I recall when I first saw this on an iPlayer rerun many omelettes, -sorry, - moons ago, I was struck by the sheer strangeness of it as a concept by itself. I do think it could be taken to different places. At face value, I think one could easily be dismissive and say Joan Crawford has been snacking on travellers crossing her bridge for a few years, reemerged to raid a pantry, and recreated a Francis Bacon painting in mincemeat, egg and sugar at the behest of the Python team. As a chef I can understand the notion behind this in terms of marrying the sulphurous savoury richness with a deluge of sugar, the moelleux egg combining with the booze in the mincemeat, and superfine sugar to create a threadbare custard of sorts upon eating... but it's too incongruous. I actually find great inspiration in this lethicin lunacy, and with some minor tweaks it could be far more palatable. I think the rudimentary profile is there, but it requires work. A mincemeat tart with a brandy sabayon? A set custard with mincemeat? A caramelised rolled pancake filled with mincemeat? There could definitely be some method quarried from madness, including this schizoid concoction. Both ironically and justifiably, we speak of her sometimes in a way similar to how she was shot in the Gwen Troake incident. It's actually a bit of a shame we often deride Fanny with the same backhanded compliments and use caveats aplenty when comparing those paradoxes in her legacy. The narcissistic, performative behaviour versus her driving our nascent expansion of our food culture and eating experiences. The brusque, baritone bossiness versus the woman who essentially said "these are the basics, it's easy when you know how, the rest is up to you." The farcical francophile versus the avid champion of the humble 'british housewife'. Even the fare to which she dyed to Pepperland vivacity takes full advantage and then some of colour TV becoming more plausible for more people. This leads me to think that she was far more pragmatic than we give her credit for... though... spun sugar in an infernal Dorchester Hotel kitchen on national telly, however, is what any 'pragmatist' would dub an unmitigated brain-fart 😅 Methodry, preparedness, and the basics prioritised over feeling you have to be tyrannised by a recipe, whilst paying deserved attention to the presentation (again contestable) is very much the ethos of what we do today. In this regard, her legacy is very much legitimate. Thanks for this recreation of the infamous omelette, I think I'll do something similar and share my thoughts :)
I remember cycling home from 6th form, through the slush of a cold, wet 1977 winter on my precious Xmas gift - a snazzy American-style Raleigh bicycle. I'd always make sure to pass Mrs Hardigan's bungalow on the way home. There, she would often wave me inside the cosy porch, where she would delicately wipe down my Chopper, leaving it shiny, warm and ready to ride. And there'd always be a portion of something hot and contemporary to keep this young lad from the chills; whether it was Toad in the Hole, Cottage Pie with Cheesy Mash or Mary Berry's Easy Fish Casserole. On a good day I'd also receive a dessert of Upside-Down Tart, a moist slice of Delia Smith's Black Forest Gateau, or Chocolate Brownies depending on the day of the month. I never did get Spotted Dick but she always had me gagging for an Arctic Roll on New Year's Day. Happy days, though it all came to a halt in 1979 when Mum got suspicious after finding what looked like Cheese Fondue all over my bike saddle 😞. I miss you so much Mrs Hardigan 💔
Your ride up Mrs Hardigan's memory lane was sweet. Maybe one day you will get a Spotted Dick. Just remember that you can always see Fanny, especially at Christmas.
I wouldn't say 'cooked to perfection', but more 'it looks like it's already been eaten.' Poor old Fanny, bless her. Apparently she got married, gave birth and became a widow in the same year, no wonder she was formidable.
I have often threatened my husband with this very recipe as he hates the idea of mincemeat. I was hoping you would have Sarah there to help you but NEVER speak. I do wonder how many people watching the Christmas cookery programme would have actually gone ahead and made this at the time. (I do remember watching a documentary on Fanny quite a few years ago now and someone on it saying that he once went round for dinner and the meat that she cooked up had turned and was apparently WRINGLING and she and Johnny quite happily tucked into it whilst the guest watched on in horror!)
There’s that famous tv interview with her fruits de mer recipe where uncooked whelks and winkles were trying to crawl off the plate. It staggers me that she was indulged for so long when she clearly had no clue. I can’t think of a single recipe she ever made that wasn’t stomach churning. The other one that makes my flesh crawl is her mother’s trifle. Absolutely revolting. I must try it one day 🤣🤣🤣
@@garyjamesactor Look, don't talk about her mother's trifle - it's always the first to go at any party after all! (The bowl she makes it in is quite small though.) Also who has time to make chocolate leaves???? She was probably indulged so long because no one had a clue back then and though what she was doing was aspirational. Also she was a good talker and who was ever going to fact check her? Her year of birth changed quite frequently, as you mentioned yourself she was a bigamist. If she were around today she would be exposed from the start.
Not all that different from a Jam Omelette, which was a popular dessert item, back then. Gone out of fashion now; but really, a mincemeat filling, while unusual, wasn't all that big a jump.
I make it every year for the family Christmas Eve and they love it but I do cook my eggs a little more then Fannys recipe. Along with many other dishes of hers that I learned way back in the 60’s . And did you know that you could once order her pre made pastry , I did once or twice and it was brilliant .
Ha ha - there is one I’ve been tempted to do, but it would be expensive to do for something so utterly revolting. Maybe I will bite the bullet one day and chance it, even though it will almost certainly end up in the bin 😂😂
It’s her Christmas recipe for a Fig and Brussels Sprout Ring. Ingredients include fresh figs, golden syrup, honey, white chocolate, Brussels sprouts, Greek yogurt . . . The list goes on. It is stomach churning. I can’t imagine who would ever have made this. Which is one reason I have toyed with the idea of doing it. But as I said, it’s fiddly and expensive for something that would end up in the toilet (one way or another) 🤢
Too much egg, a smaller amount would have produced a better outcome for this interpretation. The amount of butter is perfect. This Christmas Omelet is a British take on a French Omelette à la Confiture aka Omelette La Mère Poulard. The trick is to beat the egg yolks and whites separately then combine to produce a fluffy mixture. A dollop of jam is served on the side and just a light dusting of sugar rather than a blizzard--how the Brits LOVE sugar! If you try this à la française you might have a different opinion.
I haven't watched you try the omelette yet, but I don't understand the automatic distaste. Sweet omelettes are a thing - they go back to the middle ages, at least. 'Take eggs and break them, with oranges, as many as you like; squeeze their juice and add to it the eggs with sugar; then take olive oil or fat, and heat it in the pan and add the eggs. This was for ruffians and brazen harlots.'
A great idea, a sweet omelette, why not but after Fanny’s claws picking at things, it somehow took the appetite away. You managed to make an omelette look a little tastier. I’ve always found Fanny’s a little sloppy. Maybe it’s just me.. 🤢
I think Fanny was a HORRIBLE cook! I do not understand why people put her up there like she was the best thing since sliced bread and the BREAD WAS MOLDED!
Love your review. Funny and spot on. Really made me laugh. I think you could have made bit more noise with cooking pan as Fanny did in 😂
I love mincemeat, love omelettes, and love Fanny Cradock. Just not all together in one icing sugar covered monstrosity.
You would! SMDH
I recall when I first saw this on an iPlayer rerun many omelettes, -sorry, - moons ago, I was struck by the sheer strangeness of it as a concept by itself. I do think it could be taken to different places.
At face value, I think one could easily be dismissive and say Joan Crawford has been snacking on travellers crossing her bridge for a few years, reemerged to raid a pantry, and recreated a Francis Bacon painting in mincemeat, egg and sugar at the behest of the Python team.
As a chef I can understand the notion behind this in terms of marrying the sulphurous savoury richness with a deluge of sugar, the moelleux egg combining with the booze in the mincemeat, and superfine sugar to create a threadbare custard of sorts upon eating... but it's too incongruous.
I actually find great inspiration in this lethicin lunacy, and with some minor tweaks it could be far more palatable. I think the rudimentary profile is there, but it requires work.
A mincemeat tart with a brandy sabayon?
A set custard with mincemeat?
A caramelised rolled pancake filled with mincemeat? There could definitely be some method quarried from madness, including this schizoid concoction.
Both ironically and justifiably, we speak of her sometimes in a way similar to how she was shot in the Gwen Troake incident. It's actually a bit of a shame we often deride Fanny with the same backhanded compliments and use caveats aplenty when comparing those paradoxes in her legacy.
The narcissistic, performative behaviour versus her driving our nascent expansion of our food culture and eating experiences.
The brusque, baritone bossiness versus the woman who essentially said "these are the basics, it's easy when you know how, the rest is up to you."
The farcical francophile versus the avid champion of the humble 'british housewife'.
Even the fare to which she dyed to Pepperland vivacity takes full advantage and then some of colour TV becoming more plausible for more people. This leads me to think that she was far more pragmatic than we give her credit for... though... spun sugar in an infernal Dorchester Hotel kitchen on national telly, however, is what any 'pragmatist' would dub an unmitigated brain-fart 😅
Methodry, preparedness, and the basics prioritised over feeling you have to be tyrannised by a recipe, whilst paying deserved attention to the presentation (again contestable) is very much the ethos of what we do today. In this regard, her legacy is very much legitimate.
Thanks for this recreation of the infamous omelette, I think I'll do something similar and share my thoughts :)
I remember cycling home from 6th form, through the slush of a cold, wet 1977 winter on my precious Xmas gift - a snazzy American-style Raleigh bicycle. I'd always make sure to pass Mrs Hardigan's bungalow on the way home. There, she would often wave me inside the cosy porch, where she would delicately wipe down my Chopper, leaving it shiny, warm and ready to ride. And there'd always be a portion of something hot and contemporary to keep this young lad from the chills; whether it was Toad in the Hole, Cottage Pie with Cheesy Mash or Mary Berry's Easy Fish Casserole. On a good day I'd also receive a dessert of Upside-Down Tart, a moist slice of Delia Smith's Black Forest Gateau, or Chocolate Brownies depending on the day of the month. I never did get Spotted Dick but she always had me gagging for an Arctic Roll on New Year's Day. Happy days, though it all came to a halt in 1979 when Mum got suspicious after finding what looked like Cheese Fondue all over my bike saddle 😞. I miss you so much Mrs Hardigan 💔
Your ride up Mrs Hardigan's memory lane was sweet. Maybe one day you will get a Spotted Dick. Just remember that you can always see Fanny, especially at Christmas.
I wouldn't say 'cooked to perfection', but more 'it looks like it's already been eaten.'
Poor old Fanny, bless her. Apparently she got married, gave birth and became a widow in the same year, no wonder she was formidable.
More of these vids please
Haha wow you're brace! I always wondered what this recipe would taste like after watching fanny videos. Nice work!
I have often threatened my husband with this very recipe as he hates the idea of mincemeat. I was hoping you would have Sarah there to help you but NEVER speak. I do wonder how many people watching the Christmas cookery programme would have actually gone ahead and made this at the time.
(I do remember watching a documentary on Fanny quite a few years ago now and someone on it saying that he once went round for dinner and the meat that she cooked up had turned and was apparently WRINGLING and she and Johnny quite happily tucked into it whilst the guest watched on in horror!)
There’s that famous tv interview with her fruits de mer recipe where uncooked whelks and winkles were trying to crawl off the plate. It staggers me that she was indulged for so long when she clearly had no clue. I can’t think of a single recipe she ever made that wasn’t stomach churning. The other one that makes my flesh crawl is her mother’s trifle. Absolutely revolting. I must try it one day 🤣🤣🤣
@@garyjamesactor Look, don't talk about her mother's trifle - it's always the first to go at any party after all! (The bowl she makes it in is quite small though.) Also who has time to make chocolate leaves???? She was probably indulged so long because no one had a clue back then and though what she was doing was aspirational. Also she was a good talker and who was ever going to fact check her? Her year of birth changed quite frequently, as you mentioned yourself she was a bigamist. If she were around today she would be exposed from the start.
Better than anything on the telly right now
Ha ha ha! Blimey, the telly must be bad! 🤣🤣🤣 Thank you 🙏🏼
Not all that different from a Jam Omelette, which was a popular dessert item, back then. Gone out of fashion now; but really, a mincemeat filling, while unusual, wasn't all that big a jump.
I make it every year for the family Christmas Eve and they love it but I do cook my eggs a little more then Fannys recipe. Along with many other dishes of hers that I learned way back in the 60’s . And did you know that you could once order her pre made pastry , I did once or twice and it was brilliant .
' Now have you got those little pancakes for me my darling''
You need to do more fanny.......recipies 😊 Absolutely brilliant 😂 Jb.x
Ha ha - there is one I’ve been tempted to do, but it would be expensive to do for something so utterly revolting. Maybe I will bite the bullet one day and chance it, even though it will almost certainly end up in the bin 😂😂
@@garyjamesactor which one? Does it involve covering it in 2 inches of icing sugar?
It’s her Christmas recipe for a Fig and Brussels Sprout Ring. Ingredients include fresh figs, golden syrup, honey, white chocolate, Brussels sprouts, Greek yogurt . . . The list goes on. It is stomach churning. I can’t imagine who would ever have made this. Which is one reason I have toyed with the idea of doing it. But as I said, it’s fiddly and expensive for something that would end up in the toilet (one way or another) 🤢
@@garyjamesactor gosh! That sounds.....delightful! Just whack some green mash around the edge, itll be fine lol Jb.x
Yes! O please make "omelette saveur"! Oven baked with mayonnaise inside...
She frightened us all!
*CLICK!*
Thank you my darling!
On a nice crepe with a smidge of cream i bet it would be delicious.
Love your video.....Your kitchen too.
Thanks so much! 😊
1:43 Cook it through?? Didn't Fanny tell you that an omelette is supposed to be "baveuse"?
Too much egg, a smaller amount would have produced a better outcome for this interpretation. The amount of butter is perfect. This Christmas Omelet is a British take on a French Omelette à la Confiture aka Omelette La Mère Poulard. The trick is to beat the egg yolks and whites separately then combine to produce a fluffy mixture. A dollop of jam is served on the side and just a light dusting of sugar rather than a blizzard--how the Brits LOVE sugar! If you try this à la française you might have a different opinion.
2:56 WAY too little icing sugar. After all, with the price range we live in at the moment, we do want one decent piece of dessert in the year...
"If you zoom in, Clive..."
I haven't watched you try the omelette yet, but I don't understand the automatic distaste. Sweet omelettes are a thing - they go back to the middle ages, at least.
'Take eggs and break them, with oranges, as many as you like; squeeze their juice and add to it the eggs with sugar; then take olive oil or fat, and heat it in the pan and add the eggs. This was for ruffians and brazen harlots.'
Lol even the mincemeat knows this is a bad idea and is trying to bail like a Monty Python skit!🤣
RUN AWAY!
Ha ha ha - even the eggs didn’t want to know 🤣🤣
Dame Judi could have played her brilliantly.
I was thinking Anne Widdecombe . . . 🫣
Rather Frances Barber...
Well at least yours is cooked properly
Did I understand correctly at the beginning that you're "cooking in Piet Mondrian's house"?
She sealed the omelet edges and butter in egg.
2:40 Now you're not taking that omelette seriously :-(
Who ever suffers when people are smacking, stop at 3:33. You're welcome ;-)
A great idea, a sweet omelette, why not but after Fanny’s claws picking at things, it somehow took the appetite away.
You managed to make an omelette look a little tastier.
I’ve always found Fanny’s a little sloppy. Maybe it’s just me.. 🤢
🤣🤣
Why is he so sarcastic and disrespectful?
Because the guy has no respect and no balls taking the piss out of somebody that’s dead and can’t answer back….what a creep!🤢
I like mincemeat, but this is so gross!
I think Fanny was a HORRIBLE cook! I do not understand why people put her up there like she was the best thing since sliced bread and the BREAD WAS MOLDED!
Dead right. Fanny was a truly awful cook but her programmes were pure entertainment.
NOT the way she way an omelet at all…the mincemeat would go in last… One also does not ‘decant’ an omelet. 🤯
She couldn't cook????? I beg to differ