Lol. That's me. Just a big kid at heart.

Hey Big Kid,

I think that you'll find that it's Pasty, not Pastey.

Well said both. And Duncan about the skids.

PT

Your welcome pastey.

Ingredients:
4 lbs (1.8 kg) plums
1 pint (575 ml) water
4 lbs (1.8 kg) sugar
Method:
Wash and wipe the plums. Cut in halves.
Put into a pan with the water and simmer gently until the fruit is soft.
Test for pectin.
Add the sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
Bring to the boil and boil rapidly until the jam sets when tested, removing the stones as they rise to the top.
Remove the scum.
Pot and seal while still hot.
Makes around 6 lbs (2.7 kg) of jam.


Seeing as I'm riding with the WI I thought I'd drop this in here.

But joking apart there is a serious point here. As one of the quicker riders, I'm actually considering no longer coming out because, not wishing to be too blunt, it's not a workout if we have to stop every five minutes for a rest. I'm not saying make it a torture fest but there does have to be some standard that we ride to and that, I'm sorry to say, shouldn't be whatever pace the slowest rider happens to ride. If you can't (within reason) keep up perhaps it's for the slower riders to go away and train themselves up to a reasonable standard.

I recognise that this goes somewhat against the grain of sympathetic responses, but like everyone else I am entitled to an opinion. Perhaps the fact that I seem to be the only one saying it suggests that it should be me that goes elsewhere in search of like minded riders. If anyone does fancy a ride at a decent (not stupid) pace with fewer breaks then drop me a note.

Cheers

Andrew

You should not blame us slower riders for no longer been allowed out

Andrew - the problem is deciding what counts as a 'decent (not stupid) pace'. A very subjective speed. There have been times when weak riders have exasperated the group and/or been gently shooed away. As far as I can tell though, this argument started up (again) when perfectly respectable riders were having a miserable time.

As for training yourself up to a reasonable standard - sure. Forgo the postride beer, go out on Sunday mornings with CCC, do evening TTs over the summer, turbotrain every other day, never get ill, never get injured and we'll all be flying (we might also be roadies but that's another issue). Sadly real life isn't always so kind and more and more often, I find myself more crawling than flying.

What's kept me coming back to CamMTB for the best part of a decade is the social aspect of the rides. If the rides routinely speed up to the point where the regular pack gets pared down to a small number of very able riders then what I've always seen as the ethos of CamMTB will be lost. And that would be a shame in my opinion.

Paul

I like the jam idea, and thought I could contribute with my mother's recipe for scones. If we all do more baking between rides, the faster riders might get heavier and slower, with slower riders offering their baked fare to particularly skinny riders during the rides. Clearly Bowes falls into the fast but not particualrly skinny category and would have to bring his own. Everyones a winner and we could have a prize at Christmas for best scone in class.

Ingredients:

225g/2 cups self raising flour
55g/½ stick cold butter
1 level tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
150 ml/¼ pint milk
1 egg beaten with a little milk
Preparation:

Heat the oven to 400°F/205°C/Gas 6
Grease and flour a baking sheet.
Sieve the flour into a roomy baking bowl then add the butter, baking powder and salt. Quickly rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Make a well in the center and using a dinner knife, stir in enough milk to make a soft, pliable dough.
Turn the mixture on to a floured board and knead very lightly until just smooth then lightly roll out to 2cm / 3/4" thick.
Cut rounds with a 7.5cm/3" cutter or cut into triangles with a sharp knife.
Place on the baking tray and brush with the beaten egg and milk mixture. Bake near the top of the hot oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown and well risen.
Cool on a wire rack before eating.
Serve with butter, or lashings of jam and cream.

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountain green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark satanic mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land.

Sing up ladies!!!

BTW, I think if anyone's only out for a training ride, they may be missing the point somewhat...
Get a coach and do it properly. I'll look out for you at the Olympics...

Hear hear Paul D and Mark T.
Your recipes are making me hungry though.
I WILL be out soon (slowly, and you buggers had better wait)