Page 33 of Christmas for the Village Midwife
When Zoe turned around, she noticed Billie looking thoughtful as she allowed her gaze to wander to Corrine’s spice rack.
‘Do you think any of these will make it taste better?’ she asked nobody in particular.
‘Depends how pregnant you are,’ Zoe said, laughing again. ‘I’m not sure I’d go with the oregano or the parsley.’
‘Sorry…’ Billie turned away from the rack. ‘I was just wondering how to make it…’
‘Interesting?’ Corrine threw her cleaning cloth into the washing machine before coming to join her, and then they both paid full attention to the tiny jars lining the shelf. ‘Youcould certainly get bonus points for doing something creative with your flavours, especially if you’re not the most skilled in presentation. How about zesting an orange or something?’
Billie turned to her. ‘What about a lemon? Like that tea you buy. Dad got some for me – it helped me to stop feeling so sick when I first got pregnant.’
‘Lemon and ginger. Yes, you could do that. You could even try black tea or coffee in there. Have a play around and see what you think works.’
‘What are you putting in yours?’
‘Me?’ Corrine smiled. ‘I’m not imaginative in that way. I’m a traditional old bird – it’ll be the same old spices I always use.’
‘What are those?’
‘Ginger, obviously. Sometimes I’ll play around with a little nutmeg or some cloves or cinnamon, or a touch of honey, that sort of thing. I often find it all comes together with the icing, and that’s where I’ll get a lot of my flavours in. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t dream up some new flavours, though.’
‘Lemon sounds good,’ Zoe called over, red-faced as she mixed.
‘Maybe I’ll try the orange after all,’ Billie replied as she went to the fruit bowl.
Corrine exchanged a sly smile with Zoe and went back to her own bowl.
‘Did you bake much as a nipper?’ she asked out loud.
‘Me?’ Zoe asked, wiping her brow with a sleeve. ‘Not really. We lived near a cake shop so I was like, “Why would I?” Their cakes were really good, better than I could have made.’
‘I’m surprised to hear you say you haven’t done much,’ Corrine said to Billie as she returned with two oranges. ‘Looking at you today, you’re like a duck to water.’
‘But you’re not surprised to hear me say it,’ Zoe cut in. ‘Rude. I get the message; I look hopeless, and it’s obvious I don’t bake a lot.’
Corrine smiled. ‘You’re doing just fine. And I know you bake now – you’ve told me as much.’
‘Not all that often,’ Zoe said. ‘I probably would do more if I had time. I’m not the world’s best, but I do find it quite relaxing.’
‘Is that why you do it all the time?’ Billie asked Corrine.
Corrine’s smile grew. ‘Relaxing? I couldn’t say. I think Victor would leave me if I stopped making cakes for him.’
‘It doesn’t bother you?’ Billie asked. ‘That he makes you do all the cooking and he wants cakes all the time?’
‘Oh, I don’t really think that,’ Corrine said. ‘Ignore me – it’s just daft things I say. I like doing the cooking. It’s a bit old-fashioned, the way we do things, but it’s the way we’ve always done them, and the way it works best for us. I like to see him enjoy his food. I suppose it’s the way I show him my love.’
‘They do say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right?’ Zoe added.
‘That’s what they say,’ Corrine agreed. ‘It’s certainly true in Victor’s case.’ She wiped her hands on her apron and turned to Billie. ‘How are you doing there?’
Billie was rubbing an orange vigorously over a grater. She shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Is this right?’
‘Looks all right to me. You doubt yourself a lot, but you really shouldn’t. I think you have a knack for it, you know. You’re a natural, I can tell. Some people just are.’
‘I always think it’s like chemistry,’ Zoe said. ‘If you’re good at that, then you’ll probably be good with food.’
‘I was rubbish at chemistry at school,’ Billie said.
