Bara Brith/Quick Chick Pie

At last the sunshine has decided to stay for a bit longer than an hour - we have had some all day! Although it is still cold, just looking out the window at the sun makes you feel better.

Last night I started preparing a Bara Brith - welsh tea bread. I have always known it as this, but know that tea bread is made in all parts of the country. R's Nan made a very nice one here in Kent. The first time I wrote about it this year, was back in January...

Bara Brith

Overnight I have been soaking 12oz dried fruit (raisins and sultanas this time) with 3oz caster sugar (I use the vanilla infused one) and 7 floz of cold black tea.

This morning I add 1 egg and 8oz of sifted self-raising flour. I mix it thoroughly and pop into a buttered 2 lb loaf tin. It is baked at 170˚C for 1 hour 15 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean.

This is my version of fruit loaf, or Bara Brith, which my mother handed down to me.

As a child, I regularly went with my parents to visit my grandparents in Wales. Whilst there, we would make a visit to my Great-Aunt Sis and her husband Uncle Ted. They ran a farm on the welsh hillside. I remember the visit with fondness, but my thoughts are linked with food, I realised recently.

We entered the farmhouse through the kitchen, which I thought at the time was quite small. Perhaps it was just so full of people, it just felt cosy. In comparison, the parlour was HUGE! It was there we ate freshly prepared welsh cakes and homemade Bara Brith.

After tea and these Welsh delicacies, I would edge my way past the ferocious pack of sheepdogs, dance around the grumpy turkey and head towards the hayloft to search for eggs. Always tricky to find, and you had to be careful where you climbed, I always came away triumphant. It seems funny now that I don’t actually remember what happened to the eggs, but my natural thought and thinking how kind Auntie Sis was, leads me to think I got to take them home for breakfast.

As our visits usually took place in the summer holidays, my last trip around the farm would be to Uncle Ted’s veggie plot, where he would produce perfect little green peas straight from the pod for us to snack on. What memories! Time, I think, to search out a traditional recipe for Welshcakes…

Today, I have made a change by adding a handful of broken walnuts to the mix and at other times I have used orange juice instead of tea. Simple adaptations make for variety and surprise so you can be creative! This bread is great for a teatime snack, or an option for packed lunches. Because of the lack of fat, you can have it buttered, but I like my quite plain, especially when it is still warm from the oven.

Oh, and I still need to make those Welshcakes...!

                                        Mmmm.... First slice is always the best!

A late lunch is needed today - H and I are at the theatre tonight :-D 

I had some cooked chicken legs in the freezer, which I defrosted overnight. The meat will be the base of a quick chicken pie. This is a version I made in January:

Quick Chick pie

Leftover meat from yesterday’s roast

Bacon from yesterday’s roast

½ pack button mushrooms, halved

1/2 onion, diced

200g cream cheese

handful peas

juice of ½ lemon

Fry the onion in 2 tbsp oil and 1 tsp butter, over a medium heat.

Add mushrooms and cook until browned slightly.

Stir in the peas and then the cream cheese. Let this melt over a low heat until it becomes a creamy sauce.

Turn off the heat and add the chicken and bacon.

Stir in a squeeze of lemon juice and pour the mixture into a pie dish.

Using shop-bought puff pastry, roll out a top roughly to the right size (definitely bigger!). Wet the edge of the dish to help the pastry ‘stick’ and lay the pastry over the dish. Don’t cut the edges, but fold them up onto the edge, like the ruffle on a sleeve. Press down gently with your thumbs to seal.

Cook at 210 C for 30-35 mins.

Serve with potatoes or chips, veg or baked beans – your choice! Oh, and don’t forget the gravy!

Today, I used closed cup chestnut mushrooms, chopped; 4 rashers of fresh back bacon, cut into pieces (minus the rind); no peas and 1 tsp Dijon mustard instead of lemon juice. Another adaptable meal and a quick and easy pie that looks great!