The word ‘bake’ derives from the Old English ‘bacan’, and the Old Norse word ‘baka’. People have probably been baking food since it was discovered how to make fire, but the first known use of ‘bake’ in its modern form was in 1565, as it became fashionable to note down a popular recipe.
It’s fair to say that people have been writing down successful recipes ever since, as can be demonstrated by the number of recipes to be found in the archives at the Treasure House, in Beverley, where you will discover several old recipes going back to the 18th Century.
Some of the most interesting of these old recipes are actually more recent and were written down in the recipe book of Grace Ockleton of Beverley.
Grace was a pupil at Beverley High School for Girls, and went on to become the headmistress there. She began a recipe book in the spring term of 1926, two years after she passed her exams as a pupil, and it is thought that the book was used by Grace to note down useful recipes that she would teach to the girls in home economics classes.
The book contains instructions for how to make apricot delights, coconut ice, Queen’s pudding and, most appetising of all, pancake scones. All were made in Grace’s own style and passed on to the young schoolgirls of Beverley, some of whom would undoubtedly have taken the recipes and continued to use them to bake for their families in adult life.
Sam Bartle, collections officer, said: “Traditionally, we have handed down our best recipes from generation to generation and in some ways this still continues; only we tend to rely now on TV, published books and the internet and it is the celebrity chef, rather than grandma, or great grandma, who supplies us with the recipe.”
Grace Ockleton’s recipe book is currently on display at the Treasure House, in Champney Road, Beverley, but you can also search the archives yourself for other old recipes by making a visit to the archives and local studies service, also in the Treasure House.
Champney’s, the in-house coffee lounge, provides homemade baking produce and will soon be offering its customers some tasty items baked from old archive recipes.
