Most of us have someone in our lives who has inspired us. For me, that person was my grandmother, whose love for baking shaped my own passion for the craft. I inherited not just her recipes but her deep-rooted love for simple, delicious home baking.
Grandma Abson’s treasured collection of recipes
Grandma Abson had begun her collection of recipes during her time in service in the late 19th century, but she continued through most of the 20th century as fashions changed. She wrote them out by hand on scraps of paper, postcards, in old exercise books and tore them out of magazines to create a diverse and cherished assortment of traditional recipes.
Grandma’s approach to baking
Grandma Abson had a stern, rather Victorian outlook on life and a stout work ethic and developed a practical and resourceful approach to baking. She lived through harsh times, raising her family through the hardship and rationing of two world wars. Consequently, her recipes were often crafted around making tasty food from basic or limited supplies.
Her methods were guided by intuition rather than precise measurements. She would make sure that the ingredients were at room temperature before starting to mix them and sieved flour to give a lighter texture for a dough. Neither did she meticulously weigh out the ingredients, hence there are many references to ‘a cupful’ or ‘a basinful’ in her recipes.
From coal-fired ranges to gas and electric ovens, Grandma adapted to changing kitchen technology, though she always relied on her instincts and experience to judge the perfect oven temperature. Her early years cooking on black-leaded Yorkshire ranges had given her that mysterious knowledge of what was just the ‘correct heat’.
Oven temperatures were not precise with ‘slow’, ‘moderate’ and ‘quick’ as common descriptions. She had a knack for knowing exactly when a cake was ready, using a simple skewer to test for ‘baked’—an old trick that I still use today.
Why Grandma Abson’s baking still appeals today
Grandma Abson’s legacy is more than just recipes; it’s a connection to the past, a reminder of the warmth and comfort that home baking brings. Her recipes remain as relevant today as they were decades ago, proving that simple, well-made food never goes out of style. In my family, we continue to bake her beloved Victoria Sandwich, her Apple pie and many more, keeping her traditions alive with every delicious bite.
They remind us how quintessentially Yorkshire it is, that we put the kettle on for a cup of tea and a piece of cake and look for a bit of comfort or a treat to deal with all manner of life’s difficulties. And isn’t it so much better if that cake is lovingly made at home with good ingredients?
After all, who can resist the joys of a simple fresh sponge cake or the satisfying crunch of a tray of biscuits, warm, aromatic and straight out of the oven, just like Grandma Abson used to bake?
You can read more about Grandma Abson and her passion for baking and recipes, and head over to Instagram @grandmaabson to see Meryl baking with her grandchildren. And don’t forget to check out all the recipes Meryl has previously compiled for Yorkshire Bylines.
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