Hoping to Bake as the British Do

Thanks to the Great British Baking Show on Netflix and a delicious trip to England, my holidays this year may include a bit of extra baking. In England, we spent a week in the Cotswolds and a week in Cornwall and to our surprise, English food is not as plain as we'd heard.

Being of British heritage fails me when it comes to knowledge about the foods commonly eaten in England. Pudding for instance,"if you feel like a pud," can be either savory or sweet, but is usually a steamed cake-like dessert served at the end of a meal. It is made with milk, sugar, eggs and flavoring. Bread pudding is a familiar example, and sticky toffee pudding topped with clotted cream is my new favorite. Clotted cream (to me) has a silkier texture than either butter or whipped cream.

Sticky Toffee Pudding at The Galley in Topsham, Cornwall, England

Tender and flavorful pastries are commonly served with tea. Scones are popular and as varied as the abundant flavorings available to change them up. Simple scones are served with jam and clotted cream. (Yum.) Crumpets and English muffins need something extra too.

Board of pastries served for dinner at JSR Restaurant in Petersburg, England

Pasties (pronounced like they are from the distant past) are fried pies. Stuffed with meats and vegetables, one of these provides a handy meal, great for picnics and widely available for take-out.

Fried pasty from Eva's in Porthleven

Back home for Thanksgiving, our traditional meal included few baked goods. One was the traditional dressing to go with turkey. It's made of biscuits and cornbread which are baked and then amped up with seasoning and baked again. (In England, I think they might call this a pudding.)

Our Family's Traditional Turkey and Dressing

Also expected: the annual pumpkin pie. Yes, annual as we don't eat it any other day of the year.

Pumpkin Pie Ready for Slicing and a Topping of Whipped Cream

After Thanksgiving, my daughter Clara and I began the three day process of making gingerbread houses. Labor intensive and delightful at the same time, this process produced spicy aromas in the house and decorations for the next holiday.

Gingerbread Fresh Out of the Oven

Gingerbread Decorating and Assembly

Gingerbread House and Creatures Assembled

What fun we had decorating. I hope we will get better with practice. The whole house now smells of ginger. So...

Along with a tree, blooming amaryllis, and a poinsettia, we are starting to get festive. Now on to Christmas baking.

Where shall we start? I think figgy pudding might be worth a try. But how does one make clotted cream? Can't get that here.