Apple Tansy (1950s)

Apples are my favourite fruit.  I am sorry but a banana doesn't hold it for me and there are so many varieties to choose from.  If you travel back fifty or sixty years ago however there were countless different varieties, even more than today but many have become extinct down to neglect and the commercial homogeneity of the cider industry in the eighties and nineties.

About.com has a whole bunch of information about Apples as I am more interested in what you do with them once you get them.

They feature quite heavily in vintage cooking given their ease of growth and availability.

So what is an Apple Tansy? It is essentially a sweet omlette.  As with most things, there are many different takes on this recipe, but this take is provided by Farmhouse Fare being contributed by Kathleen Thomas.

You will need:

3 large apples
Sugar to taste
1 pint of milk
3 eggs
A little mixed Spice
1 cupful of fine breadcrumbs

1. Peel and slice the apples, cook gently in a little butter until soft and pour into a greased fireproof dish.
2. Beat the eggs and add them to the milk, sweeten to taste and add a pinch of the mixed spice and the nutmeg.
3. Pour the mixture over the breadcrumbs and beat lightly then pour the mixture over the apples and bake very slowly till set.

There isn't any indication about what temperature you should cook it at so your guess will be the right one.

Green Pea Cakes - 1950's

This recipe might be a lot older than 1950s.  It sounds delicious, and is an old Scottish recipe.  It involves pushing pease through a sieve, so make sure its a metal one.

The recipe comes from a book called The Scottish Cookery Book, by Elizabeth Craig.  Nowhere does it say to make them in to patties.  Do you cook it all in one or in small bits? What shape?
Again a really nice recipe but let down by a badly written methodology.  I would recommend cooking them in patties, it'll help cook even all the way through.


2 cups cooked dried peas
1 teaspoon butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 well-beaten eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 lb flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1. Rub peas while hot through a sieve.  Mix with the butter, salt pepper and eggs.
2. Beat well, stir in the flour sifted with baking powder.
3. Fry in rounds dropped from a jug into a frying pan containing enough hot fat to cover bottom of pan till bubbles form on top, then turn and fry on other side.  Serve with fried sausages for breakfast.

Cornish Potato Cake

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This is a tradtional Cornish recipe.  For this you will need:

Half a pound of boiled potatoes.
Half an ounce of butter.
2 oz. flour
Pinch of salt.

1.  Mash the boiled potatoes while hot with the butter and mix well together.

2. Add salt and sprinkle in the flour mixing evenly.

3. Roll out  very thin on a floured board and cut out in rounds about the size of a saucer.

4. Place on a hot griddle or greased frying pan.

5. Stab with fork and cook three minutes on each side.  Serve hot.

Cheese and Sweetcorn Fritters

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4 oz Plain Flour
Salt and Pepper
1 egg
Quarter of a pint of milk
6 oz. Grated Cheddar Cheese
6 oz. Sweetcorn

Sieve flour and seasoning into mixing bowl.  Graudally beat in milk and lightly beaten egg, stir in cheese and sweetcorn.  Place dessertspoonful in hot fat and fry until crisp and golden brown.  Drain well and serve as a main dish, a cocktail savoury or as an accompaniment to chicken.