Over the summer I've been lucky enough to be invited to some of my friends' houses for food.
One of my very dear friends, Amber, is an incredible cook. She's one of those people who seems to effortlessly produce beautiful food, and this particular invitation came on one of those long, lazy summer afternoons that seem to stretch on forever.
We'd gone round for a BBQ and there was a whole host of gorgeous food, all prepared by Amber. The sort of spread where you keep telling yourself you're full while somehow continuing to put things on your plate.
But it was the afters that really made an impression.
Out came these little individual jars of banoffee pie.
They looked beautiful. Layers of buttery biscuit, caramel, banana and cream, all tucked into their own little glass jars. Simple, unfussy and absolutely delicious.
And I loved the idea.
There is something about being handed your own little pudding that makes it feel far more special than simply having a slice cut from a larger dessert. No fighting over who got the biggest piece, no slightly collapsed second serving — just your own perfect little pot of happiness.
Needless to say, they didn't stay at Amber's house.
The idea came home with me and has since found its way into both the Tenacious Food File and my family's hearts.
And that's one of the things I love most about sharing food with other people. We don't just share what's on the table. We swap recipes, ideas and little traditions. Something made in one person's kitchen can quietly find its way into another, and before long nobody can quite imagine family gatherings without it.
So, with full credit to my lovely friend Amber for introducing these to us, here are our Little Pots of Happiness – Banoffee Jars.
Ingredients — per jar
- 2 Biscoff biscuits
- ⅓ banana, sliced
- 2 tbsp dulce de leche
- 2 tbsp freshly whipped cream
- A few chopped pecans
- A little drizzle of honey
Simply multiply the ingredients by however many little pots of happiness you're making.
Method
1. Crush the Biscoff biscuits and spoon them into the bottom of your jar.
2. Add a layer of sliced banana.
3. Spoon over the dulce de leche, letting it settle around the banana.
4. Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, then spoon a generous layer on top.
5. Finish with a scattering of chopped pecans and a little drizzle of honey.
6. Pop the lids on and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
Serve chilled — preferably on a long, lazy summer afternoon with good friends.
Little pots of happiness indeed. xx
Before You Go…
Some of the best recipes aren't found in cookbooks. They're discovered around other people's tables.
They're the dish you ask for the recipe for before you've even finished eating it, the pudding you recreate for your own family, or the little idea you tuck away and bring out months later when friends come for dinner.
These banoffee jars will always remind me of Amber, a long summer afternoon and a table filled with good food and good friends. And now they've become something my own family loves too.
Perhaps that's one of the loveliest things about food. We don't just pass around plates — we pass around memories, ideas and little pieces of ourselves.
So next time someone serves you something wonderful, ask them how they made it.
You never know where that recipe might end up.
Happy making xx www.tenaciouswellness.co.uk