A slice of history today

 

Most of us have someone in our lives who have inspired us. For me, that person was my grandmother, whose love for baking shaped my own passion for the craft. At 63, Lizzie Abson moved in with my family after the tragic death of my mother soon after I was born, and as soon as I could stand on a chair, I watched, learned, and eventually inherited not just her recipes but her deep-rooted love for simple, delicious home baking.

Grandma Abson’s Treasured Collection of Recipes

Grandma Abson had begun to collect many of her recipes during her time in service but she continued through most of the 20th century as times and fashions changed. She wrote them out by hand on scraps of paper, postcards, in old exercise books and torn out of magazines.  She was an avid collector of other people’s favourites. Her sisters – Emma, Clara, Mabel, Alice, Edith and Ivy were also ‘in service’ across the country contributed their own specialities from Plum Pudding and Rock cakes to biscuits – creating a diverse and cherished assortment of traditional recipes.

In 2010, I collated her recipes into a book entitled ‘Grandma Abson’s Traditional Baking’ and sold them across the North of England. In fact, with radio and press coverage and distribution through bookshops and delivering talks and events they ‘sold like hotcakes.’  I just kept a small number back for my grandchildren for posterity.

Even today I get asked : ‘Have you still got a copy of Grandma Abson’s recipes?’ It’s a regular question whenever I’ve done a talk so I love to say it’s still around as an e-book so you can access those wonderful recipes.

Grandma was very proud of her baking, whether it was winning prizes or having family and friends sampling cakes and puddings. Grandma Abson’s legacy is more than just recipes; it’s a connection to the past, a reminder of the warmth and comfort that home baking brings. Her recipes remain as relevant today as they were decades ago, proving that simple, well-made food never goes out of style. In my family, we continue to bake her beloved cakes, biscuits, and preserves, keeping her traditions alive with every delicious bite. Check out the list of Recipes  and enjoy a slice of history today!

Around the world with Lemon Posset

 
Lemon Posset

They say that the best recipes are the ones with only a few ingredients and my friend Catty’s recipe for Lemon Posset ticks that box with just three. But even more intriguing is the story she tells of how this delicious dessert went around the world. Last Autumn, Catty embarked on a trip to Canada and New Zealand to visit various relatives. She made a fantastic travelogue entitled ‘Travels on a bucket list’ so her friends back home could keep up with her progress, offer words of encouragement and suggest tips for places they may have visited.

It was catching up with cousin Vivienne, who lives in the hills outside Dannevirke, which reminded Catty of her old Lemon Posset recipe. Vivienne is a keen cook but also a coeliac so her recipes don’t contain gluten. She made a treat for their meal together which she said Catty had made when Vivienne visited the UK in 1977. She made it again as a special memory of both visits. Here is the well-travelled Lemon Posset recipe :

Lemon Posset

600 ml cream

¾ cup caster sugar

Grated rind and juice of 2 lemons

To serve

Whipped cream or

lemon curd

berries

Makes 10-12 servings in small glasses

Place the cream and caster sugar in a small saucepan and stir as it comes to the boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat to keep gently boiling and time the mixture for exactly 3 minutes. This timing is very important to the ‘chemistry’ of the recipe. Remove from the heat and whisk in the grated rind and lemon juice. 

Cool, then pour into small glasses. Chill for at least 6-8 hours, or it’s even better if you can make it the night before.

Serve chilled with a small dollop of softly whipped cream/lemon curd and/or berries.

 Syllabub

Posset is very similar to Syllabub from the Georgian era but is thought to be more of a 19th century creation. I’ve made this glorious recipe several times now and my family love it. It’s rich and decadent and wonderfully smooth - one to savour for a special occasion, even to celebrate a family gathering after 50 years at the other side of the world!

This is a shorter version of my piece for  Yorkshire Bylines where you can read more about Catty's travels.

An Unexpected Gift: Turning Dulce de Leche into a Sweet Surprise

 

Sometimes, the best gifts are the unexpected ones. This story isn’t about an ‘unwanted’ present, but rather an unexpected delight—a tiny pot of dulce de leche paste.

 

Dulce de leche looks a lot like caramel, but unlike traditional caramel, which is made from butter and sugar, dulce de leche is made with milk and sugar. This Latin American favourite has a rich caramel colour and a deep, indulgent taste.

 

I received this little pot of joy at Christmas because it’s well known that one of my favourite ice cream flavours is dulce de leche. In fact, anything caramel—especially salted caramel—easily tops triple chocolate or rum and raisin for me. But what could I do with this tiny pot?

 

Most suggestions involve drizzling it over cakes, but since my pot contained more of a spreadable paste, I decided to incorporate it into a batch of homemade chocolate chip biscuits. The result? A perfect combination of flavours that made these biscuits truly special.

Chocolate Chip Biscuits with Dulce de Leche

What you need

·         110g/4oz butter (softened)

·         50g/2oz golden caster sugar

·         ½ tsp vanilla essence

·         25g chocolate chips

·         100g/4oz plain flour (sifted)

How to bake

1.      Preheat your oven to 190C (170C Fan) and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2.     Cream the butter with the sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.

3.     Stir in the chocolate chips and flour to form a stiff paste.

4.    Drop dessertspoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking tray, spacing them well apart.

5.     Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden.

6.    Leave to cool for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

 

The combination of chocolate and dulce de leche elevated these biscuits from ordinary to extraordinary. The caramel-like richness blended beautifully with the chocolate, creating a treat that felt truly indulgent.

 

So, if you ever receive—or treat yourself to—a small pot of dulce de leche, don’t hesitate to get creative in the kitchen. You might just discover a new favourite recipe!

 

And funnily enough, I’ve also been gifted a pot of pistachio cream all the way from Sicily. That’s my next challenge! Did I mention that pistachio is another favourite of mine?