Some news & a forthcoming cookbook....
Hello Subscribers
Part 2 of my exploration into the impact food can have on mental health featuring the stories of two extraordinary women is due out later this week. In the meantime I want to share some exciting news with you.
Firstly, I will be speaking at the annual Scottish Food Heritage Symposium on 28th March 2025 which is being held in collaboration with the historic Mackintosh at the Willow in Glasgow. This year’s symposium explores the history, culture, and proliferation of tea and I will be talking about one of my pet subjects, gingerbread. It’s free to attend but you do need to book as spaces are limited.
Secondly, I’m pleased to announce that I have been busy working on a new cookbook in collaboration with The Globe theatre. The book, due out in October 2025, will be packed with modern interpretations of historical recipes which take their inspiration from Shakespeare’s plays.
As today is Shrove Tuesday I am sharing one of the recipes from the book for Apple & Raisin Fritters with my lovely paid subscribers as a thank you for their support. The recipe is based on one from A New Book of Cookerie by John Murrell (1617) and is great if you want to try something a little different this Pancake Day. Incidentally, you can find out more about pancakes and pancake racing in these articles I wrote for English Heritage.
Apple and Raisin Fritters
Have I lived to stand at the taunt of one that makes fritters of English? - Merry Wives of Windsor, Act V, Scene v
There are many variations of apples fried in batter from this period. John Murrell’s is one of the most straightforward and delicious. Like pancakes, fritters were a way to use up eggs before the start of Lent.
Ingredients – Makes around 14-16 small fritters
4 tbsp self-raising flour
1 tbsp icing sugar
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground ginger
Pinch of salt
2 medium eggs
¼ tsp rosewater
4 eating apples (c. 125g-150g/4½-5oz each in weight), unpeeled but cored
4 tbsp raisins, coarsely chopped
Oil for shallow frying
Caster sugar and lemon juice for serving
Method
Sift the flour, icing sugar, ground spices and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre of the dried ingredients. Break in the eggs then add the rosewater. Using a balloon whisk (or electric whisk if you prefer) gradually mix the flour into the eggs to create a thick batter.
Coarsely grate the apples into the bowl. Add the raisins and mix thoroughly.
Pour enough oil in a frying pan to coat the base. Heat over a medium to high heat (a cube of bread should brown reasonably quickly when place in the oil). Dollop heaped tablespoons of the apple and raisin batter in the oil, flattening the piles slightly with the back of a spoon. After a few minutes carefully flip the fritters over using a fish slice (this is quite a delicate process). Cook for another minute or two then drain on absorbent kitchen towel. Keep the fritters warm while you cook the rest of the batter.
To serve, eat warm with a squeeze of lemon juice and a dusting of caster sugar.
Don’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.
A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.