Another contemporary illustration from my latest cookery book - this time it's 18th century. Funnily enough, a customer (who I think I have mentioned recently) from years ago who has a nice old house in Dorset, has recently asked me to make a stone fire-surround of about this size, with a carved panel above depicting pears and pear-trees in the 17th century style. It's been years since I made a fire-place, now I have 3 to make, 2 of which are going into a house in Soho, London, in a street where I replaced many of the 18th century fire-places, and one house is so beautifully and originally restored that it is now used as film-sets for period drama. You have probably seen my stuff on the screen many times, and not known that this was the work of Charlie Farnsbarns.
I am still slightly fuming about being told what I should or should not write by a commenter of two posts ago, and I thought I had drawn a line under it with 'Revolution' last night. I don't know - maybe the guy is a peace negotiator in real life? I cannot imagine that he would last long in an armed siege situation, though. I think if he started shouting his opinion about where I went wrong and how I got myself into the stupid situation in the first place, I would be training the cross-hairs of my telescopic sight right down the end of his megaphone. Right... deep breaths...
Bath Cakes
Take a pound of butter, and rub it into an equal weight of flour, with a spoonful of good barm. Warm some cream, and make it into a light paste. Set it to the fire to rise, and when you make them up, take four ounces of caraway comfits, work part of them in, and strew the rest on top. Make them into a round cake, the size of a French roll. Bake them on sheet tins, and they will eat well for breakfast, or at tea in the afternoon.
John Farley, 1783.
There you have it - the secret of Bath's internationally famous confection laid naked before you so that you don't have to travel a thousand miles or more to experience the genteel quintessence of Jane Austen's home town, though you might have to give Sally Lunn's a call just to find out what 'barm' and 'caraway comfits' are. No mention of yeast, though. Strange. Just a minute...
Relax, Tom, it's all fine now that Jacqueline of 'Home' has found you. She is the wisest woman on the Internet, including China, and her kind presence will ensure that a benign grace settles over proceedings here (!!! haha)
ReplyDeleteCOMPLIANT:
ReplyDeleteI've just followed the recipe to the letter', Tom, for the said 'Bath Cakes' only to find that they do not disintegrate or disperse in the hot water at all.
Nor do they smell very nice when I'm in the bath.
Really, Tom, if your going to bother doing these posts then please get it right.
Yours.
Mr. Angry
c/o Saxondale Mental Health Unit.
PS
ReplyDeleteI am so angry I can't spell the word COMPLAINT!!!
Oh, I thought you were just being compliant by following the recipe to the letter, Chris. I can only surmise that you didn't let them rise for long enough before getting into the bath. Also, I did not think that I needed to tell you that in order to take an authentic Georgian bath, a little rose-water should be added to the water to overwhelm the stench of barm.
ReplyDeleteI think the the sage, Jacqueline, had latched on some time ago, Mise. The trouble is that she began membering at exactly the same time as the other Jacqueline (she with the sister who sees beauty in almost everything) stormed off in a huff because of some other insensitive comment I had made, and I didn't notice her leaving, or the wise one turning up. Now I know. I thought there had been a dramatic character transformation at the time.
I didn't know that I'd been ' membering ' .....I never felt a thing !!!! haha !
ReplyDeleteSage I am not and fear that I cannot live up to the wit and banter that goes on here but, I really enjoy reading it and you, Cro and Chris give me a good old laugh every morning.....just go easy on the membering!!
It's not as painful as it sounds, Jacqueline. These days, if someone stops following you, it's called 'dismembering'. (!!!! haha)
ReplyDelete( lol )
ReplyDeleteFrom whence would one obtain a spoone-ful of ye olde Barm; other than scraping it off the top of Chris's bath.
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued and a little bit bamboozled by barms and non-compliant bath cakes.
ReplyDeleteBut most of all by the minor bloggy shitstorm. Don't let the megaphones bother you Tom ("They're everywhere! They're everywhere!")
... And so sorry to hear about your dog, John. They do sneak into your heart.
I would like it noted in the minutes that I have NEVER used the term lol or :) or :( or anything similar. Just !!!! and haha and maybe a hoho around December.
ReplyDeleteI am very interested that you are making stone fireplaces......I would love a Charlie Farnsbarns original in my house. Our house is late Victorian, so we have lots of cast iron ones.
I'd quite like to have a go at the Bath Cakes but I don't think Tesco sell caraway comfits. Mind you, I expect Waitrose have them.
Pretty touchy for a man who likes to call a spade a spade, but isn't that always the way.
ReplyDeleteGo and look up what a fucking spade is called, Dan, then come back and tell me how I should pronounce the word. Your 'wiser than thou' comments are beginning to get up my nose. Why don't you fuck off?
ReplyDelete(!!!! ha ha lol)
ReplyDeleteHaving lost one Jacqueline, Tom, you should treasure the second and make a stone fireplace for her.
ReplyDeleteA very good idea, Mise. All she has to do is send me a deposit of £1000, then the balance of £5000 upon completion. Easy peasy.
ReplyDeleteI see I have picked up another 'member' tonight (81) but this may be only John 'remembering' himself after a short absence.
Aren't there special ' member ' terms on stone fireplaces ?
ReplyDeleteyes I am back
ReplyDeletelife too short
but tom
you remain a twat
albeit it occassionally
Oh dear, I'm really confused now...are you Charlie or Tom then!!!!! have a great weekend, whatever you call yourself. Sue x
ReplyDeleteTwat 'twas ever thus. (Know what the definition for the old English word. 'twat' is? 'A hole in in a hedge which it is possible to squeeze through'. I.E. - a cunt.)
ReplyDeleteI do love you John, honestly. Mates will accept anything without complaint, friends will complain. I am sorry for my insensitive remarks, but I will keep making them - and that's a promise.
just not about my dogs again thomas
ReplyDeleteif you do, I will have to kill you
with one of your own candlesticks
Huff?..lost?
ReplyDeleteWhat are you talking about?
Woof, lost.
ReplyDeleteI am laughing out load....
ReplyDeleteGlad the John is Back. Now if you can just piss off Dan completely and get rid of him, your blog is back to normal....
I'm trying, Raz, but his skin is thicker than the average mental health worker's!!!! (ha ha lol)
ReplyDelete