Family Traditions

Firstly, I should apologise to my family, this is a task that should have been started months ago.  What can I say?  2020 happened.

This Christmas will be very different from previous ones but some traditions need upheld.  So tonight I set the fruit to soak for the family's Christmas Cakes. 

Through my childhood, my Auntie would make our Christmas Cake.  At an unknown year, when my interest in baking and cooking had raised, I took on the task.  The recipe was written out in to my mum's cookbook and at any point where rum was involved, there was the tradition of "testing the rum".  Aftr all, you'd hate to ruin the cake with bad rum!

When I moved out, I took the recipe with me, copied in to my own cookbook where it has been used for many many years.  It even was used for my sister's wedding cakes.  Last year I moved to a new cookbook, I gave it some order with similar foods together, I never quite got as far as sweet food.  The pages, ripped from the old book had happily lived under the breadbin.  But when I came to cook the cakes, I couldn't find it.  A few tears were shed and lots of panic.  After messages to family, they thankfully did show up!

A year on, and I still haven't written it up.  The old pages, stained with the art of baking, ink disolved by fats thrown out of the mixing bowl.  A smattered history of Christmases past.

This year Christmas will be different.  Cakes will be safely packaged and posted to their eaters.  Maybe we'll share a slice over a (insert Christmas meat) sandwich at a tea time zoom!