Treacle tart - one of the 'Great British Classics'

This newspaper cutting was in my mother's book and gives an interesting background to the origins of treacle.

I have increased the quantities to fill a 23cm tart tin.

This recipe assumes you have bought ready-made shortcrust pastry. And nothing wrong with that! Just remember to take it out of the fridge about an hour before you need to use it.

350g shortcrust pastry

90g fresh breadcrumbs

1½ tbsp lemon juice

350g golden syrup

grated nutmeg

1 egg, beaten to glaze

Preheat the oven to 180ºC and grease a loose bottomed tart tin with butter paper.

Roll out ¾ of the pastry, quite thinly, keeping the remainder for the lattice top. Line the tin with the pastry and use your rolling pin to level off the top. Prick the base lightly with a fork and put it in the fridge to keep cool. Roll out the remaining pastry and put in between layers of greaseproof paper in the fridge.

Now for the filling. Heat the syrup in a saucepan and add the breadcrumbs, lemon juice, and grated nutmeg. Mix well and let it warm through. Take the tart case out of the fridge and pour in the mixture.

For the lattice top, I have taken advice from the original recipe. Cut the reserved pastry into 1cm strips, slightly longer than the edges of the tin. Lay half of the strips across the tin at equal distance, pressing down on one side only to secure. Fold back alternate strips and lay across another strip at right angles. Return the strips to their original position and then fold back the alternate strips. Lay across another strip and then return alternate strips to their original position. Then starting with the first strips, continue folding back and laying strips at right angles across the tart, until all the strips are interwoven. Moisten the edges of the strips, seal and secure on the edges of the tart. Trim, if necessary, and brush with the egg glaze.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave in the tin to cool completely. Take it out of the tin and put onto a serving plate. Delicious served with cream or ice-cream.

Chocolate meringue

Chocolate and raspberries are a winning combination. If you have a large crowd, just double the recipe and give it a bit longer in the oven.

4 egg whites

200g caster sugar

1 tsp white wine vinegar

2 tbsp cocoa powder, sieved

50g dark or milk chocolate chips

300ml cream and a punnet of raspberries

Preheat the oven to 180ºC and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper.

Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until they thicken and the peaks hold their shape. Then slowly beat in the caster sugar until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Sprinkle over the vinegar, cocoa powder and chocolate chips and fold in lightly, making sure everything is thoroughly mixed.

Put onto the baking sheet forming a circular shape about 20cm in diameter. Place in your preheated oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 150ºC. Cook for about an hour until the outside looks crisp. Turn off the oven but leave it in the oven, with the door open, to cool completely.

To decorate, simply whip the cream until thick and pile it onto the meringue. Top with raspberries and sprinkle with grated chocolate. And voila, it is ready to serve.

Walnut Bread

I was given this recipe as a teenager by a family friend and soon after, I copied it into my mother's recipe book giving ingredients for one or two loaves.

It is easy to make and tastes delicious, sliced thinly and buttered. The addition of golden syrup makes it particularly moist.

Ingredients for one loaf are given here.

110g granulated sugar

175g golden syrup

160ml milk

50g sultanas

225g plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

50g walnuts, roughly chopped

1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 160ºC.

Grease a small (450g) loaf tin and then lightly dust with flour.

Put the syrup, sugar, milk and sultanas into a saucepan and heat slowly until the sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool.

Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl and add the chopped walnuts. Next, stir the beaten egg into the cooled syrup mixture and pour into the middle of the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly and then pour into the greased loaf tin. Bake for 1¼ hours.

When the time is up, remove from the oven and stick a skewer into the top of the loaf. If it comes out clean, it’s cooked. If not, give it a further 10 minutes, Cool on a wire rack before slicing.