MY RECIPE FOR RASPBERRY OAT SLICE

 

I can’t remember where I got this recipe, but every time I make it, it disappears very fast!   I have changed it up a bit by adding fresh raspberries (which seem to be in season all summer in Queensland).   It adds a little bite to the sweetness.

(Nene, this one’s especially for you!)

 

RASPBERRY OAT SLICE.

 

1½ cups (225g) self-raising flour

170g butter

½ (45g) cup rolled oats

½ -¾ cup dessicated coconut

1 cup (220g) brown sugar

¾ – 1 cup raspberry jam (good quality – I use a brand called “Anathoth”, which is delicious.)

1 punnet of fresh raspberries (if available). Washed and drained and dried well.

Pre-heat oven to 200ºC (180º fan-forced).   Grease and line base and sides of a 22 cm square cake pan.

Sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter.  (That’s right – the old fashioned way!)  Add the rolled oats, coconut and sugar and mix well.

Press half the mixture into the prepared pan.

Spread the jam over the mixture in the pan.  (It may be necessary to warm the jam to make it slightly runny, if it has been in the fridge.)   Press the raspberries gently into the top, scattering them evenly.   Sprinkle the remaining half of the flour/oat mixture over the top to cover it.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven; cool slightly.   While still warm, cut into fingers or squares.  Remove from pan when cold.

Enjoy!

 

 

Introduction…

I was born in London in 1943, while the second World War was still raging across Europe. Life was hard for everyone, with shortages of everything, especially food.

Post-war London saw great changes, as the world recovered and rebuilt. The 50’s and 60’s were wonderful years, especially if you lived in Chelsea, as I did. The Kings Road was the place to be, with all sorts of interesting boutiques, bars and coffee shops. It was “hip”, and “in” whereas before it had been elegant and respectable. They called the decade “The Swinging Sixties”, and nowhere lived up to the name like Chelsea. Fashions changed with Mary Quant, Biba’s and Vidal Sassoon. The Beatles were popular. Skirts got shorter and hair longer. Film stars, both current and fading, could be seen everywhere. What fun it was! Home from boarding school and ready to party, I gave little thought to the future, having a rich grandfather we took for granted, to provide whatever we needed.

That changed when he died, leaving very little in the end; life became a whole lot harder for the family. I had to find a job, and also became the cook and the housekeeper for my ageing parents. Although I hadn’t had much practice before this I knew what I liked to eat and discovered I had a natural flair for cooking. I did give a little thought to the future and enrolled in an evening course in interior design at what would be a TAFE in Australia, but jobs in the field were hard to come by, so after some months spent travelling in Europe and Africa (running away, my brother called it and that’s another story!), I came back to London and got a job as a bookkeeper. I had never been good at maths, but this was a breeze and I discovered a love for figures and accounting, so it was off to another course, which I didn’t complete for many years until I came to Australia.

So what has all this meant to my cooking and recipes? Well, after Grandfather died, due to the twists and turns of life, I learned to make a lot out of very little, and discovered a new love – cooking – and experimenting with food to make it tasty. I started what would be a lifelong habit – collecting recipes, and adjusting them to our needs and tastes. I still can’t resist collecting and probably have enough for three lifetimes. Some are now torn, faded and ingredient-splattered, but still appreciated whenever I cook them, adding my own tips and tricks. I can’t leave all these lovely recipes to gather dust in the cupboard, so I decided to share the best ones, along with some stories about the people and places that have influenced my life and cooking.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we have.

Sara

Welcome to my Blog!

This is the space I am hoping to use to share my creative pursuits with you all. I’d love to have your feedback, good and not so good, about my work and any other comment you’d like to make. So make sure you subscribe by email and get notified as soon as I post some thing up here. Im really keen to engage with you all so get commenting! – Sara