Summer Pie to celebrate summer birthdays

This post is dedicated to all the lovely Leos in my life and to wish them a very happy birthday. Chances are that Leos spend their birthday on holiday and so here is a  birthday cake for them. It can easily be made in a caravan, and the children can help too. Just remember to take a packet of digestive biscuits and a tin of condensed milk with you and the  other ingredients can easily be found in a camp site shop.

It's quite a special recipe for me. I got it from a Girl Guide cookbook way back when I was thirteen and made it every Sunday for over a year until my mother discovered Angel Delight.
 When I came to Italy I didn't have a vast repertoire and couldn't offer much to the Italian cooking scene. My mother-in-law was a brilliant cook, from Tuscany and a hard to act to follow, so I didn't try. I just enjoyed her cooking and going to Sunday lunch was always a wonderful culinary experience. So one day I made this Summer pie for her and she was so enthusiastic and wanted the recipe. She then made it all the time for her friends and they all wanted the recipe too. It was a lovely sensation to have given so much pleasure with a recipe to such proficient cooks.

Summer Pie

Serves 6

For the base;-
8 digestive biscuits, crushed
125g butter, melted

For the filling:-
1 small tin of condensed milk
200ml double cream
2 lemons

strawberries, raspberries or black grapes to decorate


Melt the butter in a small saucepan and then mix in the crushed biscuits.
Spoon the mixture into a lined tin or a pie plate and press down with a metal spoon.
Chill in the fridge for half an hour until firm.

In a large bowl gently whip the double cream and then add the condensed milk. Add the juice of the two lemons and stir well with a wooden spoon until thick.
Pour the filling into the chilled biscuit pie crust and spread level.
Decorate with the washed and dried fruit of your choice.
Chill in the fridge for several hours until set firm.

Happy Birthday to you all.

First make the biscuit pie crust

Happy birthday Leos

Ingredients at the ready