Bonfire Night

We didn't have a bonfire or big display of fireworks - our garden is so small that we'd probably set something on fire - but after tea we went out side and waved some sparklers around in the damp air, trying to draw circles and write our names. Bella was endlessly entertained by them and waved them around with abandon, but Angus eyed them suspiciously and was not at all keen to hold one. He was happy to watch. I took photos while John moaned about the box of matches and said we should've bought a lighter. 

It's suddenly so cold. The weather has really shifted over the last week and now winter does not feel all that far away. Bonfire night brings out the nostalgic traditionalist in me. We ate sausages, jacket potatoes and baked beans for tea, the sort of food I associate with this night from my own childhood. I've made Yorkshire parkin, a tradition that is new to me but one I have happily adopted. When the kids are in bed we'll eat some parkin with a cup of tea and watch Homeland. We've just started on the first series and are already hooked. 

It's fairy light city round here now. Once it starts to get dark I switch them on and they add a little cosy cheer to dark corners. They remind me a bit of fireworks now I think of it. It's been all go on the Christmas present making front too, I'll have some bits and bobs to show you soon I hope. 

Bonfire Night (And Edible Sparklers)

We went round to the house of some friends last night for a little Bonfire Night party. We were greeted with cups of hot chocolate - milky and sweet for the children, while the adults were offered the darker version laced with Amaretto (so good!) There were sausages and baked potatoes topped with chilli which we ate outside. Instead of a huge fire, as is traditional, there was a fire pit - much more practical for a small area with lots of small children around. We toasted marshmallows and waved sparklers around and what the low-key fireworks display lacked in wow factor the children made up for in noise levels. It was lovely. We might try to get to a big public fireworks display tonight. I do love this time of year! 

Bella asked John why we celebrate Bonfire Night (or Guy Fawkes Night, as it is also known). I'm not sure how much of it she understood - treason is quite a hard concept to get your head around when you are not quite six.

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I took along some toffee apples and some "edible sparklers". These are such good fun to make with children and so easy, I am definitely making them again. 

They could not be more simple. 

You need:

One box of breadsticks

200g bar of cheap milk chocolate 

Edible sprinkles

• Melt the chocolate. 
• Pour the sprinkles onto a dish or plate.
• Take a breadstick and using the back of a teaspoon spread melted chocolate half way down the breadstick, covering the whole top half all around.
• Coat the melted chocolate in sprinkles.
• Stand them in a cup or glass until the chocolate has set.

So much fun! It is messy though - aprons are needed as the chocolate does tend to fly around everywhere when small people are involved. And I am still sweeping up rogue sprinkles.

Yorkshire Parkin

Hello! I hope you've all had a nice weekend. It's jolly cold here, and misty, and the air outside is filled with the smell of bonfires and the sound of fireworks as tomorrow is Bonfire Night. In Yorkshire, it is traditional to eat parkin at this time of year and this recipe was given to me by Jean, my mother-in-law, last week*. The recipe came from her mother-in-law, Evelyn, who was born and bred in Yorkshire, so I think it's safe to assume that it is an authentic recipe. Grandma Evelyn's Bonfire Night Parkin was legendary in the family.

I have lived in Yorkshire for twelve years now and I only last year realised that this is a local custom. I have spent a couple of Bonfire Nights at my friend Lesley's house (she is also proper born and bred Yorkshire, unlike newcomers like me) and she would always want to know who was bringing the parkin. Why all this fuss about parkin, I thought? I just assumed she really liked it. But no, it's tradition. And I love traditions. It's also popular to have pie and peas on Bonfire Night here, but I prefer the custom that involves cake. What Bonfire Night traditions do you have where you live? As a child, I remember eating baked potatoes and hot dogs - basically food that was warming but easy to eat outside without too much need for plates or cutlery, while standing around a big fire and watching fireworks. My Mum, who grew up in London, remembers her mother making a huge tray of gingerbread every year for the 5th November, and Jean remembers always being given "Bonfire Toffee" which is toffee made with treacle as far as I can tell.

Parkin is sticky and chewy with a texture somewhere between cake and flapjack, and the treacle and ginger give it a sweet and smoky flavour that is perfect for this time of year. It is unusual in that it tastes better when you leave it a week or two. Fresh from the oven it tastes nice; but when wrapped and stored in a tin for a while the flavours infuse and it becomes the most delicious moist, dark affair. 

You need:

4 oz or 110 grams self raising flour

4 oz or 110 grams butter

8 oz or 225 grams oats

3 oz or 80 grams sugar

2 teaspoons ginger

4 oz or 110 grams golden syrup

4 oz or 110 grams treacle

1/4 pint or 150 ml milk

• Pre-heat the oven to 130°C or 260°F.
• Grease and line a square and fairly deep baking tin or dish.
• Combine the flour and butter until they resemble breadcrumbs.
• Add the oats, sugar and ginger and mix well.
• In a saucepan, warm the syrup and treacle, then add the milk and stir.
• Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix well.
• Scrape into your prepared tin and bake for around one hour. It may need up to one and a half hours.

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* Jean also gave me two other recipes, one for a chocolate cake, and one for something called a "Never Fail" cake - I have to try that one!