Here Comes The Sun......

......is one of my favourite Beatles tracks but suits yesterday so perfectly. Castleton in Derbyshire, for those who have never been lucky enough to go there, sits in the Hope Valley a few miles from Buxton. The scenery is spectacular, the walks picturesque and the shops quirky. There are plenty of places for a cup of tea, a castle, caverns and more Blue John jewellery shops than you can shake a stick at. Blue John stone is only found in two caverns situated on the hills surrounding Castleton. You can visit these but at this time of year opening times are limited. If you get a sunny day I highly recommend a visit. In November (the 17th I think but check on t'internet) Castleton has its own Christmas illuminations. There are pretty little lit-up trees everywhere. Be warned though - many people try and cram in to this little village all at once, so it would be best to go after this date and see the illuminations.

The 'pumpkin' pasties I took for lunch went down a treat. A little bit more pepper next time I think. Colin has christened them 'belly-fillers', and no wonder - he ate all of his. At least a third of mine came back home.

When we got home I thought I would try an old recipe that my mum used to whenever a kiddies party was on the horizon - Custard Shorties. These could be put in the same category as Jaffa Cakes. Are they a biscuit or a cake? The definition according to Stephen Fry on QI is that a biscuit goes soft when its stale, a cake goes hard. Custard Shorties contain custard powder so if you have an old tin of it stuck in the back of your cupboard, like I did, it's an ideal recipe. And with the adage of a little jam on top, treat the Shortie with respect, make yourself a creamy coffee and settle down to a good film with a plateful. Mmmmmm.........

Custard Shorties (apologies for the weights not being in grams. Its an old recipe)

60z self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
4oz butter or margarine
4oz sugar
2oz custard powder
1 egg
a little milk
jam

Sift the flour and baking powder, then rub in the margarine until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and custard powder, then bind the mixture to a pastry like consistency with the egg and a little milk. Roll out on a floured board until about 1/4 inch thick, cut out rounds with a cookie cutter then place into fairy cake tins. Place a little jam in the centre of each then bake for 15 to 20 minutes - Gas 6 or 425 F.