#flummery

Country Women's Association of Victoria

Published: 2022 (First), 2024 (Current Edition), Australia (English)

This is certainly an unusual addition to a reading themed blog, but it's part of the 2025 Book Bingo challenge so here we are. I don't mind, it technically still counts as a book, it's just amusing. And delicious.

For the Read & Make A Recipe bingo challenge by @batmanisagatewaydrug, I chose a recipe called "Flummery" from a book from the Victorian branch of the Country Women's Association (CWA) called "Thrifty Cooking".

For those unfamiliar, the CWA is an association of rural or country women in Australia. They self-advocate for country issues, act as a community for each other and consistently put out excellent cooking books. No Australian kitchen could possibly be considered complete without one of their books on their shelves. I have two! This one, which I picked up on impulse from the local post office, and another older one from the the CWA as a whole.

Flummery, and I still kind of giggle at that name, is a simple but sweet dessert born from the rations of WWII. You make flavoured jelly (that's "jello" for all the Americans out there, please don't make this with jam) with half the amount of water (250ml) and allow it to cool but not set. Meanwhile you whip up some chilled evaporated milk or thickened cream (390ml). This particular recipe called for evaporated milk so that's what I used. Then you whip those ingredients together. If you want fruit inside the set dessert this is time to add it. Next you leave it in the fridge to set and top it with fruit as you please.

Tada! You now have flummery!

Mine turned out fairly well but i had a lot of trouble with the whipping process. It's easy if you have an electric whisk, but if you don't you're in for some toil. I wouldn't recommend it. Seriously, rip my arms. I couldn't get it to the nice, fluffy, mousse-like texture it's supposed to have, but I did get it nice and airy. It had a nice amount of sweetness and flavour too. I was expecting it to be overbearing but it was far from it. Even Dad gave it rave reviews.

I managed to fill four mini trifle bowls with it. I forgot to photograph them but the first set of two I topped with cut strawberries. The second set was topped with bananas and mango. My thanks to Dad for cutting the mango. Both had chopped strawberries mixed into the dessert before they were allowed to set. As you may notice in the photos, they wound up floating up to the top layer. As for the jelly itself I used mango jelly. Aeroplane Jelly of course. What kind of Australian would I be if I used anything else? XD

Honestly it would a good recipe; delicious, cheap and simple. I absolutely recommend giving it a shot, if you have an electric whisk or super buff patisserie arms. Have fun!