This has been a weekend of strenuous activity. I have up to this point on Sunday evening:
- given the house a good mop so I can walk around barefoot now
- lugged heavy Le Creuset bakeware from Selfridges home together with two magazines and a bag of food shopping
- cleaned out the fridge
- watched a “thriller” (Transformers, watching action-packed movies is quite taxing on my heart)
- baking and cleaning
Of all the activities, baking is the one I enjoy the most and have absolutely no complaints about, even though it usually means a sink full of dirty equipment to clean.
I made mini loaves of banana bread that I gave away to neighbours and Alison. Had to butter up the neighbours because our fire alarm was going off for more than 24 hours while we were away in Munich. Not a nice thing to come home to after a holiday, but I imagine it must be worse for them.

The recipe is from Tom Norrington-Davies’s Just Like Mother Used To Make, and is the first cookbook I bought after moving to London. I haven’t made very much from it though, and this banana bread recipe is the second I’ve attempted (the first was shortbread).

The unusual thing about his banana bread recipe is the use of grated apple to sweeten and moisten. I made a few replacements though:
- no self-raising flour so I used 2 1/2 tsp of baking powder for 250 g plain flour (I think that was too much and it left an aftertaste, will reduce for next time)
- rapadura instead of golden caster sugar (adds a caramel taste)
- maple syrup instead of honey (no honey on hand)
- cinnamon instead of mixed spice

I’ll be good next time and follow the recipe (honey and mixed spice bits), but will keep the rapadura as I prefer its taste to refined sugar. The baking powder-flour ratio also needs to be sorted out but I think this recipe might turn out to be a keeper once I’ve got the basics sorted out.
做Just Like Mother Used To Make的香蕉面包
这个周末做了很多激烈的运动:
- 把楼下到顶楼的地板抹得干干净净
- 在Selfridges买了超重的Le Creuset烤箱盘,还提着食物袋和杂志,一个人把全部搬回家
- 清理冰箱
-在Leicester Square看Transformers(太刺激的电影对心脏负担很重!)
-烘了一堆香蕉面包给邻居 (因为我们在慕尼黑的那个星期,家里的火患警报响个不停
其中,我最喜欢烘陪了,虽然做完后有很多用具要洗。
这次的香蕉面包是从我在伦敦买的第一本食谱,Tom Norrington-Davies的Just Like Mother Used To Make做的。效果还可以,我也没有一一根据食谱,下次要注意。
Replies
xymon and Jessica: Thank you!
yuko: I agree, think those shots might have been over or under exposed, now that I try to think back. Some of the other cross-processed photos still retained “normal” colours. It’s such a gamble with film photography!
A note on: baking from, book, cookbook, cooking, food, panasonic lumix dmc-fz50, sweet









How was Transformers?
I love your mini loaves. Do you have individual metal tins?
herru tommy! I made a little bit of blueberry scones from a recipe you posted a bit back, I like it (the sweetness is just right for me :3) My hubby felt that I didn’t add enough butter tho (LOL) I’ll probably try to make it again (since we have a large batch of blueberries which my mom in law bought :3
hello Tommy!
I’ve baked several times this banana bread recipe from “like mother used to make” and I love it :)
The funny thing is that we use the same apron from ikea ;) and I use it to take pics too!! I also bought this book after I moved to Preston (northwest of uk) :) I love it and I recommend you to try the millionaire shortbread recipe and all the banana chapter ;)
cheers