Emigrating at 95
My Granny has emigrated to Australia, from the UK, at 95 years of age!
Last month she packed her whole life up into half a shipping container (with some help from Dad and I in the last few weeks), said farewell to family, her friends and an organisation she'd been volunteering for for decades, and headed to the Land Down Under. (She is one of the Three Wise Women, so you can be assured all her best recipes and cooking tips were packed safely in her carry on luggage).
It's surreal to finally have her here; coming to family events, being a part of the simple gatherings she's missed out on for at least three decades. My whole life I only ever saw my Granny and Pop in bursts; when they would visit Australia every second or third summer and when we would visit them a week at a time in sleepy Taunton.
Now I'm dreaming about all the cooking we'll do, the cooking tips we'll discuss. In fact, when I was helping her pack up last month I came across this treasure trove, the mother lode of recipe collections, all handwritten and each with, I imagine, deep emotional connections to her past: "Mother's Fruitcake", "Oatmeal Crispies from King George V Hospital, Malta", "Truffle Cake", "Cindery Cake"...
Over Christmas I'm looking forward to whipping the cards out like a trivia game and asking her about the history behind each one. I believe the stories behind recipes truly make the meal. What is your favourite sentimental dish?
