Best of British: Yorkshire

This month we are showcasing the fine food of Yorkshire via the Best of British blogging challenge and today, 1st August, is Yorkshire day. There is a lovely overview of Yorkshire's fine produce on Lavender and Lovage's host blog. I have very fond memories from my time in the North East of trips to Betty's tea rooms in York and Harrogate where I always felt spoilt for choice with a particular favourite being the Fat Rascal.


I took my inspiration from Betty's for my own entry to this challenge as they make a rather tasty fruit cake with Old Peculiar ale.  Old Peculiar is a rich ale made at the Theakston's brewery in Masham, Yorkshire.


Yorkshire has some very fine cheeses too, so my chosen combination was for Old Peculiar Fruit Cake served with Hawes Wensleydale cheese.


Way down in Devon it is hard to get a good selection of northern cheeses and as much as I wanted to serve my cake with a good chunk of Richard III, my favourite Yorkshire cheese, it was not to be.

The recipe for the cake was based on a Porter cake recipe from the Ballymaloe cookery school's website. I just substituted Old Peculiar for the Irish Stout, nothing else was changed. This recipe produces a rich but not overly sweet cake, helped by the hoppy bitter notes from the ale it makes a great partner to cheese. 


The cake is quick to prepare as you boil the liquid, butter and fruit in a pan, no arduous creaming of butter and sugar. I hope you will feel inspired to have a go.


The Best of British blog challenge is sponsored by NewWorld and organised by Fiona of London Unattached with help from Lavender and Lovage. A round-up of the entries will be posted around 25th August on the website for New World and Lavendar and Lovage's blog.