Going Dutch

Four days away with three friends visiting three destinations in Holland. The trip was organised for we art lovers who also, it turns out, appreciate floral arrangements and enjoy food. I was the lone vegetarian and was anxious to try Dutch food.

My main courses consisted of a satisfying omelette brunch, a Greek version of Melanzane parmigiana and Italian pasta and pizza. Not very Dutch I agree. However, in one typically Dutch restaurant I enjoyed an appetiser of cheese with mustard, a main course of vegetables with croquettes and a dessert of apple tart which were all delicious. For snacks we had Patatje oorlog which are potato fries with a mayonnaise based dip. 

It would seem the Dutch are fond of all things sweet and the hotels and restaurants were generous with their cakes and sweetie bowls.

Breakfast in one hotel brought back childhood memories. In 1970 our family stayed with friends in Holland. Bear in mind this was in the days before Nutella had hit our shores and chocolate for breakfast seemed outrageous. My eight year old eyes had popped out on stalks to witness Hans, Annette and Diane sprinkling their morning bread with Hagelslag (chocolate sprinkles). Naturally my sister and I had joined in, luxuriating in the decadence of such a sweet treat at breakfast. Trying it again in 2017 was almost as much fun.

We also ate Stroopwafel which is a thin waffle filled with a sweet, sticky syrup. These are available back in the UK and my son has taught me to balance one on top of my steaming cup of tea until it's soft and pliable. Just watch out it doesn't fall in though!

Mums know best!

Today is Mothering Sunday in the UK when we show our appreciation and affection to our mums.

For most of us, memories are often associated with shared meals with our loved ones. I remember my mum's baking more than her cooking. I would return from school to the smell of a cooling tray of buns, ginger cake, cold tea fruit cake, rock buns or freshly baked bread. In the holidays my sister and I would help her bake and take it in turns to scrape the bowl out and eat the yummy raw cake mix.

Her meals would be the standard fare of the time - meat and two veg, a fry-up or a casserole. We always had a pudding or a slice of cake to follow. A couple of savoury treats stick in my mind; mashed potato with crisps crumbled on top (bizarrely potato with potato topping) and a salad side dish of shredded lettuce, onions, sugar and vinegar.

I grew up in the 1960s/70s and remember slightly space age food like Kellogs Rise and Shine, an orange powder which, when mixed with water, became a breakfast orange juice. Another memory is of saving the top of the milk for a few days and then whipping it to use as cream on desserts. One favourite pudding was a fruit crumble. Every September the whole family would go blackberry picking. Mum would then bottle the fruit so that we had a ready supply throughout the winter months. Once, whilst eating a blackberry and apple crumble I felt something crunch in my mouth - urgh - a snail shell! How it had escaped the picking and processing I'm not quite sure but, luckily, it was before I became a vegetarian!

Another favourite memory is of a holiday to the continent in 1970. Most time was spent in Germany where my dad tried to teach mum a few native words. My parents have always been fond of a cuppa and cake so we often frequented die konditorei. Mum walked in and in her best german called out auf wiedersehen (goodbye!) whilst dad raised his eyebrows and my sister and I giggled delightedly. On the same trip we stayed with Dutch friends who sprinkled chocolate vermicelli on their morning bread which seemed the height of decadence.

My family are fond of saying "do you remember when ..." and off we go down Memory Lane. Today, let's raise a toast to mums everywhere for making memories.