REMEMBER WHEN
Instant Whip, luminous jelly, mum’s special crumble… Which childhood fave did it for you?
NIGELLA LAWSON ‘When I was a child,’ recalls Nigella in the recipe for Butterscotch Pots in At My Table, ‘my idea of a treat beyond measure was Angel Delight, a chemical-tasting mousse in a packet, made by whisking milk into its tippedout contents of flour, flavourings and God knows what else; my fondly remembered love of which says more about the romance of nostalgia than it does about the pudding itself.’ nigella.com
DONNA HAY ‘No Aussie childhood birthday was complete without “fairy bread” – slices of buttered white bread (shop bought), sprinkled with hundreds and thousands. It was sweet, crunchy and addictive!’ donnahay.com
ERIN O’CONNOR ‘My favourite retro delight was an 80s jelly brand which I’m sure was banned long ago. I liked one flavour (or rather colour) especially. It was fluorescent blue and practically solid, like Play-Doh. And it dyed everything else in my bowl, which only added to the appeal.’ erinoconnor.co.uk
SKYE McALPINE ‘My mother’s rich, fudgy “ooey-gooey chocolate cake”, as we affectionately called it. She would bake three cakes at a time, in heart-shaped tins, then stack them one on top of the other, layered with Betty Crocker ready-made frosting, and cover the whole thing in rainbow-coloured Smarties.’ frommydiningtable.com
ALICE TEMPERLEY ‘A really good crumble made with apples from our orchards. We’d use oats, brown sugar and butter for the crust and serve it warm with a boozy ice cream made with my father’s cider brandy. A favourite family pud.’ ciderbrandy.co.uk
THOMASINA MIERS ‘I was obsessed with profiteroles. It was one of the first puddings I learned to cook and I used any excuse to make it, usually for my parents’ dinner parties. There was something so magnificent about a tower of profiteroles bathed in hot chocolate sauce.’ wahaca.co.uk
LORRAINE PASCALE ‘The flavours of coffee and walnut bring back memories of my childhood, of being at a friend’s house, chatting to the parents and all the while eyeing up the cake sitting on the table next to the Bovril sandwiches and jar of sandwich spread!’ lorrainepascale.com
CLAIRE PTAK ‘I’d have to say blackberry pie, hands down – with wild berries that we kids had foraged ourselves, perfect flaky pastry and vanilla ice cream melting into swirls of warm blackberry juice. The best dessert ever.’ violetcakes.com n Best-known for Harry and Meghan’s wedding cake, baker Claire is also adept at corner-shop confectionery. Bag her book The Home-Made Sweet Shop (Southwater, €13.99).