Cherry cake and ginger beer, by Jane Brocket

As a child, I longed for a picnic just like the one so lovingly depicted by Susan Coolidge in her classic children's novel What Katy Did, with its ginger cakes, hard-boiled eggs, corned beef sandwiches and molasses pies.
Hurrah for Jane Brocket, who has created recipes for the pies - renamed Katy's paradise picnic pie - and all sorts of other treats that feature in so many of the older books for children.
Brocket must have had a whale of a time researching for her latest book - illustrated in black and white in contrast to the glorious colour in her previous publication, Domestic Bliss. Her own favourites such as the Enid Blyton books, Anne of Green Gables, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Heidi and Pippi Longstocking have inspired recipes like Swallows and Amazons seed cake, Bruce Bogtrotter's heroic chocolate cake, Ellen's extremely comforting posset, Milly-Molly-Mandy's muffin man muffins and Mrs Glump's melt-in-the-mouth shortbread.
Chapter headings such as Proper Elevenses, Cooks' Special Treats, School Food, Kind and Thoughtful Treats and Special Occasions entice the reader to riffle through the pages, reminisce about their favourite childhood books and perhaps recreate some of the treats mentioned there.
This book, with its title inspired by the cherry cakes and lemonade mentioned in various Famous Five titles, is a must-read. Brocket is such an imaginative writer and I can't wait to see what she'll come up with next.
Rating - I give this 5/5 GREAT!!

Get this from the library
Reviewed by Jan @ Ballarat branch