Hi, I am not Roy but we are a similar age and from the same location. Parkin was a traditional food on Bonfire night. My memories of this event were just after WW2 when we didn't have TV, listened to the radio and children roamed safely round the neighbourhood in community groups made up of all age groups hawking a "guy" they had made seeking donations towards buying fireworks. We also collected anything anyone wanted burned and made a community "bonfire", which had to be guarded against neighbouring community children. November 5th was Bonfire night - an event which dates back to the attempt by a group of people to blow up the houses of parliament. I believe Guy Fawkes was one of those and probably put to death by burning so traditionally the guy was thrown on the bonfire. (pretty gruesome). As an adult I would have to study history more carefully. Whilst our laws seem fair on paper, they were not always as fair in practice. So it runs in my memory that there was more to this story than I can remember. In November in Britain, it was dark quite early. the days were closing in ready for the shortest day in December. It was also fairly cold. So Bonfire night and its preparations was a significant fun event which turned our dismal winter into something interesting. Shortly after Bonfire night we kids got ready for Christmas and our carol singing round the neighbourhood. Often in January we had Snow so these interesting things helped us to get through winter. November is much warmer now in UK than I remember. My brother was born in 1948 and we had snow in November that year, I can remember because we had to try to get to the Maternity home through deep snow. (I was allowed to stay outside and look through the window, no kids allowed in by the way.) I have a "Be-Ro" cook book which dates back to the 1930s. Be-Ro was a brand of flour and I brought this book with me to Australia. I have a "Sponge Parkin" recipe from this one and the next version from the 1960s has Gingerbread. I have a third version and it is interesting to see how tastes changed with time and nutritional values. The Sponge Parkin is:- 1lb Be-Ro Flour (I assume this was SR) pinch salt 2tsp ground ginger 8oz caster sugar 2oz Margarine 8oz treacle (not golden syrup) You mix together flour salt ginger and sugar, Warm the marg and treacle and beat together then add the dry ingredients and the beaten egg and milk alternately a little at a time and mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased, shallow tin and bake in a moderate oven about 1.5 hrs. Just found the Parkins recipe: This has 4oz flour, 4oz Oatmeal, 1 tsp ground ginger. 4oz caster sugar, 2 oz Margarine, 1 Egg, 1 tablespoon dark syrup, 1 tbls milk. This one mixes all dry ingredients and you rub in the margarine, add Syrup mixed with beaten egg and work it into a paste with the milk. Place single teaspoons in rounds on a greased baking sheet with a split almond on top of each bake in moderate oven about 15 minutes. I am sure our Parkin had Oatmeal in it and It wasn't cooked in rounds but baked like the sponge parkin. I doubt too many people have the original recipes these days. This gives you an idea and if you want to know more maybe try google. With our low carb diets it is a bit high in sugars but tastes lovely. The oatmeal version is a little drier but the sponge one is gooey and sweet. It could fit in with "trick and treat" occasions I guess. They gave up on Bonfire nights 5th November in S. Australia back in 1967 the year after we landed here as the fire risk is too high in our hot weather. Currently we are in the 6th day over 104F with no end in sight (although it is unusual for the heat to persist so long so early in our summer. Jean in S. Australia. ----- Original Message ----- From: "carol ritchey" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, November 14, 2009 7:46 AM Subject: Re: [YORKSHIRE] London Group meeting > If you decide to share your recipe, I would like a copy of it. Would like > to know what my ancestors ate. > Carol > Texas USA > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Nancy Keith" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, November 13, 2009 1:36 PM > Subject: Re: [YORKSHIRE] London Group meeting > > >> >> Of course, you WILL share your recipe, won't you? Learning how to make >> something that was an important part of family life for our ancestors >> would >> definitely enhance our Yorkshire Family Stories, I should think. I don't >> think that our families went out to bakeries way back then, so surely >> there >> are family-held recipes for this goody that we have only heard about... >> often wondered what a "Parkin" was! >> >> Nancy >> in Michigan, U S of A, where there just aren't many Parkins... >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Janice Wood" <[email protected]> >> To: <[email protected]> >> Sent: Friday, November 13, 2009 1:05 PM >> Subject: [YORKSHIRE] London Group meeting >> >> >>> Hello all, >>> >>> As Roy has mentioned it - I am going to the meeting on the 28th, to hear >>> a >>> talk about "Yorkshire Food" by Christine Willott - if you've been to any >>> of >>> our Yorksgen gatherings, you probably know Chris. >>> My contribution to the meeting - I am bringing some authentic Yorkshire >>> Parkin, which all those who attend will be able to sample. >>> >>> Now many of you will be wondering what Parkin is - it's made at our >>> local >>> bakery and is an oaty gingerbread. >>> >>> :-)) >>> >>> Janice Wood >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Some useful websites - >>> FREECEN - http://www.freecen.org.uk/ >>> FREEBMD - http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ >>> Want to know where a place in Yorkshire is - Try Genuki >>> http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/ >>> >>> ------------------------------- >>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >>> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without >>> the >>> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >>> >> >> >> >> >> Some useful websites - >> FREECEN - http://www.freecen.org.uk/ >> FREEBMD - http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ >> Want to know where a place in Yorkshire is - Try Genuki >> http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/ >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without >> the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > Some useful websites - > FREECEN - http://www.freecen.org.uk/ > FREEBMD - http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ > Want to know where a place in Yorkshire is - Try Genuki > http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/ > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >