Sophie’s away for the weekend, but she’s been baking and has left me a pile of delicious ginger parkin in the cake tin. Ginger parkin is traditional fare in Yorkshire around hallowe’en/Samhain and bonfire night; at least it was in our house. This gorgeous, dark, sticky recipe comes from my great aunty Maggy. Since it’s an old recipe, it’s all written in old money…

Ingredients

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 cup of medium oatmeal
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of black treacle
• at least 1 teaspoon of ginger
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• ¼lb margarine or butter
• 1 beaten egg

Method

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the beaten egg. Mix the bicarb in with the milk and add. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Warming the treacle first makes things a lot easier (sit the tin in some hot water).

Pour the mixture into square tins 2″ deep, lined with greaseproof paper. Bake in a slow oven (ie maximum of 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2) for about 1 hour.

Enjoy!