Hogmanay (31 December) has a special place in Scottish hearts and in
bygone days the house had to be redd out so that in the New Year a fresh
beginning could be made. Floors were scrubbed, dishes scoured, even the
children were washed, all in good time that the work was finished well
before midnight - the Lang Oor. This extract from 'Folklore and
Superstitious Beliefs in the West of Scotland within this Century' by
James Napier (1879) discribes a Scottish Hogmanay scene :-
'The following was the practice in my father's house in Patrick, about
fifty to sixty years ago. On Hogmany evening, children were all washed
before going to bed. An oat bannock was baked for each child; it was
nipped round the edge, had a hole in the centre, and was flavoured with
caraway seed. Great care was taken that none of these bannocks should
break in the firing as such an occurrence was regarded as a very unlucky
omen for the child whose bannock was thus damaged. It denotes illness or
death during the year. Parents sat up till about half-past eleven, when
the fire was covered and every particle of ash swept up and carried out of
the house. All retired to bed before twelve o'clock, as it was unlucky not
to be in bed as the New Year came in.'
This is the exact opposite of most reports of Hogmanay customs when the
celebrations usually began at 'the chappin o the Twal' and would continue
till the wee sma hours.
Partick is in Glasgow and it is to Scotland's largest city that we go for
this week's champion recipe - Glasgow Cake - taken from 'The Anniversary
Cook-Book of the Dumfriesshire Federation SWRI 1922-1992'. This cake won a
competion in 1990 to find a Glasgow cake.
Glasgow Cake
Ingredients : 4 oz (100 g) chrystalised pineapple, chopped; 4 oz (100 g)
chrystilised ginger, chopped; 4 oz (100 g) chopped mixed peel; 9 oz (250
g) butter; 12 oz (350 g) wholemeal flour; 4 oz (100 g) walnuts, coarsely
chopped; 4 oz (100 g) cherries, cut in half; 4 oz sultanas; 5 tablespoons
orange juice; 9 oz (250 g) caster sugar; 4 eggs, large
Soak the pineapple, ginger, cherries, sultanas and peel in fresh orange
juice overnight. Cream the butter and sugar, and add beaten eggs
alternatively with the wholemeal flour. Add the soaked fruits and the
walnuts. Bake in an 8 inch or 9 inch tin, at 325 deg F, 170 deg C or Gas
Mark 3, for two hours.
