Cornish Fairings

For me being on holiday in a friend's house means lots of baking; a normally frivolous pursuit that I don't have much time for (except when auditioning for the Great British Bake Off...)

Among her grandmother's papers is this recipe for Cornish Fairings, sold in a debased form in tourist shops at great cost.

Beat together with a hand whisk, 2oz butter or marg, 2oz sugar, 2 and a half level tablespoons of syrup. Mix into 4 oz self raising flour, pinch salt, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, same mixed spice, same ground cinnamon (we also added allspice) and a pinch bicarbonate of soda. Beat butter and sugar mixture into the flour. It then says, roll into balls, but this proved impossibly sticky. My godson helped, and he is rather fastidious so we used a spoon.

Pictures and tastings to come....