Gingerbread

Serves 8

(Lisa Barber)

This is best served in the afternoon with a well-earned cup of tea.

3 tbsp milk
11/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
45g/2oz sultanas
60g/21/2oz ginger, preserved in syrup, chopped finely
120g/4oz dark brown sugar
120g/4oz unsalted butter
2 eggs
200ml/7fl oz treacle
200g/7oz plain flour

Heat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas3. Start by warming the milk gently with the bicarbonate of soda.

When warm, remove from the stove and add the sultanas and ginger.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, beating after each addition.

Stir in the treacle, followed by the flour. Finish by stirring in the warmed milk and pour into a lined loaf tin.

Place in the oven for one to one-and-a-half hours. Remove and cool on a wire rack.