When I first started my Nurse Training, things were very different.
The hospital kitchens used to bake cake for the afternoon tea...oh, it was also sold to the nurses in the Staff canteen too, and at prices that were very reasonable.
During the morning, if you were on what was called the 'New' wing.....lovely aromas would drift onto the ward....the smell alone would make your mouth water.
Then just after lunch the cake of the day would be delivered to the ward, in preparation for afternoon tea......which was served around 3pm.
Sometimes it would be big fat swiss roll, with either Raspberry jam in,or better still Lemon Curd......sometimes it would be Bakewell slice, or coconut slice, or Victoria Sandwich, but my very favourite was Almond slice.
We would make huge pots of proper tea......with leaves...load up a trolley with cups and saucers......plates, a sugarbowl, a cup full of teaspoons and a big jug of milk.
The cake was sliced up and we would hoof round the ward offering the cups of tea and cake.......the tea got stronger as you walked around......and by the end of the tea round a mouse could tap dance on it, it was so strong.
We would always hope that there would be some cake left, and though it was strictly forbidden we would secrete ourselves in the linen room with an illicit slice of cake and a cup of tea that would grow hairs on a leather handbag......we took it in turns, with someone on the lookout for Sister....we didn't want to get caught.
Why am I telling you all this?
Well, I have been meandering past Mannings in Union St, and there in the window were my favourite Almond slices......I have resisted temptation until today.
Today I could stand it no longer.
In my memory I could taste the almond slice that used to come from the hospital kitchen.......the short, melt in your mouth pastry, the crunchy sugary topping and the soft squishy almondy middle which was glued to the pastry with raspberry jam......the memories were torturing me......I had to have a slice.
So I went in and bought two slices.
Can I ask - Do cake shops have magnifying glass in their windows?........the slices looked large when viewed through the window, but were actually only regulation size when they were placed in my paper bag.
And just in case you think I am a greedy pig for buying two, I gave one to my daughter.......like misery, temptation likes company......and it doesn't feel quite so wicked if you can take someone into temptation with you.
Did I enjoy my Almond Slice?
Well, yes I did, but it wasn't anywhere near as good as the illicit version....they do say that stolen fruits are sweeter, don't they?
I still could have eaten them both!
The hospital kitchens used to bake cake for the afternoon tea...oh, it was also sold to the nurses in the Staff canteen too, and at prices that were very reasonable.
During the morning, if you were on what was called the 'New' wing.....lovely aromas would drift onto the ward....the smell alone would make your mouth water.
Then just after lunch the cake of the day would be delivered to the ward, in preparation for afternoon tea......which was served around 3pm.
Sometimes it would be big fat swiss roll, with either Raspberry jam in,or better still Lemon Curd......sometimes it would be Bakewell slice, or coconut slice, or Victoria Sandwich, but my very favourite was Almond slice.
We would make huge pots of proper tea......with leaves...load up a trolley with cups and saucers......plates, a sugarbowl, a cup full of teaspoons and a big jug of milk.
The cake was sliced up and we would hoof round the ward offering the cups of tea and cake.......the tea got stronger as you walked around......and by the end of the tea round a mouse could tap dance on it, it was so strong.
We would always hope that there would be some cake left, and though it was strictly forbidden we would secrete ourselves in the linen room with an illicit slice of cake and a cup of tea that would grow hairs on a leather handbag......we took it in turns, with someone on the lookout for Sister....we didn't want to get caught.
Why am I telling you all this?
Well, I have been meandering past Mannings in Union St, and there in the window were my favourite Almond slices......I have resisted temptation until today.
Today I could stand it no longer.
In my memory I could taste the almond slice that used to come from the hospital kitchen.......the short, melt in your mouth pastry, the crunchy sugary topping and the soft squishy almondy middle which was glued to the pastry with raspberry jam......the memories were torturing me......I had to have a slice.
So I went in and bought two slices.
Can I ask - Do cake shops have magnifying glass in their windows?........the slices looked large when viewed through the window, but were actually only regulation size when they were placed in my paper bag.
And just in case you think I am a greedy pig for buying two, I gave one to my daughter.......like misery, temptation likes company......and it doesn't feel quite so wicked if you can take someone into temptation with you.
Did I enjoy my Almond Slice?
Well, yes I did, but it wasn't anywhere near as good as the illicit version....they do say that stolen fruits are sweeter, don't they?
I still could have eaten them both!
