The Taste of Britain. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
biscuits were a speciality ‘still made in great quantities in Bath, and in which some of the leading houses take great pride’. He observes that there was considerable diversity in the recipes and methods of manufacture, and that the biscuits should be very thin and rich, made with butter only. These statements confirm the biscuits were not as exclusive as legend instructs and cast some doubt on the notion that they were an early version of a health food.
The modern biscuits, still manufactured under the name of Fortt’s Original Bath Olivers, but no longer owned by Cater, Stoffell & Fortt, are probably rather different to those known at the beginning of the last century. Various sources agree that they required great care, and possessed distinctive characteristics: they wanted a well-leavened dough, thorough kneading, and were dried in a warm cupboard for 30 minutes, then baked in a slack (cool) oven (Simon, 1960); a special bowed rolling pin was used, so that the biscuits were thinner in the middle than at the edge; there was a singular method for docking (pricking) the dough which required 2 biscuits placed faces together, pricked, and pulled apart again; they should burn a little in the middle during baking ‘which is correct for a good Oliver’ (Law, c. 1895).
The chocolate-coated version has been made since at least the 1960s.
TECHNIQUE:
The recipe used for Fortt’s Bath Olivers is a trade secret; the ingredient list shows the biscuits are still yeast-leavened and contain butter; other ingredients are wheat flour, milk, animal fat, salt, malt extract, hops, and an antioxidant (E320). A commercial recipe for craft bakers calls for flour and butter in the ratio 4:1. The flour and butter are rubbed together and made into a stiff dough with milk in which a little sugar and yeast have been dissolved; a little salt is added. They rise for 90 minutes; the dough is kneaded with a brake until smooth; it is rested before being rolled to a thickness of about 3mm and cut into rounds of the appropriate size; these are docked and allowed to rest. They are baked at 190°C until gold and crisp.
REGION OF PRODUCTION:
SOUTH ENGLAND, FORMERLY BATH (SOMERSET).
Blueberry Pie (Double-Crust Fruit Pie)
DESCRIPTION:
DOUBLE-CRUST PIES MADE WITH SHORT-CRUST PASTRY AND A FRUIT FILLING ARE DISTINCTIVELY BRITISH. DIMENSIONS, FLAVOUR AND APPEARANCE WILL DEPEND ENTIRELY ON THE MAKER: WHETHER LARGE OR INDIVIDUAL PIES, COOKED ON A PLATE OR IN A DEEP DISH, IN FOIL CASINGS, AND SO ON. A WIDE RANGE OF FRUITS MAY BE USED AS FILLING: THE COMMONEST ARE APPLE, ALONE OR COMBINED WITH SPICES, DRIED FRUIT OR BLACKBERRIES; OTHERS, ESPECIALLY RHUBARB, GOOSEBERRIES, PLUMS AND CHERRIES, ARE USED. IN THE NORTH, THIS IS SOMETIMES MADE IN A THINNER VERSION CALLED A ‘PLATE PIE’, OR IT MAY BE MADE RELATIVELY DEEP AND A THIRD LAYER OF PASTRY ADDED BETWEEN 2 FRUIT LAYERS IN THE FILLING.
HISTORY:
Pies have long been a favourite dish in Britain. The word has been in the language since at least the start of the fourteenth century. There are many recipes and almost any edible item seems at one time or another, to have been put between 2 layers of pastry and baked in the oven. Sweet fruit pies have been known since at least the seventeenth century, when Murrell (1638) gave recipes for ‘tarts’ of pippins (apples) flavoured with spices, orange zest and rose water; tarts of gooseberries or cherries are also cited. These were similar to modern pies, requiring a double crust, with sugar scattered over the surface before baking.
Fillings varied according to availability of fruit. Apple was probably the most popular, cherries were used in Kent and Buckinghamshire (Mabey, 1978). The blueberry pies now available in Dorset come within this genus of dishes, although their fruit filling is of a more recent tradition, imported in fact from North America (Davidson, 1991). The bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) is a bush that grows on acid soils in northern Europe. In Scotland it is known as whinberry (because it grows amidst whin, or gorse) or blaeberry and in Ireland, and in North-East England it is also known as blaeberry (blae means blue). Whortleberries are closely related.
Florence White (1932) records bilberry pies in Yorkshire. Bilberries were available for anyone who cared to pick them in many heathland areas along the south coast, in Wales, the Pennines and in Scotland. Gathering bilberries from the wild is time-consuming and the preserve of enthusiasts; recently, interest in using them as a local speciality in hotels has been rekindled in mid-Wales.
TECHNIQUE:
Short-crust pastry is prepared from flour and fat in the ratio 2:1. Lard is the preferred fat, making a crisp pastry. A mixture of lard and butter is sometimes used to give more flavour whilst retaining the shortness. Fruit is prepared; a portion of pastry is rolled 5mm thick and used to line the pie dish; the fruit, sugar and any other flavourings are placed in this; another disc of pastry is used to cover the top, and the edges are sealed. The top may be sugared or decorated. Pies are baked at 220°C for 10-15 minutes, then at 180°C for 30 minutes.
REGION OF PRODUCTION:
SOUTH WEST ENGLAND, DORSET, THOUGH DOUBLE-CRUST PIE MADE WITH FRUIT OTHER THAN BLUEBERRIES IS PRODUCED NATIONWIDE.
Colston Bun
DESCRIPTION:
A ROUND BUN RING MARKED INTO 8 WEDGES; 140MM DIAMETER, 30-40MM DEEP. WEIGHT: ABOUT 250-300G. COLOUR: GOLDEN BROWN, WITH A GLAZED SURFACE, CREAM INTERIOR.
FLAVOUR: SWEET, WITH LEMON AND SPICE.
HISTORY:
The Colston bun is a popular teabread in Bristol. It is said to have gained its name from Edward Colston (1636-1721), a merchant who made a fortune trading with the West Indies. He founded an almshouse and a school, now a charitable trust administered by the Society of Merchant Venturers. The connection between Colston and the bun is through this trust. Each November, to commemorate the grant of the Charter to the Merchant Venturers, a service is held in the Cathedral attended by the pupils of Colston School. After the service, they are given a small currant bun (called the ha’penny starver), a Colston bun, and a 10 pence piece (the modern British coin based on the old silver florin). Of the 2 buns, it is said the smaller is for the child to consume immediately, and the larger to be taken home to share among the family.
The marked divisions on the top of the bun suggests a connection with the old-fashioned enriched breads known as wigs or whigs (see Hawkshead wigs p. 232), which were also marked in sections. Variant names are Colston ring or ring bun. The ha’penny starver was made with the same dough. They are made today by most craft bakers in the city.
TECHNIQUE:
The recipe calls for flour and butter in the proportions 8:1. The yeast is set to work with sugar and flour in a little warm milk for about 30 minutes; in the meantime, the butter is rubbed into the flour, together with a little sweet spice (cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg), plus grated lemon rind and a little dried fruit and candied peel; then the yeast mixture is stirred in, plus enough warm milk to produce a coherent dough. After rising, shaping, proving and marking, the buns are baked at 220°C for 20-25 minutes. They are glazed with sugar syrup whilst still warm.
REGION OF PRODUCTION:
SOUTH WEST ENGLAND, BRISTOL.
Cornish Fairing
DESCRIPTION:
A ROUGHLY CIRCULAR BISCUIT, 50MM DIAMETER, 7MM THICK. WEIGHT: 20G. COLOUR: DARK BROWN WITH AN IRREGULAR, ROUGH SURFACE. FLAVOUR: SWEET, DISTINCTLY SPICY.
HISTORY:
A Cornish fairing is a ginger biscuit of a type long associated with fairs in the South West. Some speculate that the name fairing means a ring-shaped biscuit sold at a fair, but most authorities agree that it