Blackberry tea loaf

I've been a bit slow in posting this, but back at the beginning of September I made this delicious tea loaf as a way of baking with blackberries while they were still in season.  The recipe comes from the National Trust "Teatime Baking Book" by Jane Pettigrew and along with the blackberries, lemon and black treacle help to give this loaf a lovely deep flavour.  A yummy teatime treat I will definitely be making again next year.

Incidentally, the National Trust has a variety of recipes available on its website.  Among the recipes ideas for puddings and cakes is one for a blackberry and apple upside-down cake.  The blackberries may be over, but I have just come back from Herefordshire with a bag of hand-picked Bramleys (courtesy of the P's) and an apple upside-down cake sounds a very appealing idea...

Thaxted Sticky Tea Loaf

Three words to describe this tea loaf: sticky, fruity, delicious.  Spread some butter on it, pour a cup of tea and its the perfect accompaniment for your three o'clock tea break.

A slice of tea loaf - tea time sorted!

The recipe comes from a book given to my brother and me (my brother being my current lodger!) by some good family friends of ours who live in the beautiful Essex town of Thaxted.  The recipe book is called (pun alert!) "On a Chicken Wing and a Prayer", being a cookery book sold to raise funds for the ongoing restoration of Thaxted Parish Church.  All the recipes have been donated by people from the town; I am very grateful to whoever donated the recipe for this tea loaf!


"On a Chicken Wing and a Prayer" - Recipes from Thaxted Parish Church

The recipe is wonderfully simple.  To be honest I made it on a slight whim, having an urge to bake something and realising that all the ingredients were items I had - tea, mixed fruit, brown sugar, self-raising flour, an egg and cinnamon.

The fruit and sugar are soaked in tea overnight.  I think next time I make this I will be a bit braver and make the tea stronger.  I'm having friends over at the weekend, which I think will be the perfect excuse to make this delicious loaf for a second time.  I may even let them eat it before three o'clock tea time!


The finished loaf - already half gone!