by Mouse

Created on: September 19, 2011

Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, that classic combination, is, alongside Fish and Chips, the epitome of English cuisine in the eyes of many the World over.

As an English citizen living abroad in the Land of Cabbage and Potatoes (and very good they are too), with a French/Italian fiance, food and cooking are popular and sometimes contentious issues in our house.

Can you believe that the otherwise rational, intelligent, love of my life, within the first month of moving in was honestly about to pollute my shopping trolley with pre-made Yorkshire Puddings? - Neither could I!

It did explain one thing to me though - until this point, I hadn't understood his rejection of every suggestion of cooking "A Roast" since he arrived.

Upon closer questioning, I discovered that the entirety of his experiences of "Sunday Dinner/A Roast" consisted of Dry meat, served with soggy, boiled to death frozen vegetables, accompanied by commercially pre-made and frozen re-heatable roast potatoes and Yorkshire Puddings.

Now, I am full aware of the reality of living on a shoestring. - There have been times where I ate nothing but 9p(UK) noodles for six months when it got to the point of being the only way to pay the bills and keep my family adequately fed, clothed and warm, so I do understand the role of frozen veg and cheaper cuts of meat, (though both must be handled properly) but I still maintain that there is absolutely no reason for anyone to have to go to the expense of the drastically overpriced "convenience" Yorkshire Pudding when the  real deal are not only more tasty, but are just as quick and easy and better nutritionally for your family.

I don't know why people seem to have this perception of Yorkshire Puddings as a difficult thing to master -  after all, it's basically a pancake cooked another way. 
I have this enduring memory of the face of a very snooty French Lady who I served in the restaurant of a big hotel that I worked for, when I told here that "it's essentially the same mixture as Crepe, but cooked in the oven" - it was truly a Kodak moment!

Maybe it's because my generation, now in our late twenties and early thirties, appear to have turned out far less confident cooks than our predecessors. In some cases, the children under ten today, are in many cases (in Britain at least) the third generation in their families unable to cook anything that doesn't come from a packet.

However, I am not here to preach the sermon! - There are those

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