Get those ovens warmed up! Here is the traditional (as far as we know it) recipe for Parkin: Sorry, you will have to convert quantities from pounds and ounces to grams. ½lb butter or margarine 1½lb black treacle ½lb brown sugar 2lb Oatmeal 1lb flour 1oz ground ginger Dissolve butter in tracle over a gentle heat (or by standing by the side of the fire). Stir in the sugar and the ginger and mix the flour and oatmeal together. Stir in flour and oatmeal and mix with a wooden spoon. Add 1 or 2 beaten eggs and a little milk if necessary to mix to a soft but fairly stiff consistency. Put in a greased pudding tin. It should be about 1 inch thickness. Bake in moderate oven for 40-50 minutes. Let it cool in the tin, then cut into squares. Store in an airtight tin. >From a more modern cookbook: (Note - this recipe does not include eggs, which I believe Parkin should not!) 8 oz Oatmeal 4 oz Plain Flour & 1 level teaspoon baking powder or 4 oz Self-Raising Flour 4 oz Moist Brown Sugar 1½ level teaspoons ground ginger 3 oz Margarine or butter 8 oz Golden Syrup 1 tablespoon black treacle 1/3 pint milk Melt butter and treacle, add dry ingredients, add milk. Pour into lined 8 inch square baking tin. Bake for two hours at 170C (This takes a lot longer to bake than the one above) Our village bakery is going to make our Parkin for the meeting on the 28th, to a similar traditional recipe. I know it is good and I think Colin Withers can vouch for it - I am sure I kept seeing him going back for another piece, when we had Parkin at York last year! Enjoy! Regards Janice Wood

Thank you for sharing this recipe! This sounds so yummy!! I can hardly wait to make - or, better yet, to EAT - this treat. I think that our Yorkin ancestors had some good eating. Nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Janice Wood" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, November 14, 2009 1:58 AM Subject: [YORKSHIRE] Yorkshire Parkin > Get those ovens warmed up! > Here is the traditional (as far as we know it) recipe for Parkin: > > Sorry, you will have to convert quantities from pounds and ounces to > grams. > > ½lb butter or margarine > 1½lb black treacle > ½lb brown sugar > 2lb Oatmeal > 1lb flour > 1oz ground ginger > Dissolve butter in tracle over a gentle heat (or by standing by the side > of > the fire). Stir in the sugar and the ginger and mix the flour and oatmeal > together. Stir in flour and oatmeal and mix with a wooden spoon. Add 1 or > 2 > beaten eggs and a little milk if necessary to mix to a soft but fairly > stiff > consistency. Put in a greased pudding tin. It should be about 1 inch > thickness. Bake in moderate oven for 40-50 minutes. Let it cool in the > tin, > then cut into squares. Store in an airtight tin. > >>From a more modern cookbook: > (Note - this recipe does not include eggs, which I believe Parkin should > not!) > > 8 oz Oatmeal > 4 oz Plain Flour & 1 level teaspoon baking powder > or 4 oz Self-Raising Flour > 4 oz Moist Brown Sugar > 1½ level teaspoons ground ginger > 3 oz Margarine or butter > 8 oz Golden Syrup > 1 tablespoon black treacle > 1/3 pint milk > > Melt butter and treacle, add dry ingredients, add milk. Pour into lined 8 > inch square baking tin. Bake for two hours at 170C > (This takes a lot longer to bake than the one above) > > Our village bakery is going to make our Parkin for the meeting on the > 28th, > to a similar traditional recipe. I know it is good and I think Colin > Withers > can vouch for it - I am sure I kept seeing him going back for another > piece, > when we had Parkin at York last year! > > Enjoy! > > Regards > Janice Wood > >

Having tried Google and various online catalogues without success, I'm wondering if anyone could help please? I have the Bibliography from the book: The West Riding Wool Textile Industry by Patricia Hudson. It has reference to Pigot and Dean, A Commercial Directory of the West Riding (1814-15, 1818 and 1820) I would love to find out where copies or fiches etc. of these directories are held. Many thanks for any help. Sandra Hargreaves in Melbourne