Yvonne Cobb’s recipe (My Mum’s Lemon Flan) as featured in Eat, Share, Love by Kalpna Woolf
Kalpna Woolf is an acclaimed food writer and founder of the Bristol-based charity 91 Ways, which works to unite the 91 languages spoken in the city and connects disadvantaged communities through the sharing of food. Kalpna published her latest recipe book, Eat, Share, Love earlier this year. Brimming with Bristolian stories, Kalpna tells us all about the myriad of food cuisines that make this city thrum with life and love. Here, we look at Yvonne Cobb’s story behind her recipe ‘My Mum’s Lemon Flan’…
From Eat, Share, Love: BSL is one of the 91 languages spoken in Bristol. I was so delighted that Yvonne, who loves food, agreed to share her story and a handwritten recipe from her mum with us.
“My name is Yvonne, also known as the Deaf Nigella, and I am a bubbly businesswoman, food and lifestyle vlogger as well as an amazing cook; I am known among my friends as the queen of soup and salads! In my other side job, I am a TV presenter for the BBC’s See Hear and have presented TV cooking segments in sign language. I was born Deaf, and in fact there are three generations of Deaf people in my family. It was my mum, Davina Momber, whoreally inspired my love of food and cooking. It was fantastic growing up with a Deaf mum who was a first-class cook and hostess; we always had a house full of people and mealtimes were always the times that we felt most connected. I was inspired by my mother to be able to carry on these traditions with my own family. I am married with three children, and we love to cook together and welcome guests as a family.
In 2016 I decided to set up my own catering business, Yumma Food, which seeks to educate the Deaf community about the importance of nutrition and the impact that food has on our wellbeing and general health. I have a very holistic attitude towards wellbeing and the importance of using food to promote wellness. Sadly, some Deaf people haven’t previously had opportunities to learn about nutrition, so I have been busy creating vlogs, in both British Sign Language and English, to share some of this knowledge.
I am really proud of what I have managed to achieve with Yumma Food. It has definitely boosted my confidence and I have really learned a lot about myself. My passion is for TV cooking, but I would also love to train as a life coach and inspire others to use food in the way that my mother inspired me. My mother is now 89, but still lives independently and is still cooking. She has been a phenomenal role model, not just for me but for the whole of the Deaf community.”
Eat, Share, Love by Kalpna Woolf can be purchased at: 91ways.org, mezepublishing.co.uk and local bookshops; £22
PREPARATION TIME
15 minutes, plus 4 hours setting
COOKING TIME
15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
(serves 4-6)
For the base:
225g digestive biscuits
115g butter
55g sugar
For the filling:
4 large lemons
340ml condensed milk
285ml double cream
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180°c. Crush the biscuits. Melt the butter in a pan and then add the sugar. Stir in the biscuit crumbs until well combined. Press the base into a small, greased flan dish, then bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Zest and then juice both the lemons. Whisk the condensed milk until smooth, stir in the lemon zest and then slowly blend in the cream and lemon juice.
3. Pour the lemon mixture gently into the flan dish over the base and chill for 4 hours, or until set.
Image credit: Paul Gregory @pgpfoodphotography
