Nan's Fish Batter

My Nan was a fantastic cook and housekeeper who worked hard all of her life.  Always in motion, and if you wanted to talk to her you had to follow her around as she never let up was always doing something.  Even when she was in the house there was always baking, sewing, knitting, making wine, making Christmas cakes, preserving food in bottles, jams, for the freezer.  Not only did she do all this she worked full time at the local Junior School until it moved full time as the School Cook as well as doing service at the local Church (St Clements)

Nevin the property that my grandad and her owned in Fiskerton just outside of Lincoln was mostly set to food of some kind or another. They lived in the village for over 60 years.  The garden (2 acres) was mostly set to Orchards but also livestock chickens and pigs and lots of vegetables, bees and soft fruit. She also made the most of the wild larder and during the war years my Dad used to go out catching Rabbits to fill the pot.  If they got more than they needed this was always left discretely at the door of someone who was struggling in the village wrapped in newspaper.   Apparently my Nan was also instrumental in introducing the WI to the village from what my Dad told me as well.

Nan grew up in a time of difficulties and she was from a larger family herself so she found all sorts of ways of doing things that were economic, filling and did not cost the earth.  My Nan was also a creature of routine and Monday was wash day with a scratch tea, Friday was always fish night with fish bought off the fish van that used to come to the village.  Which brings me to the subject of this post Nan's homemade fish batter.  This batter was light and tasty but had a couple of different ingredients in it for the time.

First of all you need to prepare your chosen fish.  Nan used to use Haddock or Cod.  Wash it and then dry it down on a clean tea towel (this was before the days of kitchen roll but if you are trying to be greener use a clean kitchen tea towel).  Onto a plate add some plain flour and season with salt and pepper and mix up the flour mixture.  Dip the fish in the flour so that it is totally coated.  There is a reason for this in that the flour helps keep the batter on the fish.

Into a bowl place about a tea cup of flour and half a tablespoon of custard powder (yes custard powder).  Add one to two eggs depending on size whip it up  with a little milk and water so that the consistency is like single cream (Nan used a wooden spoon I use a balloon whisk) I believe water is added to the milk as otherwise the batter will be a little heavier which is not the object of the exercise. In any event it is not much. Leave to stand for about 20 minutes and then go back to the batter if it has thickened up too much add a drop more water and give it a good whisk again.  At the last minute before you coat your fish in the batter add a good dash of malt vinegar or two mix it in quickly then coat the fish in the batter mixture.

Make sure that you have a pan with your cooking fat/oil so that it is bubbling and then dip your floured fish into the batter and then straight into the cooking fat/oil.  Cook until the fish turns golden brown but make sure that you turn over inbetween so that both sides get even colouring,  Once colouring to your liking take out and pop on a baking rack to drain (Make sure that there is something under this to catch the drips).

Serve with home made chips, and a side salad. salad cream or mayonnaise or Tartare sauce.  It is delicious.

It is one of those dishes that I really miss of hers and is one she used to serve to me as I used to go and stay with her regularly (after my granddad had passed).  I would either go on the coach to Lincoln and then catch a bus to the village arriving on a Friday night.  They then stopped the coach journeys so after that my Dad used to take me on the back of his Matchless Twin motorbike and it was always Fish and Chips for supper.  

Waking up at Nan's on a Saturday morning was always leisurely.  I would hear the Cockerel kicking up a stink and would then drift in and out of sleep until about 8 am.  Often the sun was shining in the bedroom where I used to sleep and the window had the old fashioned handles and hinges which were coiled.  The cottage used to be so peaceful and just birdsong.  It was so peaceful and lovely there I hope one day I am lucky enough to find such a place as my forever home. One day as my Dear Dad used to say, One day!

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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