Our local supermarket is now stocking a small selection of Mr Kiplings cakes. So lately with my mug of Yorkshire tea, I have been enjoying mini Battenburgs and cherry bakewell tarts.
Yum, it’s amazing what little things cheer you up when you’re homesick.
It’s St. George’s Day and to mark it I’ve been drinking Pimms till I puke!
Ha, gotcha! No I didn’t really!
No, today I drank copious amounts of Yorkshire tea, as per usual on my day off and I made Parkin, whilst listening to “Family Jewels” by Marina and the Diamonds, my new favourite British artist.
For those who love cake (who doesn’t) and aren’t from Yorkshire, parkin is an old Yorkshire cake made from oats, treacle and spices usually served at teatime and for some reason it has become linked with Guy Fawkes night (5th November) . It is fragrant and sticky and toothsome (due to the oats), and if you fancy making it here is the recipe
225g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger (I used fresh ginger this time because my ground had lost its pungency will let you know if this was a good idea when I get to eat it)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
225g oatmeal
170g black treacle
170g golden syrup
115g butter
1 egg, beaten
150ml milk
Heat oven to 170C and prepare a 20cm square tin.
Sieve the flour, baking powder and spices together (if using fresh ginger add with liquid later). Add the oatmeal to mixture and stir. In a saucepan warm the treacle, golden syrup and butter, stirring till the butter has melted then incorporate into dry ingredients. Add the beaten egg and milk and mix well, then turn into prepared tin and bake for 30 or so minutes till a cake tester comes out dry, (I have a fan assisted oven with heating elements on the top and bottom I usually have to drop the temperature 10 degrees or so and bake for 5 or so minutes less than most recipes require) .
When the parkin come out it will smell heavenly and fragrant and you will be tempted to eat it there and then, don’t! Once it’s cooled store it in an airtight tin for a couple of days to a week if you can bear it and it will reward you by being more moist and sticky and yummy. Serve with a cuppa either as is or spread with a bit of butter.
The super cute Herdy mug was bought at baaramewe, to buy one online go to www.herdy.co.uk and help conserve the beautiful Herdwick sheep breed and their Lake District/Cumbrian homeland, go on you know you want to!
As for knitting, I’m still doing Emily by Ysolda, and I’ve swatched for 3 cardigans, but more of that later. Unhappily it’s been a bit too warm and sticky in Melbourne to wear Ishbel, the fluff would stick to my neck.
I have a massive craving for Yorkshire curd tart or fly pie as it was affectionately known in our house.
Thing is, I am trying to lose weight and Yorkshire curd tart usually comes in a pastry case and the recipe I have in my BeRo book calls for quite a lot of butter and sugar, so I have modified the recipe omitting the butter and halving the sugar and baked it in individual ramekins. Here is my recipe:
Melanie’s diet Yorkshire curd pots (makes 4, around 130cals each)
225g 97%fat free cottage cheese
20g Caster sugar
50g currants
1 egg
a pinch or 2 each nutmeg and cinnamon (depending on taste)
Weigh ingredients and mix well. Divide equally into 4 ramekins and bake in oven 200C /400F/Gas mark 6 for 20 minutes.
Serve warm or cold as prefered with a nice cuppa Yorkshire tea.
There were 4 originally but I had to test one to make sure they were ok ; )
