Some families have a wealth of handed-down recipes, carefully written into notebooks with welcome splatters and curling corners. My family does not. My dad is one of 12 brothers and sisters, so my nan (or, “mam”) didn’t have time to go to the corner shop, let alone write down a recipe.
On my mum’s Irish, Catholic side, there was just my grandma, and while she and my mum both loved food, their life in a bedsit on a budget meant neither of them were keen cooks. So my food inheritance was simple Sunday roasts, egg and chips, and the odd treat: chocolate bars, fruit pies and – the favourite – Welsh cakes.
Another treat was always a slice of fruit cake, which even as a kid I loved. This bara brith comes from my husband’s mum, Sian, but I’ve taken a few liberties with the recipes to update them with flavours I now love. Recipes to me are like a food tapestry, with new threads being added as the old ones fray.
Sour cherry and vanilla Welsh cakes (above)
Traditionally, these are made with raisins and a little bit of nutmeg. You could stick to these flavours if you like, but I love them with a hit of citrus, sour cherries and vanilla. They are best eaten warm, and can be heated for a couple of minutes in an oven, pan or even in the toaster.
Prep 20 min
Cook 25 min
Makes around 20
350g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
175g unsalted butter or dairy-free spread
Sea salt
115g golden caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
100g sour cherries
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out, or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
Zest of 1 unwaxed lime
1 egg, beaten
2-3 tbsp milk
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Use your fingertips to rub in the butter or dairy-free spread until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then mix in the salt, sugar, sour cherries, vanilla and citrus zests. Mix in the beaten egg and two tablespoons of the milk, then bring together with your hands to form a firm dough. If it seems a bit dry, add another tablespoon of milk.
Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out the dough to about 1cm thick. Use a 6cm round cutter to stamp out circles, bringing the dough back together and recutting until it has all been used up.
Heat a large, heavy frying pan or flat griddle over a low heat (no need to add any oil) and cook the Welsh cakes five at a time. This should give you plenty of room to flip them over and will ensure they cook evenly. Cook for about two to three minutes each side, until deep golden.
Cool the cakes on a wire rack, and dust with caster sugar and a little salt. Eat warm on the day you make them, either on their own or with butter and jam.
Bara brith
Bara brith translates from Welsh as “speckled bread”, which I find adorable. I use Earl Grey in this recipe, because that’s the tea I like to drink, but you can use whatever black tea you like. If you’re using a less strong tea, such as Earl Grey, brew it using two teabags. Traditionally, raisins, currants and sultanas are used in bara brith, but I like to mix in dates, dried apricots and sour cherries, too. Basically, a mixture of whatever I have.
Prep 20 min
Soak 1 hr
Cook 1 hr 30 min
Makes 1 x 2lb/900glarge loaf
250ml strong, hot tea (I use Earl Grey)
450g dried fruit (sultanas, currants, raisins, chopped dates, chopped apricots)
1 organic egg, beaten
Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
200g dark brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
200g plain wholemeal flour
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/ gas 4. Make your tea nice and strong, and let it brew for a few minutes longer than you would a cup of tea. Put the dried fruit in a large bowl, pour over the tea and leave it to soak for at least an hour – you can leave it overnight, if you like, but I find an hour is long enough.
Mix the egg into the soaked fruit (reserving any remaining soaking liquid for later) and add the lemon zest: if you have soaked the fruit overnight, the liquid should be soaked up, so just add the zest.
Mix the sugar, baking powder and flour in a bowl with a whisk to break up any clumps, then mix this into the fruit and eggs. If you haven’t soaked the fruit overnight, add two tablespoons of the reserved liquid and stir through.
Grease a 2lb/900g loaf tin and pour in the mix. Bake for 90 minutes: it’s ready when a skewer inserted comes out clean. Eat warm with salted butter.
