George and I had a busy time in the kitchen today. He was making strawberry jam while I prepared another batch of Welsh cakes. So why the title of this post? Because as well as making scrumptious  tea time treats we were keeping family traditions alive. Both our mums were great cooks with their own specialities,  Flora, George’s mum was renowned  for her scones and preserves whilst my mum Nancy could whip up  batches of Welsh cakes at short notice to feed hungry children and grandchildren. They died within  months of each other a few years ago and left a big gap in our lives. And now we use their recipes and utensils and try to become as skilled.

George uses Flora’s “jeely pan” to brew up marmalade and jams.

The “jeely pan” and Welsh cakes

The finished product

And I have Mum’s Welsh cake recipe and  gran’s griddle pan to cook them on.

Recipe

The recipe can give me a jolt as it’s handwritten and I forget for an instant and think of phoning her for tips. I can’t do that of course, but what I can do is parcel up a batch to send to my son, a reminder of the boxes he used to get from his Nana to take back to Scotland with him.

And maybe one day he’ll make his own