Wartime Bara Brith

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus…. Happy Saint Davids Day

Welsh National Dress
1948

It was a beautiful morning... it felt like Spring. For the first time in a while we walked home from church. And yes...I wore my daffodil with pride

Back home.. Mr D joined a few of our neighbours with the weekly ritual of mowing the front lawn. I know pride is a sin... but boy... these men love their lawns!

Meanwhile.. I used the dried fruit I had soaking in tea over night and made a delicious Bara Brith.. the last of my Welsh dishes for this week

“Bara Brith” is a traditional Welsh fruit loaf that literally means speckled bread. The recipe calls for lots of dried fruit, soaked in tea overnight and orange zest to give it a little zing. Using only one egg it easily fit into a rationed diet... and could be easily adapted during the war to use orange marmalade instead of orange juice and zest. Finely grated carrot could also be used to replace some of the fruit.

Delicious spread with a little butter....and served with a nice cup of tea

Dried fruit soaking in tea

1lb of self raising flour (I used plain with 5 teaspoons of baking powder)

1/2 pint of tea

1lb of mixed dried fruit (substitute 1/3 with finely grated carrot to save on rations)
6 oz of light brown sugar
1 medium egg
1 or 2 teaspoons of mixed spice
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon or orange juice
1 tablespoon of orange zest (or use 2 tablespoons of orange marmalade to replace the honey, orange juice and zest)

• Make 1/2 pint of strong tea and add the dried fruit and grated carrot to the tea
• Place in fridge overnight
• The next day mix the honey, orange juice and zest (or marmalade) with the sugar and egg
• Add that to the fruit and tea mixture
• Sift the flour and spice into a large bowl
• Add the fruit/tea mixture
• Mix until all flour is mixed in
• Place in two small greased loaf tins or one large one
• Cook at 160C or 320 F for about 1 to 1.5 hours (use foil to cover if getting too brown)
• Remove and cool for a while then glaze with honey or a sugar water mix
• Remove from tin and cool thoroughly before storing in a tin
• Slice and serve with butter

We ended the weekend listening to the happenings of the week on the radio... 

with a nice cup of tea.. and of course.. a lovely slice of Bara Brith

Week Ending February 28, 1942 

 Old Time Radio

Wartime Welshcakes (Pice ar y Maen)

 Happy Wednesday Lovelies

Well the weather has suddenly turned much warmer. Even though there is still snow on the mountains, it actually felt like a Spring day today. Flowers are starting to bloom in the garden.. but what Im missing are daffodils.. especially this time of year. Daffodils are the national of flowers of Wales and where I grew up they were everywhere.. 

I will have to buy some on Friday as this Sunday is St Davids Day...  

the feast day of the patron saint of Wales

To celebrate.. over the next couple of days.. I will be making a few of our favourite Welsh dishes. To start..today I made a batch of  Wartime Welsh Cakes... or Pice ar y Maen.. which literally means "cakes on a stone" They are small, spiced, currant-filled griddle cakes cooked on a bakestone or hot plate rather than in an oven. They are a cross between a scone and a pancake and also known as a Welsh teacake.  A perfect sweet, afternoon tea treat. 

I used a WW2 recipe. Quick and easy to make, these little cakes are a wartime classic that provided soldiers and coal mine workers during the World War with a sense of happiness. to me they are a taste of home

You can take this girl out of Wales.. but you can’t take Wales out of this girl.

6 oz plain flour with 3 teaspoons baking powder added (or use self raising flour)
2 oz margarine, butter or dripping
2 oz sultanas (or mixed dried fruit)
1 small carrot grated
2 oz sugar
1 fresh egg or 1 dried reconstituted egg
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

• Rub fat into the flour and baking powder mix until resembles bread crumbs
• Stir in nutmeg, sugar and dried fruit
• Mix the egg and milk together and add to dry mix to form a stiff dough (add more liquid or more flour as needed)
• Treat mixture as pastry and roll out on floured surface to 1/4 inch thick
• Use 3 inch rounds to cut out
• Pre-heat griddle or heavy frying pan
• Grease
• Put in Welsh Cakes and cook until golden brown on both sides over a moderate heat (about 4 minutes)
• Set aside a cool
• Sprinkle with a little sugar
• Serve with butter/jam and a nice cuppa strong tea!

Wartime Christmas Carrot Pudding

Sunday Blessings Lovelies

A boys' choir at the Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York City
sings Christmas carols in a dress rehearsal for the Christmas Day service in 1940.

The First Nowell 

by Dick Haymes and The Song Spinners, 1944

Its the last few days before the celebration of our Saviours birth. It filled my heart with joy singing His praises in church this morning

Photo: December 1941

Everything is ready for Christmas with just a couple of dishes to prep. So MrD and I could afford to relax for the afternoon ready for the busy few days ahead

One of the last things will be our Christmas pudding. I made it last year for the first time and it was a huge success. It was the only part of our dinner I was worried about. It’s a recipe I had put off for a couple of years...even though its one from my Nanas wartime collection.. although I’m sure there are variations out there…

So this, my friends, is a Carrot Christmas Pudding.. Looks perfectly normal... except for some of the ingredients. As well as the usual dried fruit and delicious spices.. it contains grated carrot.. and wait for it.. grated potato!

Now I wasn't too sure what it was going to taste like but it smelled divine.. and felt very moist and springy to the touch.. But, I need not have worried as it was a huge success.. No one knew what was in it... and although surprised.. didnt seem to mind when told of the ingredients

It was actually delicious.. not too heavy.. and only slightly improved by a little Birds custard…and thats why I will be making it again this Christmas

1 cup carrots (packed), finely grated (about 2 carrots)
1 cup potatoes (packed), finely grated (about 2 potatoes)
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup beef suet
¾ cup raisins
½ cup currants
1 cup all-purpose flour (plus 2 tsp for coating dried fruit)
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
unsalted butter (for greasing the basin)

• Grease the bottom and inner sides of a 2 pint (1 Litre) pudding basin
• Cut a small circle of parchment paper to cover bottom of basin.
• Set in bottom and grease top side
• Put a large stock pot on stove over low heat with enough water to reach about ½ way up the pudding basin when immersed.
• Cover and bring water to a gentle simmer.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
• In a separate small bowl, toss the raisins and currants in 2 tsp of flour until evenly coated.
• Grate carrots and potatoes.
• Sprinkle baking soda over grated potatoes and stir to combine.

• In a large bowl, mix together grated carrots, the grated potatoes, sugar, raisins and currants.
• Mix in the suet
• Add in flour/spice mixture and stir just until combined.

• Transfer the mixture into pudding basin.
• With the back of a spoon, press mixture down gently

• Cover top of container with aluminum foil
• Secure the foil with a piece of kitchen twine tied around the circumference.
• Form a handle for easy lifting by cutting a second piece of kitchen twine
• Tie each end to the first piece of twine at two places across from one another.
• Set container into stock pot of simmering water, ensuring that water level still reaches about ½ way up.
• Cover stock pot with lid and bring water back to a gentle simmer.
• Add in additional hot water, as necessary, to maintain water level.
• Allow pudding to steam for at least 3 hours, until a toothpick inserted into the top of the pudding comes out clean

• Remove container from stock pot and allow the pudding to cool, uncovered, for 10 minutes before unmolding.

• Serve warm, topped with a dollop of cream, brandy butter.. or my favourite... Birds Custard

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 4 months when it can be defrosted and resteamed for an hour

Wartime Christmas Cake

Happy Saturday Lovelies...

And I must say.. I do love weekends as I get to have breakfast with my dear hubby.. no rush.. no fuss and lots of conversation... The perfect start to a busy day!

For breakfast we had some tasty Potatoes O'Brien made with our stored potatoes an peppers from  our Victory Garden. I'm so grateful that our garden is still producing... and topped with poached eggs from our Girls... it really was a home grown meal

So the prepping for winter continues and MrD has finished splitting and stacking all the wood we will need for the coming months. We were so blessed to be gifted with logs earlier this year when we helped our friends clear a fallen tree. It should see us through... and some.

As for me it was time to make our Christmas cake... and oh my goodness the kitchen smells amazing

I know for some it may be too early to even think about Christmas... but when you  do your own baking you need a head start. Especially with the rich, fruit cake. It needs plenty of time to be 'fed' weekly and let the flavours mature before icing at the beginning of December

This is a recommended Christmas Cake recipe from the Ministry of Food in the mid 1940’s and the rationed ingredients make a very acceptable cake. For me..it always turns out well... and is a family favourite.

1 lb. mixed dried fruit
6 tablespoons of brandy (or alcohol of choice)

3 oz. sugar
4 oz. margarine
3 level tablespoons warmed treacle or syrup
8 oz. plain flour
Level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt.
1 level teaspoon cinnamon,
1 level teaspoon mixed spice
2 eggs, fresh or dried
3 tablespoons cold tea.

• The day before baking, put the dried fruit in a bowl
• Mix them with the brandy
• Cover with a cloth and leave them to soak for a minimum of 12 hours.

• Line a 7 inch cake tin with greaseproof paper.
• Pre-heat oven to 150 C, 300 F, Gas Mark 2.
• Cream the sugar and margarine together
• Beat in the treacle or syrup.
• Mix the flour, soda, salt and spices together.
• Add alternately with the eggs to the creamed mixture
• Beat well.
• Add the fruit and mix in the tea.

• Put the mixture into the tin, lined with greased paper
• Bake in a very moderate oven for 2½ hours.
• You may need to cover top with foil half way through cooking
• Cool in the tin.
• When cool remove from the tin and place in airtight container.
• Feed weekly by poking holes over the cake with a skewer
• Then pour a couple of Tablespoons of Brandy over the surface.
• This is not mandatory.. but it will keep the cake moist and develop a richer taste

Original Ministry of Food Christmas recipe