makes
14
prep
15 minutes
cook
10 minutes
difficulty
Easy
makes
14
serves
preparation
15
minutes
cooking
10
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
During the Reformation, fairs and festivals, which were mostly held on holy days, were outlawed – even Christmas and its festivities were abolished by an Act of Parliament in 1647. For nearly two decades, the preparation of food for festivities was a punishable offence. After Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660, people could return to their festivities. Gingerbread experienced a revival because the spices needed to make it became cheaper and, by then, sugar imports from Barbados brought large amounts of sugar to the London sugar refineries.
Fairings were known throughout the country, but became connected to Cornwall when Cornish baker, Furniss of Truro, started selling Cornish fairings in 1886. In The Cornishman of 3 December 1908, an advertisement for ginger fairings appeared with the headline ‘A Genuine Cornish Delicacy for one & all of the Cornish Riviera’. Today, Furniss Foods still sells Cornish fairings and holds the trademark for the name.
Ingredients
- 50 g (1¾ oz) butter, at room temperature
- 100 g (3½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 50 g (1¾ oz) soft brown sugar
- pinch mixed spice
- 1½ tsp ground ginger
- 55 g (2 oz) golden syrup or maple syrup
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
2. Rub the butter into the flour, sugar and spices by hand.
3. Heat the golden syrup in a saucepan, then add the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Set aside to cool.
4. Knead the dough, then roll it into balls, using about 18 g (½ oz) of dough per biscuit, and place on the tray. Lightly press the balls down.
5. Bake for 8–10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. The biscuits will flatten as they bake and form nice cracks on the surface. They are best eaten on the day they’re baked because they don’t stay crisp.
Recipe and image from Oats in the North, Wheat from the South by Regula Ysewijn, photography by Regula Ysewijn (Murdoch Books, $49.99). Out now.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
During the Reformation, fairs and festivals, which were mostly held on holy days, were outlawed – even Christmas and its festivities were abolished by an Act of Parliament in 1647. For nearly two decades, the preparation of food for festivities was a punishable offence. After Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660, people could return to their festivities. Gingerbread experienced a revival because the spices needed to make it became cheaper and, by then, sugar imports from Barbados brought large amounts of sugar to the London sugar refineries.
Fairings were known throughout the country, but became connected to Cornwall when Cornish baker, Furniss of Truro, started selling Cornish fairings in 1886. In The Cornishman of 3 December 1908, an advertisement for ginger fairings appeared with the headline ‘A Genuine Cornish Delicacy for one & all of the Cornish Riviera’. Today, Furniss Foods still sells Cornish fairings and holds the trademark for the name.
