A nostalgic summer menu that Grandma would be proud of
This is a menu my grandparents would be proud of. My grandfather was a great tomato grower and the ones he grew were called Moneymaker. As a young lad I thought that was the only variety – apart from tinned plum tomatoes. The smell when the greenhouse door opened is still in my mind. He would have loved his tomatoes blended up to make the chilled soup I share here.
To follow, a rump of lamb is a good-value cut compared to a rack or saddle and is extremely adaptable, especially for individual portions or if there are just two of you eating. It’s also very straightforward to cook. If you grow peas, sugar snaps or mangetout, the tendrils make a great addition to this dish.
My gran was a good domestic cook – there were no frills or fancy stuff but she would make great traditional cakes. They sat on the fake-gold trolley in the sitting room for us to snack on.
Cream horns were a speciality for teatime, and because she made them I’d always assumed they were a classic British creation but they actually originate from Vienna (and have been adopted by bakers around the world – in Pittsburgh, cream horns are called Lady Locks or clothespin cookies).
I’d not made cream horns for donkey’s years but came across my gran’s moulds when going through stuff in my storage unit. They are put to good use here, on a menu that’s filled with nostalgia.
