You Got More Rabbit Than Sainsbury's

Fanny Cradock is at hand to help the millions of women, and even men, who are only able to shop at the weekends. Or in their lunch-hours. Or who happen to live in a bedsitter. Or a flatlet. Or perhaps she's being unusually kind - she really means working people who live alone. Or children in the nursery. You see they share something in common - despite being hindered in life (seemingly by singledom or infancy), they deserve to eat well, and to eat quickly. Or something like that.

Fanny's a little embarrassed about this particular 'recipe' though. You see, it's not really a 'recipe' as such. It's so easy to do, so simple to make, and so uncomplicated to eat, it is hardly even a recipe. It is so plain and straightforward that it makes the perfect dish for those who find themselves with the horror of work taking up all their valuable time, living all alone or indeed those who have yet to develop teeth.

Fanny has another embarrassment to confess to before we start. It's a biggie. This recipe uses TINNED ingredients. Now, this in itself is not shameful, especially if you happen to be in gainful employment, living companionless or are too young to know any different. No shame in buying a copy of the book Fanny wrote specially to help, using a variety of canned goods as the basis for quick, nutritious but ultimately solitary meals. No, the shame comes from using a tin of unsweetened milk. Fanny is very quick to point out that this is the only instance you will ever find of her using this particular product. Let's hope it's worth it.

Fanny doesn't use tinned milk in the book. Only tinned cream, which must be somehow preferable. She never explains. Perhaps the reason is that she wasn't sponsored by Carnation. In each and every other recipe she 'brand-names' the tin which enables the best possible results. 'Only the best is good enough for us!' So this one obviously never made the cut. Apart from in this recipe. Again she never explains.

Fanny uses this shameful milk to make a Nursery Rabbit Cream. No real rabbits were used in the making of this, tinned or otherwise. Just my favourite retro mould. The humiliating tin of milk is simply mixed with the juice from a tin of fruit (any will do, so go crazy - I've used mango because, you know, that's what I had in the cupboard) and powdered gelatine. Or VegeGel for me. The bunny mix is brought slowly to the boil, which will please Glenn Close fans, poured into the mould, left to set and then turned out. That's it. Those with limited palates and/or living in desolation will certainly enjoy this more than if they just opened the tins and ate them separately.