I remember the smell of freshly baked queen cakes and apple tarts hitting me at the back door of my nana Betty’s house in Paupish.
This is one of the aromas I associate with my happy childhood.
Nana Betty cut the tops off the fluffy buns made with free range eggs collected from her hens in the yard next door. The tops were halved and turned into wings, smothered with homemade jam and a dollop of cream and we called them “butterfly buns”.
Drinking the tea
Her tea was always better than what we had anywhere else because she made it with real tea leaves, and water from the spring.
Back to the old ways
While the pandemic has caused many families hardship and stress, there is also a lovely upside for some in that we are reverting to our old ways. We may not have the free range eggs, or fresh spring water… but the smell of queen cakes, chocolate eclairs, sponge cakes and soda breads is wafting through many homes in Carlow and Kilkenny over the past few weeks. This was evident when we started a little on-air competition last week called the “Great KCLR Bake-Off” with Newhaven Kitchens. We weren’t expecting the flood of texts with glorious pictures and videos of all the tasty Easter creations.
Baking skills
We are connecting with our children by showing them skills like baking. Instead of taking out the flour stained giant baking book, we tend to google these recipes on our iPhones and convert the ounces to cup measures for handiness. Whatever way people are doing it, isn’t it wonderful to spend time with our families in the kitchen.
There is security, comfort and warmth in the kitchen and this is where we are all making memories.
I thought I’d share some of the amazing images we received in recent days to show you the great work that’s happening in kitchens everywhere.
