Comments on: definitely not ‘French bashing’

By: Melanie

Melanie — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 14:37:44 +0000

That cracked me up…I couldn’t live without my sticky-roller-thingy. Good to hear you will now experience the full life-span of yours.

I have been reading your blog for a while now and enjoying it very much. I am a single mom as well, and my daughter’s father lives in the same building as we do, so we have that in common. It works out really well for us too. I also lived in Paris for a year in the early 90′s as an au pair, so your blog really hits home with me!

Hope you guys had a great Christmas.

By: kiara

kiara — Fri, 23 Dec 2005 20:29:11 +0000

In my familly, the main course during Christmas eve diner has always been a “chapon”, which is a kind of chicken to whom you cut the genitals and it’s supposed to be fatter and therefore tastier… alternative to the turkey or truly traditional main course, i have no idea though…
(and i didn’tknow about the sticky loo roll’s layers, so thank you !!)

By: cheria

cheria — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 10:39:40 +0000

I agree with Curiosa. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of French bashing. They do it to us. I lived in London with my French ex for two years and all his friends bashed the Brits very hard. But it is all fun and goo dhumour. Otherwise we wouldn’t be living here in sunny Paris.

By: Miss Lisa

Miss Lisa — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 00:39:27 +0000

Merry Christmas to all, the mince pies look awesome, I’m making some tonight and they will be very much of the Nigella Lawson type :) though I must admit I kidna like the carmelised chewy overflowing bits too ….

Have a very blessed Christmas all, and best wishes for a fantastic 2006! For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere have a fun white (or at least cool) Christmas … we’re looking at 30degrees C on the day, so it will be a very typical Aussie Christmas in Sydney!

By: Helen in beautiful Bath

Helen in beautiful Bath — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 21:17:12 +0000

Hazy, I am awe-struck. Thank you for the lovely recipe, one day I hope I will be organised enough in late November to remember to use it.

Brain of Britain – a great cheat for stopping that horrible mincemeat oozing out of the lid thing, is to not make a conventional lid, but to just put a little pastry star on the top instead (Domestic Goddess Nigella Lawson’s idea), so you can see the mincemeat around the edge. This gives the mincemeat space to gently expand during cooking but it won’t spill over the sides. They look cute too, sprinkled with icing sugar. So you just need to buy a little star cutter, about 5cm across, which I guess you can get in most countries.

Writing comments in blogs about mince pies – much more fun than actually getting on with all the pre-Xmas chores…

By: fella

fella — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 20:43:26 +0000

Hazy – that sounds like a great recipe….. but how do you manage to have the self-control to ‘not’ drink the cognac so that you have some available to make the mince pies?

By: Clara

Clara — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 20:09:17 +0000

OHMIGOD! I didn’t know that the (loo)roll had layers! I had given up on it years ago, in favour of a rubber brush, because it doesn’t quite have enough de-fuzzing strength in the face of a long-haired Birman cat (white) on my black clothes. Now I’ll have to go take a look at these loo-rolls and search of layers. Thanks.

By: crumpet2001

crumpet2001 — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 19:26:32 +0000

reminds me of Terrible Incident with a Christmas mince pie in England. I thought mince meant “meat” but it turns out, it does not. Quel horror!

By: Leslie

Leslie — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 19:20:15 +0000

Happy Christmas to you and Tadpole, Petite! Hope Pere Noel is generous.

By: Joana

Joana — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 18:14:17 +0000

God, yes! Of course you were! To think of the waste of “sticky toilet roll on a stick” thingies, to use your own words… ;))