Anglo-Saxon Honey Oat Cakes
Posted on February 1, 2016 | By cbutlerwoolsery | 2 responses
Today Ashmansworthy Class were busy making Saxon style oat cakes. After measuring out all the ingredients carefully, the children had to melt butter to bind everything together. They had a choice of adding mixed spice, cinnamon or fruit (or all three) before deciding how to cook them.
Some interesting facts about spices in the Anglo-Saxon times…
The Anglo Saxons were farmers, but they traded too, and a well off farmer might have used spices on special occasions. So don’t go mad with them! They would have been terribly expensive and very precious.
Cinnamon has been known from remote antiquity, and it was highly prized amongst ancient nations. It is native to India and was imported to Egypt from China as early as 2000 BC. Up to the Middle Ages, the source of cinnamon was a mystery to the Western world. Its origin was possibly kept secret, so the traders could ensure a monopoly.
It came into Europe through East Africa or Egypt and, until the late 14th century, it was thought that giant Cinnamon birds collected the cinnamon sticks from an unknown land where the cinnamon trees grew, and used them to construct their nests, from which the traders obtained them.
Here is the recipe so you can try them at home:
Ingredients
150 g (6 Oz) Rolled Oats
100 g (4 Oz) Butter
50g (2oz) flour
2 large tablespoons of Honey
2 teaspoons Cinnamon or mixed spice
(Dried fruit optional)
Pinch of salt
Method
1. Weigh out all your ingredients.
2. Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan.
3. Add the salt, honey, oats and spice. Stir until they are well mixed. Mix in fruit if using it.
4. Spoon the mixture out onto a greased baking tray or swiss roll tin and press it down well.
5. Alternatively you can make small balls and flatten them to 5mm thick then cook them in a frying pan or bake them in the oven.
6. Bake at 325F/170C for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Cool for a few minutes then mark into squares while still warm and serve when cold.
These were tasty and i made a snail-whale called sir bob
today was verry fun ! im defintly going to make some more. Thankyou for all the people who helped . And by the way sean was looking like he was enjoying it. But next time i not gong to put loads of salt in it . thank you. ps next time im not going to wash up.