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 traditional recipe for Gloucester Cheese and Ale is so simple I will leave it at only a few lines to speak for itself … cut some Gloucester cheese into thin flakes, without any rind. Put the flakes in a baking dish, and spread over some English mustard then cover with a good ale. Cook [...]
Cornish Pasty Recipe 1746. The earliest recipe for a Cornish Pasty dates back to a letter of April 1746, however, these types of ‘bake metis’ had been a staple of the west country diet for hundreds of years before then. So old in fact that the next door county of Devon have claimed that they [...]
Orange-Wine is a refreshing Georgian drink, (wine flavoured with fresh oranges) and is great for the summer. Oranges have been used in British cooking since the Medieval period, first appearing regularly from Spain and Portugal in the early 1300′s. Although these were bitter tasting, sweeter ones came into Britain later, replacing them from the 1400′s, [...]
Welsh Rarebit is pronounced Welsh Rabbit, and yet this is not a Welsh dish and there is no rabbit in it, the name probably originates in the 18th century as an English insult to the Welsh; while rabbit was a poor man’s meat in England, in Wales the poorer man’s “meat” was cheese. However, it [...]
The recipe for this Punch-Royal comes from, John Nott, in 1723. The recipe contains no spices, quite usual at this period, and the punch was often made with dangling zests of orange peel in the bowl. It is a powerful drink, but certainly warming on those cold winter nights, and perfect for a stronger punch taken [...]
Hackin is the fore-runner to the Christmas Pudding. Some reports say that the Victorian Plum or Christmas Pudding is descended from a soup, a plumb pottage, but more probably it is descended from this, far more pudding like recipe … an Hackin. This dish is like a sweetened haggis, boiled, then sliced and fried in [...]
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 [...]
Many people’s favourite jam is strawberry, and with good reason, this fruit lends itself to jam making, and is wonderfully delicious when eaten on a fresh piece of buttered bread. Collecting the fruit is a great summer time family day out and the return on the labour by having your own home-made jam to eat [...]