Hilda Mary Askham (nee Briggs),
taken about 1923

Some of my grandmother's recipes

Sorting through my mother's effects, I've come across several of her mother's recipe books.  Inside these, on tiny scraps of notebooks or bits of envelopes, are several fruit cake recipes.  

These mostly date from the early 1950s.  It's is surprising that she felt she needed to collect new recipes as, during the inter-war years, she was a farmer's wife.  Traditionally farmers' wives were excellent cooks who spent a great deal of time cooking for the family and any farm workers. 

Apparently, in those days, there were two live-in farm workers, plus a girl who helped my grandmother.*  Added to this there were seasonal works, such as travellers.  So there were always lots of people to cook for.  

Here are some of her fruit cake and other recipes from those small scraps of paper:

8 May 1953

• 2oz Self-raising Flour
• 16 oz Cake Mixture! (perhaps dried fruit?)
• 7 oz Margarine
• 6 oz Sugar
• 1 dssp Lemon Curd
• 2 beaten Eggs
• 4 tbsp Milk

Cook in papered tin for 1 - 1.5 hours in oven about 2 Regulo.

Recipe from another contributor

5 May 1952

• 1 oz Self-raising Flour
• 7 good weight mixture of fruit etc
• 3 oz Fat, creamed with 3 oz Sugar
• 1 beaten Egg
• 2 dssp Milk

Cook 50 mins in flat tin.


No date

• 2 oz Margarine
• 2 oz Caster Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 3 oz Self-raising Flour
• Jam (lemon or apricot)
• 2 tbsp Water
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

Bake in papered and greased tin for about 20 mins at Mark 5.

13 January 1961

• 2 oz Self-raising Flour
• 1/4 tsp Carb Soda
• 16 oz Cake Mixture (mixed fruit?)
• 3 oz Margarine
• 3 oz Sugar
• 1 dssp Lemon Curd
• 2 beaten Eggs
• 1 tbsp Milk

Bake in greased and papered loaf tin.

Reg 4 for 1 for 1.5 hours.

Leave to cool in tin.

Victoria Sandwich

• 2 Eggs
• Their weight (in the shells) in Butter and Sugar and Self-raising Flour

Beat butter and sugar

Add eggs one and a time.

Then add flour.

Put into 2 x 7" greased and floured sandwich tins.

Bake at Mark 5 for 20 - 25 minutes.

When cold sandwich together.

Plum Bread

• 1.5 lb Self-raising Flour
• 12 oz Sugar
• 2 oz Yeast
• 6 oz Sultanas
• 8 oz Margarine
• 40 Cherries
• 6 oz Raisins
• 4 oz Mixed Peel
• 12 oz Currants
• 1 pint warm Milk

Rub fat into dry ingredients.
Blend 1 tsp sugar with yeast and warm milk.
Divide into two loaf tins.
Bake at Mar 2 for 2.5 - 3 hours.

Ginger Apple Preserve

• 4 lbs Apple
• 1 pint Water
• i oz Preserved Ginger
• 3 Lemons (rind and juice)
• 3 lbs Sugar (white)

Boil till soft, stirring constantly.

22 May 1959
Yorkshire Parkin

• 4 oz medium Oatmeal
• 4 oz plain Flour
• 1/4 oz ground Ginger
• 1 dssp Milk
• 1 oz Lard
• 1 oz Margarine
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Carbonate Soda
• 1/2 lb Treacle (8oz)

Mix flour, oatmeal, sugar and ginger.
Put treacle, lard, margarine, carbonate soda in pan with milk and warm.
Add to dry ingredients and beat well until smooth.
Put into greased lined tn and bake in slow oven for about 1 hour: Reg 3 for 30 minutes, then Reg 2 for 30 minutes.

Sandwich Cake

• 4 level tbsp Sugar (kitchen)
• 10 tbsp SR flour
• 2 oz Margarine
• 1 Egg
• 4 tbsp cold Milk
• FIR BONS THE SAME? I haven't worked this out yet
• 3 oz dried Fruit

Chidren rushing to buy sweets once they came off rationing
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/5/newsid_2737000/2737731.stm

6 December 1956
Plum Cake

• 8 oz castor Sugar
• 8 oz Butter
• 8 oz plain Flour
• 4 large Eggs
• 8 oz Currants
• 8 oz Sun Maid Raisins
• (2 oz Lemon or Orange Peel)
• (3 oz Holly Brand Raisins (minced))
• 1 oz ground Almonds
• 1 tsp Lemon Curd
• 2 tsp Run Essence (she was teetotal, so you could perhaps use rum itself)

Bake in papered and greased tin
Reg 2 for 1.5 hours
Reg 1 for 1.5 hours

November 1953

Xmas Cake

• 8 oz Butter
• 8 oz Sugar
• 8 oz plain Flour
• 3 oz ground Almonds
• 5 well beaten Eggs
• 1 lb Currants
• 12 oz Sun Maid raisins
• 2 oz minced mixed Peel
• Flavouring if liked

Bake in well greased papered tin for 2 hours at Reg 2, then 1 hr Reg 5.
Leave in tin until next day.

Raspberry (fruit any) Round

• 3.5 oz SR Flour
• 1/2 oz Cornflour
• 4 oz Margarine
• 4 oz Sugar
• 2 Eggs

Great and line two 7" sandwich tins.
Bake at Mark 5 Reg for 25 minutes.
(does this mean the two cakes are sandwiched together with raspberry jam?)

Carnation Milk Jelly Sponge

• 1 small tin Fruit
• 1 pint Jelly
• 1 small tin Carnation Milk

Dissolve jelly in a little hot water.
Make up to 3/4 of a pint with fruit juice.
Pour about 2" jelly in mold.
Cool rest of jelly.
Whisk Carnation  to twice its bulk.
Whisk together cold jelly and cream.
Put in some fruit on jelly in mold.
Then add whisked cream and jelly to mold and cool til set.


Rationing for fruit ended 19 May 1950 - nearly five years after the end of the war.  It was not until 1954 that all rationing instigated during the war was finally abolished. See: http://www.cooksinfo.com/british-wartime-food

Part of my father's ration book for 1942
unused as he was very ill that week

* It was interesting because the farmhouse had two staircases.  The two live-in farm workers used the back stairs and the family, and the girl helper, used the front stairs.  Segregation of the sexes for safety, I presume.

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I'm very excited (well it doesn't take much!) as have found some more ancestors: ones which I'd given up hope of ever finding.  

We didn't know very much about my grandmother, Bunty's, family.  All she said was that she lost contact with them when they emigrated to Australia in about 1920.  And that all her photos had been lost when they moved down to Cornwall in 1925......

She said that her mother had married again and subsequently had a son, Frank (after whom Bunty named her second son, my uncle Frank);  my grandmother also said that her mother was called Florence, the same as her - not a great deal to go on.  

But, thanks to a very helpful relative, I've now been able to trace her mother's birth certificate (a different name from on her marriage certificate, thus the confusion).

Using free bmd and also Ancestry at the library we've been able to find out about Bunty's grandmother.  We didn't realise that she had a daughter out of wedlock (Bunty's mother) and we also didn't realise that she subsequently married and had a daughter.  Unfortunately the daughter died in the 1960s with no issue so we can't find out any more information than these bare bones at present:

Annie Greenslade (Bunty’s grandmother)

Born: 4 December 1863 at 2 Clarendon Cottages, Hornsey

Parents: James Greenslade, Clerk at the Metropolitan Board of Works and Annie (nee Laman) 

Married: 20 June 1895 Hornsey: (Edmonton 3a/487)

Charles Henry Edward West, and  Annie Eliza Greenslade, 
Witnesses: Marian Emma Greenslade and Charles West.

Children: 

1. Florence Gasper Greenslade born 1879, ond 2a/567, out of wedlock (Bunty’s mother) No mention on 1911 census.  (this is my grandmother's mother, who I was told was  called Florence Violet Gasper, so no wonder I couldn't trace it)
2. Mabel Marian West, b 26.4.1897, Edmonton, London.

1871 Census:  6 Willow Walk, Hornsey: with parents

1881 Census:  7 Vernon Terrace, Long Lane, Barnet, Finchley: with parents.

AND
1881 Census: (probably) 78 Blenheim Crescent, Kensington

Florence Greenslade:, age 1 yr, illegitimate, no mention of mother.

1891 Census: 9b Marine Parade, Brighton (lodging house)
Harriott West, wife, m, 70, b Bermondsey (prob d later that year)

Annie E Greenslade, visitor, s, 27, b Hornsey

Jemima West, visitor, 10, b Hackney

1901 Census:  Tranmere, Muswell Road, Wood Geen

Chas H E West, h, m, 32, surveyor lane agent, employer, b shoreditch; Annie E, 37, b hornsey, wife; 
Mabel M, 3, daughter, b hornsey

1911 Census: 33 Creighton Avenue, Muswell Hill, 10 rooms, two servants.

Charles Henry Edward West, head, 42, m 15 yrs. Surveyor and property agent, employer, b Hackney rd NE; 
Annie Eliza West, wife, 47, 1 ch born, 1 alive (!);

Mabel Marian West, daughter, 13, school, b Crouch End.

May have died 1958 Hastings, aged 94?  
Charles may have died Battle, 1948 aged 79

Mabel’s death (Found on Ancestry June 2015)

Mabel Marian West, spinster late of ‘Combewood’ St Helens Park Road, Hastings, Sussex, died there on 29 May 1966 (estate about £4,300). 

The kin of the above named are requested to apply to the Treasury Solicitor (BV), 35 Old Queen Street, Westminster, London SWl.  T 7 D Ext 17.7.1967; Crt mg 6.9.1967; Cit lg 31.10.1967

Daughter of Charles Henry Edward West ... surveyor and annie eliza west was Greenslade.

Born 26.4.1897 at 77 Cecile Park Couch End, Hornsey

Reg father same add .... Edmonton J/189 3a/210

Died as she domiciled in Eng. Admson (save and except settlement land)

10.11.1967 to ... £4,357.

(Mabel died aged 69 according to free bmd)

Going back to Annie's parents I've found:

James Greenslade 

Born: 1831?; Parents: James Greenslade ?

Married:  1862  Annie Laman (prob died 1917 Barnet)

Children:

Annie b 1863

James b 1866
Marion E b 1870
Alice E b 1872

Died: probably 1912 Barnet

   

1871 Census:  6 Willow Walk, Hornsey

James Greenslade, 40, Clerk to the Board of Works, Annie, 39;

Annie E, 7; James L, 5; Marion E, 1;

Edward C Laman, 71, retired butcher (father in law)

1881 Census:  7 Vernon Terrace, Long Lane, Barnet, Finchley

James, 50, Clerk Metropolitan Board of Works; Annie, 49;

Annie, 17; James L, 15; Marion, 11; Alice, 9.

1891 Census: yet to be found

1901 Census: Stanhope House, Finchley.

James, 70, retired clerk, London CC; Annie, 69.

Marion E, 31; Alice, 29.

1911 Census: Stanhope House, King Street, E Finchley

James, 79, A clerk under London City Council; Annie, 79;

Marion, 41.

4 children born, 4 survived.

Wife: Annie Laman 

Born: 1831

Parents: Edward Claridge Laman and Margaret Calvert

Died: prob died 1917 Barnet