COOKING can be seen as a science as you need to be exact with the measurements and you have to be spot on with the time.
You can be an accomplished novice but to be a great cook you need what can be described as the ‘magic touch’ but how do you achieve this magic?
Your should be directed to the Somerset sensation called Miss Windsor.
The Somerset lass who has her home county at heart, wants to encourage people to get the taste for baking and cooking by recreating recipes from the past including those by her Grandmother, Josephine and reading the books from the world famous cook, Mrs Beeton.
The cake is rising on Miss Windsor’s profile as she revamped and re-launched her website and blog in April.
As she states on her website: “I’m a bit of a West-Country lass at heart; born and bred within the most splendorous snippet of Somerset, England, and raised to appreciate the very best of traditional local fayre.
“But as I’m swept back to my childhood days of ‘food glorious food’, a warm sense of nostalgia pervades my mind – Oh, what a heavenly feeling!
“You see darlings, as a ‘nipper’ I wasn’t at all fond of meat, nor vegetables really, yet I developed a bit of a ‘sweet tooth’ instead!
“Oh, and I must say, what a real treat to see Grandmother Josie’s sweet creations flick through my ‘costard’ like a camera reel of images - Summer Pudding, Gooseberry Tart, Boiled Fruit Cake - to name, but a few.
“Oh, and let’s not forget about that token packet of Birds Angel Delight (butterscotch flavour!) – to be, of course, gobbled from a cut-glass ice-cream bowl.”
Miss Windsor started on her cookery path when she was a young girl living in Weston-Super-Mare and then in Clevedon.
She was brought up by her grandmother Josephine and her mother, Jacqueline.
Her grandmother, was a brilliant pastry maker who made fantastic summer puddings and gooseberry tarts.
When she died, she took her recipes with her as she never wrote any of them down and Miss Windsor never asked if she could have them.
She has been able to recreate her grandmother’s baked fruit cake and an approximation of her summer pudding but as she herself said: “There is something missing which I cannot put my finger on”.
As an excellent cake maker/ cook, Miss Windsor said: “Cooking can be an exact science but you do need the ‘magic touch’.
“This means not being too heavy handed with your ingredients. Do not use too much flour or it will be too thick or not too much liquid as will be too runny and your mixture will not set or will curdle.
“There are a number of chain reactions which need to be considered.
“If you do it well and take your time then it will all be worthwhile.
“I made a Christmas pudding which followed Mrs Beeton’s recipe, I did add a few things myself but spent 4-5 hours steaming it.
“What was great was I had made it myself from scratch and I knew what was in it and it was worth the effort.”
As a keen cook, Miss Windsor hopes budding cooks take a leaf out of here cookery book and take the time to prepare meals from scratch as those meals will be far healthier than convenience food.
Miss Windsor felt food was like fashion as what went around goes around.
In other words what was out of foodie fashion eventually comes back into vogue.
Through her website and writing Miss Windsor wants you to enjoy: “Oodles of fun and frolics on an nostalgic jaunt down memory lane.”
She wants to go back to her Somerset roots and be faithful to the memory of her grandmother who inspired her interest and love of cooking and baking.
Describing her style of writing and her persona, Miss Windsor said: “It is light entertainment and it is me talking about every day life.
"It is bringing food history alive and theatre to your table.
"I adore baking and I want to trip down memory lane where you’ll bump into my grandmother Josie and Mrs Beeton, a point of reference for all those budding food historians and baking enthusiasts, a place to share my love of vintage crockery and kitchenalia - especially my beloved Brown Betty teapots! and most importantly my website showcases my elaborate writing style which I hope will bring me opportunities to write commissioned articles for various publications”
On Miss Windsor’s website you can read about her recipes like Miss Windsor’s celebration cake; Miss Windsor’s blackberry and apple crumble (glutenfree/vegan); Miss Windsor’s cinnamon lime jelly; Miss Windsor’s chocolate rum truffles and Miss Windsor’s pink and spicy gooseberry fool.
There are also a number of reviews by Miss Windsor such as Miles Berry Berry Loose Leaf Tea, plus cocktail recipe made of this tea and Newton House Gin from Yeovil - a summery taste of the West-Country.
Miss Windsor’s website at misswindsor.uk; her Twitter @ misswindsoruk; Instagram misswindsoruk and Facebook @ misswindsoruk
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