I have just recently lost my Granny who passed away last week. Now we are all sharing memories of her it seems to me that food features in an awful lot of them. I think the reason for this is that firstly my Gran was a dinner lady and was of that generation that somehow equated food with love, but in a nice way.

As soon as we were in the door there would be offers of soup and the famous (in our family anyway) mince and tatties and then the most delicious (in our opinion anyway) caramel cake ever. From her sister who remembers the mince and tatties to the smallest great grandchild who used to call out for the biscuit box as soon as they heard they were going to Grandma’s.

There were also the times when my cousins and I would stay with her and sleep in the big front room in an assortment of beds, camp beds and sleeping bags. We would make up plays, put on shows and tell ghost stories. The mums and dads would be out and Granny would forever be shouting at us to get to sleep or get up the stairs, threatening to “tober” us if we didn’t. But we knew she wouldn’t do anything of the sort.

The same memories can mean different things to different people and it has been enlightening to hear how one person is perceived by so many others in their life depending on who they are, we are different at work from how we are with our partners and our children. Thinking about my Granny has transported me back to that cheeky wee girl who rushed through the mince and tatties to get to that caramel cake!

1 Comment

  1. Julie-Ann Murphy on April 17, 2012 at 9:47 am

    I’m sorry for your loss Pauline. Sounds like you have lovely memories of this special lady in your life. I miss both my grandmothers daily. I always thought my wee Granny made the best soup in the world, and told her she should get it in tins and sell it! My glamourous granny always seemed to be on a diet, but somehow we always found ourselves in cafes eating cheese and onion toasties together!

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