A Gingerbread Moment

My daughter texted this morning to ask, rather unhelpfully, if there were ever going to be any tea or coffee shops on our blog as promised. Fair point made, I think. The answer is yes but it is all rather more complex than Cherry Tart and I initially imagined. Several fabulous tea and coffee shops are signed up to appear on our blog and be reviewed by us but we have had a few technical off- days. Sunny weather has had a wee bit to do with our problems as well, as, being Scottish, we absolutely have to stay outdoors for every last hour of daylight when the sun is shining like this weekend. Obviously our blog is not live yet and no one is too keen to appear on it until we are more fully up and running. To anyone looking for a cup of coffee, please come and look again, we will get there.

In the meantime, we really are working hard in the background. By way of an apology, I am giving all of you out there my recipe for the best gingerbread in the world. I can take no credit as it is adapted from a recipe from Rachel Allan, one of my favourite chefs on t.v. Rachel, if you ever read this and I am breaching some legal ruling in sharing this, I am your biggest fan, please don't sue me! This, and hundreds of other treats, is from Rachel's Favourite Food for Friends. My copy is sticky with use.

This is sticky and golden and all things gingerbread should be. You need:3 oz butter, 5oz golden syrup(maybe half treacle if you like it and I do!), 8oz marmalade(half a 1lb jar and ginger marmalade works a treat) 8oz sr flour, 4tsp ground ginger, 2tsp ground cinnamon, 1 beaten egg and 2 tabsp milk.

Assembling all these ingredients is the hardest part as the rest is a dawdle. Butter and line an 8in cake tin and put on oven at 170degrees (fan 150). Melt butter, syrup and marmalade on a medium heat and stir. Cool for a few minutes. Add beaten egg and milk and pour all this into the dry ingredients, folding to mix. Bake for 40-50minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Eat when still warm with a lovely cup of tea at your side and I promise you it will be a golden moment.( I think the ginger marmalade just gives mine a wee edge, Rachel. It was that A in what we call in Scotland, Home Eccy, that just tipped mine over into perfection. I've seen your pictures in the books and your house is definitely much nicer than mine so don't feel bad...)
Crystallized Violet