Biddenden Cakes (Description only)

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Biddenden Cakes

 

Hard cakes ( more like biscuits) distributed annually as part of the 'Biddenden Dole', each one bearing the image of two females, said to be the conjoined sisters Eliza and Mary Chulkhurst, who, in the 12th Century, left a gift of land, called the Bread and Cheese Lands, to provide aid to the poor.

The cakes, baked from flour and water, are so hard as to be almost inedible but make good souvenirs as they bear the very curious effigy

Wafers (Description only)

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Wafers

 

Another speciality, which probably originated in France and the word may have come from the French 'gofer' meaning to flute or crisp. They have been made in Kent since the twelfth century.

To make them you need extra-fine flour, which is mixed to a batter with sugar, butter and milk, perhaps flavoured with nutmeg or rosewater. The batter is cooked in special round, or square, wafer irons [could these be Waffle Irons?], which had long handles so that they could be held over the fire.

Flead Cakes

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Flead Cakes

 

These were made after pig killing. The flead is the inner membrane full of bits of lard and rather like Lardy Cake. The flead is incorporated in flaky pastry to make a savoury mixture, or with sugar and spices for a sweet cake. It is not easy to get flead nowadays and so it is difficult to find this dish.

1 lb. Flour

1 egg

a little salt

1 lb. of flear or leaf ( "flead " in Kent )

½ ( half ) a pint of cold water to mix.

Mix flour and salt.

Separate a little of the flead and add to the flour. Mix into a dough with water, knead and roll out on a board. Put some flead over the dough, fold over and roll out again.

Repeat this until flead is used up.

Roll out to one inch thickness and cut into small circles or whatever shape desired.

Brush over with egg, bake in a hot oven until golden brown and eat hot.

Whitstable Dredgerman's Breakfast ( Description only)

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Whitstable Dredgerman's Breakfast

Whitstable does not consider itself a seaside town; it has no promenades nor pier. It was once an industrious fishing port. In the 19^th Century, oysters were netted in huge quantities to satisfy London markets In need of a hearty warm up prior to embarking out on the high seas, fishermen would congregate within seafront cafes for their daily fill:

Whitstable Dredgerman's Breakfast is essentially a toasted sandwich laden with freshly caught oysters and streaky bacon, dripping through with fat to soak the bread. A simple, yet filling starter prior to braving the winds off the North Sea Coast, it was washed down with strong black tea to aid digestion.

Lamb's Tail Pie ( Description only)

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Lamb's Tail Pie

Thought to be another Romney Marsh recipe, Lamb's Tail Pie dates back to the 1700's when breeding cattle were first introduced onto the Romney Marshes. Such was the ratio of salt in the grasses, farmers discovered their lamb meat to be far more tender than of cattle grazing elsewhere, promptly starting a demand for this finer texture and the evolution of everyday lamb stew into Lamb's Tail Pie.

Traditionally, lamb's tails were docked at birth, therefore the pie was an annual delicacy, only made during lambing season. After boiling, the tails would be skinned and slow-cooked with root vegetables, such as onion, potato and carrots for up to three hours. Encased within a shortcrust pastry, the mixture was topped with peas and sliced hard-boiled eggs, with a pinch of parsley or mint to season, then baked until a delicious golden brown.

Lamb's Tail Pie is fairly uncommon on the menus of Kent today, however, may still be found on occasion at old Kentish pubs, paired with local ales.

Appledore Chicken Pie

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Appledore Chicken Pie

The inland village of Appledore is situated on the edge of the Romney Marshes. In the 13^th Century it was on the coast, where the River Rother reached the sea.

Serves 4

200g diced dark & white chicken

25g seasoned flour

5g mixed herbs

50g back bacon

2g pepper

250ml water

2 hard boiled eggs

Shortcrust pastry

200g plain flour

50g wholemeal flour

125g margarine

ice cold water to mix

Toss chicken in seasoned flour and herbs and put in pie dish.

Add sufficient water to come to the surface of the meat.

Cover with a lid and cook in the oven at Reg 8, 450°F or 230°C for 45 minutes.

Skim and check seasoning.

Add the chopped bacon and sliced hard boiled eggs.

Make the pastry and roll to cover the filling in the pie dish.

Brush with egg wash or milk. Cut steam vents.

Bake in the oven at Regulo 8, 450°F or 230°C for approximately 30 minutes until pastry is golden

brown and crisp

Lamb Barley Casserole

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Lamb Barley Casserole

Hardy sheep are able to withstand the cold easterly winds that blow across the Romney Marshes and because they graze on the salty marshes their meat has an extra fine flavour.

Serves 4 - 6

475g boned leg or shoulder of lamb, trimmed of fat and diced

40g seasoned wholemeal flour

1 rindless streaky bacon rashers, chopped

10g butter

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

1 medium carrot, sliced

50g turnip or swede, peeled and diced

1 celery stick , diced

25g pearl barley

5g mixed chopped fresh herbs,

such as rosemary or parsley

300ml lamb stock

chopped fresh parsley to garnish

Toss the lamb in the seasoned flour.

Dry fry the bacon in a large heavy bottomed pan. Add the butter and the lamb and fry until browned all over.

Remove the lamb and the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the onions, carrots, turnip or swede and celery to the casserole and fry for 5-10 minutes, until beginning

to brown.

Return the lamb to the casserole, add the pearl barley and herbs and pour in the stock.

Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the lamb is tender.

Serve hot, sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Joe Grey Stew

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Joe Grey Stew

This is a traditional Gypsy stew usually made from sausages and bacon but it can be adapted to use up whatever you have in the fridge.

Serves 4

6 sausages cut into bite sized pieces

6 rashers of bacon chopped

1.5 lt water

4 large tomatoes quartered

4 large potatoes, peeled and sliced

1 onion, peeled & chopped

3 stock cubes

Fry the sausages, bacon and onion in a pan until well browned.

Cover with water, and add the sliced potatoes.

Simmer.

After about 10 minutes, add the tomatoes and sprinkle the stock cubes all over.

Let it simmer for a further 20 minutes.

Served as a runny stew, with crusty bread.

Kent Twice Laid

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Kent Twice Laid

An interestingly named egg savoury snack from Kent. Similar to modern fish cakes, this was once a way of using up leftover fish.

Serves 4

300g white fish

300ml milk

350g mashed potatoes

2 eggs, hard boiled

1 egg for dipping

100g fresh wholemeal

breadcrumbs

pinch of ground black pepper

Poach the fish in milk. When the fish is cooked, using a slotted spoon remove it from the pan (reserve the milk for later). Carefully remove and discard any bones or skin from the white fish fillets.

In a bowl flake the fish and mix in the mashed potatoes. Add a little of the reserved milk to the mixture to help it bind together.

Shell the hard boiled eggs and chop. Gently stir into fish mixture.

Add pepper to taste and divide the mixture into 8 balls.

Dip into the beaten egg, roll in breadcrumbs and oven bake until crisp and golden.

Kentish Well Pudding (Kentish Puddle Pudding)

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Kentish Well Pudding (Kentish Puddle Pudding)

 

The very similar Sussex and Kentish puddings are distinguished by the addition of either a whole lemon or dried fruit to the butter centre, respectively. 

This recipe is from Eliza Acton's "Modern Cookery for Private Families", 1845.

"Make into a smooth paste, with cold water, one pound of flour, six ounces of finely-minced beef-suet, three quarters of a pound of currants, and a small pinch of salt, thoroughly mixed together. 

Form into a ball six ounces of good butter, and enclose it securely in about a third of the paste (rolled to half an inch thickness), in the same way that apple-dumpling is made; roll out the remainder of the paste, and place the poprtion containing the butter in the centre of it, with the part where the edge was drawn together turned downwards: gather the outer crust round it, and having well moistened the edge, close it with great care. 

Tie the pudding tightly in a well-floured cloth, and boil it for two hours and a half. It must be dished with caution that it may not break, and a small bit must be cut directly from the top, as in a meat pudding."

Hopscotch

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Hopscotch

This is a traditional Kentish recipe for hop tips (which legends say the Romans brought to Kent 2000 years ago). It's interesting to realize that hopscotch started out as a recipe rather than a children's game. 

Hop plants abound in the hedgerows of Kent but if you can't get growing hop tips this recipe works equally well with young nettle tops.

2 generous handfuls of hop tips (or nettle tops)

2 generous handfuls of young dandelion leaves (young leaves are less bitter)

240g smoked streaky bacon

220g button mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, chopped

butter for frying

salt and black pepper, to taste

nutmeg, to taste

2 tbsp lemon juice

Thoroughly wash the leaves then drain in a colander.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan over low heat and use to cook the onion gently for about 6 minutes before stirring-in the hops and dandelion leaves.

Stir to coat in butter then cover and and allow to steam gently for about five minutes, or until just wilted.

Add the lemon juice and season with salt, black pepper and nutmeg then transfer to a warmed serving dish, cover and set aside to keep warm.

Fry the bacon in a pan for a few minutes then add the mushrooms and cook for about 6 minutes, or until soft. Transfer the greens to a warmed plate, arrange the bacon and mushrooms on top then serve.

Kentish Cherry Batter Pudding - version II

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Kentish Cherry Batter Pudding  - version II

 
125g stoned Kentish cherries
1 duck egg (a large hen’s egg will work just as well)
30g caster sugar
20g plain flour, sifted
50ml double cream
50ml milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
grated zest of half a lemon

sieved icing sugar, for dredging
more cream for serving

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl (using an electric whisk, if possible, for best results), until pale and creamy.

Tip in the flour, whisk again, and then stir in the cream, milk, vanilla extract (and lemon zest, if using). Leave the mixture to rest briefly.

Lightly grease a small baking dish with melted butter. Arrange the cherries in the dish, and then pour over the batter. Bake for about 25 minutes, until it’s firm all the way through, and lightly golden on top.

Remove from the oven. Dredge with icing sugar to finish, and serve with lashings of cool cream. Serve hot or warm.

Kentish Cherry Batter Pudding - version I

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Kentish Cherry Batter Pudding - version I

 

A recipe that was apparently brought to England by the Normans (although they failed to conquer Kent hence the county motto 'Invicta'). Akin to many puddings, it is made with ground cereals (wheat flour and corn flour), sunflower oil, eggs, milk, and of course, cherries and apple juice. Cherries are a traditional ingredient for many Kentish desserts. Use the very best of the crop for this luscious pudding:

4oz (113 grams) plain flour
1 medium egg
Half a pint (236 grams) of milk
Pinch of salt
12oz (340 grams) fresh cherries, stoned
6oz (177 grams) apple juice
2oz (56 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons of cornflour or arrowroot
A little sunflower oil

Mix up a batter by beating the egg into the flour and salt and gradually adding the milk.
Preheat the oven to gas mark 7, 425 deg F, 220 deg C.
Oil some Yorkshire pudding tins and preheat in the oven.
When the oil is smoky, pour the batter into the tin. (Either a four ring large tin, or a twelve ring smaller tin).
Cook for about 30 mins until well risen and puffy.
Bring the apple juice to the boil in a pan, then add the cherries and the sugar.
Mix the cornflour with a little cold water and add to the pan stirring thoroughly. Cook for five minutes.
Serve the batter puddings with a big dollop of the fruit inside and with a little cream.