COOKBOOKS GALORE

Yet another version of my favourite bakes -  loaf cakes. I like these cakes because they're quick and easy to make and keep well. 175g dried apricots 150ml orange juice 400g plain flour 175g caster sugar 100g raisins 1/1/2 tspns baking powder 1/2 tspn bicarb 1/2 tspn salt grated rind of 1 orange 1 egg, beaten 25g melted butter of margarine sugar of choice to sprinkle on top Preheat oven 180C/350F/gas4 Grease a 900g loaf tin Soak the apricots in the orange juice. Then put the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Add the apricots and orange juice, butter, orange rind and the egg and mix it all together. The mixture is very stiff. Put it into the tin and bake for about an hour till it's golden and firm. I used golden caster sugar, and only 100g, as 175g seemed a lot. I sprinkled some golden granulated suagr over the mixture in the tin. Ready to eat with our afternoon cuppa! The recipe is adapted from a book I've had for ages but...

When I was in town yesterday, I found a Bank Holiday bric a brac market. I love browsing in case I find old cookery books. To my delight, there was a stall selling nothing but cookery books. Heaven! I bought 'The National Trust Book of tea-time recipes' [1991], an old red 'Mrs Beeton's Cookery Book', 'Good Housekeeping's Picture Recipe Book [1954] and 'The Baking Book' [1996] by Linda Collister and Anthony Blake. I like Linda Collister's recipes - she wrote the book that went with last year's 'Great British Bake Off'. I decided today that I want to make some more British cakes, so decided on a 'Kentish Hop Pickers' Cake' from the National Trust book. I lived in Kent for many years and visited hop farms. This is a lovely photo from an old calendar I had many years ago. I've adapted the recipe to suit our likes in spices and dried fruit. 275g sr flour 1 tspn ginger 1 tspn cinnamon 175g soft margarine or butter...

I've carried on my family's tradition of making 'Hot Cross Buns', using the recipe that my Mum and Granny used. I still weigh the ingredients in lbs and ozs. I've not given the recipe here as there are so many similar recipes on the web or in cookbooks or magazines. Here's one I've also made and it's very good. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/hotcrossbuns_397 I made 24 buns, freezing 12 when cool, before I brushed on the sugar syrup.                      I love this plate - it's 'Robin' from Emma Bridgewater's  'Birds' series. The buns are covering the robin! Here he is!

This is my Gran's version of the Welsh teabread. You can also make bara brith [speckled bread] with yeast. 6oz [175g] currants 6oz [175g sultanas] 8oz brown sugar 10fl oz [300ml] very strong tea 10oz [275g] sr flour 1egg Preheat oven 180C/gas 4/350F Grease a 2lb [900g] loaf tin Put the fruit and brown sugar in a bowl and pour over the hot tea. Leave it to soak overnight. Stir the flour and beaten egg into the fruit mixture and pour into the tin. Bake for about 1hour and leave to cool in the tin. Serve as it is or buttered. I added some cinnamon to the flour, and think next time I'll change some of the fruit for dried cranberries. I'll also try different flavoured teas and maybe use half white and half wholemeal flour.