I came to this country (that is to say the United Kingdom for those of you who may be reading this blog elsewhere) in 1976. I was very little and spoke barely any English. I had been privileged enough to attend an English speaking Kindergarten in my birth country of Tanzania but it wasn’t enough to prepare me for the onslaught of different speeds and dialects I faced on starting school in London.
An early memory that comes to mind at this time of year was my very first Christmas at primary school. I wasn’t allowed to be an angel in the school nativity because I was ‘from Africa’. There were apparently no angels at that time ‘from Africa’. I would get into trouble because I couldn’t sing the hymns and more than that, I didn’t want to. What if my God got upset that I was singing another God’s songs? Not a risk I was prepared to take. I wasn’t able to help with any preparations because my teachers didn’t have the patience to sit with me and explain things more slowly at this busy time.
The single comfort I had was school lunch. And most especially Christmas school lunch. As I don’t eat meat it was all about roast potatoes for me. Roast potatoes with extra roast potatoes on the side. I would tolerate the soggy sprouts if I had extra potatoes. And for dessert a chocolate yule log. At first I wondered why anyone would ever want to make anything in the shape of a tree stump. But then after I had taken my first mouthful I understood. It was simply the most divine thing I’d ever eaten. Way better than the jammy spongey thing they slathered with thin, milky custard.
My daughters’ experience of primary school is so far from my own. They have been beautiful angels in their nativity plays as times and attitudes have thankfully moved on. They bellow out hymns in the choir and at church as they have two faiths and Jesus is of course best friends with Lord Krishna. Everybody knows that. But I am sad to say that their school yule log isn’t a patch on the one my old dinner ladies used to make. It’s shop bought fluff which is sickly sweet. Never mind. At least they can come home to mine…
Ginger and Caramel Yule Log
Ginger and Caramel Yule Log
Notes
To make it
Thank you to the team at Waitrose for commissioning this recipe.
Yum, Christmas Yule Logs. A wonderful recipe to try out for the holidays. Thank you. However, reading your post this week brought back memories of my own school years, especially the ones during the Christmas period. I so sympathise with you about feeling left out and wanted to share my experiences too. I am sure I felt the same way you did at Christmas time! The school nativity plays were always a time of great disappointment for me also because of the choices the teachers made when dishing out roles and main characters. I too was never allowed to be an angel in the school nativity. Each year would be the same. It was always the pretty, fair haired, blue eyed children that were chosen for all the best parts, I have ‘ginger’ hair, which I was told ‘ was not really the right colour for an angel’ so i’d be left out! As you can imagine it didn’t help an eight or so year old, already insecure and being singled out by others for looking different. I did often get to play a lamb though amongst all the other odd bods! Ha, ha! Furthermore, and as hymns go that was also, like you, a problem for me too. You see, I am dyslexic, so naturally I had a terrible time keeping all the lines on the page straight and would often get them confused or worse still completely mixed up, much to teachers chagrin. In the 70s no-one really understood dyslexia and boy did the teachers get cross with me when I did this, they actually thought I was doing it on purpose because the other children would laugh so much and I’d end up laughing with them but mostly because I knew I couldn’t do anything about it. I remember having to stand face to the wall for ages as punishment! But then, I did go to an inner London comprehensive school in one of the poorest areas of the country, Tower Hamlets, so it really doesn’t surprise me. Overall, and lucky for me that I had a couple of very nice friends it wasn’t all so bad, and there were a couple of teachers that were absolutely lovely, sensitive, educated and socially aware enough that they could deal with children that were a bit ‘different’ like me. Thankfully, there are no long term resentments! Ha ha ha! But I just had to share as it just goes to show no matter where you come from people are people wherever you go, we are all sensitive beings deep down, don’t you think? Thankfully, you too found your comfort zone and got enjoyment from food and are now able to share those experiences and your wonderful recipes with your fans! Many blessings for the holiday season and heres to us, both of us, who by now I’m sure are both ‘angels’ to someone! Hudson x Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 20:56:04 +0000 To: hudsongarrison@outlook.com
Bless you Hudson for your lovely comment and for sharing your memories. I cant believe they made you stand fscing a wall. I had to do that too for refusing to go into the Tower of London crown jewels room. An uncle had told me all the jewels in there were stolen from India and of course i had believed every word and diligently refused to enter! My school was in West London and as you say thank goodnees for the few great teachers and my amazing dinner ladies. Thank you again for sharing your story x
That looks amazing and I loved hearing the story behind it. Pity the school don’t make a good yule log, but thankfully attitudes have changed since you were wee.
Thankfully indeed! P.S i am still wee. Have barely grown upwards since then!!
I never managed to be an angel either. I was always the narrator every flipping year because I was good at reading out loud. Never had a costume unless you count the year in reception when I was a “tree” i.e. brown trousers and a green jumper wearing a giant green paper cone with christmas cards stuck to it.
I always had sandwiches in primary school but I do remember being very envious when the mint green custard came out!
Gorgeous log – I did one on Christmas Day a couple of years ago but weirdly the entire post has vanished from my site. A mystery!!
Thanks Sarah. I would love to see a picture of you as a tree!! And mint green custard sounds disgusting!
I love your memories here – I’ve been posting some of my own as well. I totally didn’t get the whole “eating a tree stump” thing either but glad I relented and tried one 🙂
Thanks Judith. I will def pop over to your blog and take a look x
I loved this post. As an immigrant struggling with the language, I can’t begin to imagine how much more worrisome it would have been for you as a child! Thank goodness for your good memories though, this yule log looks gorgeous and it must taste wonderful 🙂
Thank you for stopping by and your kind words on the post. I have fond memories of good friends too so it was not all bad. There were teachers who helped me and I am where I am today because of these people but it was confusing and it hurts when you just don’t understand the bigger picture at that age. Hope you like trying the recipe x
Now this is something that I will definitely be trying – I love the combination of ginger and caramel.
Your angel story was tragic – I’ve always wondered what it must feel like as a child from a different religious background at Christmas in the UK – thank heavens things are more inclusive now.
Thank you Jenny and Thank heavens indeed! I cried and sniffed through making my girls costumes when they were Angels and told them the story. Their little heads couldn’t understand why but we dressed mummy up as an angel too when we practised and of course now I get to be a tooth fairy too!
like you I came here at a very young age (3). Though clearly my school was a little more right on and I was an angel – which is more than my kids can currently boast (having played a sheep and then a bird for the last 2 nativities!)
I have been planning to post our yule log recipe too and will link to tour delicious one when I do – lovely flavours here.
Thank you Nazima. I loved the Boucher du Noel you made last year. So many and so perfect! Happy Christmas x
How I love your stories. I was sharing the one about the Christmas defo rating and the boxes of decorations each of your girls have with my family, and they too plan to pick up this tradition with their family. It is so beautiful. I love how this post ends with your girls coming home to something you haveafe for them. Something that starts with memory and you transform into ginger and caramel – wonderful. Merry Christmas.
Thank you Nicky and Merry Christmas to you too x
A delicious looking Yule log, I guess it is a bit weird really making a dessert in the shape of a log! I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been when you were little but it’s so good that attitudes have changed.
Thank you Jen. Do you have any memories of school christmas lunches?
What memories and I like to think schools are different now but my first school was a convent which was so religious you wouldn’t believe it! How great was the first response you got?! I do love hearing stories from the past and the food at the convent was so bad we never had anything remotely memorable. A yule log is actually the best desert for children at Christmas, I know it would be well appreciated. Your additions of caramel and ginger are just right!
Thannks Laura. We are going fkr meringue with poached plums for xmas pudding. Both my girls love meringue.
A beautiful post, Urvashi. My sister and I were lucky — our school in Luton didn’t have that many brown faces, but certainly it had a few, and even back then in the mid 70s, our teachers didn’t seem to discriminate in terms of casting for school plays and musicals — I remember my little sister being one of the little Moombeams for one play, I can no longer remember the story. Being born here, we didn’t have the struggle with language, or trying to quickly assimilate an entire culture, not to mention balance it with the one we’d grown up with thus far. I sympathise with how hard it must have been for you, but glad you were able to form plenty of positive memories amongst the confusion and difficult ones.
Love your girls, love their suggestion that Jesus and Lord Krishna are best mates, that’s just so sweet – children see the world so simply sometimes, it’s a shame adults lose that willingness to forge bonds.
Indeed. My girls have only had one experience at school and it was from another child and sorted out very swiftly by the teachers. They simply don’t see colour.equally we have been very mindful of living in a multicultural area, sending them to multicultural schools so they get to meet all types of people from a very early age. They learn so much from their friends at this time of year on how the different cultures celebrate. It’s wonderful.
I was a wave in Noah and the Arc. And then I was Mary – but I didn’t say a single word…. the Innkeeper’s wife was the main character! Lovely tale about your childhood and where you missed out on the angels you made up for in edible school dinners (unlike my school!). I LOVE your log recipe – still undecided on which route mine will take this year. Have a lovely festive season.
Ha! How on earth were you a wave??! That has to be one of the most ‘creative’ I’ve heard! And oh yes the Innkeeper’s wife – she was always the very naughty one at my school .
Wishing you a very happy festive season too Sally x