Oats in the North, Wheat from the South: The History of British Baking, Savoury and Sweet by Regula Ysewijn

  • Savoy cake

    Savoy cake (page 26)

    from Oats in the North, Wheat from the South: The History of British Baking, Savoury and Sweet Oats in the North, Wheat from the South by Regula Ysewijn

    • Categories: Cakes, large; Dessert; British
    • Ingredients: eggs; superfine sugar; lemons; lard
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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Fruit loaf

    • veronicafrance on March 18, 2021

      A simple brioche-type dough. Pretty quick to make. The first prove was a bit sluggish; I gave it a bit of extra time. But kneading the fruit in seemed to revitalise it and the second prove was very lively. It rose further in the oven.

  • Grasmere gingerbread

    • Foodycat on August 14, 2020

      I've never managed to try Grasmere gingerbread when I have visited the Lake District, so I am not sure how true this is to that very closely-guarded secret recipe. It's delicious though - a very crunchy version of gingerbread.

  • Cornish fairings

    • Foodycat on March 03, 2022

      The first thing I noted about this recipe is how small the quantities are - this makes 14 medium-sized biscuits, which I love. There are only two of us and I am often overwhelmed by recipes that make 36 or more biscuits. They are very quick and simple to make and taste good - it's a simple, crunchy ginger biscuit. The recipe says that they don't keep their crispness but I made them yesterday and they are still very crunchy today.

  • Custard creams

    • Foodycat on September 20, 2021

      I added a little vanilla both to the biscuits and the filling and I am glad I did - the texture is good but they really wouldn't have had much flavour otherwise. I didn't particularly care for the raw cornstarch flavour of the filling.

  • Yorkshire tea cakes

    • Foodycat on August 30, 2020

      Very successful! I did 50g currants and 50g mixed peel because the ones we buy have mixed peel in them. Very light and fluffy. The dough was sticky but I didn't have to add much flour when I was shaping them. Next time I might add a little bit of mixed spice.

  • Caraway seed cake

    • Foodycat on July 29, 2021

      I've been gradually coming around to caraway seeds, and this recipe gives the option of using part mukhwas (candied fennel seeds) which sounded nice. Unfortunately the mukhwas I used was a mixture of white, yellow and green - the candied coating dissolved from all of them in the baking but only the green ones left any colour on the cake. I'd been hoping for flecks of colour like a confetti cake! It's not quite as rich as my usual loaf cake mix but it's a very good, old-fashioned plain cake.

  • Genoa cake

    • Foodycat on August 14, 2020

      Makes a delicious, moist fruitcake - hardly any resemblance at all to a supermarket Genoa cake.

  • Tea loaf

    • Foodycat on May 03, 2022

      I used a mixture of sultanas and cranberries instead of the raisins, and used strong Earl Grey tea. It's impressively moist for a fatless cake with only 1 egg in it. Will make again.

  • Sultana scones

    • EskieF on June 12, 2022

      The measurements for baking powder seem to be completely wrong - 2 TBSP? I used 2 TSP, and all was fine. Typo?

  • Staffordshire oatcakes

    • mjes on October 02, 2021

      Ever since I read the history of Staffordshire oatcakes, I have been trying various recipes for them. This recipe is a non-sourdough one that is successful. Do try them both filled and dried into a crispbread. This may not be the most historically accurate recipe but it is a modern, versatile version.

  • Bannocks

    • mjes on October 02, 2021

      My son no longer lives nearby so if he is experimenting with bannocks, I am likely also making bannocks in order to understand his comments. Again, the recipe is not the traditional sourdough version but rather a modern version of the bannock. I tried the barley version as I am particularly fond of barley breads. These are very good while hot ... they don't do so well when cold and they aren't easily reheated - you want a small amount of steam to reheat them.

  • Welsh cakes

    • mjes on October 02, 2021

      Yes, I have fallen in love with Welsh cakes from a source that ships them frozen in several flavors. This recipe allows me to make my own, freeze them, and have any time as they thaw quickly. You can easily add variety e.g. plain (omit currants), lemon poppy, blueberry, cinnamon, maple pecan . . .

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  • ISBN 10 1760525391
  • ISBN 13 9781760525392
  • Published Apr 02 2020
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 264
  • Language English
  • Countries Australia
  • Publisher Murdoch

Publishers Text

Oats in the North, Wheat from the South is Regula Ysewijn's evocative, meticulously researched and beautifully photographed love letter to the history, heritage and ingenuity of British baking culture.

Regula shows us how the diverse climate of the British Isles influenced the growth of cereal crops and the development of a rich regional baking identity. She explains how imports of spices, sugar, treacle, fortified wines and citrus fruits added flavour, colour and warmth to a baking culture much adored and replicated all over the world.

The book takes the reader on a guided tour of British cake lore, exploring the British affection for tea and toast, as well as the one small Yorkshire town's 200-year-old obsession with baking the world's largest meat pie.

Each of the timeless recipes is accompanied by stories of the landscape, history, traditions and legends of Great Britain, from Saffron cake, Cornish pasties, Bakewell tart, Victoria sandwich cake, Lardy cake, Banbury apple pie, Welsh Bara brith, Clapcake to the many oatcakes, gingerbreads, buns and bread rolls such as Aberdeen buttery rowies, Kentish huffkins and traditional loaves.

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