Brack

A tea loaf that makes one of the most concentrated fruit cakes around - seriously good paddling food. I’ve no idea how long it might keep in storage as in my experience it never lasts more than a few days!

228g (8 oz) sultanas
100 g (4 oz) raisins
100 g (4 oz) currants
175 g (6 oz) demerara sugar
150ml (quarter pint) tea, hot
1 egg, medium size
225 g (8 oz) self raising flour

Mix together the dried fruit, sugar and hot tea. Always use very hot tea so the sugar dissolves and the dried fruit swells more easily. Occasional stirring helps this process along.

Cover and leave overnight.

Heat oven to 160 C, 325 F, gas mark 3. Grease and line the base of a 1 kg (2 lb) loaf tin. Add the egg to the fruit/tea/sugar mix and beat well, then fold in the sifted flour gently - the final mix will be very thick.

Place the mixture into the tin and bake for about 1.5 - 1.75 hours until the fizzling sound of cooking from the loaf has dropped off.