Law of the Playground

One of the ‘benefits’ of playing sport as a child is that you find your place in the pecking order pretty quickly. That place, often found at a very young age, is one that sticks with you right the way through childhood, often resulting in many (myself included) actively avoid sport at all costs until later life.

Discovering the joys of running as an adult, I was heartened by that fact that for most it was all about personal effort and bettering oneself. Instead of worrying how Tom, Dick or Harry were doing in a particular race I could concentrate on my own performance and see the improvements (or not at the case may be). Often it is the relaxation and health-related benefits that are at the forefront of the participants mind when engaging with sport as a grownup. Coupled with the social aspect of participating with other people who also share your interest at a club, things can be pretty rosy. Of course, at most clubs (but not all) there will also be a pecking order based on ability, but it is rarely spoken of and certainly won’t be the primary driver pushing everyone forward.

Welcome, Strava. On first glance, an innocuous little program for your smartphone and PC that singlehandedly manages to turn back the clock to those school days. If you’ve not come across Strava, it’s an app that tracks your performance over a particular run or cycle and compares it with others who’ve tackled the same route. So you may find yourself with the fastest loop round a park, or up a hill.

Yet again in modern life, we’re being fed that you’ve got to be the best at everything, Win or Die Trying if you like. Rather than enjoying sport for the pleasure of the activity, you get instant notification (even on the run) that you were the fastest on a particular section, or someone has just taken your record. 

I really react against this; it’s not why I took up sport. Now, I can be competitive as the next person, but that doesn’t mean I want to be judged on every single run I do. Can we have something in our lives that isn’t a battle with others to see who is best?

I’m sorry Strava, you can keep your stats. I used you once and turned you off.

I’m just off out for a nice slow recovery run*, and I’ll still feel like King of the Mountain.

*Actually, I ‘m just about to head off for a 5K Race and PB Attempt, but you get the point

Run4Cake

I’m often accused of too much training and not enough scoffing (no really, you can stop laughing now). In order to rebalance this I thought I’d share with you one of the most useful recipes I know.

That and a picture of the burger cakes I make yesterday. Burgers. As CAKE.

(thanks to www.ginandcrumpets.com for the recipe)

The committed, gluttonous eater knows that, sometimes, all you want is a simple cake recipe that works EVERY time. There are a million and one recipes out there with a million and two different methods. However, if I need a quick sponge (sometimes I do have a call for an emergency sponge) this is the recipe I always go back to. 

I cannot claim credit for it, that must go to Nigella Lawson. I confess, I cannot abide watching her television programmes as they’ve become parodies of themselves. But Nigella is one of the best cookery writers around today. 

Collecting cookbooks (and cooking from them) is something of a passion of mine. At the last count I had 300. So when I’m asked about them, I can usual give a reasonable thought through answer. One of the question’s I’m asked most often is “If you could have one cookbook, what would it be?” Well, I’ll tell you know there are a few contenders for this

Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course

Ballymaloe Cookery Course

Nigel Slater – The Kitchen Diaries (possibly the best cookery book ever written)

Gary Rhodes – Keeping it Simple

But added to this list is Nigella’s How to Eat. It’s one of her earlier books, witty, well written and without any food porn pictures which grace most cookbooks these days (in fact, no pictures at all).

--

Simple Sponge

2 Eggs

4oz each of Caster Sugar, Butter (or Marg) & Self Raising Flour

1tsp Baking Power

½tsp Vanilla Extract

Splash of milk (couple of tablespoons to loosen the mix)

Method 

1.       Preheat your oven to 180C and grease and line an 8” Sandwich Cake tin (by ready cut tin liners – a godsend).

2.       Place all of the ingredients into a food processor (no need to sieve the flour) into a food processor.

3.       Press On.

4.       Have you remembered the baking powder?

5.       Mix until well blended and empty into the prepared tin.

6.       You may now lick the bowl.

7.       Bake on a middle shelf for approx 20-25 mins (I find 23 mins works every time) until the top of the cake is golden and springs back when lightly touched.

8.       Cool on a cooling rack

That’s all there is too it. Chuck it in, Whizz, Bake.

Variations - 

For Victoria sponge, just double the recipe and use two tins. Sandwich with jam and sprinkle the top with icing sugar.

For Lemon Drizzle Cake - add the zest of one lemon to the mix and when baked mix 100g caster sugar and the juice of the lemon and pour over the top.

It’s so versatile and you can have a sponge ready within 30mins from a standing start. Quite often if a different recipe requires a sponge to be made, I use this one. It works for fairy cakes as well. By sticking with imperial measurements (ounces), the 2:4 eggs to other ingredients it’s easy to remember.

Hope this proves as useful for you as it has for me. 

Happy Running, Happy Baking