March

Hello There.

Glancing at my calendar on Sunday, I thought - it’s only the 26th, plenty of time to write my monthly newsletter, until I realised it was February (and a non Leap Year), I had two days, to meet my (self imposed) deadline to publish on the 1st of each month.

February has flown past, my daughter was home for half term and last week I had my first week of Jury Service. I’d spent a great deal of time sitting around, managing to read a book a day, there are advantages to enforced obligations.

Spring is truly on its way. It’s such a joy to glance out of a window and see a tree laden with white blossom.

This month we have Mothering Sunday to look forward to. Before it arrives I’ll be baking a Simnel Cake.

Traditionally (so the story goes) the cakes were baked by the Cook (in old country houses) then taken, by the young under-maids and footmen, on their half day holiday, Mothering Sunday, as a gift for their mothers. The cake was then stored carefully to be eaten by the family on Easter Sunday.

It’s a particularly delicious fruit cake, baked without nuts. Instead a layer of marzipan is placed in the middle of the cake before baking. Once cooled, the cake is decorated with another sheet of marzipan and thirteen marzipan balls, representing Jesus and his twelve disciples.

Having Irish ancestors, and being married to an Irishman, means we celebrate St Patrick’s Day with great enthusiasm!

I might bake a Venison Pie (with Guinness flavouring the meat, rather than my usual red wine). There maybe a chocolate and Guinness cake, or something decorated with Bailey’s Irish Cream Icing.

I love taking a morning looking through my Irish recipe books!

When my daughter was younger we made St Patrick’s Day Gingerbread Houses and extremely green meringues.

This year though I’ll probably stick to something simple, such as Soda Farls. These are utterly delicious. For breakfast we’ll eat them smothered with homemade butter and marmalade. They’re also good for a light supper (or lunch) with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, homemade mackerel pate or garlicky cold water prawns.

Soda Farls

250 g Plain Flour

1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar

Buttermilk * sufficient to make a dough

Sieve the dry ingredients together into a good sized bowl

Add buttermilk to make a dough

Shape into a circle

Cut into quarters

Cook on a floured griddle or frying pan, turn during cooking, (I also seal the edges)

Once cooked cool on a rack. Store in a cotton tea cloth if eating later.

• you can buy buttermilk, but the best is the buttermilk left over from homemade butter!

(Sealing the edges of the Farls, once cooked I flip them onto their sides, and cook each side for a few moments!)

What are your plans for March? I hope you have some time to cook or bake, do try making a Simnel Cake (I use the recipe from my Mother’s Good Housekeeping Book circa 1960!) or maybe treat yourself to a delicious breakfast of Soda Farls.

I’m looking forward to Spring, and the clocks changing towards the end of the month, and there’ll be some Easter Decorating once St Patrick’s Day is past.

Take care and catch up next month.