It was a lazy Sunday
morning. I glided downstairs after arising late and writing in my
journal and my nose was met by a pleasant waft of parfum de warm
fluffy pancake, travelling in the opposite direction. Mini-Me was in
the kitchen, pouring thick American pancake batter into the
heart-shaped mould I had bought from Lidl a couple of weeks earlier.
A stack of flattened, golden clouds lay on a plate that was teetering
off the edge of the worktop.
“Mmm... those look
yummy” I remarked appreciatively, shoving the plate back from the
precipice and switching the kettle on. And they really did look
delicious.
“Good morning Mummy!
My pancakes have come out really well! Go on, have one!” Mini-me
beamed. I picked one up, broke it into two and stuffed one half in my
gob. It was the lightest, steamiest, cakey morceau. I had ever
tasted. So soft, sweet and...
“Bleaurgh!! Um... did
you use a teaspoon or a tablespoon for the salt?”
Crestfallen, she
realised her mistake. “Never mind,” I assured her. “It's a
learning experience. That won't happen again because you will make
super special effort to read the recipe next time. Anyway, the
texture is fantastic. And they are still quite nice really,” I
said, stuffing the other half in my mouth and fearing the immediate
onset of salt-induced hypertension.
Mini-Me is eager to
widen her repertoire in the kitchen and it is of course up to me to
help her do so. Finding the time is not easy when there is piano,
flute, singing practice, electric guitar-jamming and homework to
attend to; to be honest, it is just easier to get on with it and
produce a miracle meal all by myself which, I know, is the wrong
attitude. Sometimes I do delegate and she's quite a good sous chef,
adept at chopping and preparing ingredients for me, washing rice and
kneading dough for the dodgy chapatis I turn out. It is definitely
time to let her get on with it. Aside from everything ending up on
the floor (why is it kids always let things teeter off the edge) only
good things will come of this, maybe even a Cordon Bleu standard
dinner.
The bloke who launched
Leon, the worthy food chain (upstairs in Brent Cross, it's
quite nice) is responsible for www.cook5.co.uk,
a campaign that aims to make sure that every 16 year old is equipped
with 5 fail-safe recipes that they can cook, unaided. I'm sure
Mini-Me will have no trouble with any of the recipes listed helpfully
by age on the website because she has been been raised on a healthy,
televisual diet of Come Dine with Me and
we have recently graduated to The Taste. Yes,
shockingly fruity language, but whatever. The combination of Nigella,
the horribly arrogant Ludo and Ross's dad from Friends! (-
seriously, just ask the google about Tony Bourdain and Elliot Gould-)
makes for compulsive viewing.
Anyway, Cook5 run a
monthly competition where your mini-you can upload pictures of what
they've cooked and compete for cash prizes (ker-ching!) for their
school and themselves. It says so on the website: “To celebrate
your hard work, every person who cooks all five dishes will
automatically be entered into a grand prize draw at the end of 2014,
with one winner receiving £5,000 plus “ blah blah... not
really interested in the rest. They had me at five grand. Mini-Me now
knows what she will be doing to pass the time in the next set of
school holidays because I have my eye on a Kitchen Aid 4 litre
Artisan Food Mixer in Almond White which is currently listed on
Selfridges' website at £389. She can think of it as an investment in
her own future. After all, it will all be hers in the end...
Have I inspired you to
nudge your own mini-you into the kitchen - metaphorically, of course?
Why not try one of the below:
Sheetal Karia (one of
my talented Sing and Sign mummies from years ago, in fact) runs Kiddi
Cook classes in Stanmore, Radlett, Watford and surrounding areas for
kids from 2 to 11 years old. Call 07821 920 166 or email
sheetal@kiddycook.co.uk
Cinnamon Square Bakery
in Rickmansworth are finalists of The British Cookery School Awards
2013 and they run children's baking workshops from their 400 year old
Grade II listed shop during school holidays. Visit
www.cinnamonsquare.com
or call 01923 778353 for details.
More from the edge at
mynotesfromtheedge.blogspot.com. Follow on twitter @appleina.
Angelina runs Sing and
Sign award-winning baby signing classes in Harrow, Bushey and
Rickmansworth. www.singandsign.com.
You can also follow @AngeSingandSign on Twitter
