Recipe book

I've harvested a good crop of figs and looked through my recipe books to decide what I should make with them. My Aunt Elsie gave me a blank recipe book one Christmas in which she had written some of her favourite recipes and tips; how to clean silver, how to soften tough beefsteak and a recipe for Tournedos Rossini - you can tell which one of us was married to a surgeon! Come on, Auntie, fillet steak, fois gras and truffles have never featured on my shopping list!

This summer my dear friend, Dot Horner, a farmer's wife in the Yorkshire Dales, died unexpectedly. She was a wonderful cook and would always spoil me with home made biscuits or cake whenever I was home. We would sit down to supper in which ever house and spend the evening in laughter and reminiscence. I shall miss her very much. In Aunt Elsie's recipe book I have a favourite Yorkshire curd tart recipe from Dot's mother-in-law, also called Dorothy. Both Dorothys would save their beastings, or curds, for me so that I could make the recipe. Today I made it with cottage cheese. What an evocative book this has now become, it contains so many recipes from friends and family who have died.

Dot and Michael working together as they always did.

I got sidetracked and still have to deal with the figs!