I didn't make a birthday cake; i have so little time/privacy for thought or deed at the moment, and extra baking is not on the agenda.

Slices of chocolate sponge on the bottom of the dish, a sprinkling of port, then some raspberries and cherries. A raspberry jelly poured over and allowed to set. A layer of barely warm custard on top, then, the following day, a blanket of fragile and light whipped cream. The strawberries i rescued from the breakfast table, and the pale green squiggles are strips of candied angelica. I have always enjoyed the fresh green flavour, whether as the sweet treat on top of a cake, or as the sticky green liquor in the Chartreuse Barrel from the selection of my mother's favourite Terry's Old Gold Chocolates.