Porter Cake is a rich fruit cake made by adding in Porter, an old fashioned dark beer. Porter is not as widely available as it once was, but it used to be a firm favourite of the working classes of the 18th and 19th century. The name of the beer itself came from its popularity [...]
This White-pot (or whitepot) dessert recipe is particularly associated with Devon in the South-west of England, and it is one of the best baked puddings of the early modern period. This Bread and Butter based pudding recipe (sometimes it was cream and rice based) was very popular, and was published in most of the cookery [...]
This is a celebratory recipe for the twelfth night feast, an easy to carve, beautifully tasting roast pork joint with cider gravy, suitable for entertaining at any time of the year. However, it goes great over the Christmas season or Christmastide, which runs over the twelve days from nightfall on 24th December to nightfall on [...]
Lambswool is the traditional drink of the wassail. Called after the light colour and frothy appearance of the drink from the creamy, egg and apple mixture. It is made of hot ale (or cider), eggs, spices, sugar, cream and roasted apples. The word wassail derives from the Old English words wæs (þu) hæl which means [...]
The celebration of Twelfth Night, the traditional last day of Christmas, is a custom that has largely died out now but at one time there was a bigger party on Twelfth Night, which is the 5th January, than on Christmas itself. 12th night, marked merrily by a feast of food and drink, is also marked [...]
This is an authentic Tudor Butter Beer, or Butterbeer, or indeed Buttered Beere, from the 1500′s. A rich, creamy ale is called for here, but don’t get an ale which is too sweet, as we are adding in sugar as well as egg yolks. The best ale to buy is a real-ale from a specialist, [...]
The name Jam Roly Poly for this pudding was only used since the latter half of the twentieth century, before then many earlier cooks-books, borrowing the recipe from Mrs. Beeton, followed her style, and also called it Roly Poly Jam Pudding. Although the steamed/boiled version (see link) of Jam Roly Poly is more authentic, and [...]
This Chocolate Brownie recipe, like our Hot Chocolate Puddings recipe, is the real thing; they are definitely not your average Chocolate Brownie. If you ever felt you and your friends or family really deserved a treat or reward, or it is a very special occasion, then this is what you should make. Buy bars of [...]
From at least Medieval times salt was mixed with saltpetre, and other ingredients such as sugar, honey, pepper or juniper berries, to carry out the processes of preserving pork. Dry Cured Hams are the hind leg of a pig that have been salted, then air-dried to ‘cure’. This is done using a curing compound, (consisting [...]
When you hear that jam can be made in 20 minutes, any jam, in twenty-minutes, you might well be skeptical … by saying it even I feel like a snake-oil salesman trying to convince you that rubbing on this lotion will miraculously make you live longer. But its true, any fruit, any jam, in 20 [...]
Sticky Toffee Pudding is a great tasting recipe, and certainly a modern British ‘classic’, (alongside Jam Roly-Poly and Spotted Dick puddings) capturing for many the childhood memories of growing up in the 20th Century. Some say Sticky Toffee Pudding was developed in the Lake District in the 1960′s while others claim it is from an [...]
Scones are a great treat at tea time, (once served at 4 pm sharp) and quintessentially British. While the English have taken credit for their popularity, this is a dish which all regions of Britain enjoy, and have a history with. The simple scone is thought to have originated from Scottish Quick Breads, (baked on [...]
These Victorian, regional Cherry Turnovers are a speciality of Buckinghamshire in southern England, where wonderful, local Cherries are grown in many private and commercial cherry orchards. They have a light pastry top and bottom, and ripe, tangy-juicy cherries in the center. Cherries have a very short growing season if you are after picking your own; [...]
Blackberry Jam is a real treat on toast in the mornings. It has a unique, and easily recognisable flavour amongst jams, with its sweet-sharp dance on the tongue and deep berry taste. To help the jam set, (adding in extra pectin) the recipe uses one brambley apple and a small amount of fresh apple juice [...]