Boxty Pancakes

This traditional recipe comes from Ireland. The Irish people used to make these pancakes at Halloween. Traditionally a silver sixpence was placed in one of the pancakes to bring good luck for the following year.

Ingredients
8oz/250g plain flour
8oz/250g cold mashed potatoes (with no butter or milk in them
8oz/250g peeled raw potatoes
salt to taste
lard
buttermilk

Method
1 Place the mashed potatoes into a large mixing bowl.
2 Grate the raw potatoes into a sterilized linen cloth.
3 Gather up the linen cloth.
4 Wring the potatoes over a basin of water as tight as you can.
5 Reserve the water to one side.
6 Remove the grated raw potatoes from the cloth and place in the mixing bowl with the mashed potatoes.
7 Mix together thoroughly
8 The reserved water in the bowl should have settled, so that there is clear liquid at the top and sediment in the bottom. Pour the water from the top of the potato liquid, reserving the sediment.
9 Pour 2 tablespoons of the remaining sediment onto the potato mixture.
10 Add salt to taste.
11 Place a sieve over the bowl.
12 Spoon the flour into the sieve.
13 Shake the sieve of flour into the mixing bowl.
14 Mix thoroughly.
15 Make a well in the middle of the mixture.
16 Add sufficient buttermilk to give the batter a soft dropping consistency similar to sponge cake mixture.
17 Beat the mixture thoroughly.
18 Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave for a few minutes.
19 Heat a griddle on the hob.
20 Grease with lard.
21 Drop tablespoonfuls of the batter onto the warmed griddle.
22 Quickly spread the mixture.
23 Allow the mixture to cook on the underside then turn over with a fish slice.
24 Cook the other side as before.

Serve while still warm, with a generous sprinkling of sugar.

Notes
If you do not own a griddle use a heavy based frying pan.

Lard can be substituted for oil.

Hide a coin wrapped in greaseproof paper into 1 of the pancakes to keep the tradition up, but do warn the diners!

Bakewell Pudding

Bakewell Pudding

A wonderful traditional almond flavoured pudding from the town of Bakewell in the county of Derbyshire in England. Sometimes people call the pudding Bakewell tart, this is incorrect as the locals say a tart is a loose woman and the pudding is a wonderful dessert. In no uncertain terms do white glace icing and glace cherries belong anywhere near this pudding. The exact origin of which is still unknown.

Ingredients
8oz/250g flaky pastry as per basic recipe
4 tablespoons raspberry jam
4oz/110g ground almonds
4 oz/110g caster sugar
2oz/55g unslated butter at room temperature
3 beaten medium sized eggs
1 teaspoon almond essence

Method
1 Sprinkle a work surface and the rolling pin with a little olain flour.2 Roll out the pastry thinly.
3 Line a 900ml/1 1/2 pint) shallow pie dish with the pastry.
4 Knock up the edge of the pastry with the back of a knife.5 Mark the rim with the prongs of a fork.
6 Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
7 Brush the base of the pastry with the raspberry jam.
8 Rest again in the fridge for 10 minutes.9 Place the ground almonds, sugar, butter, eggs and almond essence into a large mixing bowl.
10 Beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon.11 Pour the filling over the jam and spread it evenly with a spatula.
12 Bake immediately in the oven at 200 degrees centigrade/gas mark 6 for about 30 minutes or until the filling is set.

Traditionally serve the pudding warm or cold on it's own. Or serve untraditionally with fresh cream or custard

Sweet Norfolk Dumplings

Dumplings whether savoury or sweet are basic British traditiional fayre. Norfolk is a county in eastern England, it is extreemly flat and well known for growing wheat.

Ingredients
4oz plain flour
4o self-raising flour
salt
4oz suet
5floz water
2 Bramley cooking apples

Method
1 Sift the flours and salt together into a large bowl.
2 Add the suet, mix well.
3 Make a well in the centre.
4 Add most of the water.
5 Using a wooden spoon bring the flours into the liquid, to form a soft dough that is not sticky (add extra water if neccessary).
6 Sprinkle a little flour onto a work surface.
7 Knead the pastry to get rid of any cracks.
8 Peel, core and quarter the apple.
9 Chop the apple into bite sized chunks.
10 Pull off tiny pieces of pastry.
11 Chop the apple into bite size chunks.
12 Wrap the pastry around a piece of cooking apple.
13 Make sure they are well sealed.

Cooking method 1
Drop into salted boiling water and cook for 20 minutes or until well risen and cooked through.

Serve with syrup or treacle and custard.

Cooking method 2
Place the dumplings on a greased baking tray, bake in a hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until well risen and cooked through.

Serve as before.

Apple and Cheese Cake

This is a traditional autumnal recipe from the county of Gloucestershire in England. It makes good use of locally produced food with the Bramley apples and the local double Gloucester cheese, although it was originally made with single Gloucester cheese.

Ingredients
120g butter
180g caster sugar
2 medium size beaten eggs
225 cored and grated cooking apples (save the juice and the peel)
120 grated double Gloucester cheese
60g flaked almonds
450g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 heaped teaspoons baking powder

Method
1 Grease a 2lb loaf tin with vegetable oil.
2 Line the tin with greaseproof paper.
3 Re-grease the loaf tin.
4 Place the butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl.
5 Using a wooden spoon beat the ingredients together until they are light and fluffy.
6 Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
7 Stir in the apples, cheese and almonds thoroughly.
8 Place a sieve over the mixing bowl.
9 Spoon the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder into the sieve.
10 Shake the flour into the mixing bowl.
11 Using a metal spoon fold the flour and raising agents into the cake mixture.
12 Using a spatula, scrape the mixture into the tin.
13 Smooth the top.
14 Bake the cake in the oven at 180 degrees centigrade/gas mark 4 for about 1 hour or until golden brown and a skewer comes out cleanly of the middle of the cake.
15 Transfer the cake in the tin and cool on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes.
16 Then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight tin.

Wakes Cakes

Wakes week was a festival celebrated in the autumn to cheer up people before the long dark winter nights drew in. At fairs there would be merry go rounds, hawkers and stalls selling ribbons, gingerbread and Wakes Cakes.

The recipe for wakes cakes (which are crisp and more like biscuits) differed from village to village, this is a general recipe from England from the 19th century.

Ingredients
12oz flour
8oz butter
6oz white sugar
1 beaten egg
½ teaspoon baking powder
3oz currants
1/2oz caraway seeds
grated rind of 1 lemon

Method
1 Grease baking trays well.
2 Beat together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon until pale and fluffy.
3 Add the beaten egg, a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
4 Sieve the flour and baking powder into the mixture.
5 Add the currants, caraway seeds and lemon rind.
6 Carefully bind together with the hands to make a stiff dough.
7 Roll the dough out on a floured board with a floured rolling pin.
8 Dip a 2½ cutter into flour.
9 Stamp out as many rounds as the dough will allow.
10 Sprinkle the rounds with sugar if required.
11 Transfer the dough onto the prepared baking trays.
12 Bake at 190 degrees centigrade/gas 5 for 10 – 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
13 Cool on the trays for a few minutes on a wire cooling rack.
14 Transfer onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Store in an air tight tin

Pumpkin, Leek And Cheese Tart

This is a traditional autumnal dish from the 18th century from the county of Warwickshire in England

Ingredients
1 25cm pastry case baked blind made with 250g chive pastry
150g leeks sliced into 1 cm rounds and well washed (prepared weight)
150g cooked pumpkin mashed smooth
120g good local cheese grated
3 eggs
150ml double cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt
pepper

Method
1 Cook the leeks until soft in the oil.
2 Mix the eggs with the cream and the parsley.
3 Season well.
4 Stir in the leeks the cheese and the pumpkin.
5 Pour into the pastry case.
6 Bake at 180 degrees centigrade/gas mark 4 for 25-30 minutes or until set and golden.

Bosworth Jumbels

This recipe is said to have been found and picked up from the battlefield of Bosworth, having been reportedly dropped by Richard III cook.

Ingredients
8oz flour
1lb sugar
6oz butter
1 large beaten egg

Method
1 Place the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl.
2 Beat the sugar and butter together with a wooden spoon until the mixture is light and fluffy.
3 Gradually add the egg a little at a time.
4 Place a sieve over the mixing bowl.
5 Sieve the flour over the butter and sugar.
6 Using a metal spoon fold the flour into the mixture thoroughly.
7 Shape walnut size pieces of the mixture into the form of an S.
8 Place the jumbels onto a hot greased tin.
9 Bake in a moderate oven until brown.
10 Cool in the tin on the wire cooling rack for 2 minutes.
11 Transfer the jumbels onto the wire cooling rack with a spatula.
12 Leave to cool completely.

Store in an airtight tin.

Sweet Harvest Loaves

These sweet loaves were eaten by the farm labourers in England at harvestime in the fields as they reaped.

Ingredients
1lb self raising flour
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4oz diced lard
4oz diced butter
1oz caster sugar
2oz currants
2 medium besten eggs
a little milk
a little sugar for dusting

Method
1 Place a sieve above a large mixing bowl.
2 Spoon in the flour, salt and nutmeg and shake through into the bowl.
3 Add the lard and butter.
4 Rub in the fats into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
5 Add the caster sugar and the currants, mix through the mixture.
6 Make a well.
7 Tip in the eggs and mix in to make a smooth and soft dough.
8 If the mixture is dry, add a little milk.
9 Flour a work surface.
10 Tip the dough onto a board and knead slightly.
11 Cut the dough into quarters.
12 Form the quarters into a round shape (about the size of a saucer).
13 Place each loaf onto a pre greased and floured baking sheet, leaving space to spread.
14 Brush with a little milk.
15 Sprinkle over a little sugar.
16 Mark each loaf with a diamond pattern with a sharp knife.
17 Bake at 190 degrees centigrade/gas mark 5 for about 25 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown.

Serve hot or cold.

Makes 4 loaves

Corsie Orkney Oatcakes

This is a tradition Orcadian family recipe for oatcakes from my Great Uncle Thomas Corsie and his wife Mary. These are absolutely fabulous served with butter and cheese and pickle or with butter and rhubarb and ginger jam

Ingredients
2 cups quick cooking oatmeal
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup melted shortening
3/4 cup luke warm water

Method
1 Mix dry ingredients.
2 Add the melted shortening and water.
3 Roll out very thin, cut like cookies or cut 8" circles in quarters.
4 Bake on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees farenheit (200 degrees centigrade/gas mark 6 for 15 to 20 minutes.
5 Cool on the baking tray on a cooling rack.

Store in an airtight tin.

Corsie Orkney Drop Scones

Another recipe from my Uncle Thomas Corsie and his wife Mary.

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
buttermilk

Method
1 Mix the dry ingredients.
2 Add buttermilk until the mixture is the consistency of powder biscuits.
3 Bake on a griddle on top of the stove until light brown on both side.
4 Place on a dampened tea towel placed on a cooling rack.

Store in an airtight container or can be frozen for about a month.

Corsie Orkney Shortbread

While researching my family history I came accross a newspaper article from the 1950's from an American newspaper. There was an article and a photograph of my great uncle Thomas Corsie and his wife Mary. Included in this article was a recipe for shortbread. This now is the only shortbread that I will eat.

Ingredients
1 lb butter
1/2 lb sugar
2 lbs flour
2 eggs (optional)

Method
1 Rub butter and flour as for pie crust on a table or workbench.
2 Make a well in the centre.
3 Mix eggs and sugar together in the well.
4 Mix all the ingredients and continue rubbing on the board until the mixture forms one solid piece.
5 The dough can be made into cookies or cakes.
6 Bake in the oven at 350 degrees farenheit (180 degrees centigrade/gas mark 4) for 35 minutes or until golden brown.
7 Cool in the tin on a wire rack.
8 While still warm mark into sections.

Makes 4 round biscuits 8" in diameter, 1" thick.

Store in an airtight tin.