Yorkshire Tea, Tea Cosies and
Yorkshire Tea Fruit Loaf for Afternoon Tea
We were invited out for lunch yesterday and had a great time ~ we sat on our friend’s terrace and sipped our aperitifs whilst he finished cooking the meal……the sun was out and there were swallows wheeling and performing amazing aerial acrobatics above his garden, getting ready for their long journey back home for the winter. The lunch was long and all the vegetables were home-grown, it was all tasty and delightful. We were sent home with an armful of veggies and I am plotting what to cook with them already…….two large marrows, tomatoes, courgettes, beetroot, spinach and baby carrots ~ a veritable vegetable treasure trove.
It was nearly 6 o’clock by the time we got home and we didn’t feel like much to eat for our tea; I’d started off a tea loaf the night before (soaking the dried fruit in tea), a wonderful loaf studded with dried fruits and cherries, and lightly spiced ~ we ate a couple of slices (buttered) with a mug of Yorkshire tea ~ my favourite tea…….a perfect ending to a perfect day.
I made a pot of tea and used my late mother-in-law’s hand-knitted tea cosy ~ I have a thing about knitted tea cosies, and she used to knit me lots, all in different colours and different types of wool……she died four years ago now, but I love using the tea cosies as they remind me of her, sitting in her chair clickety clicking with her knitting needles…….I used to make the pompoms for the top of the cosies, you know with two bits of card and the hole in the middle……
Yorkshire Tea is a black tea blend produced by Taylors of Harrogate, one of the few remaining family tea and coffee merchants in the UK. The company was founded in 1886 by Yorkshire tea merchant Charles Taylor. Needless to say I drink Yorkshire tea at home in France, I bring boxes and boxes of it back from the UK when I travel there. The Yorkshire Tea Loaf was produced by Taylors as a way of using their Yorkshire tea to expand their range. It involves using the choicest fruits which are infused overnight with the tea. This is my take on their famous tea loaf; moist tea infused fruits really make this loaf something special and it is sublime when served with a traditional English cuppa. Serve this tea loaf in thick slices just as it is – although you could also serve it with butter or with a slab of Wensleydale cheese for that authentic Yorkshire experience.
This loaf is simplicity itself, and all you have to remember is to soak the fruit the night before you want to make it; it is very moist and it keeps well ~ it’s also wonderful when toasted after a few days. It’s a real comfort bake, a warm cosy tea loaf with an impeccable heritage in British tea-time baking ~ tea has often been used to soak fruit for all manner of cakes and quick breads ~ it plumps the fruit up and makes the cake moist and fragrant with a subtle tea flavour.
If you want to soak the fruit in another type of tea, I can recommend Earl Grey or Lapsang Souchong……although I am quite happy with my Yorkshire tea for everyday tea loaf purposes! Anyway, here it is in all its plump fruit and spicy glory ~ see you tomorrow when I MUST get preserving in the kitchen, or the Jam Factory as my husband calls it!
Karen
Yorkshire Tea Loaf with Mixed Spice, Cherries and Raisins
Ingredients:
- 200g raisins
- 75g currants
- 75g glacé cherries
- 425ml freshly made Yorkshire tea or 425 ml tea, of your choice
- 75g soft brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 270g self raising flour
Directions:
- Weigh out the currants and raisins and place into a large bowl. Pour on the hot tea; cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave to steep for 12 hours or overnight.
- The next day, the fruit will be very plump and juicy looking. Some tea will still remain in the bowl which is fine.
- Grease a 2 lb. loaf tin and preheat the oven to 150°C / 300°F.
- Cut the cherries into halves or thirds, depending on size, and add to the soaked raisins along with the sugar and spice. Stir until mostly dissolved.
- Add the eggs and mix well until evenly combined.
- Scatter the flour over the surface of the mixture. Using a wooden spoon, start at the centre of the bowl and beat the flour into the mixture, working your way out towards the edge until everything is well incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour and 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown on top and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out relatively clean (it may still be sticky if you hit a raisin).
- Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Perfect for the first day of Autumn! Your tea loaf looks delicious, a really lovely treat.
Why hadn't I realised you were from Scarborough? My Mum and my sister and nieces live there, I've just come back from 3 weeks staying with them…I go up about 4 or 5 times a year….
Liz
http://feastsandfestivals.blogspot.com/
Thanks Jude, it is indeed Autumnal here after a VERY hot day yesterday……it's all over the place!
Hello Liz ~ thanks for stopping by ~ I am back in Scarborough in October and November ~ so if you are there then maybe we can meet!
Karen
Now straight away there'll be an argument here … hubby will want the fruit soaked in Earl Grey and I'll want to soak it in the proper Yorkshire stuff … guess I'll just have to make two tea loaves !
This tea loaf looks lovely!! I bet my Hubby would eat that as faster than I could make it. 🙂
xx
just found your blog! this yorkshire tea and loaf looks delicious! i saw you live in france, i am going to france in a month for my honeymoon… can't wait to see your beautiful country 🙂
-mini baker
minibakercupcakesblogspot.com
beautiful loaf… and outstanding series of photos
How delicious. I love tea bread and even more with a piece of wenslydale (Cue Wallace and Grommet)You've quite put me in the mood for tea bread.
Karen, I love, really love this Tea Loaf sounds delicious! gloria
..and Im happy to follow you! gloria
Annie ~ thanks, the solution is TWO loaves!
Thanks Isobel ~ hope you are well!
Mini Baker ~ lovely to meet you, where in France will you be? Thanks for your lovely comments.
Thanks Dave ~ I see you put the chickens away already!!!!
Janice ~ Thanks! As it happens I have a Wallace and Grommet post tomorrow!
Gloria ~ lovely to meet you and your wonderful blog too!
Karen
Could you Tell me where I can purchase a Yorkshire tea cosy thank you x
MY late mother-in-law knitted mine, but I believe you can buy them on eBay! Karen
Such a gorgeous tea cosy. I remember making a similar one with those colours when I was a girl. Like the cake too! Shared on Twitter, @maisietoo.
Looks absolutely delish!! Just wondering .. there is no butter listed in the ingredients… is it better without? I have seen other recipes with a small amount included. Thanks! Janice in Ontario, Canada
Thanks so much! 🙂 I’ve never seen the recipe with butter Janice, as it is not baked, so I imagine the butter would not melt or meld with the other ingredients…….where would the butter be added, to the fruit or would you butter the bread? So pleased you like it, Karen
Have just made this and the Fat Rascals recipes.
The FRs have nearly gone. I found with the tea loaf I had to add quite a bit of liquid so that it became a batter and held together- I used milk. It did seem very ‘solid’ when I put it in the tin. It’s still in the oven .
Georgie
Thank you for this lovely recipe! I am baking madly for a fund-raiser for an animal rescue charity here in southwest France, and this recipe is a lifesaver. It’s very easy to make, totally reliable, and everyone loves it, with or without butter. Much appreciated!
That is brilliant Kathy! I am SO pleased you liked the recipe…..I am near Saintes, Cognac and Bordeaux, where are you? Karen
It’s a gem, Karen…loaves 4, 5, and 6 are just about to come out of the Aga! I am not quite on your doorstep, but not too far away: I’m begween Perigueux and Bergerac.
Fantastic fruit loaf, works really well I just increased cooking time by a further 15 min, probably my oven though. Cooled quickly and popped straight out of tin . My wife and I have just had some with butter very flavoursome will be making again and MAY make smaller ones for presents this Christmas. Thanks for this wonderful recipe.
Thanks so much for letting me know David, and also I am thrilled that you love this family recipe! I can see the fruit loaf being a great contender for small Christmas Gifts, what a great idea. Karen
Hi Karen ,just to say it tastes even better the next day . going to try and make smaller loaves tommorow .cheers
I think all tea breads and fruit cakes are better the next day…..LOVE the sound of your mini loaves too!
What is “mixed spice”? Would that be a combination of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg?
Mixed spice, also called pudding spice, is a British blend of sweet spices, similar to the pumpkin pie spice used in the United States. Cinnamon is the dominant flavour, with nutmeg and allspice. It is often used in baking, or to complement fruits or other sweet foods.
The term “mixed spice” has been used for this blend of spices in cookbooks at least as far back as 1828 and probably much earlier.
Recipe here: https://www.lavenderandlovage.com/2011/10/gifts-in-a-jar-mixed-spice-old-fashioned-english-pudding-spice.html
INGREDIENTS:
2 teaspoons allspice
2 inch piece of cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons cloves
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
1 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)
Thanks for the mixed spice recipe which unfortunately I didn’t see on your website. The Yorkshire Tea Loaf was delicious. Used your spice mix without the coriander and cardamon, although I will add both the next time I make the mix. Also made three mini loaves for our local Fall Fair, as we have several British folks in our community here in Canada. Thank you also for the Fat Rascals recipe on your site…a lovely reminder of our visit to Little Bettys in York a few years ago. I’m glad that I invested in a “British” measuring cup so I can venture into more of your wonderful recipes!
Eddie
Hi Eddie, I am SO pleased that my Yorkshire Tea Loaf was a hit and thanks for letting me know too! Let me know when you have made my Fat Rascals too! Karen
Please can I ask if I should turn the oven to 140 if it’s fan assisted or reduce the cooking time? Thanks
Hi Helen – yes that is a good idea and won’t harm the tea loaf at all. Karen
Hi Helen, yes, that would work for a fab assisted oven.
Thank you – I tried 140 degrees and cooking for 90 minutes and it turned out perfectly! Fabulous recipe so thanks for sharing it. Next time, I’m going to try adding a little bit of orange zest and juice to replace some of the tea as I think it will work beautifully!