Persistance...............try try try again?

[greenishfing]

Generally I would say I usually give in quite easily if I don't succeed with something at the first or second attempt but I think that gardening has improved my persistence. It took several attempts to get good cauliflowers for example.

This now seems to have spread into other areas of my life. I have never been able to make half decent shortcrust pastry. This year, prompted by my husband, I had yet another go at mince pies using the Hairy Bikers recipe.

Truly awful. The pastry was hard. The blackbirds ate the mince pies.

I decided to have one last go as I had made 4 jars of mincemeat. I found this recipe on the internet
How to perfect shortcrust pastry - Best Recipes

Wow!!!! Amazing!!!! Light, crumbly, amazingly easy to roll. Fantastic taste.

I have now decided that if after decades of failure I can succeed with this I will have YET another go at carrots this year.

What has anyone else succeeded at after years of failure?

[Lisasbolt]

Good luck with the carrots

Marriage sometimes you are hitting your head against the wall but in the end you keep making it work

[Martin H]

I'm still stuck on the cauliflowers. And sprouts.

I'll be trying again this year though.

[Bill HH]

Then there is what they call begginers luck, my first cauliflowers were super! last two years they were hopeless. last years carrots were good, this year (with improved conditions and netting) they were useless.
maybe you just have to keep on trying until the particular weather turns up.

[Bigmallly]

I don't have your patience, if after 2/3 attempts they don't work, I give 'em up as a bad job.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Still trying to get a drink out of Rary

[vixylix]

My OH's favourite is toad in the hole - I have tried and tried with various methods and recipes with varying degrees of unsuccess! My last attempt was the best yet but still not very good - you've inspired me to keep trying!

[Lisasbolt]

My OH's favourite is toad in the hole - I have tried and tried with various methods and recipes with varying degrees of unsuccess! My last attempt was the best yet but still not very good - you've inspired me to keep trying!

Are you being extremely generous with the oil? scary amount needed sometimes for really good ones

[Guest]

My OH's favourite is toad in the hole - I have tried and tried with various methods and recipes with varying degrees of unsuccess! My last attempt was the best yet but still not very good - you've inspired me to keep trying!

Gas or electric? (please don't say something entirely different) I don't know why but I went from gas to electric and my never fail recipe always failed so had to experiment I now do the following.

250ml of milk (sometimes a splash more)
225g plain flour
4 eggs

Add pepper and mustard if you want. Whisk together. Leave at 'room temp ' 30mins. Cook sausages in a good layer of oil. Add batter, cook another 30mins or til done.

[vixylix]

I was last time... or at least I thought so! I've been doing what the recipe said, although actually last time the recipe was lard and I just used oil so maybe not. Maybe I should perfect normal sized yorkshire puds first. I am from yorkshire after all!

[Lumpy]

This is my idiot proof recipe (and it has to be for me) for Yorkshire Pud

1 dish with about a quarter inch of oil in the bottom
2 mugs
2 eggs
milk
s.r flour
vinegar

Crack eggs into 1 mug, into the other put flour in until it reaches the same level as the eggs.
Empty egg mug into bowl then use that mug to measure out milk till it reaches the same level as the flour.
Add both mugs to the bowl - add 2-3 drops of malt vinegar - beat like a maniac - stand for a few hours - pre heat dish and oil until it's really hot - pour in cook till golden.

This method always gives you really high puds.

[Kirk]

In response to the original I gave up with pastry having managed to produce stuff that would outlast the average roof tile. I buy it now, so much easier.

[greenishfing]

My OH's favourite is toad in the hole - I have tried and tried with various methods and recipes with varying degrees of unsuccess! My last attempt was the best yet but still not very good - you've inspired me to keep trying!

Try using bread flour. (James Martin recipe)

I never weigh the ingredients but have never had a failure since using it.

[Vickilou]

Oh dear, dare I admit this? My electric oven struggles with good yorkshires so one day I bought a packet mix ( Aunty someone!) made it up as per instructions and wow I'd got a toad in the hole!! It even came out of the pan without sticking, that was new to me lol.
As a foodie it pains me to admit this but auntie knows what she's doing ( and at pennies in my local store it's a no brainier )

[vixylix]

This is my idiot proof recipe (and it has to be for me) for Yorkshire Pud

1 dish with about a quarter inch of oil in the bottom
2 mugs
2 eggs
milk
s.r flour
vinegar

Crack eggs into 1 mug, into the other put flour in until it reaches the same level as the eggs.
Empty egg mug into bowl then use that mug to measure out milk till it reaches the same level as the flour.
Add both mugs to the bowl - add 2-3 drops of malt vinegar - beat like a maniac - stand for a few hours - pre heat dish and oil until it's really hot - pour in cook till golden.

This method always gives you really high puds.

Thanks lumpy - I'll let you know my results!!