We actually measure deprivation levels in a school's cohort by the percentage of children receiving free school meals.

nope, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Someone has to pay.

Actually, by the description that is EXACTLY the thing I was talking about, that other hoshposh or no. It's mainly the recipe straight off the condensed milk can, minus the egg yolks stirred into the filling because Mom never cared for that texture.

No free lunches, but you have to realise that with our government supplements....there is really no need.

You get money per child you have in your legal care, you get cheap medications if you are a low income earner and most of the supermarkets have a day where *pension card* holders (that can be low income pensioner or age pensioner) get a discount off their groceries (excluding alcohol and cigs).

Well, we have the first two (tax breaks for each child and/or straight up free money for each if you're poor enough, and medicaid) though I suspect coverage isn't as broad and the benefits themselves are not as high.

But the difficulty comes in when you consider the parts "legal care" and "income earner." You must be a legal resident who pays taxes for either of those to be determined... so we've had to find other ways to care for a lot of the poorer children. :)

We have child benefit, which is a universal (non means tested) benefit for all under 16s, paid to their parent or legal carer. WE also have free precriptions for families on income support and most entrance fees to events have a waged and non-waged price. There are still some families for whom buying school meals would be too much but for whom that school meal is important. They get free school dinners. Lot of schools are now starting to offer breakfasts as well, some of them free to all kids as a way of encouraging healthy eating habits.

The free school dinner was instituted at a time when many workingclass children simply didn't get a balanced, hot meal at any point in their day. It's survived as a form of assistance for the poorest families, hence it is used as one of the measurements to ensure that schools are catering to a wide demographic and not surreptitiously selecting out the poorer (and therefore more likely to be troubled) kids.

Back off the politics:

Anyone fancy a Toad in the Hole recipe? Sausages in batter pudding (same as Yorkshire Pudding)
Or Sausage Plait (sausagemeat in a pastry wrap, sorta Pimp My Sausage Roll)
Or Jam Roly Poly made with suet (broke our carving knife one memorable Winter's evening)
Or perhaps best of all Chicken Tikka Masala - medium spiced yoghurt based chicken dish voted British national dish (created by early Indian immigrants to suit the local tastes)

I'll take #1 and #4 please. Had #4 on Friday actually - cow orkers decided on Indian buffet lunch.

Toad in the Hole (serves 3-4:

Batter:
3oz (75g) plain flour
1 large egg
3 fluid ounces (75 ml) skimmed milk
salt & pepper to taste

Sausages:
6 good quality pork sauages (approx 14oz/ 400g)
1 tablespoon flavourless oil (if necessary)

Begin by making the batter:
* sieve the flour into a large bowl, holding the sieve up high to give the flour a good airing
* with the back of a spoon, make a well in the centre, break the egg into it, add salt and pepper to taste
* measure the milk and 2 fl oz (55 ml) water in a measuring jug, then, using an electric hand whisk on a slow speed, begin to whisk the egg into the flour
* as you whisk, the flour around the edges will slowly be incorporated
* add the liquid gradually, stopping to scrape the flour into the mixture
* whisk until the batter is smooth
* now the batter is ready for use and if well whisked can stand

* arrange the sausages in a roasting tin, and cook on the middle shelf at Gas Mark 7, 425 (220) for 10 minutes.
* now place the roasting tin containing the sausages over direct heat turned to medium and, if the sausages haven't released much fat, add the tablespoon of oil.
*when the tin is really hot and the oil is beginning to shimmer – it must be searing hot – quickly pour the batter in all around the sausages.
* immediately return the roasting tin to the oven, this time on the highest shelf, and cook the whole thing for 30 minutes.

* when the toad is ready, it should be puffed brown and crisp and the centre should look cooked and not too squidgy. Serve it immediately with gravy, and it's absolutely wonderful with mashed potato.

The recipe is basically my Mum's, with a check from Deliah (Smith) to make sure the translations were right. The tips are - LOTS of air in the batter, Smoking hot oil before it's added.

Am waiting for a response from my Indian ex colleague re one aspect of Tkka Masala.

God I could just eat Toad in the Hole with onion gravy mmmm

This is how my friend & ex colleague cooks Chicken Tikka Masala. She has Indian parents, grew up in Africa, educated in the US where her family live and she's now in the UK due to a love-match marriage. So her cooking is about as authentic as the history of this dish, And tastes as good as everything from her kitchen. PS she only cooks it for Brits, in the same way she only gets the cutlery out for Brits!

For 4:

4 chopped tomatoes
6 tablespoons double cream
2in piece ginger root, peeled and grated
4 chopped garlic cloves
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
2 finely chopped onions
2 finely chopped green chillies
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspon turmeric
¼ teaspoon salt
A pinch of garam masala
1 recipe quantity Tandoori chicken bites (she didn't give recipe, will ask again unless it's a known thing in the US)

Preparation

Place the tomatoes, cream, ginger, and garlic, in a blender and blend until a thick sauce forms, then set aside.

Heat the oil in large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add the bay leaves and onions and fry, stirring constantly for 6 to 8 minutes until the onions are golden brown.

Add the chillies, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, and garam masala and stir 1 minute, or until you can smell the aroma of the spices. Watch carefully so the mixture does not burn.

Add the chicken pieces and fry, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir the tomato and cream mixture into the pan. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer 3 minutes.

Bring a kettle of water to a boil while the chicken mixture is simmering. Add ½ cup boiling water to the chicken and simmer another minute, stirring, or until droplets of fat appear on the surface.

Wow. That's a lot of work, but I'm gonna do it. Thanks SG, I'll do both actually!

Toad in the hole isn't really - just lots of waiting around. And it's cheap, we used to have it once a week!

Chicken Tikka Masala, like all Indian food is labour intensive. White Brits order from the take-away, Asian Brits cluck their teeth and produce something 10x more tasty!

Oh btw I went to a couple of Indian cookery classes. I don't even remember the lady's name but think: Harry Potter in one of Snape's potions lessons. The frustrating thing was I quit because I was moving and I genuinely wanted to listen and learn authentically. Somehow she interpreted my look of intense concentration and deference as one of bored disgust - as I'm not a natural recipe follower anyway I confirmed her worst fears.

Sad - If I'd waited six months til I moved to Leiceser I'd have had any number of friends to come along to smooth the waters!

Orange and Ginger Ripple Cake

(I made this up to replace the Chocolate Ripple Cake since my ex hubbie is allergic to Chocolate).

Ingredients.

2 packets Ginger Nut Biscuits (cookies)
600mls Cream (for whipping)
Juice of 1 Orange
Zest for decoration
2 tablespoons Castor Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
Crystallized Ginger Pieces

Method.
Whip cream, sugar and vanilla essence until quite stiff. Stir through just over half the Orange Juice and a sprinkle of zest.

Join biscuits together by standing a biscuit on its side and sandwich with the next biscuit using a generous spread of cream. Continue until all the biscuits have been used and resemble a log.

Cover the log thickly and entirely with the remaining cream.

Splash the remaining juice over the top of the log and sprinkle over some chopped crystallized ginger.

Place in refrigerator for at least 6 hours to set.

To serve, cut cake at a slight angle to ensure alternate layers of chocolate biscuit and cream are in each slice.