Sunday, December 21, 2014

Not that I hold a grudge, you understand

Magazines and nowadays television programmes too are always telling us that nothing beats a home-made gift but I'm not convinced. Let's face it, on the creativity scoreboard I fall near the bottom bottom. Except for cooking. I'm a good cook and my brownies are, though I say it myself, world class.

I also used to make a pretty good shortbread biscuit too but I haven't made them for years. (Heinke from Linden makes THE best actual shortbread in the world.) As a young married I believed in all this home-made is best stuff plus I wanted to prove to my in-laws that I was looking after their son well so, for our Christmas visit, I made a batch of shortbread cookies and took them with us as an offering. (With 'proper' Christmas presents as well.)

On Christmas day when tea was laid out for all the family there on the table was a plate of shortbread biscuits - of the shop-bought variety. Of my home-made version there was no sign. In fact they didn't appear until we were about to leave when Mother-in-law gave them to me saying, 'You might as well take these home with you.'

I didn't bother again.

5 comments:

Katney said...

My mother-in-law was rather like that. We gave them a slow cooker one Christmas and she promptly gave it back to us.

And she was a lousy cook.

Nick said...

Home-made gifts be damned. Christmas involves quite enough time and effort as it is. Make use of your local shops and keep them in business, I say.

Gledwood said...

O I'm awful at gifts of all persuasions I mean it's slightly telling that the word "Gift" in German means a noxious poison! Maybe somewhere deep in the hole of my soul I got that confused bc I'm absolutely awful at giftgiving not to mention gift making. Primary School Children can & do do far better than me...
ANYWAY ELIZABETH I just came by to wish YOU AND GEORGE + EVERYBODY A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS INDEED + A FANTASTIC 2015!!

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

Oh , she probably didn't mean to be quite so crushing ! Your baking always looks wonderful as anyone lucky enough to get one of your birthday cakes would testify .
A very happy Christmas to you all !

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Oh, Liz, I remember using a shortbread recipe of yours some years ago and it was great! Merry Xmas and love from Simi and me. xxx woofs!