Living life to its fullest as a custard lover.

Egg Flip Big M has been re-released. Unfortunately, the packaging is unattractive and the milk company would have done better to bring back the original graphic to match the retro flavour. Fortunately, the flavour is just as I remembered it – a heady mix of vanilla, milk, honeycomb, cake and maybe an egg. It’s a shame I don’t really need sugared milk in my diet.
As a custard-lover, I am often looking for new food sources to add to life’s giant custard swirl. When the sugar levels of the Egg Flip Big M have become too sickening or inappropriate for bedtime, I turn to Sleepytime Vanilla Tea. Alternatively, I apply Blistex Lip Balm and lick a bit off for the taste.
My love of custard began as a child. A common dessert fed to me was warm sloppy custard (made from the Home Brand powder) poured over sliced bananas pieces. On a recent holiday, a friend went above and beyond this basic standard by making the custard from scratch- cornflour, milk, eggs (freshly hen-laid), sugar, vanilla bean and a lot of whisking. She then stewed some apples so we could all pretend it was somehow healthy.
In this busy modern age, we don’t always have time to prepare desserts. Luckily there are a number of shops of restaurants where one can enjoy custard in a variety of forms. The French Lettuce Patiserrie lays claim to the “best vanilla slice in Melbourne.” I can only agree with this statement and describe this morish delight as: fluffy whipped-cream-custard housed in crispy, layered pastry.
It is good to know that some pubs also serve delicious desserts. I am obsessed with the Kangaroo Fillets on Shoestring Chips at the Napier Hotel. One night, after cleaning my whole (generously-sized) plate, I exclaimed “I couldn’t possibly fit another thing in- except perhaps for the crème brulée.” It came with those long white Italian biscuits to dip in the caramel sauce.
The last advice I have for fellow custard lovers is to make your own panacotta. I am seriously considering this, even though the only thing I ever regularly baked was microwave carrot cakes in the 80’s on instruction from my mother: “It will cook a lot quicker than in the oven.”