Icing in the cake

I write this as I am putting the finishing touches to a Simnel cake, one of the most tasty of old recipes. Those of my readers who are familiar with cake-making will realise that a Simnel cake is unusual in having icing in the middle of the cake, not just on top. This reminded me in a curious way of the British Journal of Psychiatry a journal with shiny yellow icing on the outside but quite a helping of icing in the middle as well. The making of a Simnel cake is a staging process, just as Scott et al (pp. 243-245) describe, with the marzipan icing, preferably golden like our journal, making the second and fourth layers, and with a delicate balance of currants and sultanas - no they are not the same but share many features, just like hospital and community psychiatry (Thornicroft & Tansella, pp. 246-248) - as a rich component of the cake mixture. But a Simnel cake needs spices too, so a touch of allspice, just like Warner (pp. 284-285) & Fearon's (pp. 249-250) feisty exchange of opinions about early intervention in psychosis, adds that extra touch of flavour, with just a lemon soupçcon of Amsterdam et al (pp. 301-306) and Thase (pp. 251-252) to tickle the palate's outer senses. But as every reader knows, there are extras in the cake, and in the Journal too, and they add to the flavour. It is absolutely clear that Zaara's 'speed limits' described by Shabbir Amanullah (p. 285) have to refer to the eating of Simnel cake, as with such a marvellous combination of flavours you have to eat slowly to take them all in.