The high-ceilinged ward crammed with beds, the cot rails to prevent us escaping, and the consolation of a boiled sweet once it was over all remain etched on my mind.
If you accidentally overshoot on the stock and the puree becomes watery, add boiled sweet potato, overcooked pasta, or powdered brown rice cereal to thicken it again.
This blended shrewd common sense with a charm that could persuade even the most tearful child that a boiled sweet was a fair trade for a nasty-looking injection.
