Cooking for Easter was the theme of today’s meeting. We looked at healthy fish cakes, savoury tartlets, hot cross buns and Simnel cake.

The healthy NHS Fish Cakes got good feedback they are quick and easy to make, although it was thought adding fresh herbs would have made them even better.

Next on to the Savoury tartlets all agreed the pastry was excellent, different filling were discussed one being Slimmers World Corned Beef Quiche.

Hot cross buns were next, people who had made these were disappointed with their results, however there was no need to be, although they looked different to shop bought ones they tasted better.  After discussion it was agreed that due to the time and expense involved this is one recipe we would not be recommending.

Next onto the show piece the Simnel cake,  eat your heart out Mary Berry,  this was out of this world and we would all recommend this recipe. Go to Waitrose site and look under recipes and Simnel cake

We discussed making ginger beer in the future, and we had a look at warming and cooling foods, if you are interested have a look at  How to determine your body type

Our next meeting is on Friday 19th April, this has been re-arranged from 18th April as there are other events being held by U3A on that day, so after checking our busy diaries we have found the 19th suits, the theme will be soups.

At our second meeting on 14/3/13 we discussed how successful (or not) our making of soda bread had been.  On the whole individuals had been successful although in some cases the birds did get some extra crumbs.  It was good to discuss different method/recipes used.   Then on to the highlight of the meeting, homemade pasta and sauce, which received a resounding thumbs up.  Our thanks to Eileen who did all the prep work and Denis who supplied the recipes.

Easter is the theme for our next meeting on 28th March, when we will sample hot cross buns, simnel cake and savoury delights made by some of our members.

Themes we would like to cover in the future include: Chinese, Japanese, Tapas, Pizza, Canopies, Cakes, Soufflés, Cheese, Desserts, Fish, Left over’s, Potatoes, Vegetarian/Glutton free, Energy/health, Flapjacks, Summer pudding,  Economy, Gadgets, outdoor eating.

Paul Hollywood’s recipe for soda bread  discussed at our first meeting.  Recipes will be added on a monthly basis.

The new group which has a good mix of original and fairly new members have met and as you can see now has a new name. The group will meet twice a month, the last Thursday in the month and another date to be agreed by the group. Because of other commitments not all members can make all meetings but everyone will try and attend as many sessions as possible. We will meet at 10-12pm at 57 Deyes Lane.
We looked at what each person wants to get from the group, a question which we will regularly revisit to make sure we are meeting the needs of individuals in the group. What most people wanted is inspiration and some new ideas, whether cooking for one, or hosting a dinner party or family gathering.
Our first challenge is to cook soda bread using Paul Hollywood’s recipe and report back to the group. For most people in the group this is the first time they have made soda bread. To carry on this theme we are having a go at making pasta at the next session, which we think will be a good fun team building activity, and will top this off with sauces to go with the pasta at the following session.
We briefly looked at ways to save money by bulk buying, which we will incorporate in future themes, Chinese being an example. Having an expert like Denis is a real asset. He has already provided us with a list of essential ingredients needed to cook Chinese. I think a Chinese banquet could well be on the menu in the future and I am sure with Denis’s guidance we as a group can achieve that.