I'm playing the waiting game at the moment and what better activity to take my mind off things before I go to The Marsden to get the results of a biopsy on my breast lump than do some baking?
I thought I would make a start by sharing my thoughts about 'healthy' cakes, baking cakes from ingredients which might make me stronger and in a better place to deal with the ordeals to come. But there's a dilemma: healthy vegetables in the ingredients, raw food etc. at the moment the idea is a bit off-putting, to say the least. After all who wants a crunchy carob and broccoli cake when a rich indulgent chocolate cake is much more enticing?
Decades ago we went with a group of friends to stay for a weekend in a rented cottage in the village of Crudwell. A dear friend who was struggling with exhaustion (just prior to having an operation for a melanoma) came with us. We ate indulgently but decided that the food should have some element of 'healthiness' in it. Enter "The Crudwell Diet". My fondest foody memory was of merengues made with unprocessed muscovado sugar (as opposed to castor sugar) ... that had to be good for you (hope to reinvent the recipe soon). There were many others recipes too.
This same friend had an operation to remove a lump from her breast just before the first lockdown of the pandemic last year. She's still having treatment now. I got in touch with her when I heard about my own lump. She was very kind and generous with sharing her experiences and told me that if you're going to have a certain type of hormone treatment, you need to ensure you have a lot of calcium to prevent future osteoporosis.
And she and her husband recently came over to us for a meal (government restrictions now allow indoor gatherings). They brought with them their memories of The Crudwell Diet along with some thoughtful foodie gifts to help me through. Some lovely cheeses, brazil nuts (in chocolate) and organic carrot juice.
For our meal I thought I'd made a Cooked Cheesecake with Rhubarb Compote - all foods which, if you put the right spin on them, have ingredients that might be helpful to people with certain forms of cancer [NB I'm not a medic and this is a little 'tongue in cheek'; I know The Bristol Diet would not consider this kind of indulgence, but it was something that brought comfort! Rhubarb has some magical properties that can kill cancer cells Rhubarb kills half of cancer cells in 48 hours breaking research shows | Express.co.uk [although I'm aware that even if it’s proven that parietin can treat cancer in people, it’s unlikely anyone could eat enough rhubarb to get the benefits - Dr Hayley Frend of Cancer Research UK] and cheese for osteoporosis.] The cheesecake, of course, provides a lot of calcium so that seemed to be a great desert for our meal.
If you're interested in the recipe itself, then head to https://wordpress.com/post/kathiescakes.wordpress.com/658
