H is for Home Harbinger

I opened the car’s glove compartment yesterday in search of a CD… but came across a couple of “past their sell by date” bananas instead. They’d been put there a few days earlier as an “on board” snack for a trip we’d made to Penrith. Rather than throw them out (or giving them to Fudge as a treat) I decided to make some banana ginger parkin.

Parkin is a cake traditionally eaten in the autumn – and especially on Bonfire Night. It’s very popular, and thought to have originated, in the north of England – probably Yorkshire or Lancashire.

The method I used was taken from The Great Big Cookie Book by Hilaire Walden.

Here’s the recipe: (makes 26)

• 200g/7oz/1¾cups plain flour
• 10ml/2tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 10ml/2tsp ground ginger
• 150g/5oz/1¾cups medium oatmeal
• 60ml/4tbs muscovado sugar
• 75g/3oz/⅓cup margarine
• 150g/5oz/⅔cup golden syrup
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas mark 3. Grease & line an 18cm x 28cm / 7” x 11” tin.
2. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger, then stir in the oatmeal. Melt the sugar, margarine and syrup in a saucepan over a low heat, then stir into the flour mixture. Beat in the egg and mashed bananas.
3. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for about an hour until firm to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin, then turn out and cut into squares. (I made mine in a loaf tin, so I cut it into slices).

Perfect with a mug of strong (Yorkshire or Lancashire) tea!

Parkin improves with age and, if stored in an airtight container, keeps for a couple of months.