~Eddie Izzard

3 pm in the afternoon is the perfect time for cake.  A nice cup of tea and a slice of cake is what 3 pm is all about.  Any cake will do, of course, but a nice loaf is hard to beat at 3 pm with it's thick layer of butter and the appeal that it will just keep getting better as the days roll on.  

This recipe is hand written in one of my cookery books.  It's my mum's recipe and just as her recipe dictates it is called "Yorkshire T Bread".  I have added a few things over time but the basic recipe remains exactly the same and it's simplicity is only part of it's charm.  It's totally delicious.  It's even more delicious after a few days wrapped snugly in foil and preferably put somewhere out of sight so you are not tempted to eat it.  For those who avoid certain things in life, this cake also has the added bonus of being egg & diary free, for which I find most helpful when I realise I have totally run out of eggs.  (Please note I never run out of butter, I am some what of a butter hoarder!)

MUM'S YORKSHIRE T BREAD

WHAT YOU NEED  

1 cup all bran cereal

1 cup sugar

1 cup fruit (This is where I like to get creative.  I usually add a mix of fruit and seeds.  This loaf has cranberries, pumpkin & flax seeds.  Use whatever combo you like the sound of)

1 cup of hot strong black tea

1 cup self raising flour

Pinch sea salt

WHAT YOU DO

Pre-heat the oven to 300F

Butter and line a 2lb loaf tin with parchment paper

In a large bowl mix together the All Bran, sugar and fruit

Add the hot tea and stir.  Leave the mix for 2 mins whilst the tea is absorbed.

Add in the flour and stir till mixed thoroughly

Place in the loaf tin and bake in the centre of the oven for about 2 hours.  Start checking after an hour and a half.  The top should be golden and the sides should be coming away from the tin.  Place a skewer into the centre of the loaf and if it comes out clean, it is ready

Turn out and leave to cool

Slice thickly and eat it spread with butter or just as it is.  Keep wrapped in foil and keep for a few days, if you have the will power, and it's even better.

I will also be sharing a fabulous recipe for Fruit Malt Loaf.  All hail the loaf!  

~ Maya Angelou

Baking for my kids lunches gives me a great sense of pleasure.  It's like sending a special hug for them to discover every lunchtime.  

I have a solid list of reliable, freezable and easy favourites that are on constant rotation.  Chocolate chip muffins, brownies, lemon slice, banana bread and flapjack.  My personal favourite is flapjack.  I have even been known to eat them from frozen as I just don't have the patience to let them thaw before I devour them! 

Now just to be clear, I am not talking about pancakes.  I am aware that to some, a flapjack is a big fluffy pancake.  The UK version of flapjack is a butter and sugar baked oat bar.  I like them plain and simple but feel free to add seeds or nuts (if your school allows them), and you can even drizzle or dip them in chocolate after they are baked and cooled, but really, a plain flapjack is pretty hard to beat.  

WHAT YOU DO

• Heat oven to 180C/350F
• Place the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan and melt gently together.  Allow to cool slightly.  
• Place the oats and salt in a large bowl (this is also where you could add seeds, nuts or dried fruit if you like).  Pour oven the butter, sugar and syrup mix and stir to combine.  
• Lightly grease a 20 x 20cm baking tin with butter and line with parchment paper.  Spoon in the mixture and press into the corners using the back of a metal spoon so the mixture is flat.
• Bake for around 15 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.  Allow to cool then cut into squares.  

It's Saskatoon season!  The delicious berries are popping up all over the place from pick you own's to roadside purchases by the delicious bucketful.  I am lucky enough to have a friend who has a friend who has lots of berries just ready for the picking.  I was only too happy to oblige.  I packed the boys, the bug spray and a large basket and headed out to gather our very own stash of Saskatoon's.  

Oh the possibilities for a large basket of Saskatoon's!

Harry decided to try and make wine and crushed just a few berries.  It took quite a bit of washing to get that off but the boys had fun and we picked so many berries.

WHAT YOU NEED

255g Bob's Red Mill Super-Fine Cake Flour (You can use All purpose flour but the muffins will not be as light)

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt

100g sugar

1 egg

240 ml milk

90ml canola oil (or other flavorless oil)

Zest of 1 un-waxed lemon

150g frozen Saskatoon berries (If you don't have any Saskatoon's you can use frozen blueberries instead)

For the Drizzle:

100g sugar 

Juice of 1 lemon

WHAT YOU DO

Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C

In a large bowl place the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder & sugar) and aerate everything by mixing with a whisk.  (This means you never have to sieve flour for baking!)

In a large jug mix the wet ingredients (egg, milk, oil and lemon zest) and whisk together.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and lazily fold everything together.  Lumpy batter is what we want here as the more you work the mix the heavier the muffins will be.  

Add the frozen berries and fold in.  Adding frozen berries means that they will hold their shape better when baked and not explode into the bake.

Using an ice cream scoop place 1 scoop in each hole of a 12 hole muffin tray filled with muffin cases. Bake for 20 minutes till the tops are golden.   

While the muffins are baking mix together the sugar and juice for the drizzle topping.  

Remove the muffins from the oven and pour over a tablespoon of the drizzle over each muffin.  Allow to cool (if you can resist!)

For more information on Saskatoon Berries check out the Saskatoon Berry Institute: click here 

I was sent some Bob's Red Mill Flour to test out for the blog.  I did not get paid to say nice things.  Opinions, recipes and photos are my own and no children were harmed in the making of this post, just stained a little.  

Dictionary definition: A very sexually desirable woman.

British humor is all about innuendo.  Have you ever watched an episode of the Great British Bake Off that doesn't make some reference to sex in a TV family, friendly way?  No, me either!  Here are just a few in case you missed them:

Innuendo bingo anyone??

So lets talk about a nice bit of crumpet shall we?  As well as being a reference to someone we want to take to bed, a crumpet is actually something rather delicious!  It's like a thick and fluffy pancake with the addition of yeast to give it lift and those all important bubble holes that capture and hold all of the golden melted butter- I had you at golden melted butter didn't I?

Crumpets are quite time consuming to make and rather unsurprisingly fast to disappear once the family know they are made.  We ate so many crumpets on our UK trip that I knew I had to make some more at home.  The ones I make are half way between a crumpet and a pikelet because I don't use a ring to hold the crumpet in the pan, rather I use a small pan that fits one in at a time;

Fran Lebowitz, journalist

I love getting the kids into the kitchen.  Days off school usually mean we wear our PJ's all day and we make sweet treats- I enjoy both of these activities immensely!  

The following is not so much of a recipe but rather a suggestion.  Do as many or as little toppings as you like and let your kids do all the dipping and sticking.  It will be messy but, it will be fun!

MARSHMALLOW POPS

WHAT YOU NEED

WHAT YOU DO

Everyone has chocolate on their faces and the dog ate all the sprinkles that hit the floor, it's a good afternoon in my kitchen.  

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Strathcona Stoneground Organics is local Alberta food. We take Certified Organic, GMO free grain and create flour & baking mixes that are jam packed full of flavor and nutrition. Our products are handmade FRESH to order here at our small stone burr mill, where our ingredient lists are short and pronounceable. We use only the finest local ingredients to create the perfect blend of baking mixes and flour. If you purchase one of our products it will benefit YOUR health, our local farmers and our earth.

Check out their products at The Organic Box or their web site here 

WHAT IS WHOLE GRAIN?

All grains start life as whole grains. In their natural state growing in the fields, whole grains are the entire seed of a plant. This seed (also called a “kernel”) is made up of three edible parts – the bran, the germ, and the endosperm – protected by an inedible husk that protects the kernel from assaults by sunlight, pests, water, and disease.

WHAT YOU NEED

• 100 g Whole Grain Flour
• 100 g oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 30 g seeds (you can use any mix you like, I used sunflower, flax & pumpkin)
• 85 g sugar
• 150 g butter
• Pinch of sea salt

WHAT YOU DO

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and rub in the butter till everything comes together.
3. On a floured surface roll out the dough
4. Cut the biscuits and lay them on a lined baking sheet.  Leave each biscuit a little room to spread.
5. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 15- 17 minutes.  They should be a toasty golden brown colour.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Ever wondered what goes into developing and testing a new recipe?  My family have to endure many samplings of food with varying quantities of ingredients and most importantly different bake times.  I once listened to an interview with Christina Tosi who is the chef, founder, and owner of Momofuku Milk Bar.  She said that in baking, colour is flavour so don't be afraid to take it to the next level of taste by baking it just a little longer.  

In this case everyone agreed that a 17 minute bake was better than the 15!  

I will be posting more recipes using this fabulous local flour with bread being next on my list followed by some perfect afternoon tea scones with lashings of jam and cream.  Don't forget to check out their products at the Organic Box or check out their web site here.  

I was born in Lancashire in the North West of England. In Lancashire we drink a lot of tea and eat a lot of cake. We also have our own little dialect and in case you would like to visit here are a few language tips to help you fit right in;

Baggin - Snack with a brew between meals. e.g Tea & scones/sandwich.
Mythering - Annoying / irritating / or telling someone to stop Mythering means to stop worrying.
Brossan - You have eaten enough and you are totally full up!
Fettle - Mend/repair, or condition/health of something/someone.
Chuntering - Muttering or grumbling.
Drinking tea is a very important part of life in Lancashire.  Occasionally we go for the full on fancy afternoon tea with little sandwiches with the crusts cut off but more often it's all about baggin.  Baggin in usually eaten in the afternoon just before milking time (my family are dairy farmers in case you didn't guess).  You take off your wellington boots pour a cup of tea and eat some cake.  It's like a little shot of energy to get you through the rest of the jobs on the farm.  When 3 pm rolls around I still get an urge to put the kettle on and reach for the cake tin even through I live in Canada now and I have no cows to milk!

Afternoon tea was introduced in England by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, in the year 1840. The Duchess would become hungry around four o'clock in the afternoon. The evening meal in her household was served fashionably late at eight o'clock, thus leaving a long period of time between lunch and dinner.
LET IT BUBBLE
In some parts of Britain, it is believed that if there are bubbles floating in your tea after it is poured from a pot, it is an indication that there is some money coming your way.

The more bubbles there are, the more riches! In other regions, it was believed that if bubbles stick to the side of the cup, then romance is in the air, with each bubble representing a kiss.
There are many English superstitions regarding teapots. For example, when brewing a pot of tea, if the lid of the teapot is left off, then an ominous stranger will call at the house, and if you forget to put the tea into the pot before the boiling water, it was seen as a very bad omen indeed!

It was said that if you made the tea too weak, then you’d fall out with a close friend. On the other hand, if the tea was too strong, you’d make a new one.

I will start this post by saying I am not trying to push religion here, just good food, I promise.  Hot cross buns appear in supermarkets in the UK long before and after Easter has passed and I guess that many people don't even know the religious significance of these heavenly scented baked breads.  In our house we do not make these out of religious belief, but simply because it's not Easter without them and they are finger sticky delicious.  

For the dough cross & glaze

• 1tbsp milk
• 1tbsp plain flour
• 1tbsp water
• golden syrup

WHAT YOU DO

1. Place the dried fruit and mixed peel in a bowl and pour over the Brandy.  Heat in the microwave for 1 minute on high.  Stir the fruit and place a bowl over the bowl and allow to cool.  

1. Place the flour and butter in a large mixing bowl. Rub butter into flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the yeast, then add all the remaining ingredients except the milk.
2. Pour the milk into a jug and add 125ml boiling water. Test the temperature of the milk and water mixture — it should be no more than hand hot. 
3. Place everything into the bowl of your mixer (or knead by hand on a floured surface) and using the dough hook, mix until a floured finger pressed into the dough springs back.  Usually its about 6 minutes with a mixer and about 10 minutes by hand. 
4.  Shape the dough into a circle and place on an oiled baking sheet.  Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place, for about 1-1½ hours until it doubles in size and feels very light and airy.
5. Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 390 F. When ready to bake, brush the top of the risen dough with the milk. 
6. To make the cross pattern, mix the flour and water to make a soft but pipeable paste. Pour the mixture into a disposable piping bag, snip the end and pipe a cross over the dough- you can go traditional single cross or go a bit free range, like I did!
7. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until golden brown. Turn loaf over and tap its base — if it sounds hollow it is cooked. 
8. Splodge a generous dollop of golden syrup on the top and use a brush to glaze the top of the loaf.  It's not a hot cross bun unless your fingers get sticky when you eat it!
9. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Best eaten on the day it is made. Flipping delicious toasted the day after and smeared with a generous coating of butter.