I just received a wonderful newsletter from the British Columbia WI Provincial Board. Now, I must confess that I didn’t read the greetings very closely because I was distracted by a snap. A Brandy Snap, to be precise. What is that? Well, stick around, and I’ll tell you!
In her message, Janet writes
When I was very young and still living in England my parents always took us to the “Hull Fair” and while we were there we always bought some brandy snaps (If you Google Hull Fair you can read about their history; it has been going for 7 centuries) (Also Google Brandy Snap and you can find the recipe). When we immigrated to Canada we thought we would never have Brandy Snap again, but my Aunty Irene knew how much we liked it, so she sent us some the next year and every year for the last 55 years. Every year it arrives just before Christmas and not only my brother and sister and I look forward to it but our children and grandchildren now look for it.
I love nothing more than an invitation to use Google for research. Allow me?
A photo of Hull Fair taken on Friday 13th October 2006 from the top of the ‘Big Wheel’. Reginald Herring.
Very nice. Pretty lights. Crowds. Noise. Ooh, maybe too many lights and people and too much noise. I need some distraction. Something to sooth. Ah! A treat! That ought to do it! Where is the Brandy Snap man?
Brandy Snap. Candy, Crisp, or Cookie? Would you believe “all of the above”?
Brandy snaps are a popular snack or dessert food in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. They are edible, tubular, brittle, sweet, baked casings that are typically 10 cm long and 2 cm in diameter. They are sometimes served filled with whipped cream. They are commonly made from a mixture of golden syrup, flour, ginger, cream, sugar and butter and are baked briefly as a flat disc that is then rolled while still hot and soft. They do not contain brandy.
I cannot decide if I am disappointed by the last sentence. I think, in the spirit (get it?) of the season, I shall remain unmoved. No brandy? Fine.
You can make your Brandy Snaps, if you wish. Click on the image here for a recipe from the BBC.
Click on image for a recipe from the BBC.
Alternately, you can buy them online, but shipping is limited to the UK.
There you have it! Happy Snappy from the UK, British Columbia, Google, and me!