Bara Brith

This is the recipe that Mrs Evans at Windy Bay uses when she cooks for the farm shop but she puts more spice in it, just like I do. I add a teaspoon of ginger, a teaspoon of ginger and half a teaspoon of cloves, but the basic recipe is still gorgeous. It’s got so many different names that I know of. Fruit tea loaf, bara brith, Irish tea bread or Barm Brack are just a few, so here’s a proper Welsh recipe for you to play with. https://www.visitwales.com/things-do/food-and-drink/welsh-food-and-recipes/bara-brith-recipe

My Mum learned how to make this when we lived in Wales, where I was born so it reminds me of her every time I make it. She was one of those who went far too soon, as Luke’s Dad would say in the Amy Hammond series, so I find it very comforting on troubled days.

If you can resist the smell as it comes out of the oven, then leave it for a day, then slice it thickly, and lavish it with butter. Then make a pot of tea, sit down, put your feet up, and declare a tea break.