You may or may not know this but I am in fact Cornish. A lot of people don't usually assume this about me as I don't really have a strong Cornish accent, or one at all really! I do however love a good Cornish pasty; a stroll along a blustery harbour (got to love the wind-swept look!); the miles of golden sandy beaches, Cornish ice cream..the list goes on! So this week, in aid of my Cornish heritage, I made some traditional Cornish Fairings. These biscuits are ginger-y in flavour, usually crunchy and very very more-ish! In Cornwall, the company Furniss are the only ones who hold the trademark for the original traditional fairings recipe.
Apparently they were used to be given as a treat to children or by men to their sweethearts! Well, I wouldn't mind being given a fairing or two if they're on offer!
The funny thing about this recipe is.. please don't be too disappointed, but it's actually a local recipe from the Tuffley and Whaddon WI, about only 8 miles down the road from me in Cheltenham! I found the recipe in a book I bought not so long ago in Stroud, called Gleanings from Gloucestershire Housewives, which is compiled with recipes donated by women from WI groups in the Gloucestershire area. The book I believe was published in 1948, so some of the recipe inside are pretty vintage, but you know, recipes don't usually change a lot; they usually only get tweaked to our liking!
A little bit of science
The recipes uses melted margarine instead of creaming it, which gives the biscuits a chewier, denser texture whilst still remaining crunchy.
Anywho, enough chit-chatting - Happy Baking Cornish/Gloucestershire style!
Apparently they were used to be given as a treat to children or by men to their sweethearts! Well, I wouldn't mind being given a fairing or two if they're on offer!
The funny thing about this recipe is.. please don't be too disappointed, but it's actually a local recipe from the Tuffley and Whaddon WI, about only 8 miles down the road from me in Cheltenham! I found the recipe in a book I bought not so long ago in Stroud, called Gleanings from Gloucestershire Housewives, which is compiled with recipes donated by women from WI groups in the Gloucestershire area. The book I believe was published in 1948, so some of the recipe inside are pretty vintage, but you know, recipes don't usually change a lot; they usually only get tweaked to our liking!
A little bit of science
The recipes uses melted margarine instead of creaming it, which gives the biscuits a chewier, denser texture whilst still remaining crunchy.
Anywho, enough chit-chatting - Happy Baking Cornish/Gloucestershire style!
Ingredients
113g/4oz plain flour
56g/2 oz caster sugar
56g/2 oz margarine
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp salt
Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees/180 fan. Sieve all your dry ingredients.
2. Melt the margarine and syrup in a pan on a medium heat.
3. Add to your dry ingredients and mix together until a dough has formed.
4. Roll into tiny littles balls and place on a greased baking tray nicely spaced out.
Side note - please excuse my baking tray!! I do have a nicer one but I realised it was in the dishwasher! That is my tray from my uni days...! Oh well, it's the rustic look, you know..
5. Bake on the top shelf for 6 minutes. Move to a lower shelf after and bake for 3 minutes more, until they begin to flop and crack. They'll appear flat and golden brown when done. Take out of the oven and leave to harden for a few minutes and then cool in a wire rack.
Serve with a nice cuppa!
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