I’m going to treat my family to the jewel in the crown of retro-tastic puds: an Arctic Roll.
Oh the joy. The taste of my childhood, along with Rise And Shine powdered orange drink and watching The Partridge Family on TV.
But now there’s strawberry meringue ice cream with extra cookie pieces and triple chocolate glory toppings, what possible appeal for the basic vanilla, thin jam and dry sponge? Will I be humiliated?
If you liked it, EVER, or have another childhood goody to share so I won’t feel so alone, do let me know!
butterscotch instant whip.
Mmmmm… remember it very well indeed.
Would Mary Plain like it, d’you think?
Chocolate angel delight…..
Oh yes! Meant to leave it to set, but never could wait that long…
Strawberries with top of the milk!!
Oh YUM – that actually sounds proper nice! Then there was Carnation milk, and condensed milk… it’s all rather becoming a feast fit for bears again!
Does top of the milk even exist any more? It even sounds happy…
It sounds like ‘top of the morning’ to me: very happy-making! If it was the creamy bit at the top of a bottle of whole milk, it isn’t quite so nice. Let’s not think about that.
Yes, that’s just what it was. The bit the birds used to peck through the foil to drink. Blimey, at times like this I feel like I was born in another century. Oh, hang on a minute…
My mum also used to make something called Chocolina, which was basically semolina with cocoa powered added to it. In my memory it is the most delicious thing ever, but tried making it for the family a while back (once I’d sourced the elusive semolina) and they were seriously underwhelmed.
Yes we’re all SO last century!
I really like the sound of Chocolina – love all those comfort flavours – so I’m inviting myself round to be seriously overwhelmed…
white bread with butter and sugar sprinkled on….
YES. That was one of my absolute favourites – and I’d completely forgotten. So cheap! (so wholesome…)
Ask your mother if she remembers ‘accident on the mountain’ and ‘Mersey mud’. According to my mum (admittedly a little younger than yours, so at school post-war) they were staple fare at West Kirby Grammar School. The former was rice pudding or tapioca with a blob of jam on top, while the latter was some kind of unidentifiable chocolate sludge.
I will have to call her up this very minute to ask her! Did I know your mum was a West Kirby gel too?? What a brilliant coincidence.
How typical of young Liverpudlians to name their puds so well. The former was my dad’s favourite in all the world, the latter – hmmm, it could go either way…
I think I told you about the West Kirby connection a very long time ago – not surprised if you’ve forgotten! Yes, they went to the same school, and my mum is very proud of the fact! But she wasn’t born until 1941, by which time your mother had no doubt long been gone from West Kirby.
You did, I DO remember. We mustn’t dwell on how much older my Mum is than yours, or our own comparative ages will be highlighted for all to see…
Something we called “Frog Spawn” at school, but I’m reliably informed was tapioca. Usually with a slash of red ‘jam’ stirred into it.
Also reliably informed that I didn’t imagine ice cream at school coming in little sections of waxed cardboard that made them look like loo rolls!
Oh yes, I remember Frog Spawn AND loo roll ice cream – it’s all so vivid isn’t it? Also chocolate sponge with the merest suggestion of thin patchy icing.
And as for the first course: the luke-warm plum tomato in a puddle of water would reduce me to tears every time.