Hot off the griddle

and there I was wondering what sort of cake to make this weekend...

Happy St David's Day!



It's the law

...to have a honey ice-cream

if you ever find yourself in Aberaeron.

Like the Girl and I did on Monday.

It was our first day "out" since arriving here on Friday:

Not least because the car suspension had complained very loudly about being driven down the track to the cottage and we didn't want to push our luck by driving out again until we really needed to:

This is the view from near the top, by the road (I say road, it has grass growing up the middle and the hedgerow threatens to touch both sides of the car...)

And this is approaching half-way towards homemade cakes and an awaiting Mamgu:

Thank heck there is now a cattle-grid and not a closed gate.  That was always fun when arriving in the dark of winter...

Since we returned, well-fed on welsh cakes, maids of honour and apple tart, the Girl has been a bit busy:

We finally dug out the peg loom (lurking in the office for over a year - ahem) and a table mat was born:

And the next day, the Girl sat herself down with her box of bits and whipped up a little improv embroidery:

Seriously jealous. 

And a little bit worried that the Girl has a box of bits already. Scraps of fabric, the odd button, oddments of thread.  Uhoh.

But I did at least create something the day before we went away:

(I'm the blue one, since then I've unbeaded a bit - I had to finish for the photo in a rush).

A lovely workshop with the lovely Jill Flower.  I've wanted to do the flower workshop for AGES and I finally got the chance!  Hooray! 

Welsh cakes

Not as good as Mamgu's but very tasty anyway!

8oz SR flour, 4oz butter - rub butter into flour as if making pastry.  Add 3oz caster sugar and 3oz sultanas, and a dash of mixed spice (not traditional) then mix in one large egg and bring it all together to make a dough - add a splash of milk if needed.  Roll out to 5mm thickness and cut out rounds (approx 2" diameter).  Heat up a griddle and wipe it lightly with butter - not too much.  Don't get it too ferocious hot.  Cook the welshcakes on the griddle on a GENTLE heat until lightly brown on the underneath, and semi-cooked.  Flip over and brown the other side.  The only way I can tell if they are cooked through is by poking them gently, to see if they've firmed up.  It takes a while to cook them, as you have to be gentle.  Eat them quickly, just as they are, while they are still warm.

NB: The trick is to get them lightly brown yet cooked all the way through.  If the griddle is too hot, they get way too brown before being cooked.  My ones in the photo are too brown, hence not as good as Mamgu's - but she's Welsh and has been doing it for years, and I'm step-daughter so not Welsh.  You have to be born to it.