Lemon and ginger cake, rough seas, and a budding career as a sommelier
It will come as no surprise that my trip back to London with Léo in early December was not without incident. I spent the night on the overnight ferry from St Malo clinging to the bed for dear life, convinced that the rough seas were about to fling me onto the floor. When I mentioned to Léo the next morning how choppy the crossing had been, he told me it had been as still as a millpond. As I didn’t believe him, this was later confirmed by a steward who said, ‘Maybe you had a bad dream, Madame.’ He didn’t actually add ‘you complete and utter basket case,’ but it was very much implied.
It’s funny how the brain maps places and then stubbornly refuses to update them. In London we went shopping in a store I used to visit with my mother when I was very little. We always left via a side door, so naturally that is how I decided we had to leave over 50 years later. Léo told me several times, quite sternly, that it was now a fire exit and that I must not push the door. But my five-year-old self, still apparently alive and well inside me, did push it; an ear-splitting fire alarm was immediately set off throughout the vast store and security personnel started to run in all directions. A very embarrassed Léo explained: ‘I’m so sorry – my mother’s just a toddler in disguise.’
A budding wine expert
One of my finer moments came in the supermarket wine aisle. I must look as though I know my Merlot from my Pinot Noir, because no fewer than five people separately asked for my recommendations. My ‘expertise’ consists of knowing that I loathe rosé, having a son who is an Agricultural Engineer specialised in viticulture, and a husband with a wine cellar. I was there long enough for a queue to form, and felt quite disappointed when the supermarket failed to offer me a paid position.
This cake is delightfully zingy and excellent if you have a cold and sore throat.
Recipe for lemon and ginger cake
- 100g einkorn flour
- 100g white flour (obviously you can use 200g white flour)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon cardamon powder
- 200g extra virgin organic coconut oil
- 150g cane sugar
- 4 large organic eggs
- 2 lemons, grated and juiced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Sift the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cardamon powder together and set aside. Melt the coconut oil and then add to the sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer fluffy and then gradually add the eggs one at a time, continuing to beat. Add the grated lemon zest and juice as well as the fresh ginger, mixing well. Transfer the mixture to a buttered loaf tin and bake about 40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the tin and leave to cool.
