Edinburgh cyclist Chris Hoy was the first Scot to win a gold medal in the
2002 Commonwealth Games being held this week in Manchester, England, when
he raced home in the mens 1 km time trial. Not only did he win the gold
but broke the Commonwealth record to boot. His success was swiftly
followed by another Scotish gold in a sport not usually associated with
Scotland - gymnastics. Grangemouth-raised, London-based Steve Frew shared
the top spot on the rings with Cypriot Herodotos Glorgallas, to give
Scotland an unexpected but welcome victory. The only previous Scottish
gymnastic success in the Commonwealth Games had been a bronze won by
Joanne Walker in 1994 when the games were held in Victoria, Canada.
The Commonwealth Games are the largest multi-sport event in which Scotland
competes as a Nation in her own right and under her own flag - The Saltire.
Indeed Scotland has twice staged the Commonwealth Games in 1970 and 1986,
with Edinburgh providing the venue on both occassions. Roll on
Independence when Scotland can compete in all international events! But
Scotland has competed in every Commonwealth Games from the first ever in
1930 in Hamilton, Canada, when the games were known as the British Empire
Games. The games have expanded from an initial eleven countries and 450
competitors in six different sports to the sixty-nine nations and 5,068
participants in thirteen different sports in the 1988 games held in Kuala
Lumper, Malaysia. In the 1988 games Scotland won three gold, two silver
and seven bronze medals, a total that the over 200 strong Scottish team
will hope to improve upon in Manchester. The games finish on Sunday 4
August 2002. In the games from 1930 to 1988, Scotland has won a total of
270 medals, sixty-five of the medals have been gold, seventy-nine silver
and 126 bronze. Scottish boxers will be especially keen to strike
further gold success in 2002, as to date Scotland has won more gold medals
in boxing than in any other sport.
With Edinburgh having twice provided the venue for the Commonwealth Games
and an Edinburgh chiel gaining the first gold in the 2002 games, an
Edinburgh recipe is appropriate for this week. After the strain of
winning, we can be sure that Chris Hoy would enjoy a slice of Edinburgh
Gingerbread - well done to him and his fellow Scottish medallists.
Update : Scotland finished the 2002 Commonwealth Games with a tally of
30 medals - six gold, eight silver and sixteen bronze - Scotland's
second highest achievement since the games began in 1930, beaten only by
the 31 achieved in Edinburgh in 1986.
Edinburgh Gingerbread
Ingredients : 6 oz ( 150 g ) butter or margarine; 6 oz ( 150 g ) brown
sugar; 8 oz ( 225 g ) black treacle; 3 eggs; milk to mix; 9 oz ( 250 g )
flour; 3 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1 tsp mixed spice; 2 tsp powered ginger;
3 oz ( 75 g ) raisons or dates; 2 oz ( 50 g ) flaked almonds or walnuts.
Preheat the oven to 350 deg F/ 180 deg C or gas mark 4
Put the butter and sugar into a fairly large pan and warm very slightly,
without melting too much, and cream them together. Put the pan onto the
scales and measure in the treacle. Warm again slightly and beat in the
eggs one at a time. Add the fruit and nuts and then sift in the other dry
ingredients. Mix with milk to make a soft dropping consistency. Pour the
mixture into a 7 inch ( 18 cm ) round cake tin and bake for about
three-quarters of an hour or until it feels springy on top. Dinna fash gin
the gingerbried sinks i the middle whan coolin!! This rich gingerbread is
"heavy".
