My Nan, Betty Bell, died on the 6th of October 2005. She was 80 years old. She was a beautiful Nan and a lovely cook. Lots of my happy memories of Nan involve food. I loved to watch her cook; she was so confident and intuitive. When my wonderful Pop passed away earlier this year I was very lucky to inherit Nan’s treasure trove of recipes. Most are handwritten on the back of envelopes or scraps of paper. Some date back to Nan’s Mother and Mother in law and some are quite recent. There are recipes she has torn out of magazines and recipes that have been sent to her from friends afar.
Some of Nan’s recipes have become family favourites, and although they are not written down, they are firmly embedded in the memories of all the wonderful cooks in my family. Granny Salad, Wine Trifle and Powder Puffs have become the stuff of legend. I am lucky to have had my Grandparents play such a big part in my life and for them to have loved my three daughters as well. I think that Nan would be pleased with this tribute to her and through these recipes I will keep the memory of her alive and tell a little bit of family history.
So here in my Blog, as I cook my way through the hundreds of recipes, I welcome and encourage your input and feedback and hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Vikki xxx


As the unwitting recipient to the results of these experiments, wish me luck….
You are my favorite guinea pig xxx
Vik what a wonderful tribute and such a moving story. I am quite emotional and excited to be able to follow your blog. You are a remarkable girl and definitely a descendent of your amazing Nan. 🌻
Looking forward to following this awesome blog, can’t wait for granny salad, love that stuff!! Xx
Hi Darling Vikki, Good luck with the cooking! I hope I get to be a guinea pig too. xxx
Thank you everyone for the encouragement! Volunteer guinea pigs are welcome any time xxx
Vikki, I believe the secret to a fantastic sponge, is to sift all the dry ingredients 3 times to get lots of air into the mix, to make it really light. Then just fold your ingredients lightly. You really are an amazing person and I am honoured to be your Aunty Cheryl
Thankyou lovely Aunty Cheryl xxxxx