Kiss Me, Hardy!

October 21st was Trafalgar Day [and also Steph’s Birthday, which matters more to me] and of course, Horatio Nelson was a Norfolk chap. When we visited Lucy’s Tearooms in Burnham Market [just a mile or two from the Admiral’s birthplace] they were doing a special offer. “Nelson Slice, only 50p with any hot drink during ‘Trafalgar Week’” So of course we had to try one!

Here’s Bob with his Earl Grey** [and slice of lemon] agreeing with another customer that these slices do taste very good.

A Nelson Slice is basically a type of bread pudding.That’s bread pudding, not to be confused with bread-n-butter pudding. It is reputed to be an old Norfolk recipe [although the people of Portsmouth have also claimed it, due to the time Horatio spent there] Some people add a tot of rum, the naval connection – others says that the ‘Nelson’ bit is because the recipe has one of everything, like the great man [one eye, one arm…]

This recipe was very popular in WW2 because it was a good way of using up stale bread, and ingredients were adjusted using what was available. Although almost all recipes say ‘stale bread’ the waitress in Lucy’s told me they use the crumbs from yesterday’s scones. Scones of all sorts feature heavily on Lucy’s menu, so I guess they often have leftovers at the end of the day.

So Nelson says

“Kiss me, Hardy”

and the officer replies

“I’m not that hardy!”

Here’s one version of the recipe. I have yet to test it myself

Nelson Slices

• 1 lb stale bread
• 1 tbsp sultanas
• 1 tbsp raisins
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tbsp orange marmalade
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• caster sugar
1. Break bread into chunks, soak in water for one hour.
2. Preheat oven to 200°C
3. Drain water, squeezing out the excess. Put into a bowl
4. Beat with a wooden spoon until there are no lumps.
5. Stir in all other ingredients, beat well
6. Butter a pie dish.Pour into the prepared pie dish
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden and set
8. Sprinkle with caster sugar when hot from the oven.
9. Serve hot, with cream or custard, or allow to cool, cut into squares.

**Old joke –

Q -Why don’t Marxists drink Earl Grey Tea?

A -Because they believe proper tea is theft!