Hilarious Cake mix from M&S

morwenna

JackieO wrote: »

I can remember buying a 'vesta curry'once when they first came on the market and cooking it.I must say I wasn't impressed but it was then a bit difficult to buy the ingediants and spices bacck then.I can remember when Spag bol was considered to be 'foreign food' and viewed with great doubt by the housewives of the day.

That takes me back Jackie! I remember my Mum working at Ladbrokes; she had to cover the night racing in the summer months leaving Dad in charge. His Vesta beef risotto (served on toast to stretch it - rubber ready meal anyone? :rotfl:) Is still something I will do as "comfort food!" And I don't actually like "real" risotto...

Mind you, Mums Spag Bol, made with a Schwartz packet mix or Bolognese flavour BeanFeast (or equivalent back then), was much praised by all as a new type of exotica

I hasten to add, Mum and Dad usually cooked from scratch every night - these were "treat" meals :rotfl:

Gigervamp

Cullumpster wrote: »

I have to say I buy the packet batter from tesco for 8p I have tried and tried on umpteen occasions to make yorkshires but they always come out rubbish like frisby! I even had my mum round and she made it with me and she is a yorkshire champ, hers came out fab, mine ......yeah you guessed it PANTS! She even said I'm not doing anything wrong! So my yorkies come out perfect every time now and it's not from the want of trying.

I too have a problem with yorkshires and usually end up buying either the Co-op's ready made (which are made with free range eggs) or a packet of batter mix.
Don't know why I can't make them, I've tried several different recipes but they always come out really heavy, although they do rise.

Penelope_Penguin

I suppose we all play to our strengths I cook from scratch, but I have a mechanic change my tyres and my oil, and someone to clean my outside windows. I bet they laugh heartily at my inability to do those simple tasks :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Penny. x

sillyvixen

my mum is dreadfull at making cakes - she can get a cake mix to work, but making them from scratch is always a disaster for her!! if she needs cakes and i have time she will supply me with ingredients and i will make it. but as i work full time and she does not always give me enough warning and a packet mix is her answer.

the last cake she made from scratch i loaned her my food processer as someone told her it would help her cakes turn out better - she managed to burn out the motor!! in retrospect a M&S cake mix would have been a less expensive option!!

pbfhpunk

This always puts me off about buying the pancake mixes http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/pancake.asp I would like to bake more, in fact came here looknig for ideas for making cupcakes and what packet mixes M&S did and found this thread!! maybe I should buy the stuff rather than mixes but in town where I work only shops are M&S and Waitrose so maybe cheaper to buy packs!

zippychick

hi pbfhpunk

Are you a punk ?

That's a fair point if you only have Marksies and Waitrose in your area. I suppose it depends how often you buy mixes, and how often you might be near somewhere which has a tesco or Sainsburys or Lidl etc.

Nine times out of ten the mixes are more expensive, and as you mentioned, there are various additives and additions which wouldn't be in a recipe you would make from scratch. For me, that would be enough for me to source out somewhere to buy the ingredients myself and make them from scratch.

To make basic fairy cakes, you could get by on Self raising flour, and baking powder if you like (I add it myself). A box of icing sugar and you're sorted. :DEggs butter and sugar are the other ingredients (and i add a splash of milk), but I would assume most people would have those on their regular shopping list or in their storecupboard

Anyway, hope I'm not teaching you to suck eggs. There is a thread on fairy cakes you can have a look and see what you think yourself

Fuzzy_Duck

sillyvixen wrote: »

my mum is dreadfull at making cakes - she can get a cake mix to work, but making them from scratch is always a disaster for her!! if she needs cakes and i have time she will supply me with ingredients and i will make it. but as i work full time and she does not always give me enough warning and a packet mix is her answer.

the last cake she made from scratch i loaned her my food processer as someone told her it would help her cakes turn out better - she managed to burn out the motor!! in retrospect a M&S cake mix would have been a less expensive option!!

It's interesting, I can bake but I'm rubbish at cooking! Every time I try I tend to set things on fire. Needless to say I'm not even allowed to go near the kitchen anymore... and I really don't mind because I hate cooking anyway! Admittedly if left to my own devices I can cook something simple but I often resort to takeaway because my cooking tends to taste awful.

If meals were up to me we'd have to live off bread and cake because that's all I can make