Several months ago I watched several episodes of a show made in Britain called “Inside the Factory”. It’s pretty interesting mostly because the host, Gregg Wallace has an infectious excitement. The format has him following the manufacturing process of whatever item is showcased that week. There are a couple of other actors who did other bit parts but Gregg is the main draw.
One of the episodes featured the Cherry Bakewell, which is a popular treat in the UK and Australia. It is a pastry base, filled with a layer of raspberry jam, then a layer of frangipane (almond-flavored custard), then a layer of almond-flavored fondant icing and topped with half of a glace cherry (yes, that’s the only cherry involved). They come six to a package and are the kind of thing you might put in your kid’s lunchbox or serve as an after-school treat.
Of course, after seeing the show I searched a bit to see if I could find Cherry Bakewells in the US. It wasn’t a productive search and I gave up pretty quickly. I’ve found the recipe online but it’s a little putzy so I haven’t attempted it yet.
Then I found out that YA would be going to Dublin for two weeks for work. I still have contact with someone in Dublin who works for the DMC (destination management company) that BIW uses and I suggested to YA that I would ask my friend for a favor in finding Cherry Bakewells in Dublin for me. YA wasn’t crazy about this but then I found out the client has brought in a different DMC for their program, so I let the project slide and then forgot about it.
Imagine my surprise when a few days after YA returned from Dublin, I found two boxes of Cherry Bakewells in the fridge. Apparently the little pastries are not commonly found in Ireland but a more thorough internet search had turned them up here. A late birthday gift.
I’ve been spreading out my enjoyment of the little tarts, so I actually have a couple left. And while I am enjoying them, it’s not earth-shattering delight and I doubt I’ll ever order them again (the shipping probably cost more than the bakewells). Maybe someday I’ll try whipping up a batch to see how they compare freshly made. Maybe not. But it’s been fun to try them and fun that YA remembered.
What kinds of things were in YOUR lunchbox as a kid?
Trail Baboon 
Q: “Do you like Kipling?”
A: “I don’t know. I’ve never kippled.”
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Ha ha!!
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Rise and Shine Baboons,
What lunch box? I never had one. I walked home for lunch in elementary school. For the very few occasions I needed a lunch, it was contained n a recycled brown bag. If I had made cookies there would be two of those in a lunch I packed for myself.
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PB&Js, An apple, orange, or banana. Maybe some Fritos corn chips. Possibly a cookie or a brownie.
The coolest thing about bringing lunch from home was getting a new lunch box every year or two. I think I had a Jetson’s lunch box for a year or two. Then some other cartoon character model. But I mostly ate school lunch, so bag lunches weren’t too common.
Chris in Owatonna
**BSP** Downtown Thursday—Final edition—Tomorrow night here in beautiful, blessedly cooled-down Owatonna. Starts at 5:00, goes until 9:00 with music in the park. Most of the vendors (ME!) hangout on Cedar until at least 8:00. But it’ll be getting dark by then. *gasp* Our first time doing this in September.
Lots of food, good music all evening on two stages, fun for the kids, dozens of vendors on North Cedar (100-300 blocks). Come down and check out our new Italian restaurant, Roma, too. It just opened a few weeks ago. Authentic, classic Italian favorites (I hear—haven’t tried it yet). Adult beverages will be available from several vendors. **End BSP**
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Blissfully cool here, as well. Aaaahhhhh.
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It was 43° yesterday morning.
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Except for kindergarten I don’t think I broughta packed lunch from home. I always took school lunch. School lunches offered some distinct highs and lows, along with some pressure from lunchroom monitors to eat what was on your tray. I guess those who brown bagged it escaped those pressures.
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Anytime I needed a lunch, such as for school class trips or vacation Bible school I got bologna with butter on mushy white bread and either grapes and apples.
Grandson informed me that at his school, everyone has to take a fruit or veggie when they go through the lunch line, but they don’t have to eat them. He is fed lots of veggies at home, so it is no big deal for him.
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Like Jacque, I walked home for lunch, or later had the school lunches. I do remember our school picnic at the end of maybe first grade, where we walked – in pairs – to a park by the lake (Storm Lake). I don’t recall the container, but I don’t think it was a paper bag. Mom had made a peanut butter jelly sandwich and there was some kind of fruit.
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Cut up apples and carrots. Raisins. Maybe a bologna sandwich (yuck). My mom was into healthy foods. PB&Js were very limited.
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I went to a very small parochial school, so we never had school lunch. I brought a sandwich (spam spread or summer sausage, PB would get too soggy), fruit (apple, pear, or grapes), a small container of raisins or nuts, and homemade bars or cookies. And hot instant tea in my thermos, never milk. I struggled so much with mornings that I needed to be caffeinated even in grade school, but the instant coffee my parents drank was too nasty, and pop was expensive, therefore tea (although IDK why instant instead of teabags, probably because she was so used to Folgers Crystals).
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My parents drank gallons of that instant powdered tea. I did not like it.
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A strange fact for you: Bakewells get their name from the town of Bakewell not from anything to do with baking. I find them cloying, at least the ones in Canada. Not a jelly and jam fan especially when baked. The English like that sort of thing.
Clyde
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Anyone remember on “As Time Goes By”, Lionel would always be wanting a Custard Tarte? I wonder if this is what he was thinking of…
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I loved that show
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For most of my childhood I had school lunch. In fact, it was a school lunch that killed powdered milk at our house. We used to drink powdered milk all the time until I went to first grade and got “real” milk at school. According to my mother, I then refused to drink the powdered milk at home any longer.
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I never had a lunch box. Occasionally, a paperbag but mostly home or school lunch.
My “favorite” Marylin Manson “song”.
And, yes, I have punished myself induging in his act.
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Yikes!
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I remember having one of those metal lunchboxes. I believe it had images of luggage stickers of various European cities. A couple of years later there were a lot of trendy lunch boxes available with bands on them, like the Monkees or Herman’s Hermits, but mine was a bit older than that.
I think I had cheese sandwiches, made with farmer cheese with caraway seeds. Also hard boiled eggs. And apples.
I also remember getting a thermos at some point. It was a small squat thermos meant for keeping soup warm. Tomato soup.
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We used bread bags for book bags.
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fritos was the highlight
pbj chips apple and fritos maybe rice crispy bar or peanut butt cookie and that great school milk carton
good for ya
how nice
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