“Muffins, teacakes, tea rolls, morning rolls, batch rolls, stottie cakes, wigs, birdies, huffkins, oven-bottom muffins, baps and cobs... It says something about us as a race, doesn't it? (But, frankly, I'm not sure what.) HORACE DAVIDSON, Ripon” LetterPastriesBunsRollsEnglish FoodBreads Book:Good Taste Source: Good Taste
“I'm sure you are aware of the history of the Crusaders bringing spices and dried fruits back to England. While these would have been luxuries at first, with the establishment of regular trade routes, spiced cakes would eventually become affordable treats for the common people, and were often associated with the festivals of the religious calendar. Spiced buns, marked with a cross, were being eaten on Good Friday in the fourteenth century, the origin of our Hot Cross Buns, and there are also many local peculiarities linking spices, currants and the church. Banbury cakes, baked for the town's St. Luke's Day fair, are made in an oval shape to signify the cradle of the baby Jesus... REV. SAMUEL WAVERLEY, Banbury” SpicesLetterCrossBunsCakesEnglish FoodChristian HistoryCrusadersSpicedHot Cross Buns Book:Good Taste Source: Good Taste
“I am pleased to enclose my mother's recipe for Maids-of-Honor. She made beautiful pastry, such a light touch, and this was a great treat in my childhood. She liked to tell us that this cake dates back to Henry VIII's time (he was fond of his maids, wasn't he?) and that the original recipe is padlocked inside an iron box in Richmond Palace. Could that be true? CHARLES WEST, Surrey” CakeRumorLetterMaidsHenry Viii Book:Good Taste Source: Good Taste