A Legacy of Baking

A Grandmother’s inspiration

 I’ve been writing about Grandma Abson’s recipes for 15 years now and how her love for simple delicious baking shaped my own passion for the craft. But today I want to write more about how she baked and her collection. 

Grandma Abson’s treasured collection of Recipes

Grandma Abson had begun her collection of recipes during her time in service in the late 19^th century, but she continued through most of the 20^th century as fashions changed. She wrote them out by hand on scraps of paper, postcards, in old exercise books and tore them out of magazines to create a diverse and cherished assortment of traditional recipes. 

Grandma’s approach to baking

Grandma Abson had a stern, rather Victorian outlook on life and a stout work ethic and developed a practical and resourceful approach to baking. She lived through harsh times, raising her family through the hardship and rationing of two world wars. Consequently, her recipes were often crafted around making tasty food from basic or limited supplies.

Her methods were guided by intuition rather than precise measurements. She would make sure that the ingredients were at room temperature before starting to mix them and sieved flour to give a lighter texture for a dough. Neither did she meticulously weigh out the ingredients, hence there are many references to “a cupful” or “a basinful” in her recipes.

From coal-fired ranges to gas and electric ovens, Grandma adapted to changing kitchen technology, though she always relied on her instincts and experience to judge the perfect oven temperature. Her early years cooking on black-leaded Yorkshire ranges had given her that mysterious knowledge of what was just the “correct heat”. Oven temperatures were not precise with “slow, moderate and quick” as common descriptions. She had a knack for knowing exactly when a cake was ready, using a simple skewer to test for ‘baked’—an old trick that I still use today. 

Why Grandma Abson’s Baking still appeals today

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 Victoria Sandwich, Apple pie and many more, keeping her traditions alive with every delicious bite.

This is a shorter version of an article I wrote for Yorkshire Bylines which you can find here. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Still got leftovers from the festive season? I discovered some Panettone in one of those lovely tins which I had been gifted and left at the back of the cupboard.  So, together with my new season's batch of marmalade, I made a cunning plan. Instead of using slightly stale bread, I adapted Grandma’s  recipe for Marmalade Bread and Butter pudding to come up with a warming pudding to remind me not just of Spain, where the super Seville Oranges come from, but also Italy with its glorious sweet fluffy bread and especially the city of Milan, where panettone is said to originate. 

Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding (with panettone)

50g/2oz butter

8 slices Panettone

150g/6oz Marmalade

50g/2oz sultanas

2 tsp cinnamon

Zest of 1 orange

350ml/12fl oz milk

50ml/2fl oz double cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 (large) eggs

50g/2oz caster sugar

Nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 180C/355F/ Gas 4. Grease a 1 litre/2 pint pie dish with butter. Spread butter and marmalade on each slice of Panettone. Arrange a layer of panettone, buttered-side up, in the dish, then add half the sultanas. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and orange zest, then add another layer of panettone, sultanas and cinnamon. Warm the milk and cream with the vanilla extract gently in a pan over a low heat. Beat the eggs in a bowl with the sugar. Add the warm milk and cream mixture and stir well. Pour this over the layers and sprinkle nutmeg on top. Leave to stand for 30 minutes. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the custard has set and the top is golden-brown. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Meryl says :  Don’t let the milk and cream mixture  boil - just heat gently until warm before you add it to the eggs and sugar. Serve with crème fraiche, cream or ice cream as you wish. Delizioso - chocolate and orange - my favourite!

You may also like Grandma’s very popular Marmalade Spice Cake,  Marmalade Flapjack or  Clementine and Ginger Cake all with a kick of ginger to enhance the taste. Let me know which you like best. Enjoy!

It’s Marmalade time

I’ve been making marmalade for over 15 years now. Once the Christmas and New Year celebrations are over, it’s a fixed date on my calendar to check out the arrival of the Seville Oranges in the shops or online and prepare my jam jars ready for my marmalade making session.

I’ve posted about Grandma Abson’s Marmalade recipes with various citrus fruits and my late mother-in-law, Great Grandma Pat who supplied the family with marmalade well into her 80s, using a pressure cooker.

Creating a marmalade recipe

I’ve tried all their recipes and others over the years and finally created my own version. I think I’ve ended up with something easy and reliable to be sure of a winner every time. Nowadays Seville oranges are sold in string bags weighing a kilo, so I’ve adapted the measurements of ingredients to fit this weight. This recipe makes about 6 jars.

Seville Orange Marmalade

What you need…

1 kg Seville oranges

Juice of 2 lemons

4 pints/approx. 2 litres water

2 kgs granulated sugar

How to make ...

Wash the oranges and place them in a large pan with the water and the lemon juice.

Boil and then simmer for between 1½ and 2 hours until they are soft and the peel pierces easily with a fork.

Remove them from the pan with a ladle and leave to cool on a tray or plate.

Cut the oranges in half and scoop out the fruit, pith and pips and return this mixture to the pan, retaining the peel. Boil for 5-6 minutes.

Strain this mixture through a sieve or a muslin cloth. You can press it through with a wooden spoon.

Cut half of the peel into strips – chunky or thin depending on how you prefer them in marmalade.

Add these to the remaining liquid in the pan with the sugar and stir gently until all the sugar has dissolved. This can take between 6-10 minutes. Be careful not to boil the mixture at this stage.

Once the sugar has dissolved, fast boil rapidly for 15 minutes until the setting point is reached. It can take sometimes up to 25 minutes so keep checking.

How to check for the setting point - use the plate/wrinkle test by putting a small amount on a chilled plate and pushing it with a teaspoon - it should wrinkle.

  Leave the marmalade to cool in the pan for around 20-25 minutes and  then pot into sterilised jars.

Tips for marmalade making

·        To prevent too much froth in the liquid as it boils, add a knob of butter at the fast-boiling stage.

·        To sterilise jars, place them in a dishwasher or wash carefully in hot, soapy water. Rinse and place them on a tray in a preheated oven at around 150C for 15-20 minutes to dry.

Love it or not?

It’s true to say that love it or hate it, marmalade is a firm favourite as part of a traditional British breakfast with a wide variety of textures to suit all tastes. Seville Oranges are only around at this time of year between late December and early February so don’t delay.

Start the year and banish the January Blues

Now I’ve made my marmalade, I’m ready to take on 2026 and bake my favourite recipes to banish those January blues. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year 2026!

Marmalade Spice Cake

Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding

This is a shorter version of my January 2026 article In praise of homemade

 Marmalade for Yorkshire Bylines.