Nutcracker

Actually this post is nothing to do with Ballet or cracking nuts, well maybe a little.
Looking at this beautiful image, I realise I don’t know the story, so will rectify that shortly.
There are some serious gaps in my literature knowledge.
The only ballet I attended was La Fille Mal Gardee when I was at grammar school, and that was because our music teacher loved the Clog Dance and arranged a field trip for those of us taking music O level (not connected at all to the syllabus).
At Christmas, Mum would always buy a box of sugared almonds and a bag of mixed nuts.
Her favourite was brazils, Dad’s walnuts, and mine hazelnuts. I can’t remember what my sister’s preference was, probably brazils the same as Mum.
We had the traditional nutcrackers, and to be honest, I went for hazelnuts as they were the only ones I could crack!
Now the dog of the time was a first cross collie terrier. You could leave toffees or sweets in a dish on the coffee table, but nuts? Nah. He’d pinch all the walnuts and stash them in his bed or behind the settee. We’d be finding shells for ages, but never any broken teeth!

As I got older, nuts were more expensive to buy, and I seemed to mangle mine rather than crack them, so I didn’t bother. Besides, I’d found the perfect solution without the hassle and could have any nut I fancied soaked in caramel, chocolate, bound in a fudgy praline or in a one pound flat pack with or without fruit.
I still liked the sugared almonds, but even they have changed over the years and now the old teeth are few to crunch with that original enjoyment, and somehow sucking the coating off isn’t the same.

However, Hubby isn’t a nutcase (well, maybe he is for marrying me), but like me enjoys the occasional bag of chocolate brazils. Sadly we haven’t had any at all since June.
But there are other nuts to savour and enjoy.
You can have them nobbed, hobbled, cream sandwiched and chocolate coated.

I wonder if they still do the bitesize ones that were just right for my little fingers as a child?

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