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Mens sana in
corpore sano
There’s no way that I would claim to be a healthy eating expert
but Grandma did leave us sound advice about eating healthily. I did a talk the other
week for a Patients’ Participation group at a local GPs practice. Since using less sugar is the
advice today, it’s worth remembering that Grandma often enhanced the flavour of
her baking with natural spices. She would use much less sugar than many modern
recipes. Here’s a recipe where you could leave the sugar out altogether as the
dried fruit and spices create a tasty cake.
Wholemeal Farmhouse Loaf
4 oz/110g self raising
flour
4 oz/110g wholemeal
flour
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
2 oz/50g soft brown
sugar (optional)
4 oz/110g butter
2 eggs
5 tbsps milk
12 oz/340g mixed dried
fruit (e.g. sultanas, raisins, currants)
Sift the
flours into a bowl with the spices. Add
the sugar (optional). Rub in the fat until the mixture has a crumbly
consistency. You can do this in a food mixer. Beat the eggs and milk together,
add to the bowl and mix well. Then add the dried fruit, using a little more
milk if necessary to give a fairly soft consistency. Put into a well greased
1lb/450g loaf tin. Bake in a preheated moderate oven at 180C (Fan Oven 160C), Mark 4, 350F for approximately 1 to 1¼ hours.
Meryl’s tip
: This is a very easy recipe which can be served on its own or as a teabread
with butter. It makes a great snack and keeps well.
Back at the Patients’
group, I talked about how Grandma had
baked in times of shortage. I
showed them food charts from times of
rationing and the poster
campaigns to Dig for Victory when foods were often hard
to come by. Grandma always used gluts of fruit
and vegetables in season to make succulent jams and chutneys as well as fruit
pies (no added sugar) and puddings.
I’ve been trying out more recipes for cakes
and biscuits with reduced sugar content. Here are some ideas :
And, as the Latin poet Juvenal said ‘mens sana in corpore sano’ – sharing a
cup of tea and a piece of homemade cake is therapy itself. The group agreed we should enjoy a homemade treat now and again - it's the portion size which matters! What do you think?
