Rising to a challenge

 To the editor:
   Grocery stores are always fascinating places to explore. In each  area I have lived in it has been part of the adventure to figure out  where the best stores were. Each store has its own character and much of that character depends on what is sold on the the shelves. England is a country of bread. And you will find a vast array of breads, bread mixes, and bread based foods for sale. A few weeks ago I was stunned to learn that so few Brits my age cook. It was and still remains a scandal on how so few people know how to make a baked potato. Still not all is lost.
   This is the time of year when the kitchen is filled with the smells and sounds of a great summer. There is nothing more exciting than to walk into a kitchen as something is being cooked. Note for the last few bachelors out there: it’s amazing how a loaf of bread or a tray of cookies baking in the oven can take care of all other problems with an apartment or a house. One whiff of bread scent and your guests are putty in your hands.
   So it is with some surprise that I have discovered the new bread product on the shelves here in the Midlands. Those of us who grew up on homemade breads well remember the five pound and twenty-five pound sacks of flour. I can find only a five pound sack at the store, now  labeled as a two kilogram package. What has replaced it are the five hundred gram bread in a bag products. basically, all you do is add the water, mix, and let sit for 45 minutes or so. Pop directly in the oven for about half an hour and you have a loaf of fresh bread. There are a wide range of types, whole grain, sunflower seeds, five grain and even simple white bread are all available.
   Sitting here with a cup of coffee a slice of hot fresh bread covered in honey and butter and watching the squirrels playing out on the  lawn. it’s these simple things that help to center one and bring into focus those who we appreciate and remember with fondness. The memory comes back of the intrepid Cooks in the kitchens of SAD 1 who would bake the fresh oatmeal rolls.
   When the kitchens got up to full speed, there was that scent of happiness, and pleasure in a simple brown  roll. Best of the season to all of them, Christmas is around the corner and those scents and thoughts take one back to a time when most of the worlds problems could be solved with a hot fresh roll and a cup of coffee.