Lunch box preparations

It is a common misconception that a weekend is 2 days long. It is in fact only a day and half long because Sunday afternoon is spent preparing for Monday morning, to be ready for school and work. In my case, some of Sunday is spent making up lunchboxes but before this I like to make some nice things to go into the lunchboxes. Yesterday, I made the spiced seeds and today it was fruit salads and biscuits.

I returned from the supermarket with some fresh and some tinned fruit and after lunch I put together some little pots of fruit salads for my daughters. Something like 3 cubes of melon, a grape cut in half, a slice of tinned peach, cut into smaller pieces, and 3 chunks of pineapple. It's enough to give them a portion of fruit but not so much they don't fancy eating it. I made 8 pots and stuck them in the freezer. Now all I have to do is put one in the lunchbox when required and it will be thawed by lunchtime.

That done, I made a batch of Nig Nogs. Nig Nogs are something from my childhood that hold fond memories. I don't know where my grandma found the recipe or why it was named such but once she had introduced us to Nig Nogs they soon became a essential requirement for every visit. After she died, I took charge of her recipe books and soon resurrected this favourite biscuit. I fiddled a little with the recipe (I can't help it), reducing the sugar and adding oat bran but they have now become a firm favourite with my family. Firm is a good word too because they are robust enough to withstand a morning in a lunchbox, yet with a deliciously soft centre.

Nig Nogs (makes 10-12)

3½ oz (100g) plain flour
3½ oz (100g) oats
2¾ oz (75g) dessicated coconut
2¾ oz (75g) light muscovado sugar
1 oz (25g) oat bran
4½ oz (125g) margarine or butter
1 tablespoon black treacle

Preheat oven to 190°C (gas 5) and grease a baking tray. Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl and stir. Pour the black treacle into a saucepan or microwaveable bowl and add the margarine or butter to it. Either over a low heat or with 30 seconds in the microwave, melt together the margarine and treacle. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients and stir well until fully combined. Using your hands, pull out small quantities of the mixture at a time and form into a ball size of a small egg in your palm. Flatten the ball slightly and place it on the baking tray. Continue to do this until all the mixture is used. The biscuits do not spread so there is no need to leave space much between the biscuits. Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the tray and cool on a wire rack.