My Mother was the youngest in a family of seven and had three sisters. Family events meant that all the sisters cooked their specialities – Auntie Elise did a superb pavlova, Auntie Ella made savoury puffs filled with either asparagus or mushroom mornay, Auntie Mav made a very boozy trifle and Mum made her apple cakes. They all did other dishes as well, but these were always included.

APPLE CAKES

• 2½ cups Self Raising Flour
• 125g butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Stewed apple
• Lemon juice

Rub butter into flour, mix in sugar, beat egg slightly with milk and add, mix well, turn onto floured board, roll out fairly thin, cut into rounds with pastry cutter, place one piece in bottom of shallow patty tins, put in a little cold stewed apple, flavoured with a little lemon on top, brush edges with water and place another round on top. Bake till biscuit colour in mod oven 20-25 min. Ice with white icing.