It was renaissance man Martin Green who tipped me off to this fabulous piece of TV ephemera.
when I went to hear his DJ set at Spiritlands on the South Bank here in London.
I say TV rather than film, as most of the stars featured on the cassette and in the recipe cards were TV stars of a certain era. Listening to the cassette is just heaven for a girl like I. The dulcet tones of Morecambe & Wise, Hattie Jaques, Wendy Craig, et al. talking us through their recipes is a sublime experience. Thanks, Martin. I am forever in your debt!
I’ve been wanting to do a Benny Hill recipe for ages. I’ve written about his Tomato and Courgette Salad and his Nice Salad, but my impetus for this one was discovering the brilliance of The People’s Pantry.
I wanted to spread the word about this brilliant service where you can have fabulous stuff delivered directly to your door if you live in one of the areas above. Basically, Finchley, Muswell Hill, Highgate, Hornsey, Friern Barnet, Palmers Green and Wood Green. Look at the haul I got the first time I ordered!
and behold the splendidness of ERNIE the milk float.
It is super easy to order your groceries, bathroom bits and bobs, cleaning supplies and lots more from the People’s Pantry, and I so encourage you, if you live in North London, to get amongst it. I have no affiliation other than a deep love for what Lisa and Thomo do.
If you are a Brit of a certain age, you’ll know why the milk float is named Ernie. If you have never heard Benny Hill’s MARVELLOUS comedy hit featuring the fastest milkman in the West, treat yourself to 4 minutes of brilliance!
This picture made me laugh out loud.
Milk floats loom large in my legend with Mr Rathbone, as one night when we were watching a Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple, he said something which has stuck in my mind ever since as epitomising the spirit of why I love him so.
There was a bit involving a milk float, and he said, “Ah, look at the lovely world we’ve lost.” Yes indeed. He says he’s going to drive me around in a milk float when my legs finally give way. I think I’ll have some kind of throne in the back bit.
I can’t tell you much about Benny’s chicken dish. I made it.
I only ate a couple of bites because I felt a bit weird, and then retired to bed.
The next day it transpired I had Covid.
After two weeks in bed with no appetite at all, my memory of it was pretty much scrubbed from my mind. I THINK it was good! Here it is if you fancy trying it.
Behold the splendour of the illustrations and text.
Plus, you can listen to Benny telling you how it is done, recorded on my phone from Mr R’s tape player. I like the way he pronounces “menu” and “marinade”, and of course, he can’t resist making a few jokes.
Ah, how I love Benny Hill, memorised the words of this at the time . Hilarious. ‘The world we’ve lost’ indeed .. Benny Hill at number one on Tops of the Pops every week ! The rows I had with ‘Alternative’ comedians back in the eighties when the right on pack turned on him for the ‘bawdy’ side of his comedy oblivious to the fact that he accomplished the rarest of skils in writing genuinely comic songs. I love Mr R’s milk float idea that’s a must ! I used to go to Hastings fairly regularly for days out, it’s a lovely place and one time we arrived on some kind of carnival day which had a float parade along the sea front, if it still happens you have to do a Silver Screen Milk Float to be a part of it. I can see you proudly waving to the crowds from it . And I look forward to playing ‘Chasen’ to your Liz Taylor and ferrying down tubs of Chili when you’re settled. But this recipe as Benny suggests would work well with chicken thighs and wings etc and I can see it going well with Vincents sweet corn and some egg fried rice.
Oh, how I LOVE the idea of a Silver Screen Milk Float and agree, it’s a must! I loved Benny Hill as a kid, and I, too, know all the words to Ernie, as does Mr R – one of the benefits of being married to a man who is almost exactly the same age as me! Jx