Mothering Sunday

So this was what caused the quick thinking yesterday. A day on the railway for me. There were many mothers around today as the railway did good business laying on treats including cream teas, lunches and the like and I saw lots of vases of flowers and pots of daffodils in the carriages.

The lunchtime Pullman did a good trade too, with at least one coachload of people turning up to join the train. At between £60 and £70 per person this was good business, if expensive. It cost even more on the Saturday evening service but is always popular and usually sold out weeks in advance.

While I was out Susan prepared and cooked the Sunday dinner of slow roast shoulder of pork followed by bread and butter pudding. We've hit upon a recipe that gives good crackling - score the skin well and rub with salt, blast in a hot oven for 30 mins at 220C, turn the heat down to 170C and cover, cook for as long as needed for the size of joint, then uncover and turn heat up to 200C for the final hour at the same time as cooking the roasties. The bread and butter pudding was a Mary Berry recipe and topped off the meal well.