Burnbrae Blues

Lucy and Fraser have social lives to beat the Royal Family. Therefore, it is not surprising that tonight, they had another party to attend. It was for two boys in their class and they celebrated by trying to blow each other up, along with a dozen other little boys and girls at Laser Planet or Laser Death or some such establishment. A lot of fun was had by all.

They were dropped off and Brian, Kelly and I made our way to The Burnbrae for a bite to eat. Kelly wasn't too keen, having witnessed a previous attempt at family dining in the place and remembering that it left us wanting...did I listen? No, I did not. Kelly, being a good little girl who does as she is told, simply shrugged and said "ok, mum".

So off we trundled, looking forward to a night off and a bit of reasonable fare. We kept it simple, Brian ordering Ham, Eggs and Chips, and since I didn't want to put all our eggs in one basket.....!....I went for the sausage and mash. Kelly was reluctant to pick anything as it was a fairly dodgy looking child's menu but plumped for BBQ chicken and chips.

The Burnbrae isn't known for it's speed but the meals arrived in what seemed like a few minutes...never really a good sign. That being said, Brian's ham and eggs were lovely looking, the eggs cooked to perfection and the ham...well, ham. My sausages were enormous and three huge links were more than this gal could manage. The mash was translucent, never a good thing as it means cheap white potatoes and no butter. The gravy was passable but lumpy and get this: no onions with it. What is the point of sausage and mash without onions? It's like Haggis without the Neeps or Posh without Becks.

Kelly's food was a sight to behold; dried bits of chicken with a bowl full of lumpy bbq sauce from a previous era. Her look of horror said it all. The ice-cream...the tiny scoop they gave her...tasted of vomit, apparently...an exaggeration no doubt but who leaves chocolate ice cream uneaten?

The charming, attentive and lovely waiter (Andrew?) with the long ponytail was so good however that I didn't complain. How very un-Helen like of me.

To make up for this ahem, meal, I made cupcakes. I was supposed to go walking after the party pick up but I thought of others for a change (ROTFL) and stayed at home to make cakes. I want an award.

These were lemon cupcakes with a plain, white royal icing and little flowers atop. They went down a treat.

Recipe to follow.