venta

Yesterday I took myself for a little wander round Kew Gardens. In between the exciting plants and inconvenient rainshowers, I paused in the café and bought myself a cake and some pop. The cake I bought was a strange-looking thing, rather like a small, dense pain au chocolat. It was, I discovered, actually a giant fig roll.

I presume the giant fig roll is a rare species which Kew is busy conserving. Anyway, I approve. But it has suddenly been revealed to me that I could make fig rolls. I could make giant ones! And eat them all myself!

Anyway... I've had a quick google, and there seem to be a variety of different approaches. The BBC - normally a pretty reliable source of recipes - wants me to boil dried figs with rosewater and brandy. They can sod right off; everything made with rosewater is disgusting. Fact.

Some website or other reckons it's ok to boil the figs in plain water; but they put me off by describing the result as "almost better than shop-bought!" If it's not going to be frankly quite a lot better, then why am I bothering? Fig rolls aren't exactly pricey in your average supermarket[*]. Plus they reckon wholemeal flour, which sounds a bit worthy to me. And the picture looks even more like dog biscuits than normal fig rolls.

Waitrose think I should use fresh figs - but they would, wouldn't they. They also reckon orange zest (boo!) and grated ginger (hurray!)

I imagine I'm likely to read a bunch of recipes and then ignore them all selectively. But I am curious to know if anyone has an opinion on the fresh/dried fig dilemma. Or if anyone has ever successfully made them?

[*] And they are especially cheap in Lidl, but beware! Lidl fig rolls are vile.