Do you have a favourite recipe that was handed down to you by a parent or grandparent?

[Ken Natton]

What is the point in chopping and smashing up the raw carrot and swede? I mean, the roughly chopped pieces will cook anyway, by the time the pulses are cooked - and then you blend it in any case.

Well, the short answer would be because that's the way my mum taught me to do it. That's a little bit of a Nuremburg defence, I know. I suppose the concern is that sometimes you miss a bit in that final blend and you are just trying to ensure that there are no unintentional big chunks in the final soup. And it just seems to work when I am filling the big pot at the start. As I am sure you are aware, you need to add a little water to the raw veg to get them to blitz properly, and it is always a mistake to try to blitz too much at once. By the time I have finished adding the veg, the amount of liquid is about right. I always light the ring under the stock as I start the ingredient prep (again always a good idea to make the stock the day before) and by the time I have finished, it is all not so far from coming to the boil, when I can cover it, turn it down to a simmer and go and do something else... As I said, my grandmother is probably fidgeting in her grave as I speak...

 

[Cinisajoy]

Oh I was thinking you were getting the carrot drunk first.
And if your grandmother was anything like mine: she would be thinking I wish they had this gadget much sooner.

 

[LadyBelle]

I so wish I did! My mother and grandmother are rubbish cooks, both make a nice roast but not "from scratch cooks". I think it must be absolutely lovely to have recipes handed down.

 

[Elawin]

My Mum used to make the most delicious bread pudding but, even though I followed her handwritten recipe to the letter, I've never been able to recreate it.

 

[Herbie]

I just stumbled across this old thread.

My mum taught me to cook mainly english, but some dishes from other parts of the UK, , so I know a lot of her (some my grandmother's) recipes. Casseroles, pies, roasts, teatime treats - scones, Welsh cakes, muffins, crumpets, jams and marmalade, chutney... So many things.

I also have several Portuguese recipes from my husband's mum and grandmother. (Squid stew, custard tarts, soups, cakes, cod akes, prawn rissoles. etc.) And I have my mother in law's hand written recipes (some in English and some in Portuguese).

I've also learnt recipes from friends from other parts of the world - China, Jamaica, Pakistan, Mauritius. I love to learn from home cooks.