The proof is in the pudding for Barnsley u3a

Chrissie is joint coordinator of Barnsley u3a's Posh Puds group, which runs as a pop-up course in which members learn how to make a different dessert each week. She discusses the fun times the group have shared. 

I have always liked cooking and baking. I remember baking fairy cakes for my dad to come home to, after his shift at the coal mine. I have another memory of heating a tin of rice pudding thinking I was cooking it, whilst standing on a chair at the gas stove. I was probably about eight at the time.

The u3a Posh Puds group had to be running for a few years by Helen when I got involved. When I retired from full time work as a civil servant, I had my existing kitchen and dining room knocked through to make a kitchen/diner. I felt it was ideal for a group of bakers to come, participate, and enjoy baking. This led to the group relocating to my house. We now run the group as joint coordinators.

The group runs as a pop-up course twice a year in Spring and Autumn for six consecutive weeks each session. We can accommodate six participants for each course.

All ingredients are purchased in advance, weighed out and costed out for each participant. That means participants only pay for the ingredients they have used and there is no waste. The participants work together in pairs, and share the pudding they have made together. A lot of members live alone and don't want a full pudding every week. A copy of the recipe is provided for everyone to take home - so they can make a full one for guests anytime they like. 

Helen and I have a folder with our suggestions of puddings. We choose the first pudding, and in subsequent weeks, the choice of pudding is group-led.

Each week, either Helen or I prepare the chosen pudding in advance. A bit like Blue Peter, we show the one we made earlier. At a suitable point in the proceedings, either when their pudding is in the oven or cooling, we sit around the dining table and eat the prepared pudding with a cup of tea.

Whilst enjoying the prepared pudding, the group decide what to do for next week. The only proviso is that it has to be ready to be transported home in approximately 2 hours from the start of the session. Bearing in mind, it may need to be cut into two.

In the past we've made: 

• Sticky Toffee Pudding
• Self Saucing Chocolate Sponge
• Key Lime Pie
• Chocolate and Pear Tart
• Banoffee Pie
• Raspberry Meringue Roulade
• Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce
• Mille Feuille with seasonal fruit.

I enjoy sharing my knowledge and skill with people who had not previously had the time or knowledge to bake. It's also good to reignite the love of what some members used to do in the past, for instance, when they had a growing family