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relationships between trainee barrister, Adam Green, and a variety of other “APPLE DAPPY”
significant characters, fascinating. It is Green’s first case, and he has to grapple
with how to defend a man who has already been convicted of multiple offences. Following a Women’s Institute
However, although Jimmy Knight might be the obvious suspect, there are others
who also have both motive and opportunity to kill Clivedon. It also seems strange meeting last summer, several
that Green has mixed levels of support from the colleagues you might expect to boxes of books were left for us
help. to help ourselves. Some were
left to take to the charity shop.
If you enjoy Rob Rinder on television, this seems to be a great read, and if you These were mostly cookery
don’t know of him, it is still an enjoyable British courtroom drama. The second in books and get pulped as no
the series is also now available on pre-order. one wants to buy them.
Well, as I like cookery books, I
wondered if there were any to
Sociable Bookworms March Book Review add to bulging overloaded

‘The Birth of Gossip’ by Pamela Mann shelves of cookery books at
my place. (I don’t need
A light, historical novel set in 16th century England, amid the religious unrest of the anymore books.) In the book “left overs” was a book called Great British
time, which follows the life story of the female protagonist, Margory. Puddings published by “The Pudding Club”. Here there loads of old traditional
puddings as well as all the old favourites. In the chapter on forgotten puddings I
The ‘gossip’ element of the title becomes significant from the outset and was attracted to a pudding called “Apple Dappy.”
reminded us, as a group, that the temptation to tittle-tattle and its outcomes is
something that is not new, nor confined to today’s keyboard warriors who like to After showing the book and the recipe to Alison Lynham, we thought it would a
hide behind screens, but an unhelpful and often nasty habit that has been good one to try. At the menu planning meeting for the Salt and Pepper Club this
around for centuries. pudding was added to our list. It was cooked for the March Lunch to follow roast
Pork. It was a variation to the Dorset Apple cake.
There is then a significant time-shift which
seeks to enlighten the reader to Margory’s “The Dappy” hails from the West Country mainly Somerset and Dorset where
backstory in all its hidden detail. This was an apples are grown in abundance. We made a few tweaks by adding raisins to the
interesting decision on the part of the pudding club recipe so this is our own “Bere Regis Apple Dappy”. We think it
author, and we spent a while discussing the improves texture flavour and appearance of the pudding.
possible purpose of this structure. Perhaps
our answer was partially found as we
realised that our perspective of Margory BERE REGIS APPLE DAPPY
and her character altered, the further into Ingredients for the Dappy
the book we read. Our sympathies at the
start of the novel were with Margory and  240g (8 ½ oz) self-raising flour plus extra for dusting
the negative effects of the village gossiping  1 tsp baking powder
on her character. However, by the end, we  60g (2 oz) unsalted butter,
came to realise what a self-centred,
manipulative and determined young  Plus extra for greasing
woman she had been.  150 ml (5 fl oz) milk
The details of the stratified society that  480 g (1lb l oz) cooking apples, peeled cored and diced
existed in 16th century England were clearly  4 -5 oz raisons or sultanas added
portrayed, but this left us wondering  1 tbsp demara sugar
whether the characters’ attempts to  ½ tsp ground all spice or cinnamon
overcome these clear class divisions were
 Custard or clotted cream to serve

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