Of Simon, Nell and Simnel cakes

 I haven't been a pious Christian since I was 6, Lent only means one thing to me, I will have a birthday soon. Easter wasn't something I particularly looked forward to, and I was surprisingly unimpressed with the overly sweet milk chocolate eggs the easter bunny brought me. Nor did I enjoy the big family gatherings as they always resulted into political debates, and dispute. It is most certainly the reason for my aversion to politics and politicians.

This year I'm celebrating the day of my birth, the day before mothering sunday. It is a day not connected to any other mothers day traditions in Europe or America. Mothering sunday was the day that the girls working as domestic servants or apprentices were given the day off to visit their mother, bringing her gifts, like perhaps a Simnel cake. Why it was a custom at mid-lent is not clear, maybe because at easter the servants couldn't be missed in the large manor houses who would most probably have large Downton Abbey style parties. Another theory is that of coming home to visit the mother church, which appeared to be believed an important custom in pre-Reformation England. 

On Mothering Sunday, the fasting rules were put on hold for the day resulting in the day also being known as a Refreshment Sunday, the other one being celebrated during Advent.

The earliest of references to a Simnel cake I was able to find and verify was in a poem of Robert Herrick (1591-1674)

To Dianeme.  
A Ceremonie in Glocester.

I’le to thee a Simnell bring,

Gainst thou go’st a mothering,

So that, when she blesseth thee,

Half that blessing thou’lt give me. 

Here states the tradition that the cake was given when people went Mothering, what is now assumed as going to visit their mother for mothering sunday but what well could have been a reference to the pre-Reformation tradition of visiting the mother church.

At some time along the way of time the legend of Simon and Nell appeared. A story most people have heard from their grandparents.

This legend tells the tale of an old Shropshire couple Simon and Nell. Nell had some leftover unleavened dough for bread making during Lent. Simon reminded her of the last of the christmas plum pudding as the Lenten dough would make a tasteless treat. Nell as a frugal woman didn't want to waste a thing in the kitchen so it was decided to create a cake for when their children would return home for mothering.

Then a dispute arose about the method of baking the cake which Simon wanted to mould and bake while Nell was convinced it should be boiled. Though some versions tell the tale the other way around and claim that Simon wanted it to be boiled since it was a pudding, and puddings should be boiled.

To solve the disagreement which resulted in throwing a baking stool at Simon, it was decided that the cake should first be boiled, and then baked. And from then on the cake was named SimNell.

A beautiful piece of English Folk lore but it is not sure when the legend was first told.

Watercress and Trout Pie - Fit for a Watercress Queen

Let me tell you a story about a strong independent woman, a working class woman who became one of the most iconic figures in British food history. Her name was Eliza James and she was called 'The Watercress Queen'.
In the late 1800, the little Eliza went from factory to factory in Birmingham with her bunches of wild watercress. As 'the poor man's bread' was so popular with the working class she soon started to sell larger and larger quantities. She worked her way up and moved her business to London where she soon became the favoured supplier of nearly all the London restaurants and hotels. She was able to acquire watercress farms in Hampshire and Surrey making her the biggest owner of watercress farms in Europe. But even when she became part of a well-to-do class, she remained to work at her Covent Garden stall for over 50 years.
Steve - who you might remember from last weeks post - explained that Eliza founded the James & Son company and trade marked the name Vitacress, the name Vitacress was then sold on to Malcolm Isaac who founded Vitacress Salads which is the name of the company today. Eliza's Hampshire farms are still producing watercress to this day and are still a part of Vitacress. The farm I visited was one of the original farms and made me think about Eliza James and her hard work. I think she deserved her title and isn't it just one of the most romantic stories of a working class woman trying to build an emporium out of watercress, to do well by herself and her family.

Hot Cross Buns through Paganism, Christianity and Superstition.

The tradition of baking bread marked with a cross is linked to paganism as well as Christianity. The pagan Saxons would bake cross buns at the beginning of spring in honour of the goddess Eostre - most likely being the origin of the name Easter. The cross represented the rebirth of the world after winter and the four quarters of the moon, as well as the four seasons and the wheel of life.

The Christians saw the Crucifixion in the cross bun and, as with many other pre-Christian traditions, replaced their pagan meaning with a Christian one - the resurrection of Christ at Easter.

According to Elizabeth David, it wasn't until Tudor times that it was permanently linked to Christian celebrations. During the reign of Elizabeth I, the London Clerk of Markets issued a decree forbidding the sale of spiced buns except at burials, at Christmas or on Good Friday.

The first recorded reference to ‘hot’ cross buns was in ‘Poor Robin’s Almanac’ in the early 1700s:
‘Good Friday come this month, the old woman runs. With one or two a penny hot cross buns.’

This satirical rhyme was also probably the inspiration of the commonly known street vendors cry:

‘Hot cross buns, hot cross buns!
One ha’penny, two ha’penny, hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters, give them to your sons,
One ha’penny, two ha’penny, hot cross buns!’

The Widows Son. Copyright Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archive - posted with permission

A century later the belief behind the hot cross bun starts to get a superstitious rather than a religious meaning.

Asparagus ribbons and pomegranate pearls salad

Spring is finally here.

The trees are parading their lovely blossoms and the days are starting to get longer again.

The thing I love most about spring are the colors, the vibrant green of the new leaves on the trees and plants. The scent of flowers and the snow of blossoms when the wind blows through the trees.

I enjoy sitting in the garden enjoying the first rays of sun, wearing a warm jumper and big scarf. I'm reading a cookbook and the leaves of the Magnolia flowers are tumbling down on the pages of my book like bookmarks pointing out delicious recipes.

It's quite chilly, apart from the blossoms the branches of the trees are still bare and showing off their slender forms.

I run inside with rosy cheeks and try to create spring on a plate.

The first green, the first flowers.

This dish is spring for me, welcoming one of my favourite veg: the green asparagus.

Green asparagus aren't easy to come by where I' from. Mostly they are imported from Peru so I can only buy them the few times I can find them from local farms. There are loads of white asparagus, but I crave for the green ones. Asparagus grow red berries which are poisonous so here we have the pomegranate pearls to accompany the asparagus in color and in taste giving some acidity to the dish.

What do you need (serves 2-4)

1 bunch of green asparagus

half a cucumber

half a pomegranate

a bunch of Rucola

a handful of parmesan shavings

some good quality olive oil

Method

Use your mandolin or hand slicer to create ribbons from the asparagus.

You can use a knife, but try to slice it as thinly as possible.

Slice the cucumber into thin discs.

Wash you Rucola and arrange on a plate.

Remove the pearls from the pomegranate.

Boil salted water and blanch the asparagus, have a bowl with cold water standing by.

Remove the asparagus after you counted slowly to 10.

Add to the cold water to stop them cooking.

Arrange the slices of cucumber over the Rucola.

Dry the ribbons with some kitchen paper and arrange over the cucumber.

Sprinkle the pomegranate pearls over the dish.

Add the parmesan shavings

Drizzle some nice olive oil over the salad.

All done!

Lovely with a dry but flowery white wine.

Enjoy!

Next week I have a guest post for you!

Please leave a comment, I love reading them!