Chocolate Concrete and other school meal marvels

[Roymit]

Does anyone remember chocolate concrete? It was perhaps the finest school pudding of all time - at least in my time. Circa '67-74 in Brum. Does anyone out there have a recipe? It was the only school meal I ever saw boys fight over and if you were late to the dinner queue and it was all gone there was a great wailing and gnashing of teeth. Served with thick gloopy custard it was a dream.

As for horrible puddings there are too many to relate but one stood out for me. Spotted Dick - it wasn't anywhere near as nasty as sago or tapioca (frogspawn) but for some reason it always made me throw up. In the end I just stopped getting it.

Any other candidates?

[Q165]

Does anyone remember chocolate concrete? It was perhaps the finest school pudding of all time - at least in my time. Circa '67-74 in Brum. Does anyone out there have a recipe? It was the only school meal I ever saw boys fight over and if you were late to the dinner queue and it was all gone there was a great wailing and gnashing of teeth. Served with thick gloopy custard it was a dream.

As for horrible puddings there are too many to relate but one stood out for me. Spotted Dick - it wasn't anywhere near as nasty as sago or tapioca (frogspawn) but for some reason it always made me throw up. In the end I just stopped getting it.

Any other candidates?

Remember 'Chocolate' and 'Spotted' well. Agree completely as to their merits.

[Joy_Division]

Baked cornflakes was another treat. I always enjoyed school dinners and it was thanks to them that I started to eat cabbage, cauliflower etc as I could not stand the stuff before. I remember grated carrot with raisins in as well.

[phild]

I always remember mint custard.

[WBA1955]

I'stayed'school'dinners'just'once.The'smell'was'en ough'to'make'you'feel'sick'so'it'went'uneaten.

[Pugmitch]

Chocolate Concrete recipe:
160g butter / magazine
175 granulated sugar
225g Self Raising Flour
25g Cocoa powder
1 Egg

Pre heat oven to Gas Mark 3 /170 degrees C
Melt butter in a saucepan, add sugar and mix well
Add flour and cocoa, mix well until you have a stiff consistency
Best egg and add to the mixture
Put mixture into a 30cm X 18cm baking tray pushing mixture well into the corners and flatten into tin.
Sprinkle on a little water and place in top half of the oven for 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with sugar. Allow to cool and then cut into pieces and place on a wire tray.
Eat as is or serve with the gloopy custard!

My school dinners fave was indeed spotted dick with custard.......followed by a close second of baked cornflakes. Those were the days. You wolfed it down in order to swiftly go up for 'seconds'.....pity the poor so and so's who were late even for firsts. No equality then it was first or nowhere! Youngsters today......they don't know owt!

[holmleighchris]

I'stayed'school'dinners'just'once.The'smell'was'en ough'to'make'you'feel'sick'so'it'went'uneaten.

That's once more than me Des.

[Exiledvillan]

I always remember mint custard.

Aaaaahhhh, mint custard, mmmm, loved it but not had it since the mid 70's.

At the other end of the scale was "Devils Spunk" Semolina pudding, still makes me shiver thinking bout it now.

[Roymit]

[QUOTE=Pugmitch;38604314]Chocolate Concrete recipe:
160g butter / magazine
175 granulated sugar
225g Self Raising Flour
25g Cocoa powder
1 Egg

Ah Pugmitch, many thanks - but what is this "magazine" of which you speak?

[Dubbag]

[QUOTE=Pugmitch;38604314]Chocolate Concrete recipe:
160g butter / magazine
175 granulated sugar
225g Self Raising Flour
25g Cocoa powder
1 Egg

Ah Pugmitch, many thanks - but what is this "magazine" of which you speak?

I think could be margarine........:)

[Pugmitch]

Oh dear.....it's margarine of course.That'll be from the predictive text recipe!

[Q165]

We also had what I can only term 'ordinary' concrete. Very nice. More regular than the chocolate variety.

There was no free for all on a Friday. The Catholics had first crack at the battered fish and more often than not we were left with pilchards.

[Albionic68]

I went to Bearwood Primary. While I liked chocolate concrete one of my favourite school desserts was jam and coconut sponge cake served with custard. Yum.

Treacle tart was another favourite as was the school's version of Bakewell slices. Apple crumble with custard was really nice too. Hated semolina and never really understood the fuss over rice pudding either.

Overall the meals at primary school were really nice, even though myself and a few mates got into trouble on a couple of occasions for bunking out of school to go to the chippy instead.

Wasn't anywhere near as keen on the meals at Shireland High though, so I tended to go home during dinner times for an egg sandwich or beans on toast etc.

[OptimisticBaggie]

Mrs OB works in a school kitchen and still makes chocolate concrete!

[mickd1961]

Aaaaahhhh, mint custard, mmmm, loved it but not had it since the mid 70's.

At the other end of the scale was "Devils Spunk" Semolina pudding, still makes me shiver thinking bout it now.

"Devils Spunk".....I nearly p e e d myself reading that!

Chocolate ice cream with pink custard.

Iced sponge cake with pink or normal custard.

The corner piece of a steak and kidney pie.

School chips with baked beans.

All brill but I hated cheese pie and bread and butter pudding which was as wet and floppy as a tarts flange with warts on it!

I'd forgotten about grated carrot with raisins.....not a happy memory.

[WBA1955]

Neither'i'or'my'wife'know'what'chocolate'concrete' is.Have'we'led'sheltered'lives