Easter family traditions – Kate’s favourite simnel cake recipe
But my favourite Easter tradition is cooking with my four young children. As well as the obligatory chocolate cornflake nest eggs and chocolate brownies, every year we make a traditional simnel cake. This is a tradition stemming back to my own childhood.
When I was five years old, my family moved from Middlesex to the Cotswolds. It meant that my grandparents were no longer a five-minute walk away but a drive of several hours. Our new next- door-neighbour Grace, became a surrogate grandmother to me. She was in her sixties and I was five but she helped look after me – and we’d spend hours together each week. As I grew, she taught me how to play cards, how to play the piano, how to speak French and how to bake cakes.
One of my favourite memories is of Grace making a simnel cake each year – with dried fruit and a marzipan centre and decorated with 11 marzipan balls on top – one for each disciple. She made one every Easter for my family -and it tasted INCREDIBLE!
During my teenage years, Grace and I would chat for hours, putting the world to rights. She met my teenage angst with sound words and advice and I’d talk to her about everything: boys, relationships, teenage friendship dilemmas, exam pressure. She always provided a non- judgmental listening ear- and copious amounts of cake and cups of tea- served on the most beautiful tea set!
When I went away to boarding school and to university Grace and I remained close – she’d make me batches of cakes to take back with me! Grace came to my wedding in 2010 and met my first child James when he was born in 2012 though she died in 2013- a year after James was born – aged 91. I promised her if I had a daughter, I would name her after her – and I kept my promise when my daughter Annabelle Imogen Grace was born in 2014. I wanted to honour the woman who meant so much to me.
I got so much joy from cooking with Grace -and whenever I make simnel cake with my kids I do it in her memory. I always use the same simnel cake recipe -from BBC Good Food – it tastes just the same as Grace’s – it’s zesty, fruity, indulgent and melts-in-your-mouth. It’s a quick, fool-poof simple recipe that uses minimal ingredients and always results in lots of compliments!
Cooking simnel cake with my kids each Easter is a lovely way to pay tribute to such an amazing woman – who taught me kindness, compassion, empathy and love – the qualities I hope I am teaching my own children. I’m sure she’d be delighted to know I’m still making the cake in honour – even though I’m now in my forties!
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by Kate Skelton
