English All-Seasons Trifle & UK Adventures

“Did it hurt getting your ears pierced?” asks Julia, 9.
“Yes.”
“A lot?”
“A bit,” I tell her and wait for the follow up. When can she get her ears pierced (12), would I get anything else pierced (no), why do people get anything pierced (cultural fashion, trends, expression).
“Is it true you held Auntie Jules’s hand when she got her nose pierced?”
What can I say? It was the 80s, it was at Kensington Market in London, there were crushed velvet leggings and headbands involved, and I could at least report back to my parent that I wasn’t the one with a nose stud. And… Jules and I could soften the blows by making dessert/pudding for everyone to eat while they eyed her new adornment.

We walked along the market to eye the food – meals prepped and pretty, treacle puddings you could heat and serve, and fruits begging to be made into trifles, which at that time (15 years old) seemed terribly chic and tricky to make. Wrong on both counts, but delicious and no piercing required.

Traditional trifle is served in a large, glass bowl so the layers can be easily seen. We usually add sherry to make it more tasty. There are good sherry products available at Marks & Spencer Wine including the Rich Cream Sherry and the Dry Fino Sherry. Instead of going to Berry’s London Wine Shop on a cold day, we can easily order online. Sherry trifle, as we call it, is best served with tea on a lazy Sunday afternoon. For a non-alcoholic dessert, you can substitute the sherry with pomegranate juice like the PomeGreat Pure Plus.