spring

Hot Cross Buns – The Tale Of English Buns # 2

29th March 2018 by Regula 7 Comments

Bake them on Good Friday: The history and tales behind these spiced buns are plenty and intriguing, steeped in folklore dating back as far as Anglo-Saxon Britain. This is perhaps one of the most iconic of buns. Recipe from my new book Oats in the North, Wheat from the South, out with Murdoch Books (2020)

Every year well before Easter Marks & Spencer starts piling up Hot Cross Buns from chocolate & salted caramel to blueberry and marmalade. Marmalade I can understand as you do add candied orange peel to the dough, but chocolate & salted caramel and blueberry just creates a whole different bun, the cross being the only reminder of a traditional Hot Cross Bun. But what is traditional or original with a recipe as old as this one? If you scroll down to the recipe you might discover I too dare to add something which isn’t traditional from time to time.

The tradition of baking bread marked with a cross is linked to paganism as well as Christianity. The pagan Saxons would bake cross buns at the beginning of spring in honour of the goddess Eostre – most likely being the origin of the name Easter. The cross represented the rebirth of the world after winter and the four quarters of the moon, as well as the four seasons and the wheel of life.

The Christians saw the Crucifixion in the cross bun and, as with many other pre-Christian traditions, replaced their pagan meaning with a Christian one – the resurrection of Christ at Easter. …

Of Simon, Nell and Simnel cakes

29th March 2014 by Regula 10 Comments

I haven’t been a pious Christian since I was 6, Lent only means one thing to me, I will have a birthday soon. Easter wasn’t something I particularly looked forward to, and I was surprisingly unimpressed with the overly sweet milk chocolate eggs the easter bunny brought me. Nor did I enjoy the big family gatherings as they always resulted into political debates, and dispute. It is most certainly the reason for my aversion to politics and politicians.

This year I’m celebrating the day of my birth, the day before mothering sunday. It is a day not connected to any other mothers day traditions in Europe or America. Mothering sunday was the day that the girls working as domestic servants or apprentices were given the day off to visit their mother, bringing her gifts, like perhaps a Simnel cake. Why it was a custom at mid-lent is not clear, maybe because at easter the servants couldn’t be missed in the large manor houses who would most probably have large Downton Abbey style parties. Another theory is that of coming home to visit the mother church, which appeared to be believed an important custom in pre-Reformation England.

On Mothering Sunday, the fasting rules were put on hold for the day resulting in the day also being known as a Refreshment Sunday, the other one being celebrated during Advent.

The earliest of references to a Simnel cake I was able to find and verify was in a poem of Robert Herrick (1591-1674)

To Dianeme.
A Ceremonie in Glocester.

I’le to thee a Simnell bring,

Gainst thou go’st a mothering,

So that, when she blesseth thee,

Half that blessing thou’lt give me.

Here states the tradition that the cake was given when people went Mothering, what is now assumed as going to visit their mother for mothering sunday but what well could have been a reference to the pre-Reformation tradition of visiting the mother church.

At some time along the way of time the legend of Simon and Nell appeared. A story most people have heard from their grandparents.

This legend tells the tale of an old Shropshire couple Simon and Nell. Nell had some leftover unleavened dough for bread making during Lent. Simon reminded her of the last of the christmas plum pudding as the Lenten dough would make a tasteless treat. Nell as a frugal woman didn’t want to waste a thing in the kitchen so it was decided to create a cake for when their children would return home for mothering.

Then a dispute arose about the method of baking the cake which Simon wanted to mould and bake while Nell was convinced it should be boiled. Though some versions tell the tale the other way around and claim that Simon wanted it to be boiled since it was a pudding, and puddings should be boiled.

To solve the disagreement which resulted in throwing a baking stool at Simon, it was decided that the cake should first be boiled, and then baked. And from then on the cake was named SimNell.

A beautiful piece of English Folk lore but it is not sure when the legend was first told.

The Book of Days tells us that the cake would have a tasteless tough white crust, coloured with saffron and the inside would hold a rich plum cake with plenty of candied peel, fruits and ‘other good things’. It is stated that it was an expensive cake, which it would have been using spices like saffron.

These Simnel cakes were mostly popular in Bury, Devises and Shrewsbury where they would be created in different sizes and arranged in shop windows for all to see. This definitely at this point wouldn’t have been a cake a servant would be able to afford or bake with the expensive ingredients.

The Book of Days

The Simnel cake today is a fruit cake that is slightly lighter than a Christmas tide fruitcake. It is covered in marzipan these days instead of a tough white crust and a layer of marzipan is baked into the middle of the cake. On top of the cake are placed 11 balls to represent the true apostles, leaving off Judas Iscariot the traitor. When exactly the 11 balls came into practice isn’t clear but I wouldn’t be surprised if it were the Victorians

My Simnel cake omits the spices and only holds candied peel and dried fruits which give the cake a very sweet taste.

What do you need

300 g mixed fruit (currants, sultanas, raisins)
100 ml sherry
250 g butter, unsalted and at room temperature
230 g raw cane sugar
4 free range eggs
320 g plain white flour
pinch of salt
40 g candied lemon peel, chopped
about 750 g of marzipan
orange marmalade, a few spoonfuls
optional: 1 egg to egg wash the top

Method
The day before, soak the mixed fruit in the sherry

Preheat your oven to 160°c
Prepare a round spring form by lining it with baking parchment
Roll out 1/3 of the marzipan and use the spring form as a guide to cut out a circle of the same size.
Cream the butter and the sugar and add the eggs one at a time.
Add the flour and combine well
Now fold in the mixed fruit and candied peel
Scoop one half of the dough in the spring form and place the marzipan on top
Now scoop in the remaining dough and place in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Leave to cool in the baking tin.

Now roll out half of the remaining marzipan and cut out another round the same size as your cake. Roll 11 balls from the leftover marzipan.
If you want to cover the sides of the cake, roll out the last of the marzipan creating a long ribbon.

When the cake is cooled, turn on the oven grill at 160°c and smear on the orange marmalade on top to place your marzipan on the cake followed by the balls.
Egg wash your balls and place under the grill until the balls have a golden or brownish color.

Serve with tea, lots of it.

Not a fan of so much marzipan, this is an option too!

You might also enjoy

Twelfth cake

Plum pudding
Hot Cross buns
Hot Cross bun and butter puddingPlease leave a comment, I love reading them x

Watercress and Trout Pie – Fit for a Watercress Queen

7th June 2013 by Regula 18 Comments

Let me tell you a story about a strong independent woman, a working class woman who became one of the most iconic figures in British food history. Her name was Eliza James and she was called ‘The Watercress Queen’.
In the late 1800, the little Eliza went from factory to factory in Birmingham with her bunches of wild watercress. As ‘the poor man’s bread‘ was so popular with the working class she soon started to sell larger and larger quantities. She worked her way up and moved her business to London where she soon became the favoured supplier of nearly all the London restaurants and hotels. She was able to acquire watercress farms in Hampshire and Surrey making her the biggest owner of watercress farms in Europe. But even when she became part of a well-to-do class, she remained to work at her Covent Garden stall for over 50 years.
Steve – who you might remember from last weeks post – explained that Eliza founded the James & Son company and trade marked the name Vitacress, the name Vitacress was then sold on to Malcolm Isaac who founded Vitacress Salads which is the name of the company today. Eliza’s Hampshire farms are still producing watercress to this day and are still a part of Vitacress. The farm I visited was one of the original farms and made me think about Eliza James and her hard work. I think she deserved her title and isn’t it just one of the most romantic stories of a working class woman trying to build an emporium out of watercress, to do well by herself and her family.

The stream that feeds the watercress beds

Baby cress

Steve and his Poor Man’s bread from previous post

As promised earlier this week here I am with my watercress and trout pie. Spring has been dreadfully cold and rainy and although I am longing for crisp green salads a pie is now very much needed to warm the spirits.
With my last bit of watercress from the farm in Hampshire I opted to bake a silky smooth fish pie. The river that feeds the watercress beds in Hampshire is full of brown trout so when I was at my fishmonger I opted for trout. With my only option being Steelhead trout today, the meat resembling more that of a salmon though less strong tasting and more delicate. I don’t care for salmon at all and avoid it where I can, unless cured, I do like salmon cured..
Water is so very important to watercress, it has to be clean spring water. The watercress leaves and stalks seem to be holding the water tightly, hanging on to all the goodness is has to offer.

Thank you Steve for showing me around, it was lovely meeting you!

What do you need

For the filling

1 teaspoon butter / 1 teaspoon olive oil
2 small celery sticks cut into small cubes
1 shallot cut finely
25 ml white wine
Roux, enough to bind the sauce: see how you make it on this post >
400 ml water
1 large handful of fresh watercress chopped
2 trout filets or salmon if you rather use thatpotato 1 cup of 1 cm cubes

For the Rough puff pastry

225 g plain flour
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
125 g unsalted butter in small cubes, fridge cold
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
about 125 ml ice cold water

For the pastry

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl
Add the cubes of cold butter and stir using a round bladed knife until all the butter is covered in the flour – do not break up the pieces of butter at this point
Add the lemon juice and the water, one tablespoon at a time (you might not need it all) to bind the mixture into a lumpy dough with a wooden spoon or spatula, if the dough is too wet add some flour
Turn the dough out on a clean lightly floured work surface and shape it gently into a brick, do not overwork the dough with your hands as it needs to stay cold
Use a floured rolling pin to roll out the dough to a rectangle from about 5 mm thick
Fold the dough in 3 by folding the bottom third up to cover the middle part of the dough and the top part you should fold down to cover the other 2 folded parts.
Seal the edges firmly by pressing them down
Wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for 15 min
Take the dough out of the fridge and place it on a floured work surface, turn the dough so you can now do the same folding routine but in the other direction
Repeat this process two more times so you have folded the dough in different directions 4 times
Chill for 30 min before using or while you prepare the filling

For the filling

Melt the butter and the olive oil in a pan big enough so your trout fillets can fit in nicely.
Soften the onion and the celery for 5 minutes and add the wine, let it simmer for 5 minutes
Pour in the water and bring to a gentle boil, leave to simmer for 5 minutes
Gently place the trout fillets in the saucepan, make sure they are both covered with the liquid
Let it simmer for 15 minutes until flaky but not completely done.
Turn down the heat and remove the trout, put on a plate and cover with tinfoil to keep warm.
Transfer the liquid to a deeper saucepan and bring to the boil
Add the roux and cook until thickened
If the sauce is too liquid, add more roux if you have some left or let it reduce on a medium fire while stirring
Taste your sauce and add salt and pepper to taste.
Now mix the sauce for 1 minute using a hand mixer with a chopping knife appliance
Blanche the potato cubes briefly, they should still be quite rare
Chop the watercress (with stalks) roughly
Butter your pie dish and place in the blanched potato cubes and flake over the trout fillets, sprinkle over a few leaves of chopped watercress.
Add the rest of the watercress to the sauce and simmer for a further minute
Pour the sauce over the trout and potato and mix gently with a spoon so the sauce is evenly divided
Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll it out on a floured surface until around 2cm larger than the pie dish.
Brush the edge of the dish with beaten egg and lay the pastry over the filling.
Trim off any excess pastry using a sharp knife, and knock up the edges with the back of a knife to create indentations.
At this point you can decorate your pie with the leftover dough
Brush lightly with beaten egg
Bake your pie in a preheated oven at 200°c for about 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

You might also like
Stout, beef and oyster pie – poverty and oysters
The Poor man’s bread – a day at a watercress farm

Hot Cross Buns through Paganism, Christianity and Superstition.

25th March 2013 by Regula 22 Comments

The Christians saw the Crucifixion in the cross bun and, as with many other pre-Christian traditions, replaced their pagan meaning with a Christian one – the resurrection of Christ at Easter.

According to Elizabeth David, it wasn’t until Tudor times that it was permanently linked to Christian celebrations. During the reign of Elizabeth I, the London Clerk of Markets issued a decree forbidding the sale of spiced buns except at burials, at Christmas or on Good Friday.

The first recorded reference to ‘hot’ cross buns was in ‘Poor Robin’s Almanac’ in the early 1700s:
‘Good Friday come this month, the old woman runs. With one or two a penny hot cross buns.’

This satirical rhyme was also probably the inspiration of the commonly known street vendors cry:

‘Hot cross buns, hot cross buns!
One ha’penny, two ha’penny, hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters, give them to your sons,
One ha’penny, two ha’penny, hot cross buns!’

The Widows Son. Copyright Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archive – posted with permission

A century later the belief behind the hot cross bun starts to get a superstitious rather than a religious meaning.
In London’s East End you can find a pub called The Widows Son, named after a widow who lived in a cottage at the site in the 1820s. The widow baked hot cross buns for her sailor son who was supposed to come home from the sea on Good Friday. He must have died at sea as he never returned home, but the widow refused to give up hope for his return and continued to bake a hot cross bun for him every year, hanging it in her kitchen with the buns from previous years.

When the widow died, the buns were found hanging from a beam in the cottage and the story has been kept alive by the pub landlords ever since a pub was built on the site in 1848.

To this day, every Good Friday, the ceremony of the Widow’s Bun is celebrated and members of the Royal Navy come to The Widows Son pub to place a new hot cross bun into a net hung above the bar. Legend has it that the buns baked on Good Friday will not spoil.

For whatever reason or belief you choose to bake a batch of hot cross buns on this Good Friday, it will most likely be to enjoy them with your loved ones. May it be for Eostre, Easter, the beginning of a much awaited spring or as a superstitious amulet for when you set sail, bake them with love!

If you want to bake ahead, you can easily bake these buns in advance and freeze them. Slowly defrost in a teatowel and then place in a hot oven for 5-10 minutes with a small ramekin of water to give some moisture to the warm air in the oven.
And finally … you can also find my story about Hot Cross Buns in the latest edition of Pretty Nostalgic Magazine!
If you don’t know the magazine, it’s fairly new and all about British Nostalgia, love for all things Vintage and quirky.

Asparagus ribbons and pomegranate pearls salad

18th April 2012 by Regula 13 Comments

Spring is finally here.

The trees are parading their lovely blossoms and the days are starting to get longer again.

The thing I love most about spring are the colors, the vibrant green of the new leaves on the trees and plants. The scent of flowers and the snow of blossoms when the wind blows through the trees.

I enjoy sitting in the garden enjoying the first rays of sun, wearing a warm jumper and big scarf. I’m reading a cookbook and the leaves of the Magnolia flowers are tumbling down on the pages of my book like bookmarks pointing out delicious recipes.

It’s quite chilly, apart from the blossoms the branches of the trees are still bare and showing off their slender forms.

I run inside with rosy cheeks and try to create spring on a plate.

The first green, the first flowers.

This dish is spring for me, welcoming one of my favourite veg: the green asparagus.

Green
asparagus aren’t easy to come by where I’ from. Mostly they are imported from Peru so I can only buy them the few times I can find them from local farms. There are loads of
white asparagus, but I crave for the green ones. Asparagus grow red
berries which are poisonous so here we have the pomegranate pearls to accompany the asparagus in color and in taste giving some acidity to the dish.

What do you need (serves 2-4)

1 bunch of green asparagus

half a cucumber

half a pomegranate

a bunch of Rucola

a handful of parmesan shavings

some good quality olive oil

Method

Use your mandolin or hand slicer to create ribbons from the asparagus.

You can use a knife, but try to slice it as thinly as possible.

Slice the cucumber into thin discs.

Wash you Rucola and arrange on a plate.

Remove the pearls from the pomegranate.

Boil salted water and blanch the asparagus, have a bowl with cold water standing by.

Remove the asparagus after you counted slowly to 10.

Add to the cold water to stop them cooking.

Arrange the slices of cucumber over the Rucola.

Dry the ribbons with some kitchen paper and arrange over the cucumber.

Sprinkle the pomegranate pearls over the dish.

Add the parmesan shavings

Drizzle some nice olive oil over the salad.

All done!

Lovely with a dry but flowery white wine.

Enjoy!

Next week I have a guest post for you!

Please leave a comment, I love reading them!

spring

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