Some people can make good pastry and others cannot. I am one of the cannot variety. I have tried every trick in the trade over the years and have the coldest hands in Christendom but it does not work for me. I don’t worry about it and get on with what I am good at.

I make meringues but not Pavlova and since I don’t eat cream I avoid it at home or away.

I do remember mammy talking about making meringues with real egg whites during the war and leaving them in the airing cupboard over night to dry out. They had the eggs thanks to Granny K, but not the gas to waste cooking them.

I’ve just managed to lose my whole reply…. here goes again
I lurv LMP…tangy lemony stuff with fluffy sweet white stuff and short crust pastry… How can LMP be a failure? Unless you use one of those sweetened, caky pastries..yeuk!

tricks for pastry success..chill everything and have cold hands! Avoid sarcasm from mother by making sure there is no flour on the palms of your hands…”Don’t you have finger tips?” Speed!!! and chill it inthe fridge for at least an hour before rolling out! Roll out thin as possible. Work on a slate stone or metal surface thatconducts heat away.

Janet’s final trick is to use Half and half plain and whole meal flour!!!

As for that particular meringue…It’s a hard one…trad meringues are cooked long and slow to dry them out…Don’t give up on it.You’ll find the right temperature and time …… what about the freshness of the eggs? Oh and don’t keep them in the fridge..it makes the whites go runny…something to do with the proteins changing I think!

We have Pavlova up this end of the world but it is not a patch on the one like you describe that my sis-in -Law from Oz made. I never did have the recipe.

Paddy might be busy making the Popcorn lol

You’ve NOT had any failures with your recipes…

It’s more a case of “you can’t keep everyone happy, all the time”.

My ‘Ma and Da’ really enjoyed your Lemon Drizzle Cake today but they didn’t twig when I said it was my birthday cake

I have only had 2 failures so far _ Liver Pate and now Lemon Meringue Pie.

I hope you have booked your seat to watch Master Chef Paddy on the films later

Where is everyone today, Grannymar?

Maybe they’ve all gone elsewhere as you can’t make pastry

The LM pie recipe looks good though I think I prefer to stick with plain, simple meringues…

or merinGOOS… as we call them in this house!

You restore my faith in human nature. There is someone out there today!

Now will this recipe video be one you prepared earlier Since I use my two hands when I am cooking I would need a Toyboy to do the filming. Are you offering

Perhaps …. I’ll persuade you to post videos of the cooking in progress!