Thank you to all who braved the cold January morning to celebrate our Burns morning. Outstanding singing and it was great to see a few new faces. Cakes and biscuits were very well received, many thanks to our bakers. Stuart Green was brilliant as ever and Kelly Austin  got us all waving arms and wiggling feet, all in all the entertainment was great fun. Please visit our FaceBook page to view a few videos from the morning www.facebook.com/OverMemoryCafe/.  For lunch we served 27, feedback received was amazing, Bambi was a triumph. Great work in the kitchen, testament to girl power A few weeks rest until our next Café and Lunch Club,…

Thirty-five attended a talk on “The Young Charles Darwin in Cambridge” by Murray Jacobs from Linton.  Darwin’s mother was part of the Wedgewood Pottery family and his father was a successful doctor.  Charles attended Shrewsbury School as a boarder but hated it and was eventually removed as a failure.  Aged 15 his father sent him to Edinburgh University, with his brother Erasmus, to study medicine but Darwin felt queasy at the sight of blood and he left Edinburgh without taking a degree.  His father, anxious that he did not become idle, insisted that Darwin take up clerical studies in Cambridge.  His name was listed in the admissions book at Christ’s…

I cannot say who originally came up with this idea, but I have seen them on various internet sites and made by various friends.

Three recipes which I grew up with my Mum making in the 1970s. The only place I saw them written down was her handwritten recipe book, and so I cannot give credit to whoever originally created the recipes. Chocolate Mousse Beat 3 egg whites until stiff (and set aside) Whip 250 ml cream (and set aside) Mix together: Until this mixture is thick and creamy. Melt 100 g dark chocolate and add this to the mixture Add the whipped cream to the mixture Carefully fold in the beaten egg whites Refrigerate Boiled Fruit Cake (simple, nut free alternative to Christmas Cake) Boil together these ingredients over a low heat, for…

SMOKED MACKEREL PATE If you want a quick and easy but tasty pate to add to your weekend menu, this is my tried and testedrecipe, made for many years. It’s very good with crackers, breads, toast, with salads of most types, oras a dip with crudites (it does firm up when refrigerated but serving at room temperature Is ideal). 1 pack of 2 smoked mackerel (check for small bones as you remove the skin and break up the fish)50g soft butter 10ml horseradish sauce 10ml lemon juice Freshly ground pepper to taste Blend all the ingredients together, and garnish if desired with lemon and parsley. SMALL PAVLOVA If just for…

To hang Spring decorations on, the bare-branched artificial tree up in the loft or packed away in the garage with the Christmas decorations is useful. Whether you make  or buy decorations, they’re a bit of fun for the season. 

As the Australian Open draws to a close, would you like to give these yummy traditional Australian biscuits a go…? The origin of this particular recipe is unknown – Lynn’s sister has made it from memory for many years – but Lynn has written down what she has observed. Enjoy! Recipe: Prepare 2 flat baking trays and put the oven on at Gas 4 (med hot), fan 165 125g butter or margarine 2 tbsp golden syrup 1 tbsp hot water Heat together in a saucepan to melt the butter, meanwhile mix together in a bowl: 1 cup plain flour 1 cup demerara sugar 1 cup oats ¾ cup coconut Then…