Ploughboy

This is a traditional recipe from the county of Yorkshire in England.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon black treacle
1 finely shredded red cabbage
1 grated onion
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Method
1 Mix the treacle, vinegar and pepper together.
2 Pour the sauce over the vegetables and stir thoroughly.
3 Serve with cold meat and jacket potatoes.

Potato Farls

This is a traditional recipe from Ireland. Potatoes are one of the most popular crops to grow in this wonderful green country.

Ingredients
850g potatoes, peeled and halved
pinch salt
30g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
15g melted unsalted butter
Method
1 Place the potatoes in a large saucepan.
2 Cover the potatoes with cold water.
3 Place on the hob over a high heat.
4 Bring to the boil.
5 Add the salt to taste.
6 Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the centre of the potatoes are tender when tested with a skewer, about 18 to 20 minutes.
7 Drain the potatoes into a colander.
8 Return the potatoes to the saucepan.
9 Place the saucepan back over the heat and allow to completely dry out, shaking them occassionally.
10 Mash with a potato masher until smooth.
11 Place the warm mashed potato into a large mixing bowl.
12 Place a sieve over the bowl.
13 Spoon the flour into the sieve.
14 Shake the sieve to allow the flour to fall into the mixing bowl.
15 Stir in flour.
16 Add the melted butter.
17 Mix the ingredients lightly but thoroughly until a sticky ball of dough is formed.
18 Flour a work surface.
19 Place the dough onto the flour.
20 knead the dough lightly.
21 Flour the rolling pin.
22 Use the rolling pin to roll the dough into a 9 inch circle 1/4 inch thick.
23 Dip a knife into flour
24 Cut the dough into quarters (farls).
25 Heat a griddle on the hob.
26 Sprinkle a little flour onto the base of the griddle.
27 Carefully place the farls onto the griddle.
28 Cook the farls for about 3 minutes or until golden brown.
29 Turn the farls over with a fish slice.
30 Cook the second side for about 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve immediately with a little salt.

Rumbledethumps

Rumbledethumps is the Scottish version of the traditional English dish bubble and squeak. It is most delicious on its own or as an accompaniment to sausages or meat dishes.

The wonderful name Rumbledethumps comes from the noise made in the kitchen as the tatties (potatoes) and cabbage are rumbled and thumped in the preparation.

Ingredients
1 1/2lbs/750g mashed tatties
1/2 par boiled green cabbage
a tablespoon melted unsalted butter
2 finely sliced spring (salad) onions
salt
pepper

Method
1 Place the boiled tatties, cabbage and spring onions into a large saucepan.
2 Combine the mixture thoroughly.
3 Add the butter.
4 Mix again thoroughly.
5 Taste to check for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper to your taste.
Serve piping hot straight onto hot plates.

Serves 4 people.

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

Bubble And Squeak

A traditional English way of using up cold leftover vegetables from the Sunday Roast meal. It does taste a lot better when you use day old ingredients rather than using freshly cooked vegetables.

Ingredients
450g/1lb peeled and diced floury potatoes
salt
pepper
70g/2 1/2 oz butter
250g/8oz shredded cabbage
3 tbsp water
1oz/28g to 2oz/55g dripping or lard

Method
1 Place the potatoes in a saucepan.
2 Cover with cold water, place on the lid.
3 Place the saucepan on the hob and bring to the boil.
4 Add the salt if using.
5 Reduce the heat to a simmer, cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until tender.
6 Drain into a colander and then return to the saucepan.
7 Dry the potatoes thoroughly shaking them a couple of times.
8 Add 55g/2oz of the butter.
9 Continue to mash until perfectly smooth.
10 Leave to cool completely
11 Fill another saucepan with the 3 tablespoons of water.
12 Bring to the boil.
13 Add a little salt, if using.
14 Place the cabbage into the saucepan and do not cover.
15 Bring the water to the boil again.
16 Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently for 5 minutes, or until tender.
17 Drain the cabbage into a colander and then return to the saucepan.
18 Dry the cabbage thoroughly.
19 Add the remaining 1/2oz/15g butter.
20 Leave to cool completely.
21 Place the cold mashed potato and cabbage into a large mixing bowl.
22 Mix the cabbage and mashed potato together.
23 Taste the mixture.
24 Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
25 Heat a large frying pan on the hob over a medium heat.
26 Add 1oz/28g of the dripping or lard to the frying pan.
27 Add the potato and cabbage mixture.
28 Press the mixture to form a flat cake with the back of a fish slice or spatula.
29 Cook for about 15 minutes or until golden brown on the underside.
30 Place a large plate over the frying pan.
31 Carefully tip the frying pan over so that the bubble and squeak cake drops onto the plate.
32 Add a little of the remaining dripping or lard and allow to melt.
33 Transfer the bubble and squeak cake off the plate and into the frying pan.
34 Cook the other side for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Transfer onto a plate, cut into wedges and serve with cold roasted meat, sausages, bacon or a good quality burger with seasonal vegetables.

Serves 4 people

Notes
White or green cabbage can be used.

A finely diced onion can be added, soften in a little oil or butter and then add to the mashed potato and cabbage mixture.

Spinach, shredded Brussels sprouts and kale can also be used, simply substitute for the cabbage.

Substitute the lard for a healthier oil, you will require 3 to 4 tablespoons or 1oz/28g butter and 1 to 2 tablepoons oil.

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.

Clapshaw

This is a traditional savoury dish from the Orkney Islands. The secret is to boil the neeps and tatties together in the same saucepan, the taste is simply not the same cooked any differently. Clapshaw is also known as Orkney Clapshot or south in Scotland as clapshot.

Ingredients
500g peeled and diced neeps
500g peeled and diced tatties
50g dripping
salt
pepper

Method
1 Place the neeps in a saucepan.
2 Cover with cold water.
3 Place the saucepan on the hob and bring to the boil.
4 Add a pinch of salt.
5 Cover with a lid.
6 Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 8 minutes.
7 Add the tatties, making sure that they are barely covered.
8 Bring the vegetables back to the boil.
9 Cover with a lid.
10 Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the neeps and tatties are tender.
11 Drain the vegetables into a colander and return to the pan.
12 Dry the vegetables completely, shaking the saucepan occassionally.
13 Mash with a potato masher thoroughly, leaving in any fibrous neep fibres.
14 Add the dripping.
15 Mash again.
16 Beat the puree with a wooden spoon.
17 Place back on the heat.
18 Heat thoroughly.

Serve immediately with sausages or beef dishes.

Serves 4 people.

Notes
A pinch of nutmeg can be added when the tatties and swede are mashed.

Butter can be used instead of the traditional dripping.

Some people have been known to use chives or shallots as well.

If there is any left over form into a patty, cover and leave in the fridge. Fry the next day in a little lard or butter or oil and butter until browned on both sides.

Wifes Sod

This recipe comes from the English county of Yorkshire. The sod is the stiffly beaten eggs, milk and seasoning.

Ingredients
5 large eggs
2 oatcakes
1 1/2 pints milk
salt
cinnamon
butter

Method
1 Grease a baking dish with butter.
2 Beat the egg for 2 minutes with a hand whisk until pale and very frothy.
3 Add the milk gradually, whisking inbetween.
4 Season well to taste.
5 Mix thoroughly.
6 Pour the mixture into greased baking dish.
7 Toast the oatcakes under a grill.
8 Butter the oatcakes well.
9 Cut up oatcakes into 1/2" pieces.
10 Sprinkle the oatcake pieces on top of the sod
11 Dot the sod with small pieces of butter
12 Bake for 20 mins in mod oven

Serve hot

Courgette And Basil Charlotte

This wonderful recipe hails from the county of Warwickshire in England and comes from the end of either the 19th or the early part of the 20th century.

Ingredients
1 medium white loaf sliced
150ml olive oil
30g butter
salt
pepper
250g courgettes quartered lengthways and sliced into chunks
200g cherry tomatoes halved
2 handfuls fresh basil
zest and juice 2 lemons

Method
1 Brush 6 dariole moulds with a little of the oil.
2 Take the crusts off the bread and brush lightly with the oil.
3 Line the moulds carefully with the bread making sure there are no gaps.
4 Lightly fry the courgettes in the butter until just tender.
5 Drain and mix with the tomato halves.
6 Whizz the basil with the lemon zest and juice and enough of the rest of the oil to make a thick sauce.
7 Add to the courgettes and tomatoes and stir well.
8 Season well to taste and divide the mixture equally between the dariole moulds.
10 Place on a bread lid on and press firmly.
11 Brush with oil.
12 Bake at 200 degrees centigrade/gas mark 6 for 15-20 minutes until golden.

To serve Turn on to a plate and serve with some new potatoes and a leaf salad with fresh herb dressing.

Serves 6 people

Apple Tansy

In the 14th century in England Tansy was a savoury dish which was traditionally eaten at harvest time and consisted of eggs, herbs and tansy juice. By the 17th century it had developed into a sweet pudding with the tansy herb left out of the recipe.

Ingredients
1lb cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
4oz butter
2fl oz water
4oz granulated sugar
4 beaten medium eggs
1 dessert spoon orange juice
4oz fresh white breadcrumbs

Method
1 Place the butter into a large saucepan and melt.
2 Add the water. apples and sugar.
3 Simmer, covered until soft.
4 Leave to cool completely.
5 Add the beaten eggs and beat well.
6 Add the orange juice and beat well.
7 Add half of the breadcrumbs and beat well.
8 Place the saucepan back on the hob.
9 Stir constantly until the mixture thickens.
10 The mixture will thicken, add more breadcrumbs until the mixture reaches the required consistency.

Serve hot with fresh cream.

Serves 4 People

Notes
Gooseberries can be used instead of apples, but they must be topped and tailed.

Het Pint

Is traditionally drunk in Scotland, it is not for the faint hearted!

Ingredients
4 pints light ale
1/2 pint whisky
30z granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teapoon grated nutmeg

Method
1 Place a large, heavy saucepan over a medium heat.
2 Add the ale and nutmeg.
3 Heat through, but do not allow to boil.
4 Stir in the sugar until dissolved.
5 Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl and lighlty beat.
6 Slowly pour over the warmed ale, mixing all the time.
7 Add the whisky.
8 Return the mixture to the saucepan.
9 Heat through but do not allow the mixture to boil.
10 Remove from the heat.
11 Pour into a large warmed bowl.
12 Transfer to another bowl.
13 Keep doing this until the 'brew' becomes clear.

Notes
Do not allow the mixture to boil or the eggs will form scrambled eggs!

Lancashire Potato Cakes

This is just one of the potato dishes that the farm workers in the county of Lancashire in England at harvest time would eat. They would celebrate with a party called a shutting which was held in the barns.

Ingredients
1lb peeled and mashed potatoes (with no butter or milk added)
1oz butter at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 beaten medium egg
4oz self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Method
1 Place the hot mashed potatoes into a large mixing bowl.
2 Add all of the other ingredients.
3 Combine thoroughly with the hands to make a soft but not sticky dough.
4 Flour a rolling pin and a work surface.
5 Place the dough on the surface.
6 Roll out to 1/2 inch thick.
7 Cut into rounds or triangles.
8 Heat a frying pan or a griddle on the hob.
9 Melt a little lard.
10 Fry the potato cakes for 5 to 7 minutes on each side.

Serve immdiately when hot and spread with butter.

Frumenty

This breakfast or pudding recipe is from the county of Leicestershire in England.

Ingredients
1 quart frumenty wheat
2 oz raisins
sugar to sweeten
1 quart milk
a little nutmeg
a little flour

Method
1 Wash wheat.
2 Place the wheat into a stone jar.
3 Fill the jar with three times the wheat's measure of water.
4 Place the jar into a hot oven.
5 Turn the oven off after about 5 minutes.
6 Leave in the oven for 24 hours. The husks should have burst and the wheat set to thick jelly. This process is to "cree" or stew the wheat, and it is then called "frumenty wheat."
7 Pour the frumenty wheat into a saucepan.
8 Add the milk and bring to the boil.
9 Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
10 Add the remaining ingredients except the flour, stir well until the mixture begins to thicken.
11 Stir in a little flour into a little milk to make into a cream.
12 Add the flour cream, stir constantly and bring to the boil.
13 Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and serve.

Serve immediately with either milk and sugar, or with eggs beaten in with it and cooked for a little longer, or as a sweet with fruit and cream.

Harvest Pudding

This is an old recipe from the countryside of England, it was originally made to celebrate the start of harvesting.

Ingredients

Base
1lb peeled, cored and diced cooking apples
1oz butter
1oz granulated sugar
grated rind of 1 lemon

Filling
1oz butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1oz flour
15fl oz milk
1 medium sized beaten egg

Topping
2oz demerara sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1oz buter in small dice

Method

Base
1 Place the butter into a medium saucepan and melt.
2 Add the apples, allow to soften.
3 Add the sugar and continue to cook until soft, remove from the heat.
4 Add the grated lemon rind and stir in well.
5 Pour all the contents into a buttered ovenproof dish (about 1 1/2 pints).

Filling
1 Place the butter into a saucepan and melt.
2 Stir in the flour.
3 Cook, stirring constantly over a low to medium heat for 2 minutes.
4 Start adding the milk a tablespoon at a time, mix in thoroughly after each addition until all of the milk is used up.
5 Bring the sauce to the boil, stirring constantly.
6 Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
7 Remove from the heat.
8 Add the sugar and a quarter of the beaten egg, stirring constantly until the egg is blended in.
9 Add 1/3 of the egg and blend in.
10 Add half of the remaining egg and blend in.
11 Add the remiaing egg and blend in.
12 Return the saucepan to the heat and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.
13 Pour over the apple mixture.

Topping
1 In a small bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
2 Using a teaspoon scatter the mixture over the sauce evenly.
3 Place the small dices of butter all over the sugar and cinnamon.
4 Place under a pre-heated grill until the sugar caramelises.

Serve hot or cold.

Serves 4 to 6 people

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.