Sue Van Gaalen

Subject: Sue Van Gaalen
From: SylviaN
Date: 22 Sep 10 - 02:22 PM

Headline - Songstress supreme has hidden talents! (well, hidden to some, but I'm sure Bob knows all about them).

Sorry, not strictly music, but someone should write a song about it. Please look here.

Sylvia

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 22 Sep 10 - 02:27 PM

Yes, Sylvia, possibly belongs below the line... haven't had time to watch the whole programme yet, but I have spotted Sue vG!

Kitty

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 22 Sep 10 - 04:55 PM

Well done Sue! I can just see the headlines now:- Manchester Tart Wins Pudding Club! :-) (Sorry!!!!)

The pudding looked absolutely delicious; if anbody wants to try and make it at home the recipe is online here A Trio of Lancashire Treats.

I'm not sure if the TV programme (a cookery competition) can be viewed outside the UK, but the secret of an Eccles cake is something we want to keep to ourselves; its our Weapon of Mass Consumption!

Matthew

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: nutty
Date: 22 Sep 10 - 04:58 PM

Sue is a wonderful cook and thoroughly deserving of her new-found fame

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: 8_Pints
Date: 22 Sep 10 - 06:18 PM

I have tried to keep this a well hidden secret!!!!

Now you know why she had to curtail her attendance at Warwick FF...

Well done, Sue

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 23 Sep 10 - 01:44 PM

So into the grand final! Will be watching tomorrow!

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: GUEST,Spleen Cringe
Date: 23 Sep 10 - 02:26 PM

Nice one Sue!

Looking forward to your next trip to the Beech... laden with goodies I hope!

(PS: I hope a friendly Mud Elf can amend the title to make it clear it's a good news story and then delete this PS. I opened the thread with some trepidation...)

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 23 Sep 10 - 02:45 PM

Mrs Van Gaalen will always be welcome at The Beech, puddings or no puddings. But then again everybody is welcome except ..............

L in C#

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
Date: 23 Sep 10 - 02:48 PM

Ooh, saw you & your pud on the telly! I noticed that you were a folk singer too. Sue FTW!

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: SylviaN
Date: 23 Sep 10 - 08:47 PM

Not just a folk singer, Crow Sister, but an excellent one. There's a possibility that we'll hear her singing on the programme as they did some filming at her home. I certainly hope so.

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 24 Sep 10 - 03:43 AM

We recorded all the programmes but have so far failed to spot a song or a tune. Do I need to go back and check again?

L in C#

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Pistachio
Date: 24 Sep 10 - 05:16 AM

Look again, in one of the early ones Sue sang at her house with an audience of 'folkies' and friends and we saw Bob too.

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: 8_Pints
Date: 24 Sep 10 - 05:40 AM

The programme screened on 3rd September shows Sue singing at the "Sing Your Heart" festival filmed at The Crown, Standish.

The song was "Thousands or More" shown only as a very brief backdrop, but hopefully tonight will feature the gathering at our house.

Bob

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 24 Sep 10 - 10:31 AM

I hear that she's entering for the Monte Carlo rally next year. Foregone conclusion, really - God help the other competitors - I don't know why they don't just give her the trophy now and be done with it!

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 24 Sep 10 - 11:44 AM

Walks on water, loaves & fishes - look out your popeness

L in C#

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 24 Sep 10 - 12:44 PM

When this advert finishes ........................

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 24 Sep 10 - 12:49 PM

Oooh it's getting too exciting!

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 24 Sep 10 - 12:57 PM

Well if she had to come second it was at least to a Yorkshireman :-) Well done Sue, you were still our star!

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 24 Sep 10 - 01:05 PM

No, the Guy with the curry won and did look like a great dish. I can only comment on Sue's 'Trio of Lancashire Treats' and it/they were sublime.

Thanks a lot and well done.

Pity the song was missed off.

L in C#

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 24 Sep 10 - 02:35 PM

Sylvia said something about a song...

The Eating of the Manchester Tart

Listen all you loyal heroes to my tale of Lancashire pride,
(An' you con even join in if you live on t'other side,)
Its of our gallant balladeer; Sue van Gaalen and her sweets,
Who faced great competition with her trio of Lancashire treats.

On the twenty-fourth of September the nation had its wish,
It had to choose the winner of Britain's own Best Dish;
The prize went to Johnathan Davies for his seared masala lamb,
But a worthy runner-up was our Lancashire's Sue van.

Let's also praise Stephen Holding; its a pleasure to relate
His smoked salmon with pea puree was summer on a plate.
The judges were delighted by the dishes they digested
And Jilly Gooden's tastebuds were most severely tested.

Host Mark Nichols he admitted he was on a sticky wicket,
To have to choose between them really wasn't cricket;
But you can't influence the umpires in this kind of Test,
And he had to announce that Johnathan's lamb it was the best.

Now the water down in London is too soft for proper brew,
So Sue boiled her Lancashire tea in some Lancashire water too;
Her Lancashire tea ice cream it simply can't be beaten,
While the pastry of her Eccles cake is just begging to be eaten.

Sue served up to the panel of culinary experts,
If I had been a judge she'd have got her just desserts;
But lets raise a cheer for Sue vG who well deserved the bounty,
For the best of English cooking comes from the Red Rose County.

(Dedicated to Sue vG, a great ballad singer and cook)

Matthew

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 24 Sep 10 - 03:07 PM

Brilliant Matthew - you must come to The Beech and treat us to a sample of this song

L in C#

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Derby Ram
Date: 24 Sep 10 - 03:51 PM

Yes, Matthew, can't wait to hear it.

Sylvia

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 24 Sep 10 - 04:17 PM

Great Matthew!

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Yvonne
Date: 25 Sep 10 - 12:29 PM

Matthew....what a smashing Wirral Bard you are.

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: 8_Pints
Date: 25 Sep 10 - 06:15 PM

Sid Calderbank featured as a house guest in the final programme and gave us a rendition of "Tatter Pie" that was filmed, but not shown on TV.

Now that would have been a great tribute to Lancashire food!

Thanks to him, to "Shimrod" and "Les from Chorlton" who played his banjo....

Bob vG

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: 8_Pints
Date: 25 Sep 10 - 08:46 PM

Correction: "Prater Pie" rather than "Tatter Pie"!

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 26 Sep 10 - 08:02 AM

Will Prater Pie be heard down The Beech sometime?

L in C#

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 26 Sep 10 - 08:34 AM

"Will Prater Pie be heard down The Beech sometime?"

Or better still; will Prater Pie be eaten down The Beech sometime?

One of these days somebody must organise an event of traditional song and food!

Sorry I can't get to the Beech on Wednesday to sing the Manchester Tart Song; some other time perhaps. By the way I completely misrembered Sue's remarks about the quality of London water, which is hard and chalky not soft like our northern variety. As a former Essex boy I ought to have known that! Thanks for all the kind remarks about the song, but compliments to the chef too!

Matthew

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: 8_Pints
Date: 27 Sep 10 - 06:58 AM

Of course the hidden talents that "SylviaN" spoke of should come as no surprise to those that attended the Four Fools Festivals (Lostock Hall Community High School, Preston) over the years where the catering was supplied by Barbara Hindley & Sue!

Bob

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: GUEST,Sue Coe
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 02:12 PM

Well we can testify to the brilliance of Sue's cooking and singing. She is a resident at our club and last night - as well as doing a singing spot she brought samples!!! Sublime - what a brilliant night. We'd been really down earlier in the day because our booked guests - Grace Notes had to pull out because Maggie Boyle was poorly, but Jon Loomes stepped as guest and he did a great night - then Sue brought her samples - sublime doesn't really flatter them enough - and then Vicki Fielding sang her brilliant parody of "Green Grow the Rushes Oh" as "Great British Dishes Oh" as a homage to Sue. How fabulous was that!

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 06:31 PM

Sue - that's a really mouth-watering description and I wish I'd been there!

Kitty

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: YorkshireYankee
Date: 02 Oct 10 - 05:19 PM

Yes, when we headed to Ryburn 3 Step Tuesday evening, we had no idea what a treat was in store for us! Saw Sue & Bob come in with bags of stuff, but thought she couldn't possibly have made enough for everyone to try some, but darned if she didn't manage it (& made it look easy, as well!).

What I think is really lovely is that Sue did not even realise at first that there was a competition. I remember her saying (at the June R3S) that someone had approached her as she was leaving a farm shop (or something like that -- I guess ITV must send people to really good food shops to recruit people), asked if she did a lot of cooking and (after she said yes) then asked if she had any regional recipes. Wanting to be helpful, she came up with her "Lancashire Trio" (including the tea ice cream) pretty much on the spot and said she would be happy to go home and dig up/put together the recipe for them. She had no idea they were recruiting for Britain's Best Dish -- she was just being her usual generous, helpful self.

I also noted that (in her first appearance) they asked her about the foster parenting she and Bob have done. I knew they did a lot of fostering, but had no idea just how many kids they had fostered: 72! And adopted 3 of them as well. That's what I call a real contribution to society/making the world a better place/whatever you want to call it.

Anyway, thought I'd post here the parody we sang for Sue on Tuesday evening. (Note: had to "cheat" a bit to get all the numbers in -- but it's all for fun, isn't it?)

Best British Dishes Oh
(to the tune of Green grow the Rushes Oh)

I'll sing you one, oh
Best British Dishes Oh
What is your one, oh?
One is Sue Van Gaalen for she is the Pudding Queen, oh

Two, two is Bob & Sue, living in Heald Green, oh

Three, three, the finals

Four are the Northwest Region heats

55 are the puddings that she beat (well, I thought I really ought to get that number in there...)

Six are the egg yolks in the custard (the recipes are all online)

Seven are the seven regions

168 dishes at the starting gate (same reason as five/55)

Nine are the final tasters
(if you count the MC; however, I wrote that before I realised that the audience tastes and gets to vote in the final round -- might have to change it now, but coming up with a nine was really difficult!)

Ten are the adverts every show (well, at least ten... ten was really hard, too!)

Eleven, eleven, Jilly Goolden's in heaven!
(if you saw the first show, you'd have seen/heard Jilly saying, "There are moments in this programme when you kind of go to heaven a bit, actually and I just have..."
Not bad, eh? It really was so much fun to hear the judges raving over Sue's puddings!)

Twelve are the hours the raisins soak

================

Cheers,

Vikki Fielden

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Linda Kelly
Date: 02 Oct 10 - 05:46 PM

We were truly delighted when we went to Appingedam in Holland for a festival, that not only were we joined by the delightful Van Galens but we were also supplied with samples of Manchester Tart. Truly awesome. The evening did however rapidly descend into chaos as we left the fine port of Hull only to over indulge in the bar of the P & O ferry Pride of Amsterdam. I won't go into details but a certain member of Hissyfit (not me) became rather worse for wear after an over indulgence of alcohol. The evening and the tart were both memorable!

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 03 Oct 10 - 10:56 AM

I was mystefied by that brilliant bit of mandola playing. Who could it possibly have been?

L in C#

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Oct 10 - 02:27 PM

You calling Hazel a tart?? (TeeHee)

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: GUEST,Sue vG
Date: 03 Oct 10 - 07:40 PM

My oh my, what a lot of praise for my 'umble little puddings! The whole experience was such a lot of fun and I'm so glad that so msny people have got pleasure from my cookery adventure! Cooking on the telly was not something I had ever thought of doing- it just sort of happened! I would really recommend it as an experience, I met some very interesting people and was able to raise the profile of some traditional British recipes.
Many thanks to everyone who has given me support and encouragement and special thanks for the songs!!
Love, Sue xx

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: GUEST,Sue vG
Date: 03 Oct 10 - 07:42 PM

P.S.
Les, you'll have to watch the programme again to see who was playing the Mandola so brilliantly! Obviously some rising young star of the folk scene!

Subject: RE: Sue Van Gaalen
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 04 Oct 10 - 11:53 AM

'rising young star'? Just less of the rising, so to speak

L in C#