of macaroon I'm aware of is those things that look like tiny colourful Fox's creams biscuits and taste like rice paper and they weren't those.
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Food in the books!

Post by Rob Houghton »

The only macaroons I've ever tasted are ones like this -

Image

8)
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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John Pickup
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Re: Food in the books!

Post by John Pickup »

There was a great big slab of tongue sat on the shelf in the supermarket delicatessen yesterday selling at £1.49 per quarter. I was nearly tempted.
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Courtenay
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Re: Food in the books!

Post by Courtenay »

Ah, but it's only authentic Blyton if it's tinned. :mrgreen: (Now I'm sure someone who knows the books better than I do will find us some passage where they actually eat fresh tongue!! :P )
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Re: Food in the books!

Post by Daisy »

I have eaten it many years ago and remember it being quite tasty. I think it was from a tin, but am not 100% sure.
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Food in the books!

Post by Rob Houghton »

I remember when I was about 7 being at a friend's birthday party. I was eating tongue sandwiches, and enjoying them, not knowing what I was eating...but as soon as my friend's mother asked me if I wanted 'another tongue sandwich' I felt like I had eaten poison, and have never eaten tongue since!! :lol:
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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KEVP
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Re: Food in the books!

Post by KEVP »

I think there is a difference between a "macaroon" and a "macaron".

I am also noticing that people seem to enjoy eating tongue until someone tells them what it is.
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Courtenay
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Re: Food in the books!

Post by Courtenay »

Robert Houghton wrote:I remember when I was about 7 being at a friend's birthday party. I was eating tongue sandwiches, and enjoying them, not knowing what I was eating...but as soon as my friend's mother asked me if I wanted 'another tongue sandwich' I felt like I had eaten poison, and have never eaten tongue since!! :lol:
Bit like the story my dad tells of an auntie of his who made these most delicious meat patties. He used to eat them with gusto every time he visited, until his auntie said of him to another visitor, "Oh, young Don just loves my brain patties!" I don't think he had quite the same appetite for them after that... :P
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It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
Maria Elena
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Re: Food in the books!

Post by Maria Elena »

Robert Houghton wrote:The only macaroons I've ever tasted are ones like this -

Image

8)
I love that type!
I always loved how Enid Blyton portrayed food in her books. It is really interesting, as it helps to give a sense of place.
The descriptions are wonderful! :D
The point is not that I don't recognise bad people when I see them — I grant you I may quite well be taken in by them — the point is that I know a good person when I see one.
Enid Blyton, The Rubadub Mystery (Barney Mysteries, #4)
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Food in the books!

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

I've put up the recipe for traditional almond macaroons before, but here it is again. We've made them many times. The recipe is quick and easy and makes about 12 macaroons:

2 egg whites
a few drops of almond essence
150 g/5 oz ground almonds
150 g/5 oz caster sugar
sheets of rice paper
glacé cherries (cut in half) to decorate

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C/Gas Mark 4. Whisk the egg whites till frothy, add the almond essence, ground almonds and sugar, and mix. This should be enough for about 12 macaroons. Put spoonfuls of the mixture on to rice paper on a baking tray, leaving a reasonable gap between the macaroons because they spread out while cooking. Decorate each one with half a glacé cherry. Bake for about 20 mins. Allow to cool before cutting around the rice paper.

(My daughter was unable to get rice paper a couple of times, so she used ordinary greaseproof baking paper and found that the macaroons peeled off it okay.)
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Eddie Muir
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Re: Food in the books!

Post by Eddie Muir »

Yummy! Thanks for posting the recipe, Anita. :D
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IceMaiden
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Re: Food in the books!

Post by IceMaiden »

Robert Houghton wrote:The only macaroons I've ever tasted are ones like this -

Image

8)
Those are delicious, I have to really force myself not to eat more than one at once!
KEVP wrote:I think there is a difference between a "macaroon" and a "macaron".

I am also noticing that people seem to enjoy eating tongue until someone tells them what it is.
I think this is a macaron:

Image

They seem to be called macaroons though, which gets confusing. I wanted to try one for so long and when I finally did, they were horrible! Awful texture and really, really sweet :( . Don't know why they're so popular, their not as nice as they look, and their not a patch on proper macaroons.

You could be on to something there, the idea of what something is putting you off eating it. I remember my mum telling me when she was young she saw her dad making a stew and asked him what it was as it looked nice. When he replied "rabbit stew" she was horrified and refused to eat it, prefering to go to bed without any tea.

Thanks for posting that recipe Anita, I'm going to get some ground almonds and try it out :) . Maybe there should be a 'Enid Blyton style cake recipes' thread, though I bet the faraway tree ones would be a tad tricky :lol: .
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I'm just an old fashioned girl with an old fashioned mind
Not sophisticated, I'm the sweet and simple kind
I want an old fashioned house, with an old fashioned fence
And A̶n̶ ̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶f̶a̶s̶h̶i̶o̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶m̶i̶l̶l̶i̶o̶n̶a̶i̶r̶e̶
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Food in the books!

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

We've got a thread on recipes and another on Faraway Tree recipes, though I don't think anyone has managed to replicate the Faraway Tree delicacies exactly: :lol:

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/foru ... es#p104586" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/foru ... it=recipes" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I sometimes used to make coconut macaroons similar to the Mrs. Crimble's ones, but I've made the almond macaroons more often.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Nair Snehalatha
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Re: Food in the books!

Post by Nair Snehalatha »

All the food in Enid Blytons books are lovely-- just reading it makes me so hungry.
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