Dumpling disaster all over again

Do you ever find yourself in the middle of cooking something and thinking, 'This is going to be a disaster'?

This is what it should look like.

I should have known better than even  thinking about making a steak and kidney pie tonight after yesterday's dumpling disaster*. But no, I strode in to it as if I were Delia Smith herself. To make matters worse I decided to follow the recipe on the Cookeen - 'for the best possible pastry' - fat packet.

I don't make pastry very often but when I do I usually follow my gran's recipe for shortcrust using twice as much flour as fat, the fat being half and half lard and butter. My gran made wonderful pastry. She showed me how to make it. I make poor pastry. It's edible - usually - but not up to my cake standards.

I have a 'thing' now about making pastry. A fear of failing. A certainty of flopping. And I always have cold hands, which are good for pastry.

Anyway the recipe on the packet recommended using a third fat to two thirds flour. It's in the oven now. It's not looking good.

It doesn't help that I have no whatsitcalled - spatial something or other. I can't look at something and work out what size dish I will need. So I have ended up with not enough filling and over-stretched pastry.

It always sounds so good in my head. A bit like my singing.

I bet you're glad you're not coming for dinner tonight.

* My dumplings were so hard they could have been used as cannon balls.

Postscript

Not a total disaster. Tasted okay as long as you like anaemic slightly crunchy/chewy/soft pastry. (You didn't know pastry could be all three at once? You haven't tasted my pastry.)