28 August 2012

me and Dan Lepard :: two degrees of separation

Only one week in and I'm officially the neglectful mother of the playground pariah.

Quite some achievement in such a short time and all because I telepathically failed to pick up on an unwritten primary school memo stating that: five-year-old children must be encouraged to snack ALL THE TIME, and you must provide said snacks in her homework bag daily, obviously, you cretinous woman.

[Edit: I'd better clarify for some of my readers who have been kind enough to be aghast in their comments, that here I am being belligerent, melodramatic and bad-tempered because an institution has made me feel ignorant. The actual truth is that the kids apparently have snacks for playtime, and I hadn't supplied any. Go on now, make me feel bad for never even having considered giving her a morning snack before in her life. Dare you!]

Internally I veered from the irate (why the hell didn't they tell me this last week?) to the practical (gah, it'll need to be prepackaged and shopbought, because the homework bag is completely flat and full of paper) and back to the irate again (she's at school for barely two and half hours between breakfast and lunch at home, and school gives out free milk and fruit... yet I have to provide MORE food? WTF?).

So, my mission, should I choose to accept it (not that there's any choice about this): Quick, easy for small hands, won't make a mess in the homework bag, and (critically from my point of view) doesn't require any plastic tubbery that I definitely won't get back.

Luckily, Dan Lepard saved the day. Kind of (this is just really an excuse for me to tell you a story - as if you didn't know that already).

There's a lady of elegant maturity who has known me all my life. The kind of person who has sat next to my family in church since long before I was a twinkle in my father's eye. She made tiny cubes of tablet and macaroons to accompany the coffee after my wedding (and not your atas macaroons either, we're talking the Scottish ones made of potatoes). She made huge boxes of pre-sliced gingerbread and custard creams for my puerperial phase five years ago - demonstrating a clear understanding that high-calorie nourishment needs to be accessible with only one hand at that point in a girl's life. She is a baker of serious calibre.

But don't take my word for it. A few years ago, Dan Lepard wrote about her and published one of her recipes in his column for a national newspaper. Yes, she's THAT much of a legend. And, mercifully, the method that was printed, for pancakes, is exactly the same as my Granny's. Which means it is definitely right. Again, we're talking about the Scottish ones -  not crepes, not fluffy American alternatives, not pan scones or drop scones or any of the other names that people give them - these are pancakes, plain and simple. Dan would agree I'm sure.

A large batch of pancakes, frozen individually in sandwich bags and chucked into the homework bag the night before - phew, I think I've found one solution that we're all happy with for the moment.

So if you're making raspberry jam this month (our wet Summer has been great for one crop at least), then I suggest you whip up a quick batch of these pancakes and smother them in butter and jam while they're still warm.

And if you have any other ideas that would fit my tightly-defined remit (small, flat, non-squishy/non-crumbly snack) I'd really love to hear your suggestions. Because I don't know if a plain pancake, no matter how good, will cut it as a playground snack every day for the next seven years...


Black Isle wild raspberries

Photobucket

35 comments:

  1. String cheese was the first thought I had for snacking, but then it does have the squishy factor so I will have to keep thinking and get back to you. You would think after raising 5 babies that this would be a no brainer, but I'm stuck, must need more coffee this morning.

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    1. Tracey I confess I don't even know what string cheese is?!? But I'll look it up. Now get that latte down you!

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  2. You're supposed to provide snacks in addition to the fruit and milk the children are given at school? I don't know much about feeding children, but it seems like a rather counter-intuitive way to encourage school children to eat healthily, especially considering Scotland's obesity issues…
    I don't think I've ever had Scottish pancakes, but they look wonderful! What about shortbread and other hard cookies? They're quite flat, not particularly squishy and can easily be wrapped in tin foil/cling film/zip-lock bags for transport and to keep crumbs at bay.

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    1. Mel, but, (aghast, splutter) aren't you kind of a little bit SCOTTISH!!!!??? I can't believe you've not had pancakes - you must remedy that as soon as possible. Any one of your Scottish friends (especially if they're from the Highlands and were ever in possession of a Granny) will have been virtually brought up on pancakes and raspberry jam - seriously, ask them.
      You're right about the healthy eating thing though, the constant snacking really bothers me, mainly from a dental point of view. Because most everything branded and mass-produced (ie what the peer pressure will dictate sooner rather than later) is very far from neutral one way or another. Ho hum. Will have to try and keep it in perspective.

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  3. I don't know if you have Larabars over there but if you search for them on the Internet you will find many recipes for a homemade version. They are incredibly taste for such a simple mix of fruit and nuts. My children are not the fruit and nut kind, at all, (well one is allergic so he can't eat them) but they love them. They are flat and not squishy and super nutritious.

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    1. Never heard of larabars... have investigated, they sound YUMMY! Definitely something I would like to try making. But from a dental point of view I just kinda balk at the dried fruit option too regularly. (Poor child growing up with a boring former dentist as a parent!) It's such a misconception that dried fruit sugars are in some way any "better" for their wee teeth. (my teeth on the other hand, I am more than happy to abuse, because I know I'm the mutha of all flossers!!)

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    2. I getcha on the dried fruit. Definitely not a regular treat. If water was a choice to drink it wouldn't be so bad. I would worry about milk sitting on the teeth, too.

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  4. I always disliked when I had to participate in snacks. Way back when our two were little we had to sign up for a snack day. It was not fun. Anyways, how about prepackaged dried fruit, raisins??? Just a thought. Love the pancake idea!!

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    1. What's a snack day? Is it where you have to provide for the whole class? I hate to think what might turn up! Mind you, my wee one has a Syrian boy and a few Polish and Indian kids in her class, so it might be quite interesting for their palates!

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  5. I'm almost thinking I might become "rebel mom" in this situation----that's a LOT of food for a little one in "school" only 2 1/2 hours. Now, if she was one of those littles who refuses to eat breakfast---I can see something added to the school's fruit and milk---but honestly does she need all those extra calories???? Cheese wouldn't be too bad; or additional fruit maybe (thinking like Karen--raisins or dried fruit) but I really don't think this is necessary!!!!!

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    1. I think so too Steph, she just doesn't need it all at the moment, perhaps it will change when she's in for longer days. But I feel that if I don't send her with something (given that all the other kids dive for their snacks at playtime) then she'd be the one losing out, which isn't fair on her. She's not mad about cheese sadly (because that's one of the most tooth-friendly options that I would have no issue with). Maybe if I can make some cheesy biscuits though... hmmm, that might be a good one.

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  6. Pancakes sounds like the perfect answer. I'm trying to think of other things that might fit the bill, but it's a tough one. I'm guessing flapjack is too sticky/crumbly, oatcakes too crumbly... Hmmm, not easy at all!

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    1. I just wonder how many weeks I can get away with the pancakes before she gets bored of them!

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  7. What do you mean snacking all the time? Is it just a playpiece for playtime or does she get access to stuff in school too? Our school doesn't do fruit and milk so Adam just gets his playpiece. He had an apple on the first day and today I gave him a wee bag with raisins (have to balance the badness for the teeth with the goodness for the bowels). I have wee sandwich bags that I can close with a sticker so I know he can open it okay and without the 'losing all my Tupperware' issue. Tomorrow he is getting grapes in his wee bag. Shame she doesn't like cheese as I will certainly be doing cheese regularly for Adam. I also just put his playpiece in his schoolbag so I don't have to worry about it being flat.
    Carrot sticks? Oatcakes? Rice cakes? Sunflower seeds? Half a peanut butter sandwich? Olives? Peas in the pod?

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    1. Yes, it is just her playpiece (as well as the milk and fruit - which almost all of them reject, surprise surprise), but it's to go in this flat homework bag and then into her pencil tray until playtime. So if it's fruit, oatcakes etc I'm sure it'll just be mangled by the time she gets to it. And with the school freebies I just don't see why it's necessary, because the result is (of course) that the peer pressure is already on for crisps, sweets and mini-cheddars. Just seems a bit daft at 10 o'clock in the morning when we've lived without those things for 5 years.

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  8. By the way - hope you don't mind but I just added a link to this post for your pancake recipe to my blaeberry pancakes post.

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  9. I've never heard of snaking all day request. That is very odd...

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    1. It's not on request Marina, I'm just being a drama queen! It's a snack for playtime, but I'm grumbling because she's only at school for such a short few hours it seems totally unnecessary. And some people say we scots are a bit mean (!) don't know where they might get that idea!!!!

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  10. Loved hearing that story about that lady you've known for ages, and really interesting to see a pancake that's neither french , english or american. it always sort of amazes me how many subtleties of differences there are in dishes that have the same name. (also loving the wild raspberries! hurray for foraged food!)

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    1. You're probably the only reader who didn't need to look up what atas macaroons are - I presume I used the Singlish correctly?!

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  11. Isn't Scottish tablet the best invention ever....a dentist's dream. My Scottish grandad used to make it, unfortunately the family recipe wasn't written down.

    My suggestion.....potato scones... not too crumbly, flat, yum!

    If you wanted to make a real protest on the necessity of a snack....blue smarties....I'm reckoning they would soon send a otters home.

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    1. Oh Faith, we can get onto a tablet recipe any time you like - mine is FAILSAFE! And of course, I have never ever let a cube of it in to contact with my daughter's teeth!!!

      Potato scones is a GREAT idea, I'd just have to try and not eat them all first :-)

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  12. Pancakes when I was a kid were just like yours with butter and a sprinkling of sugar, must make some.....

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  13. wow! yum yum. i think i'm going to make some of these for us all. little indy is eating food - i'm trying out baby led weaning this time around and it's proving to be a great thing. my eldest is the pickiest eater on the planet and i think it's all because i spoon fed him.
    you're so lucky, as is the boss, that she comes home for lunch. it is really lovely that they keep that tradition going elsewhere in the world. good for family.
    i'll send you a recipe for a bar that i want to make myself. maybe it will suit your needs.

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    1. would love to read your recipe nunu! Thank you!

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  14. Lol - I have fallen foul of the 'water bottle' law. Apparently all the children should take those horrible carcinogen laden plastic sports bottles filled with tap water to school in case they get thirsty in the hour between going in and playtime when they get their milk and fruit. I asked J where everyone stored their water supplies - "In the sink! was the reply. I sent in a cup - didn't go down well though :(

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  15. I have so many questions about this post (prompted by just reading about the blaeberry pancakes on Please Do Not Feed The Animals) - such as, what the hell is tablet? And, macaroons made of potato? And, most importantly, aren't the things you are talking about none other than what we in Aotearoa call pikelets?
    Afraid I don't have any suggestions on the play lunch front (love it that you call it a play piece!) - when I was five my mother put some dried figs in my lunchbox for morning tea. I went, sobbing, to the teacher to complain that she'd given me some wet teabags! So perhaps, unless your child is more sophisticated than I was, no figs would be a good start.

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  16. Uh-oh, I feel a series of posts about Scottish confections brewing (but I'm not sure my blood sugar levels can cope!) Tablet and macaroons are a fabulous place to start. In the meantime, I'm away to google pikelets - love the name (sounds slightly like an insult to a small child!)

    Wet teabags - lols!!!

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  17. Great post, was a fun read. And some great ideas in the comments.

    You could send some beetroot, wouldn't that go over well!

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  18. With all those years of snacks ahead of you would it be worth investing in a dehydrator? Lots of non-squishy dried fruit snacks and you get to choose lower sugar fruits to dry. And you can make savoury veg 'crisps' and such too.

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  19. Meant to say, I was once called into school to be lectured about the contents of my son's lunch box. He had banana sandwiches, a carrot but no crisps, and a Fredo Frog Choc bar (allowed back then, in fact a sweet treat was expected). The complaint ... no butter in his sandwiches. He didn't like butter!

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  20. Gosh, I learnt some new things about British schooling and diet here! What about little packs of sultanas? They go down a treat here on Planet Baby at school. Thanks so much for linking up with the POTMC. J x

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