I seem to have fallen in love with shopping and browsing in our counties numerous and very different vintage and antique shops, much to my husband’s annoyance. I love kitchenalia, anything food related from the 1950’s, cottage rose Pyrex and every cookbook going from early 1900’s to the mid 80’s. These shops are thankfully all full to the brim of so much history, lots of treasures mixed in sometimes with a little tat but never forgetting the musky smell of days gone by.

Virtually on my doorstep I have a shop of said treasures named ‘Click Antiques & Vintage’. I tend to pop in and say hello to the lovely team once a week and generally leave armed with a small collection of goodies. Now one of my most recent finds was a box of recipe cards from 1972, still new, complete and in its box….. I instantly fell love.  I was and am still elated because my mum still has a similar set. The recipes that we grew up with from cheese puff slices to jam cushions, chocolate eclairs made with lard and various steamed puddings. Mum would never part with her box of recipe cards, hence my excitement now that I have my own set. 

I sat on the living room floor and was showing my daughter Chiara some of the recipes, she has in turn pulled out a few recipes for us to cook together, very 70’s style!

Back in time when my sister and I were small mum would ask ‘What shall we make for pudding tonight? We would often sing in our standard acapella tone ‘Chocolate sponge and custard please mamma’! Drool at the thought…… If mum is every feeling generous and asks me on a Sunday ‘What shall we have for pudding she will still hear me sing out exactly the same but with the voices of my 4 children as backing singers. A family favourite through and through.

Now back in the 80’s mum would make said pudding and following the instructions to the tee, this would include steaming the pudding for 2.5 hours! I know what you’re thinking and my mum would often think the same too, that’s a ridiculous length of time to cook a mere sponge pudding. Many years passed and along with confidence came the use of the big microwave.  No longer just a tool to reheat pasta, beans or ready break but now she was using it to quick cook our most favourite pudding. The 2.5 hours were soon squeezed down to a fantastically delicious 7 microwave minutes which meant we could have it more often that twice a month or so.

So taking you back to the mid 80’s with my still go to chocolate sponge pudding and simple custard recipe. Enjoy x

100g margarine

100g caster sugar

5 tbsp. cocoa powder

2 tbsp. hot water

2 large eggs

105g self-raising flour

250ml milk

1 tbsp. cornflour

25g granulated sugar

For sponge pudding.

Cream the margarine and sugar until fluffy.

Blend 4 tbsp. cocoa powder with hot water until creamy and add to the creamed margarine.

Add in the eggs and flour, mix in and add 2 tbsp. of milk to loosen.

Butter a clean 1.5 pint Pyrex bowl and pour in the mixture.

Place in the microwave for 6 to 7 minutes (on full power)

To make the custard.

Blend the remaining cocoa with the cornflour and granulated sugar.

Bring the milk to a simmer and whisk in the powdered mixture and stir until thickened.

 

Easy, quick and simply joyous!