Old-fashioned foods which should make a comeback

[BarbaraVineFan]

I am just making a cheese and potato pie for lunch, which I last ate circa 1988. It's basically mashed potatoes mixed with an egg and a fuck load of cheese, more cheese on top and then baked in the oven. Bloody lovely, relatively cheap and filling.

Which other old-fashioned foods do you make /have you made recently which you think should make a comeback?

I get semolina from an Asian grocery (online) shop. I use it when I make pizzas to prevent the base from sticking when I roll it out (Domino's does this, too!). I'm in Ireland, but finding less common ingredients in the UK is usually much easier.

My Tesco and Sainsbury's do it

A few years ago, my daughter had a little party at our house to celebrate A level results with her friends. I made cheese and pineapple on sticks and put them in a foil covered potato to make a hedgehog à la 1970s. None of the young people had ever seen this very simple idea before and thought it was wonderful.

We have this regularly (with Red Leicester?) I've never put an egg in though. Interesting.

Would you mind sharing your baked apple recipe?
I would really appreciate it. I can’t seem to get them right.

(which might be (partially) due to the lack of fire / a proper wood stove, unfortunately. But still…)

I regularly cook liver and onions for my husband, and make steamed suet crust steak and kidney puddings. My all time favourite ready made food when I was a child were Birds Eye rissoles. I wish they still made them!

But having read this thread, I've just added some blancmange and semolina to my next Ocado shop and have asked my daughter to buy me some tapioca pearls while she's out today.

Walkers Beef and Onion crisps.

Bacon grill that came in a rectangular tin with a key.

White pepper... I mean I know you can still buy it, but no one ever seems to have it anymore, and restaurants never offer it. It seems like it's really old fashioned these days 😄 Black pepper is sometimes just too crunchy and not right with some stuff. I remember my mum always used to put white pepper in mashed potato and it was so nice. I keep meaning to buy some, like the retro bitch I am.

It's in Iceland. I was so excited to show my DD what my 1980s dessert was like!

My mum can't cook, so our weekday meals were always something from the freezer with either chips or boiled potatoes and frozen peas or baked beans. Dad always made proper meals on Saturday and Sunday - cottage pie and the like and a traditional roast.

Yes, I have a feeling it could have been from a 1940s book, thank you. I certainly remember her making it in the 50s (I’m that old!)

@Gumbo semolina is easy to find if you visit a Polosh supermarket- I love the really fine ground one with nutella stirred in, topped with cherries, raspberries or strawberries.

On the same bandwidth, remember Eiffel Tower Lemonade Crystals? Absolutely disgusting, a well deserved member of the “ they don’t make it any more” club.

When I read that I had an immediate visceral reaction and could taste the sugary biscuit and the lemon. I can’t picture them but can remember the taste, now maybe they are not the ones you remember. I’m off to search.

By the way, @Giggorata, what is Gypsy Tart? Is it something to do with apples? I have heard people from Kent reminiscing about it, but I come from nowhere near Kent.

My mum and mother in law did all the catering for our wedding in 1980 and the centrepiece was an enormous cheese and pineapple hesgehog and a cheese and silverskin onion hedgehog, surrounded by vol au vents filled with my mums lovely version of chicken and mushrooms in white sauce. We had pinwheel sandwiches as well.

My choc. blancmange recipe uses just milk, cornflour, sugar and cocoa, and sets just fine.

I make things like fruit crumble and plum bread.
Nancy Birtwhistle is very good for traditional recipes. Following one of her tips I made a large quantity of crumble mix months ago. Keep in the freezer, pour over fruit and bake for a very quick easy pudding.

@CountTo10 , that's known as fluffy jelly in our family.
Not made that for ages.... (wanders off to raid the cupboard)

I got a craving for Vesta curry last year and bought a pack of three boxes. My childhood memories were shattered - it was one of the most disgusting things I have ever eaten 😆😆

Rock buns. Grew up on them in my cash strapped 70s childhood. When the DC were small I made them most weeks.
Butter and flour and a little sugar and a whole packet of Tesco value dried fruit with peel. Add mixed spice. So easy and cheap and tasty and most of the sweetness comes from the dried fruit.

This a million times this!

@Tinkerbellflowers

https://greenscakes.co.uk/products/pearce-duffs-strawberry-blancmange-35g?variant=40951482384443

Coffee creams biscuits and Toffos I miss them. Oh and white Dairy Crunch.

Surely it is the rule that semolina is served with that special thin red jam they made especially for schools, with an extra large dollop if the dinner lady liked you. Vanilla, cream and brown sugar sounds rather delicious though………

I buy Brains Faggots in either Sainsbury or Asda, 4 or 6 pack, frozen section. Had some 2 days ago with mash and peas. Heaven on a plate!