Stirring up the salad days memories

Deputy Editor Chris Bush, you stirred a few great memories for me about your brush with baking when you were growing up (TV Guide editorial, November 29). I remembered well my mother would let us choose one item to be baked for our birthdays when we were children. I have five siblings so it was a busy household. She was a good cook and baker.

A lot of our food was grown in the garden. Dad had green fingers but none of us inherited that trait, sorry to say, or his liking for sea food. Dad liked trying new things. He would take over the kitchen most weekends depending on his work schedule. We were left to do the cleaning up when he was finished. He made a great Sunday roast and dessert.

He loved fishing and would spend many a weekend with his mates, in a small boat somewhere doing just that. We have fond memories of Mum trying to do something with everything they caught including whitebait, crayfish, eels, paua, pippis and oysters.

She was English and Dad was a typical Kiwi bloke and loved his seafood. She had no idea what to do with whitebait or paua. She had never laid eyes on these creatures before. She had no idea how to cook or prepare them. Dad said just boil them up. She topped and tailed the whitebait and he laughed so much he cried. She never lived it down.

My parents introduced my husband to paua, whitebait, and oysters. He is English too. He said he could take it or leave it. I personally prefer to leave it ... Thanks for the memories

Sandra and Peter Griffiths (Waikanae)