Scones, rock cakes and bread

I have been busy baking over the last couple of weeks, so thought I would share with you some of the items I have made.

Wensleydale cheese scones

These scones came out fairly well, although next time I would probably use a stronger cheese, like cheddar.

Date rock cakes

These cakes, which are a cross between a cake and a cookie, were delicious and the dates worked really well in them.

Plaited loaf of bread

This is the first time that I've tried a plaited loaf and I was pleased with the result!

The legacy of Be- Ro recipe books

Be-Ro book recipes always seem to be very reliable. I used the shortcrust pastry recipe to make some tuna, herb, mayonnaise and potato tartlets. They were very simple to make but tasty too. This inspired me to do some research into the history of Be-Ro cookery. So this is what I found out. In the early 1920s Plain flour was most commonly used and Self-raising flour was seen as a novelty. So Be-Ro sold cakes made from the unusual Self-raising flour to raise its profile.  These were so popular that people asked for the recipes and as such the Be-Ro cookery books were created. These books have been used by my family from probably at least the 1950s!

(Information taken from www.be-ro.co.uk)

Tuna, herb, mayonnaise and potato tartlets.

The start of something new

This is my first attempt at a blog, so I thought I would combine my two passions of history and baking into something hopefully useful or interesting to others. It is also an excuse for me to have some fun with baking and research into the history of food through different eras! I felt that I needed to do something new in my life and after being inspired by someone else I thought this might be what I was looking for.