Confession 1
I have a severe case of pantry jealousy. I want Nigella Lawson’s pantry. I am sure on the most stress filled days sitting in there surrounded by such foodie delight would calm my soul. I am the kind of woman who panics if there isn’t a plethora of tins in my pantry. I have been known to go out and buy a couple of tins of beans and tomatoes just so there’s something in my pantry. Yeah, it’s weird, I know.
Confession 2
I have a couple of foods I struggle to cook, I will maybe confess others in future but for now I will just tell you that Yorkshire Pudding and I are not good friends. I want to be able to cook it well, I love eating it and my Dad makes gorgeous yorkshire pudding but nope, up until today my efforts have been pretty poor. Some just haven’t risen at all and others have half-heartedly popped their head above the tin.
Success!!!
And now onto the Success. I made Nigella Lawson’s version of Toad in the Hole and it worked, it worked, it worked. Now, Toad in the hole is not actually an amphibian cooked in anything. No frogs or toads were harmed in the making of my evening meal. No, toad in the hole is what we Brits call Yorkshire pudding with sausages in it. So now you know.
I’ve tried several different recipes and today I just happened to have my Nigella Kitchen book to hand, I looked and there was a recipe for toad in the hole. I decided to give it a go. Nigella is the mother of several of my staple recipes and so I trusted her to lead me well. And she did, oh she did.
So thank you Nigella Lawson. You’ve helped my conquer my fear of Yorkshire Pudding and helped me bake a good’un that the family gobbled up eagerly, not a scrap left at the end!
I too have coveted Nigella’s larder/pantry/food store. A veritable Aladdin’s Cave of culinary delight.
Well done on the toad in the hole, there really is nothing to beat it on a cold, damp autumn/winter day…..or any day, come to that. In a previous incarnation as mother of two healthy, hungry, growing lads, it was one of my most successful and popular meals. Since moving on from a gas cooker to electric (I mourn and yearn for a gas oven), I am now unable to cook yorkshire’s in a recognisable and acceptable state, so I cheat and use frozen ones. I know, I know, but………..
You have persuaded me to have another go.
Oh, and for another incarnation of yorkshire puds, when I was a kiddling, and pennies were tight, my mum would use yorkshire pud batter and put raisins and sultanas in it, and cook it for pud. Dessert pud that is. We greadily ate it smothered in smooth, yummy custard. One day I’ll try that as well.
Happy cooking Vicky.
Ooooh, dessert yorkshire pud, now that sounds like a plan! Thanks so much for your comment. This recipe really rises, it’s the first one I’ve managed to get to work well at all!
And toad in the hole is one of those really conforting meals that just make you feel loved when you eat it, definitely.