The Lambeth Walk

I can't remember the first time I heard the song The Lambeth Walk (from the 1937 musical Me and My Girl, by Noel Gay, Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose), nor when I became aware that a dance goes with it. A strutting dance, this was inspired by the traditional pre-war Lambeth evening promenade, according to this page, which also features the legendary Bill Brandt photograph of a girl doing the dance. The dance steps can be found here.

A number of song-and-dance performances of The Lambeth Walk have turned up on YouTube. During the seventies, the Egyptian-French superstar Dalida recorded a charmingly kitsch rendition that seems to take a number of liberties with the steps, and definitely takes some with the words. Robert Lindsay gave a more authentic performance in the 1987 revival of the musical. Depending on your mood, the seemingly endless repetition of the chorus in this clip will either plaster a grin between your ears or seriously annoy you.

Incredibly, there is even a Japanese version, perhaps better described as an extravaganza. Once you fast-forward past the introductory dialogue, the actual dance is accompanied by a great deal of slapstick. This performance provides fascinating insight into the Japanese take on English culture: lamp-posts, trench-coats, murders in the library, and coronation robes all figure prominently.

Just a Minute

Am I the only one to have found something oddly reassuring about the fortieth anniversary of Just a Minute last month? It is comforting to reflect that, throughout four decades of change and upheaval, a group of people have consistently gathered to discuss such topics as "How to get ice out of an ice-cube tray" for one whole minute, without hesitation, repetition, or deviating from the subject. Some of the original contestants, such as Peter Jones and, of course, Kenneth Williams (who dominated the show during his time on it) have now passed on, but Clement Freud is still there, as lugubrious and amusing as ever, along with a new stable of personalities who can be relied upon to extract full humour from their topics, and keep host Nicholas Parsons on his toes. Like many other fans of the show, I used to keep a notebook of the funniest lines, so imagine my delight when I stumbled upon an online archive containing a wealth of Just a Minute transcripts. Warning: it is pop-up heavy, so keep your blocker turned on.

Extremely Good Rice Pudding
 
You probably hate rice pudding, but that is because you have only experienced the baked variety.  I was brought up on this delicious stove-top version, and it is truly a revelation to those who have never had it before.  Perfect for this time of year, it combines rice, raisins and nutmeg. This recipe comes courtesy of my mother (again).
 
Ingredients (makes about 4 cups of pudding):
 
½ cup of uncooked brown rice (or any kind of uncooked rice can be used, as can up to 1 ½ cups of already cooked rice.)
 
1 cup of water
 
1 teaspoon of oil
 
2 ½ cups of milk, whole or skimmed. (Powdered milk works well too, and is the most economical choice.  Alternatively, any combination of liquid or powdered milk will do, and the calcium content can be boosted by adding additional powdered milk to fresh milk.)
 
1/4 cup of brown sugar
 
1/4 teaspoon of salt
 
3 tablespoons of plain or unbleached flour
 
1 teaspoon of vanilla
 
1/2 cup of raisins
 
A sprinkle of nutmeg
 
Optional:
 
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts, or almond slivers
 
Directions:
 
a.  Cook rice for thirty minutes in water and oil by bringing to a rolling
     boil, covering lightly, and turning down to a low simmer.
 
b.  Add milk and raisins and bring to a boil again. Cover and
     simmer for another fifteen minutes.  Stir in sugar and salt.
 
c.  Take a cup of the rice mixture out of the pot and stir the flour into it. Return to
     pot and simmer for another five minutes, stirring constantly.  If the flour
     forms lumps, beat with a hand-held rotary beater or whisk for a few
     minutes.
 
d.  Cool slightly.  Stir in vanilla, and sprinkle nutmeg over the top.
     Serve warm or cold. 

A little bit of what you fancy does you good.