Agatha Raisin Companion (17 page)
Read Agatha Raisin Companion Online
Authors: M.C. Beaton
How well do you know the redoubtable Mrs Raisin? Test your knowledge with a fun quiz and see if you are a super-sleuth or a rank amateur.
What is the name of the cat that Agatha rescued from Wyckhadden and gave to Doris Simpson?
The cottage next door to Agatha was known by which exotic and inappropriate name before James bought it?
Shortly before James’s wedding to Felicity in
There Goes the Bride,
Agatha travelled to the Ukraine to visit the site of which famous battle?How did James get out of the country when he fled Carsely, and Agatha, suffering from a brain tumour?
What is the name of Charles’s distinctly unfriendly manservant?
Which large PR firm did Agatha sell out to?
Which famous artist’s painting was stolen from the manor in
Fairies of Fryfam?What caused Deborah Fanshawe to be hailed a heroine in
Love, Lies and Liquor?Charles lives with his elderly aunt. What is her name?
What was the occupation of Agatha’s neighbour, John Armitage?
Who ran the dried flower shop in Carsely before becoming involved in a murder plot in
Vicious Vet?What was unusual about the serving staff at the party on the eve of James’s wedding to Felicity?
Which garden gift did Agatha proudly present to Doris Simpson on her return from a stay in London, only to have it given back a little later?
Who funded Toni’s ill-fated venture into her own private detective business?
What was the name of the awful old couple who Agatha was trapped into taking out for a day in Bath?
Where were Agatha and James due to go on their honeymoon after the ill-fated wedding day ruined by Jimmy’s arrival?
What does elderly villager Mr Crinsted teach Agatha in
Curious Curate?What is Doris Simpson’s husband called?
What does Agatha get the up-and-coming pop group Stepping Out to promote in
Love from Hell
?What is the name of Paul Chatterton’s fiery Spanish wife?
ANSWERS
Scrabble
New Delhi
The Charge of the Light Brigade
He hitched a ride to France on a friend’s boat
Gustav
Pedmans
Stubbs
She was swept out to sea by a wave and miraculously survived
Mrs Tassy
He was a crime writer
Josephine Webster
They were naked
A gnome
Harry Beam
The Boggles
Northern Cyprus
Chess
Bert
Walking boots
Juanita
Although she is keen to try the local food when abroad, there’s nothing Agatha likes more than good solid English cooking. Happier with ham, egg and chips or a fried
breakfast than a Caesar salad, she loves stodge and often pays for it with her waistline.
STODGY STEAK AND KIDNEY PUDDING
A pub favourite, this hearty English dish is just the sort of good comfort food Agatha loves to tuck into.
INGREDIENTS
675g/1½lb chuck steak, cubed
225g/8oz ox kidney, cut into 2.5 cm/1 inch cubes
1 medium onion, peeled and
finely chopped
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp plain flour
2 bay leaves
150 ml/¼ pint beef stock
FOR THE PASTRY
400g/14oz self-raising flour
200g/7oz beef or vegetarian suet
290m1/½ pint cold water
To make the pastry, sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and add a pinch of salt. Mix in the suet using a knife. Then add a few drops of water and
continue to blend. Keep adding water until you have a sticky dough.
Knead the dough with your hands and form a ball.
Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is approx 1cm (½ inch) thick.
Cut off a quarter of the dough and use the rest to line a 3-pint (175ml) pudding basin, with a decent overhang.
Now mix the meat, onion, bay leaves, salt and flour together and place in the bottom of the basin.
Add the beef stock.
Roll the remaining dough out to form the pastry lid, place on top and then fold the overhang on to it, pressing together to seal.
Grease a double length of foil to go over the top, creased in the middle to allow it to expand. Tie this on with string.
Place an old plate, upturned, in a saucepan of water and put the pudding on top.
Steam for five hours, making sure you don’t let the saucepan run dry.
ICKY STICKY PUDDING
This pudding originated in the Lake District but is a popular choice in many restaurants in the Cotswolds and is a particular favourite of Agatha’s.
INGREDIENTS
340g/12oz dates
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
125g/4oz diced butter
340g/12oz brown sugar
4 eggs
400g/14oz self-raising flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
500ml water
FOR THE SAUCE
340g/12oz soft brown sugar
250ml/8fl oz whipping cream
250g/8oz unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla essence
Chop the dates and put into a saucepan with the bicarbonate of soda and water.
Boil for five minutes and allow to cool until it is just warm.
Add the butter and sugar and stir well until dissolved and melted.
Lightly beat the eggs and add to the warm pan, then mix in the flour and vanilla essence.
Pour into a greased 24 cm/9-inch cake tin and bake in a moderate oven at 160°C (320°F, gas mark 3) for an hour.
When the pudding is ready to serve, make the toffee sauce by putting all the ingredients in a pan over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce has thickened and
darkened in colour.
Spoon over the pudding to serve.
MRS BLOXBY’S TERRIFIC TEACAKES
INGREDIENTS
450g/1lb plain flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
100g/4oz currants or mixed dried fruits
25g/1oz yeast
300ml/½ pint milk
