Baked Apple Roly Poly

Ingredients

10 oz (275g) self-raising flour
pinch of salt
5 oz (150 g) shredded suet
some cold water
1 lb (450g) cooking apples
3 oz (75g) Demerara or soft brown sugar
2 level tsp ground cinnamon
3 oz (75g) sultanas
Milk and sugar to glaze

Method

1. Turn on the oven to moderately hot, 400ºF, 200ºC, Gas mark 6.
2. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and mix in the suet.
3. Add just enough cold water to mix to a soft but not sticky dough.
4. Roll out your pastry on a floured board, to a rectangle about 12x14 inches (30x35 cms).
5. Trim the edges and then cut off a strip about 2 inches wide from the shorter side. (What exactly does this mean? I suppose it means that you now have a square 12x12 inches, and a strip 12x2 inches—but see further below for counter evidence to this theory).
6. Peel core and chop the apples (NB chop them small!)
7. Spread the chopped apple over the pastry to within 1 inch of the edge.
8. Mix the brown sugar and the cinnamon together and sprinkle over the apples.
9. Scatter the sultanas over the apples.
10. Fold the pastry edges over the apples on the long sides. (humph, I thought there was no long side any more?)
11. Brush these and both ends with water. 
12. Roll it up from the shorter side like a swiss roll, and seal the ends.
13. Place the roll, join downwards, on a sheet of foil on a baking tray. Push up the sides of the foil to hold the pastry roll in shape. (Hmm I think it is more recommended to put it in a tin with sides, such as a very large loaf tin or an oblong tin).
14.  Gather up the trimmings with the pastry strip, roll into two thin sausage shapes and twist them together. 
15. Brush the roly poly with milk and sprinkle with caster sugar.
16. Place the twist down the centre of the roll and brush with milk. 
17. Make four slits in the pastry on each side of the roll to allow the steam to escape.
18. Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until well risen and golden brown. If the pastry twist browns too quickly cover it with a strip of foil to protect it. (I am beginning to wonder why we bother with this twist of pastry?)

Serve hot with custard or cream, or a hot sweet white sauce. This can be dairy free if you don't glaze it with milk. 

Catherine's best oatmeal pancakes

Make the batter a bit in advance if possible, to allow the oatmeal to soak up the liquid. If you are serving the pancakes with bacon and syrup for breakfast, cook the bacon in the pan first and then keep it warm while you fry the pancakes in the bacon fat that remains in the pan. You can also mix in chopped apple, apple rings or slices of banana to make fritters (very good with bacon and maple syrup!).

Ingredients

1 oz fine oatmeal
1 egg
Pinch of salt
A little milk

Method

1. Weigh up the oatmeal and put it in a large soup cup or small bowl
2. Break the egg into it, and stir to make a thick batter
3. Add a small slosh of milk (about 2tsp) and the pinch of salt.
4. Leave the batter to stand for as long as poss (five minutes is good, an hour is better, overnight is fine).
5. Add more milk to achieve the right consistency. The batter can be thickish for small griddle cake/scotch pancakes, or a bit thinner for large crepes.
6. Heat an oiled griddle or crepe pan or frying pan (or the pan left after frying bacon), and cook the pancakes. 

Serve them with bacon, fruit, yogurt and syrup for breakfast. Serve them with lemon and sugar for pancake day. Save the extras and use them as sandwich wraps. Spread them with jam, or cheese...

Mincemeat

Ingredients

1 lb currants
1 lb sultanas
1 lb raisins
8 oz dates, without stones
8 oz mixed peel
2 ox glace cherries
1 lb cooking apples
8 oz shredded suet
4 oz chopped almonds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp mixed spice
One lemon: grated rind and juice
5 fl. oz. brandy

Method

1. Peel the apples and grate them into a large mixing bowl.
2. Chop the dried fruit, peel and cherries into small pieces.
3. Add the fruit, suet, nuts, spices to the grated apples.
4. Add the lemon rind and juice and stir thoroughly
5. Measure out the brandy and add it to the mixture.
6. Let all the family stir and make a wish.
7. Cover the bowl and leave it in a cool place to stand for two days.
8. Stir the mixture and pack it into jars with airtight screw lids.
9. Leave to mature for 2 weeks.

Just one loaf of bread

Ingredients

1 lb of strong flour
1 heaped tsp salt
1/2 oz lard or 1 oz butter
1/2 pt lukewarm water
1/2 oz fresh yeast creamed with 1 tsp sugar

1. Rub the fat into the flour.
2. Add the salt.
3. Make the warm water by mixing 4 fl oz hot water with 6 fl oz cold water.
4. When the yeast and sugar have become liquid, mix them with the warm water.
5. Fling the yeasty liquid into the dry ingredients. (Some moistening ingredients can also be added, such as malt).
6. Make the dough and rise and bake it as usual.

Buckwheat dropscones (blini)

Written up in ounces (not grams as on the stooopid flour packet) because the quantities make better sense.

1 egg
1/4 pint of milk
3 oz buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
oil for frying

Mix eggs and milk in the blender. Add the flour and other dry ingredients and blend till frothy.

Fry small spoonfuls in a little hot oil in a frying pan or on a griddle. Turn and cook the other side. Eat hot with maple syrup and fruit or bacon, or use cold for canapés.

Sesame and oat cookies

Ingredients

4 oz rolled oats
4 oz demerara/brown sugar
4 oz butter
2 oz (1/4 cup) sesame seeds
3 oz (3/4 cup) desiccated coconut
1 tsp salt

Method

1. Melt butter, stir in other ingredients.
2. Press into greased floured tin.
3. Bake at gas 5-6 for 30 mins.
4. Cut when nearly cold.

Tiffin for coeliacs

Ingredients

8 oz bought gluten free biscuits (doesn't much matter how horrible or tasteless they are; they can be ginger or lemon flavoured or just plain).
4 oz best salted butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 tbsp cocoa powder
Some raisins/cherries/nuts/marshmallows/dates/mixed peel or whatever you fancy (not maltesers: they have wheat in them): about a handful of these things or more if you like.
8 oz bar of good chocolate, plain is best.

Method

1. Put the biscuits into a strong plastic bag and bash them into small pieces with a mallet.
2. Put the butter, sugar and syrup into a pan and warm them together until melted. 
3. Add the cocoa and throw in the biscuit pieces and the other bits and pieces.
4. Mix to a stiff mixture.
5. Grease a square or oblong tin (small swiss roll tin) or plastic box with good butter, and press the mixture into it. Flatten the top.
6. Break the chocolate into pieces and put in a small basin. Warm the basin of chocolate in a pan of water, until nicely melted. 
7. When the chocolate is nice and runny pour it over the warm mixture in the tin, and let it set.
8. Cool in the fridge. Cut into pieces with a knife.