The Spring Tonic Episode 1 - TREAT

This week we are sharing chocolate and cake with Editor of The Simple Things magazine, Lisa Sykes and Wellbeing Editor, Becs Frank. Join them as they chat about why we love an inessential meal, how a treat lifts your mood, the joy of fresh eggs, time away from the to-do list and whether it’s better to save for something special. There will be time to put the kettle on and pause for a moment with an original short story.

A Spring Tonic is supported by Pause, the subscription box from Mind

Click here to find out more about the The Simple Things Magazine

Transcript

Lisa Sykes (00:07):

Hello, thanks for joining us for season two of our podcast in which we fling open the windows and embrace the tonic of spring. I'm Lisa Sykes, editor of The Simple Things, and over the next six weeks with the help of my colleagues, we'll be exploring small ways to put a spring in our steps and enjoy life a little bit more as the season turns. Think of it as a suggestion box for projects and pastimes, jobs and jaunts. And a gentle reminder to note and notice what's going on in your patch. The message is clear. Life is better when you remember the simple things, or we like to think so anyway. And we're very pleased to be supported this season by Pause, which is the monthly subscription box from Mental Health Charity Mind. Much like the simple things, it provides a moment of mindfulness, creativity, and calm with its box of relaxing activities. And you can find out more at pauseformind.org.uk slash simple. So this is our first episode and it's all about treats, small ways to make us feel good. And I know our wellbeing editor, Becs Frank, who's joining me, she loves a little treat, don't you be Hello.

Becs Frank (01:11):

Hello, Lisa. Well, what's not to love about a treat,

Lisa Sykes (01:14):

Right? Absolutely. And I think we probably both agree that a treat for us often starts with food because eating something is good is our favourite way to treat ourselves. And it seems appropriate because here we are on Easter Monday, if you're listening to it as we release the first episode. So we can't let that long weekend pass with a chat about chocolate. Can we really? How about you Becs? Was it a very chocolatey Easter for you?

Becs Frank (01:40):

Yeah, of course. I've still got quite a bit of chocolate in the house and I've been really enjoying, there's something really just delicious about Easter eggs, don't you think?

Lisa Sykes (01:49):

Well, the thing is, you see, I am one of these rare people who can take or leave chocolate, but that said, I still do have an Easter egg because you kind of got, haven't you really?

Becs Frank (01:57):

Yeah,

Lisa Sykes (01:58):

Exactly. I don't necessarily eat it all at once though. Unlike my other half, who will just devour the whole thing, does he? And I have to hide them.

Becs Frank (02:05):

Yeah.

Lisa Sykes (02:06):

Otherwise he just cannot resist it.

Becs Frank (02:08):

Yeah, it's funny people say the characters like that, the difference in our families too. No, I quite like to savour my chocolate

Lisa Sykes (02:16):

And

Becs Frank (02:16):

Have a little bit in the evening.

Lisa Sykes (02:17):

I know what you mean, but why do we love chocolate? I mean, there's actual genuine scientific reasons, isn't there?

Becs Frank (02:23):

So the reasons why we enjoy eating it, it actually does help to release the happy hormones, serotonin and endorphins.

Lisa Sykes (02:32):

Okay.

Becs Frank (02:33):

So when you are the pleasure of eating it, the kind of texture of it and the taste of it releases some of those hormones and it also gives you that kind of melt in the mouth feeling. That's a nice, oh yeah, that's

Lisa Sykes (02:45):

That silky texture, isn't it?

Becs Frank (02:47):

Yeah, it's quite comforting, isn't it? And really moreish.

Lisa Sykes (02:52):

Yeah, no, and it's quite a physical thing.

Becs Frank (02:54):

Yeah, yeah. Oh

Lisa Sykes (02:54):

Yeah, yeah,

Becs Frank (02:55):

Yeah.

Lisa Sykes (02:56):

And so I mean, it does genuinely lift our mood. Then it really,

Becs Frank (03:00):

It does lift our mood. And also you've probably heard chocolate is good for you, can be good for you. I should probably say. So obviously there's loads of different types of chocolate and I actually like, or most types of chocolate, but I do like dark chocolate. And you probably know this, but the darker the chocolate, if we're talking about health benefits from the vitamins and minerals and the antioxidants and the fibre that chocolate contains, that's when you're going into the darker chocolate and really the 70% kind of cocoa minimum.

Lisa Sykes (03:32):

But I read somewhere, and I don't dunno whether this is true really or not, but obviously in milk chocolate it's mainly fat and sugar and they're found in proportions in milk chocolate that exist nowhere else in nature except in breast milk. Oh, wow. Which suggests that we're hardwired to actually enjoy it. Is that right? But I can't imagine, I mean, the whole point of breast milk is, it's super rich, isn't it?

Becs Frank (03:56):

Yes.

Lisa Sykes (03:57):

And super

Becs Frank (03:58):

Filling

Lisa Sykes (03:58):

And fattens you up, which

Becs Frank (04:00):

Is

Lisa Sykes (04:01):

Why I guess the dark chocolate, which has less fat and sugar in it is better for you.

Becs Frank (04:07):

Yeah. And do you find as well with dark chocolate that you just don't want to have as much, and yet you are much more satisfied with a couple of squares?

Lisa Sykes (04:16):

Absolutely. Yeah.

Becs Frank (04:17):

Whereas I could down a bar of a big bar of dairy milk in an evening easily, whereas I don't think I would with dark chocolate.

Lisa Sykes (04:25):

No. I mean, I'm the same, a couple of squares of, I like chocolate with orange in. I like that a lot. Yes. But you see, I also like an orange club biscuit, if I'm honest. But I think there's a theme here. I think that is possibly nostalgia for childhood, though. It was a very 1970s biscuit, wasn't it?

Becs Frank (04:44):

Yeah. We still get chocolate clubs, orange clubs.

Lisa Sykes (04:48):

Oh yeah, we do. Yeah.

Becs Frank (04:49):

Yeah. And chocolate. Terry's chocolate orange.

Lisa Sykes (04:52):

Yeah. Oh no. Well, my other half, he's had one every Christmas since he was born. I think I, I have. So if someone forgets now they're deep trouble.

Becs Frank (05:01):

Yeah. So I think with treats, if we're thinking about treats, then I absolutely treat yourself to the chocolate that you enjoy in, I guess moderation. But the dark chocolate and the good quality chocolate, which has less sugar, is less processed, more of the good stuff, I think have it as, and also, did you know this is a plant food?

Lisa Sykes (05:23):

No. Really?

Becs Frank (05:24):

Yeah. Well,

Lisa Sykes (05:25):

Cocoa plant, of course. It's cocoa beans, isn't it? Yeah,

Becs Frank (05:28):

Yeah, exactly.

Lisa Sykes (05:30):

So hang on. So you can include it as one of your plant-based meals. You can include, she says optimistically, you

Becs Frank (05:37):

Can include it as a plant. So if you are counting the number of plant foods that you're eating, you eat chocolate counts, dark

Speaker 3 (05:44):

Chocolate,

Lisa Sykes (05:44):

Which is very much a thing at the moment, isn't it? You're supposed to eat as wide a range of plants as possible, aren't you? Yes, exactly. And

Becs Frank (05:50):

I think obviously you can eat chocolate, nice delicious bars of chocolate, but I like cooking the chocolate as well.

Lisa Sykes (05:57):

Yeah. And there's something about, because you see I have that problem of where chocolate becomes less cake and more sweets confectionary. Okay. And there's a bit of Kit Kats, they could go either way. Like the Jaffa cake. Yeah, exactly. But let's not get into that because people have done that before. But I think cooking with chocolate somehow makes it feel less like confectionery and more like food.

Becs Frank (06:20):

But I like the kind of biscuit cake hybrid. Yes. I love a tiffin. Oh yeah. Cake chocolate tiffin, not Tiffin. Like the Indian takeaway. Oh,

Lisa Sykes (06:31):

Yes. Oh, really? So they're not related. I don't know why I thought they were, but yes, Tiffin as in it's like rocky road, right?

Becs Frank (06:38):

Yes, it is. I mean, I stand to be corrected here, but from my understanding, Tiffin is the British, possibly Scottish originating from Scotland version. And Rocky Road is the American version, which tends to have marshmallows in it. And Tiffin is more likely to have the dried fruits. So I put raisins in my tiffin and sometimes chopped apricots. Nice. And you can put seeds in so it feels quite healthy, right?

Lisa Sykes (07:04):

Oh yeah. So that's practically a cereal bar, isn't it?

Becs Frank (07:08):

And you know how you can hide away a cake in a tin in the cupboard and maybe might not go in the first hour, whereas my chocolate tiffin goes in the tray in the fridge and it literally lasts a morning or an afternoon.

Lisa Sykes (07:23):

That's funny. That's very funny. So I've been looking a bit about chocolate history. I think this is really interesting. So obviously the Aztecs in South America, well, Mexico, middle America, I suppose, ate and drank chocolate way back, but they used to spice theirs with chilli and fruits, which is why it's obviously such a good addition to chilli dishes. My other half swears by a bit of dark chocolate in his chilli, which is his sort of signature dish. And it's very

Becs Frank (07:49):

Good. Yeah, you do. I've been to Mexico and you get chocolate features in a lot of their savoury dishes.

Lisa Sykes (07:55):

Oh, interesting.

Becs Frank (07:56):

Yeah, I've not done it

Lisa Sykes (07:57):

Though. Oh no, it's very good. It really does add to the flavour of the chilli and tempers the spice a little bit as well.

Becs Frank (08:03):

Yeah. Adds a richness I think, doesn't it?

Lisa Sykes (08:05):

Yeah. So you can taste, sometimes things are so spicy you can't really taste the food.

(08:10):

And I think that's where the chocolate comes in. Oh, interesting. Listen to me sounding like I know what I'm talking about anyway, but what is interesting is that Fry's chocolate, so they launched the first chocolate bar in this country in 1847, and they also came up with the first Easter egg. They were very innovative in 1873. 1873. Wow. Yeah, I know. And they were Quakers who saw chocolate as a health alternative to alcohol. Oh, really? So they also thought chocolate was good for you. And actually, of course, Cadbury who built the Bourneville village for his workers in Birmingham were also Quakers, and there were no pubs in the village. That is interesting. So there's quite an interesting history there about why they thought chocolate was a good thing and homemade alcohol a

Becs Frank (08:57):

Bad thing, because I did find this out in my research that actually cocoa, the high quantity cocoa chocolate does actually have more antioxidants in it than red wine.

Lisa Sykes (09:06):

Well, there you go. But also then green tea. Interesting. So

Becs Frank (09:10):

Yeah.

Lisa Sykes (09:11):

Oh, well look, we're loving all this about chocolate, but of course you can make your own chocolate, which presumably would be really good, but you don't really need to do you because there's loads of great fair trade and artisan chocolate out there now, which has really revitalised it as a business and industry, hasn't it?

Becs Frank (09:28):

Yeah. Oh God, there's so much, isn't there? I do. I sort of using up my chocolate, and I like the thought of this with the, we do at Christmas, but with the Easter eggs, using up your Easter eggs if you have any left.

Lisa Sykes (09:39):

Oh, yes. Because we have that recipe in the March issue, didn't we?

Becs Frank (09:41):

Yeah, yeah. I might steal one of my sons because he's a hoarder. And make these or suggest that we make these because you cut them in half, so you break it carefully in half, and then you make the cheesecake. You basically make the cheesecake contained within the half of the Easter egg.

Lisa Sykes (09:57):

And it's a no bake recipe, presumably. Yeah,

Becs Frank (09:59):

Yeah, yeah. So you've got your biscuit base and then you drizzle on the top and

Lisa Sykes (10:02):

They look really cute. I think that's worth buying an Easter egg to make, isn't it? Quite decade, doesn't it? Isn't it?

Becs Frank (10:08):

Yeah, it's nice

Lisa Sykes (10:08):

And of course. But yeah, we're not just about chocolate, are we? A food I always think of as a treat, and it's partly because I kept my own hens for a long time is a fresh egg, but not just any fresh egg. It's a fresh egg. You've collected yourself warm from the nest box. And you know what? And when I was a kid, I never really liked eggs that much. I was kind of forced to eat one once a week Sunday breakfast and really didn't like them. And did you not? No. And then I kind of grew to accept them probably because I was forced to eat them, but then keeping my own, they are very

Becs Frank (10:42):

Good. They do taste different. They, I haven't got my own hands, but I know from staying with people who have them that they are extra special.

Lisa Sykes (10:52):

Well, you know what? I think it's partly knowing that you've raised something like an egg because you've raised the hens

(10:59):

And hens are great. There are no better time wasters than the watching hens. They're always on the move. So they scratch and peck and they make some great noises. They do. They're not quite at all. They clock and score. And of course the pecking order, they have to establish that. So they kind of work out who's the boss. But this time of year, particularly when the garden's still pretty bare and rough around the edges, they bring a life to it. There's something moving around. And so do you get to know their different personalities like you do with your other pets? Oh, totally. Yes. Really? Yeah. I mean, some people, especially the little bantams, the little fluffy ones, they're really good at being kept as pets. But I certainly named all mine. I would handle them occasionally, but I wasn't carrying them around. But actually they did definitely have personalities. And you got to know them by their names because they were little characters.

Becs Frank (11:52):

Yeah. Well, I think like any pet,

Lisa Sykes (11:53):

Yeah,

Becs Frank (11:54):

It's good for you. It feels good, doesn't it? To look after something you give to that pet and the pet gives back to you. Definitely. You find therapy hens now used in prisons and different kind of establishments.

Lisa Sykes (12:10):

I know. It's amazing, isn't it? And yeah, I think people do worry about having a nice garden with them and that sort of stuff. And yes, in spring you do need to protect your veg patch and fresh seedlings with CLOs. Oh, right. Of course. Cloches or physical barriers because they love fresh soil. In fact, in the winter in early spring, I've got a little greenhouse and the sort of bed in the greenhouse where I grow tomatoes in the summer is obviously empty this time of year. And they go in there and it's obviously dry soil, which is a bit of a premium in early

Becs Frank (12:41):

Spring.

Lisa Sykes (12:42):

And they dust bath in the greenhouse and Oh, really? And it's actually really good for them. It stops 'em getting mites and things in their feathers. Yeah,

Becs Frank (12:51):

I was going to say, why do they do?

Lisa Sykes (12:53):

Yeah, it's like a cleaner. It's like having a bath and it just keeps them healthy.

Becs Frank (12:59):

Oh, I bet. That's really funny to watch.

Lisa Sykes (13:01):

Yeah, no, and they really bury down in and throw it all over the place and it's very funny. Anyway, but I could talk about hens for quite a while, but I think we obviously know we be, it treats come in ways other than food too, don't

Becs Frank (13:16):

They? Exactly. Yeah, they do basically the message to treat yourself and don't feel bad about treating yourself and don't feel that a treat is something that you need to have earned. Really? Yes. And treats can be tiny, small things. They're not something you necessarily have to go out and buy. And I like the thought of, it was something that we wrote about in our flourish magazine recently, and it was,

Lisa Sykes (13:39):

Oh yes, I just a small plug for that. Then Bex Beck's edited our wellbeing book booking called Flourish, and that's still available. You can still buy it through our website. And we mentioned the March issue earlier, and that is also still available. Our April issue is on sale now. But yeah, we did a thing about the feel good list. We bet.

Becs Frank (13:56):

Yeah. And it was kind of about thinking about just, it was a reminder about how to think about the things that really make you feel alive, the things that give you pleasure. And there's some examples of things like watching the sunset, eating again, eating a piece of cake. Nice. There was a space to write your own little feel good list. And then just to kind of make sure you try and just add one of these things in every day if you can.

Lisa Sykes (14:19):

So these are experiences rather than retail therapy, aren't they?

Becs Frank (14:23):

Yeah. And actually, it's funny you should say that because the research does show that it's experiences that give us more lasting happiness than material things. So you might get that kind of lift when you go and buy, treat yourself to something, a new pair of shoes or something like that in a shot, and then you get that kind of buzz then, but that quite quickly goes, whereas an experience, their pleasure will last for longer.

Lisa Sykes (14:48):

And it seems like we don't really save up for treats anymore. Now do we, you remember, because obviously you used to do it with your pocket money when you were a child, didn't you? Yes. But I wonder if there is something in, it's better if you've saved for it, because surely it builds up the anticipation, doesn't it?

Becs Frank (15:04):

Yeah, exactly.

Lisa Sykes (15:05):

And in the end it feels less expensive, doesn't it? Because something that you think, oh, I can't really afford that. But actually, if you've saved the money over a longer period of time, maybe you can.

Becs Frank (15:14):

Yeah, I think it's a good way to, if it's something say that feels like is a treat because it's something you can't afford to do all the time, I would love to have a weekly massage, have a daily massage, but wouldn't it be great? But obviously that's not feasible, and so therefore it becomes something that I don't really ever do where actually maybe if I didn't buy myself a takeaway coffee once or twice a week and put that money into a pop, probably I could afford or would feel like I could go treat myself to that massage once a month.

Lisa Sykes (15:47):

It's true. And I think the best treats are the ones that are really simple though. They just putting a jug of daffodils or tulips on your table.

Becs Frank (15:55):

Yeah,

Lisa Sykes (15:55):

It cheers you up. No end. And that is definitely a treat.

Becs Frank (15:58):

Yeah.

Lisa Sykes (15:58):

And you just need to find what's your treat, don't you really?

Becs Frank (16:01):

And remind yourself as well.

Lisa Sykes (16:03):

Yeah.

Becs Frank (16:04):

It's funny because recently it was an not while a couple of weeks ago, and I was quite achy, and so I started having baths every day and I just don't really ever make time to have a bath. And apart from maybe when I'm away, I've got a nice hotel bathroom. Yeah, no, it's true. But I started having baths and then I was actually, I'm really enjoying this. I'm feeling really relaxed. Why don't I do this more often? So it's kind of reminding yourself of those little things. And I think maybe writing down that things on your feel good list. There's a nice term for them actually called, which psychologists use called glimmers.

Lisa Sykes (16:38):

Oh yeah.

Becs Frank (16:39):

It's kind of like an opposite. If you think about a trigger being something that stirs up unpleasant feelings and negative things, negative things, A glimmer would be the things that make you feel warm and safe and happy. So that might be that bunch of flowers on your desk or a warm bath or watching a sunset, or quite often it might be something with another person. The thing with experiences, they quite often involve other people, which always makes us feel good as well.

Lisa Sykes (17:06):

Yes, I think it's really interesting, isn't it? And when you mentioned about time treat are something we do when we perceive we've got more time, and in winter we do think we have more time because we're not trying to pack our diary so much. And

Becs Frank (17:22):

Maybe

Lisa Sykes (17:22):

There's a lesson there, isn't it? We talked about this a lot in last podcast season, still available if anybody hasn't listened to it, where we went to the hi barnacle, our winter retreat, didn't we? And we talked about how it's important to just rest and

Becs Frank (17:36):

Have

Lisa Sykes (17:37):

Enjoy yourself there really. And maybe there's a lesson there for spring as well, which is not to head into spring and rush and pack your diary.

Becs Frank (17:45):

Yeah, I think so. Because in fact, it's something I think about every year really. That winter can feel like it drags on and it's not all great is it? But there are benefits to it, which we've talked about. And I think if you can try and remember what they are and remember that little bit of extra time for yourself and not try to get too busy. Do you remember we do a regular slot called The Big Idea where we kind of deconstruct a book with a new concept? Yes idea. And this book was 4,000 Weeks by Oliver Berkman.

Lisa Sykes (18:17):

I remember there was a lot of discussion about this one, wasn't there? Yeah,

Becs Frank (18:20):

Yeah. And I mean, it's been a bestselling book. It's such an interesting, and I think appeals to everyone concept. The point is that we have 4,000 weeks, the average person lives for 4,000 weeks,

Lisa Sykes (18:34):

Which I remember when we were talking about it and half the team were like, that sounds like loads. That fills me with optimism. And then the other half were like, oh, that's so depressing. That's only 4,000 weeks. Particularly if you are like me and you're over halfway

Becs Frank (18:48):

Through it. Yeah, we've used a lot of those weeks already, haven't we? Yeah, yeah. We've read so much about how to kind of pack more, manage our time so that we can do more and fit more in when actually we have precious little time really. So make more time to do the things that you really enjoy and stop trying to find ways

Lisa Sykes (19:07):

To like treats.

Becs Frank (19:09):

Yeah. Stop finding ways to just do more work and do more chores and

Lisa Sykes (19:13):

Well food for thought there I think. And hopefully you will think that listening to a story being read aloud is a treat. We publish an original short story in every issue of the simple things. So we recommend putting the kettle on, sitting in your favourite chair or even outside if the weather's favourable. And listening to this spring treat of a story, Charlie's Garden, a short story by Libby page. That's a big question. I'd have to think about that. Charlie pauses resting on the handle of his spade. That's okay. Replies his grandson, Ted plunging his bare hands into the earth in search of weeds. I can wait. Oh, Charlie isn't used to spending time alone with his grandson. It's widely acknowledged by the family that he's a grumpy old man and needs supervision with both the young and the elderly. There was an unfortunate incident involving great Aunt Pat's 90th birthday, an tactless comment about her plunging velvet jumpsuit.

(20:10):

But today, both Charlie's wife, daughter, son-in-law, and even his daughter's neighbours are busy. There was no choice but to leave Ted. With Charlie working together in the garden was Charlie's idea to avoid too much conversation. He pictured giving Ted tools and precise instructions, Ted following obediently like Charlie had done with his own grandfather. But so far Ted has not stopped talking, covering Pokemon gravity, his favourite sandwich, fillings, shooting stars, and now love. As Charlie leans on his spade listening to the chatter of the Rens in the hedgerows. And Ted's mutterings, as he talks to the weeds, pulls from the earth. He tries to think of an answer to the question. Charlie knows about seeds and compost, but he doesn't think he knows much about love. The sun balances on the fence, casting a golden afternoon light onto the garden. The apple tree he planted for his wife when they moved to the house 30 years ago has started to bloom.

(21:05):

Pink blossoms resting on the branches like clouds tinge with sunset. Beneath is a ring of daffodils. His daughter's favourites. Bright bonnet head swaying beside him. Ted kneels on the ground. He's wellies trousers and hands covered in soil. It says Charlie Thoughtly, that one's not a weed. Ted looks at the plant in his hands, roots exposed clumps of earth, clinging to their tendrils. Sorry, granddad, he says blinking quickly. Then he digs a small hole in the ground and delicately places the plant back inside. Sorry, plant. He says, I hope you grow again. Ted pats the soil around the roots of the plant so gently that Charlie not usually want to apologise. Softens it's not such a disaster. He says Plants are quite hardy. Really? You just have to look after them properly. Charlie looks again across his garden. It's taken years to get to this stage.

(21:57):

The climbing rows that scales the side of the house, the neat rows of tulips and the vegetable patch. Cabbages nearly ready to harvest, but he knows it's not finished. There's always more work to do. A guest love is a bit like gardening. He says after a while you have to put in time and attention. You have to look after your garden and the job is never over. Even when you have a grownup garden, it's still near Jo hair. Charlie looks down at Ted and sees his daughter's large brown eyes staring up at him. He's never noticed before that they are hers. Exactly. So how do you know when you love someone? Ask Ted this time Charlie answers quickly before he even realises what he's saying. Oh, you just know Ted nods and stands up reaching for his grandfather's hand. Can I have ice cream for dinner? He says, I don't see why not. Replies. Charlie. Ted's smile is like spring arriving.

(22:51):

So I hope you enjoyed that pause in the middle of this episode. Another way to slow down a bit might be to take a pause. Wellbeing subscription box from mental health. Charity Mind, as I've already said, is supporting our podcast this spring. It costs from just seven pounds 50 a month, and your donation will all go to helping the charities work to make sure no one has to face a mental health issue alone. And so it's a treat for you, but with an extra feel good factor. And we're very pleased to be working with them. So one of the treats I love, and I'm sure Abbe is the same, is an Ential meal so you don't miss out on the actual meal. Just an opportunity to have extra ones. And I'm thinking things like elevens, brunch supper. Yeah. Afternoon tea. Oh, afternoon tea is probably my favourite. It's also much easier if you're entertaining, isn't it? Because you don't really have to do the whole full three course meal thing.

Becs Frank (23:41):

Yeah. It's less fluffy, isn't it?

Lisa Sykes (23:42):

Yeah. And also if you don't know people as well, it's kind of less of a big deal than having a dinner party, isn't it?

Becs Frank (23:50):

Yeah, I agree.

Lisa Sykes (23:51):

More affordable.

Becs Frank (23:52):

I'd like to go out for brunch and probably, oh, well, I'd actually like to go out for afternoon tea as well. But

Lisa Sykes (23:57):

Yeah,

Becs Frank (23:57):

I like both. It's also a really nice thing to have people over for Definitely. And it feels like less prep.

Lisa Sykes (24:03):

Yeah. I mean they're not an everyday occurrence. These things. Obviously we have working lives to fit in and things like that, but they definitely for me, come into the category of treat

Becs Frank (24:16):

And afternoon tea is a very rare treat, but going out for afternoon tea, not having a piece of cake, but there's something so kind of, I don't know, old fashioned and nostalgic, but also sort of childlike. It's like

Lisa Sykes (24:29):

Being at a

Becs Frank (24:30):

Party, isn't it? Yeah, it's

Lisa Sykes (24:31):

Like being at a kid's party.

Becs Frank (24:33):

Yeah. Yeah. The crusts are cut off your sandwiches.

Lisa Sykes (24:37):

I know. And the thing is, we've probably all had quite a bit of cake over this Easter weekend, but this is worth remembering that this was just the first of three bank holiday long weekends in the next month. Oh yes. So I know. So there's lots of opportunity to do that. And we have a lot of family and friends visiting when it's long weekend as well, don't we? And a bit more time to bake as well. And of course it's not just about cake because personally I love the savouries too in an afternoon tea. Yeah, me too. We did a recipe, which I've made myself, and it's called a ploughman s scone, and it's a cheesy S scone filled with cheese and pickle. Oh, that sounds so nice. So it's like cheese and cheese.

Becs Frank (25:17):

What's not delight? I have to say anything with cheese. And I love a cheese straw. They could go and get it go in an afternoon tea.

Lisa Sykes (25:25):

Oh, a cheese straw.

Becs Frank (25:27):

Yeah.

Lisa Sykes (25:27):

Very nice. Anyway, but back to cake. Oh yeah, no, sorry. Before we get onto cake, what about the little sandwiches? I like you. I'm sure we both like a bit of a nice artisan sourdough, but there's something about kids type sandwiches with white bread and they're just

Becs Frank (25:44):

Childlike. Yeah, ham. Ham or salmon and cream cheese. Yeah. And also I think they're not as filling, are they? Because if I have a nice big artisan sourdough sandwich, I'm absolutely stuffed. No, you don't need anything else then, do you?

Lisa Sykes (25:58):

Yeah.

Becs Frank (25:58):

Whereas if I have a few little triangles, then I've got room left for cake.

Lisa Sykes (26:03):

Yeah. And so I know that you bake quite a lot Becks, don't you? Because you've made some of the recipes from the magazine, don't you? Haven't you?

Becs Frank (26:12):

I really often make them, honestly, I think the savoury and the sweet, but the cakes, and I used to actually try and find the cakes for the magazine. So I had that pleasure of sifting through lots of cake

Lisa Sykes (26:23):

Books You did. And you found some particularly good ones.

Becs Frank (26:27):

Yeah. But I like the fact that we don't go too complicated because I do like to bake, but I'm not hugely ambitious baker. So I like a classic with maybe a little bit of a twist.

Lisa Sykes (26:38):

And also we try not to put too many ingredients in our recipes. I think that's the important thing. So you don't have to go out and buy loads of special things.

Becs Frank (26:45):

No,

Lisa Sykes (26:45):

Because I hate those jars and things you've got that you bought for one thing and they just sit there in the fridge making you feel

Becs Frank (26:53):

Guilty, don't they? No, exactly. Well, it's one page, one recipe, a nice big picture. So there's not going to be loads of instructions or loads of ingredients. No. And I love this time of year, I kind of like a bit of a citrusy cake.

Lisa Sykes (27:06):

Nice.

Becs Frank (27:06):

And we did a piece called Cake Cas, which we did. And I'll just

Lisa Sykes (27:12):

Explain a cake Asian, because yes, the simple thing is you think there's always time for cake. And we have a section every month with a cake recipe, like Beck said, called cake in the house, but some occasions called particular types of cake, but not just special occasions like celebrating a new baby or a new job. These are cake occasions which we invented, weren't they?

Becs Frank (27:35):

Yeah, every day occasions, aren't

Lisa Sykes (27:37):

They? Like a book club cake or a craft, A noon with a friend cake. And what kind of cake goes with what occasion? So which ones did you take from that lenix?

Becs Frank (27:48):

So I really liked, there was these little, they were kind of muffin cakes. They were mini lime drizzle cakes made with olive oil. Absolutely yummy and moist, I imagine. I think the occasion, well for me actually, I think they were a little picnic cake. I like the fact, but it was like, put it in your pocket and go for a walk cake.

Lisa Sykes (28:11):

Nice. Yeah, I like a flap jack or a fruit cake. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I think that one you were talking about, we called it the stately home car park cake.

Becs Frank (28:20):

Oh, did we?

Lisa Sykes (28:22):

Like when you'd been to a national trust place or something and you're just stocking up on some cake back at the car.

Becs Frank (28:28):

Yeah. So you've got it in your, it's like your picnic cake, isn't it? Yeah,

Lisa Sykes (28:31):

Exactly. Exactly. But then there's the cake. You set aside time to make a proper cake, don't you? And there's a pleasure in that as well. There is the fruit cake or the Christmas cake. And then of course for afternoon tea, you can get all those mini cakes, can't you? We did these mini victorious sponges that looked great, and you just make them in cupcake tins.

Becs Frank (28:51):

So I've made those as well. Yeah, you and you do just make them in cupcakes. But I like it like the perfect, when you get a slice of cake, you're all a bit, which am I getting enough? Is it big enough? Am I getting the same as

Lisa Sykes (29:06):

Everyone else?

Becs Frank (29:08):

Am I getting enough filling? Is it big enough or is this exactly what you're getting? And if they're small, you can have more than one or try different ones.

Lisa Sykes (29:15):

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah,

Becs Frank (29:17):

They work really well.

Lisa Sykes (29:17):

So we've been asking readers what their favourite cake is during March. Yeah, that's right. And I'm not going to give the answer away just yet because we're going to be revealing the winners in our June issue, but it is tight at the top,

Becs Frank (29:29):

Is it?

Lisa Sykes (29:29):

Yes. Yeah. There's some surprises, I think. Anyway, but along with the winners of our favourite cakes, we're going to be sharing some of the readers, what I call keepers, those hand me down recipes where maybe the original sauce has got lost off forgotten, and they've got tweaked along the way, but they're kind of a worthy heirloom, aren't they? To be passed on.

Becs Frank (29:49):

Yeah. Covered in cake batter.

Lisa Sykes (29:52):

Yeah. My mom had one of those Biro baking flour books. Oh yeah. But she jotted her own recipes in and amongst them handwritten. And in fact, I'm sure she's still got it. I must ask her. But baking from our childhood just sticks in the memory, doesn't it? We never set off on holiday without piles of Tupperware, and they'd always be baked while slice flapjacks and tray baked scones in the boot. Really? And we were only ever going to North Wales or Cornwall, because she clearly didn't think you could get a good cake there. Definitely not as good as hers.

Becs Frank (30:25):

No, that sounds

Lisa Sykes (30:26):

Great though.

Becs Frank (30:27):

No, it was good. Do you not do that, Lisa?

Lisa Sykes (30:29):

No, sadly, I do not stack the Tupperware in the back of the car when we go off from holiday.

Becs Frank (30:37):

No, my mum was also is a great baker, and we had some kind of classics. Did you ever have a Guinness cake? Ooh, no. There was a fruit cake that my mom used to make with Guinness. I think it was a Delia. Her mum was a big Delia fan, but I think she'd, she'd put her own little twists on it usually. But I remember that we used to, you didn't need the whole can of Guinness for the cake. But I used to finish it off and she used to have a book with all of these recipes. Brilliant. She liked to write them out in her book rather than so that they're all in one place. And I used to sometimes write it myself, get my nice, if I got a new pen, I'd write it out all neatly.

Lisa Sykes (31:18):

Yeah, nice handwriting. Yeah, no, I think building your own cookbook is something I'd love to do. And I really got this idea that two of my girls are off to uni this year, and I thought, oh, actually it'd be really nice to write some recipes for down for them in a little book and start a cookbook for them. Oh, it would?

Becs Frank (31:35):

Yeah.

Lisa Sykes (31:37):

In fact, I should some good student

Becs Frank (31:38):

Friendly recipes.

Lisa Sykes (31:40):

But just some things that maybe got passed on to me as

Becs Frank (31:43):

Well, like, oh, I don't know. And it's nice you have that sort of nostalgic feeling, don't you? Like when I look through the first book cookbook that my mom bought me, it was a Delia, it was the classic Delia. But I can tell the pages that I've used a lot, and they are the recipes that we would've had at home that I've obviously started cooking the first things that I made away from home.

Lisa Sykes (32:03):

I know. And that's the thing I've got, I've got a copy of Nigel Slater's appetite, which is my go-to cookbook. Oh yeah. And it is so stained and patched up and cellar tape together and annotated. And it is all those tips and tricks. I know exactly how much batter we need for toad in the hole for five. So will you scribble that next to the recipe in the book?

Becs Frank (32:26):

Yes. Yeah. Yes.

Lisa Sykes (32:28):

I know. My fruitcake has its own tin, and that is noted on my fruitcake recipe and my bread recipe never varies. I've got a beef burger in your niche that it's specific to what we like. So we never put celery in the shoes. None of us like it.

Becs Frank (32:44):

Right? Yeah, yeah.

Lisa Sykes (32:45):

And things like that. And you just kind of have these things that only you do or your family do, don't you?

Becs Frank (32:50):

Yeah.

Lisa Sykes (32:51):

I dunno. Do you tear out recipes from the magazine?

Becs Frank (32:54):

I don't really like tearing up my magazines.

Lisa Sykes (32:57):

No, I don't either.

Becs Frank (32:58):

But I sometimes take photos of them. But I really do want to kind of get away from that always being on my phone or always looking online for recipes. Well, because you don't save that recipe in the same way if you've looked it up online. No, no. So maybe I have got a folder of things that I have torn out, so I will tear them out of newspaper supplements and things like that.

Lisa Sykes (33:20):

Well, here's a tip. This is what some of our readers do. So because we're quite seasonal in the magazine, they will keep all their March issues together or all their February issues together. And when it gets to that month, they'll look up all the recipes. Oh, that's a good idea. And because it's a lot quicker, obviously, to look them up in a month when you've got a few months worth rather than, and it's quite handy. You can just

Becs Frank (33:41):

Look on the

Lisa Sykes (33:41):

Back. Yeah, well we put an index in every issue, and then you don't have to tear your magazine up. So

Becs Frank (33:47):

I think that's a really good idea actually.

Lisa Sykes (33:48):

Yeah.

Becs Frank (33:49):

Yeah.

Lisa Sykes (33:49):

And also the other thing you can do of course is bake a cake for someone else, which would be a nice treat for someone, wouldn't it?

Becs Frank (33:55):

Yeah. I love doing that. I do. As I said, I'm not an amazing baker, but I like baking and I do, if I go away to stay somewhere or go to visit, I do quite turning up with a cake or something in a tin. Oh, that's

Lisa Sykes (34:06):

Nice. You see, I always think I'm going to do things like that for somebody and then somehow don't get round to it. Send someone an ice cake or some biscuits if they're well to be Fairbanks. I know you were unwell last week and I absolutely was going to do that for you. And then I just didn't do it because you were telling me about this the other day about instantaneous generosity.

Becs Frank (34:30):

Yeah, so this was also in the 4,000 week book actually. And it was just one of the ways of just living well in your finite week is to act on your impulses. So if you have that kind of moment of Oh, I feel really feel like calling someone I haven't spoke to for a while, or sending someone something, or maybe it's like a donating to something, you see something flash up on your social media and you know how you think, oh, I will do that, but I'll do it later. And then you don't.

Lisa Sykes (35:00):

Yes. And you just don't do it, do you? Yeah. Well, I'm sorry, but that is what happened to me last week, so Oh, you're forgiven, I thought was that. But next time I will. So I think we're taking quite a lot away from this, talking about treats, therefore any time. And one thing I'm going to do as a result of this is recognise that it's not just about having a treat on a special occasion, and I shouldn't wait for them to happen. And a treat for me is time away from the to-do

Becs Frank (35:29):

List

Lisa Sykes (35:30):

Doing something that isn't about getting something done. And so right now, after we finish this, I am going to go and start a jigsaw, listen to an audio book and not do anything for a couple of hours.

Becs Frank (35:41):

That sounds great.

Lisa Sykes (35:42):

Yeah,

Becs Frank (35:43):

Make sure you do it. Act on that. I will act on the impulse.

Lisa Sykes (35:46):

How about you? Have you got anything planned?

Becs Frank (35:48):

Well, it's funny, actually. It was on Mother's Day that I went to my first yoga class in ages. Oh yeah. And I've just sort of got out of the habit and I booked it because I thought it would be a nice thing to do. Everyone was kind of going off to do sport and things like that. I thought, what shall I do? And on Mother's Day, and I can't go and see my mom. So I was like, I'm going to do this nice yoga class. And it's made me feel so good that I'm now booking into a six week block for the next term, so that I don't miss out. I make myself go.

Lisa Sykes (36:17):

No, excellent. I think that's good. And actually that's a useful reminder for me to tell people. If you think this episode is a bit of a treat, then you might want to subscribe to this podcast on your podcast app so you don't miss the next one. And then you'll have a treat every week because Bex and I will be back next week with more spring pick me up ideas in our curious episode when we're going to be seeking small ways to explore something new. And so thanks Bex for your always wise thoughts and wellbeing. Pleasure, Lisa. See you next time. Definitely. And also, a big thank you to Pause, which is the subscription box from mind for supporting this season. You can find out more about donating to the charity to receive it@pauseformind.org uk slash simple. Thanks for listening.