28 October 2025

Oh, dear! I recently made a Boiled Fruit cake that, although I followed the recipe exactly, completely failed to rise!
Why is it, that on some days I can rush around the kitchen, just throwing everything together and it comes out perfect, yet on others (usually when we have guests) I can take all the care in the world and the cake fails to rise, the chicken comes out pink or the custard is lumpy?
Oh well, I guess it just goes to show that even I am not perfect!
Perhaps we all need that reminder at times, that no one is perfect: we all lose our tempers, think we know best, or don't think before we say something thoughtless or cruel.
C. S. Lewis wrote (and I'm sorry, I can't tell you where or give you the exact quotation but I think it's in one of the "Narnia" books) something along the lines of, "...the test of any action is, is it loving? Is it honest? Is it kind? Would God approve of it?"
I know it doesn't help with cakes but it is a good rule of thumb to apply to our daily interactions with other people! Though I, personally, do find that it is hard to 'think before  I speak'.

....... Actually, the cake turned out all right in  the end; it tasted good and that really is what matters! Maybe Boiled Fruit Cakes aren't meant to rise? Can anyone tell me?.

With love,
Jacquie xx