July is full of minor and major sporting events happening across the county and country – usually accompanied by a vocal crowd of supporters. Schools have their sports days, there are nail-biting tennis matches on the grass courts of Wimbledon, stunning scenery and super fit cyclists in the Tour de France, then there’s The Open – the oldest golf tournament in the world – this year at Royal Portrush Golf Course, and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Each and every one of these events show us participants who have hopes and dreams of success. Some would have trained for years in the hope of becoming a champion in their sport, maybe representing their country or setting a new world record.
Hopes and dreams are built into us from an early age, and they inspire us to visualise our future – be it simple or grand. Our imaginations are stimulated when adults ask us what we want to be when we grow up – astronaut or zookeeper? Work interviews ask us where we see ourselves in five years, annual appraisals want to know about our ambitions in the business. We may learn to play a musical instrument, go to night school to learn something new, even plan to go travelling – our life is full of anticipation.
I often feel anxious when watching sporting events. We all know that however hard you have practiced you can have an off day or nerves get the better of you. Suddenly that opportunity of glory is gone in an instant. But I also love it when the underdog comes through. It’s all about self-belief and not giving up. Walter D. Wintle’s poem Thinking states: ‘the man who wins is the man who thinks he can!’
Setbacks can make us more determined than ever to succeed, and we should always find something to learn from them. And this, I can tell you from my own experience, applies to baking. How many times have I had a failed bake? A lot! But with a few adjustments and some practice it becomes perfect – or at least edible.
If you’re going to any sporting events this summer – cricket on the village green comes to mind – it’s usually a good idea to take a picnic or at least some snacks with you. This inspired this month’s recipe – summer fruit muffins. Be it strawberries for Wimbledon, Dorset grown blueberries or raspberries from your garden. These muffins are very easy to bake, and robust enough to cope with being in a picnic basket or backpack. They also give you that little boost when energy levels are flagging.
Maggie’s summer berry muffins. (Photo: Richard Budd Photography)
Summer Fruit Muffins
You will need to line a muffin tray with muffin cases. Beware of buying cheap cases as they don’t release the muffins cleanly. Use any summer berries such as strawberries, blackcurrants, tayberries, blackberries, gooseberries, raspberries, blueberries. These muffins are best served fresh, but they do freeze well. Defrost slowly at room temperature.
Makes 15 muffins
Ingredients
250g softened butter
185g caster sugar
5 medium eggs beaten together
250g strong white bread flour, stir in one teaspoon of baking powder
around 20 ripe summer berries
icing sugar for dusting.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/ gas mark 6. Blend the butter and sugar together for about 5 minutes until very light and fluffy – a stand mixer makes this much easier or use a hand-held mixer.
Add the beaten eggs slowly until combined (remove the bowl from the stand mixer) then carefully fold in the flour, be careful not to overwork the mix to ensure light muffins. The use of strong flour will give a more robust muffin but overworking it will result in a dense bake.
Fill the muffin cases. My top tip is to put the muffin mix into a large icing bag, weigh this and divide it by 15, so you know how much should go into each case. Place the muffin case on the scales and pipe to that amount to ensure an even bake.
Slice a strawberry into four pieces and push these down into the cake mix …or a couple of raspberries or two or three blueberries, you get the idea. Don’t put in too many berries or the muffin will be too soggy.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Transfer the cased muffins to a cooling rack and when cool dust heavily with icing sugar. ENDS
PQ
‘Be it strawberries for Wimbledon, Dorset grown blueberries or raspberries from your garden’
