Borrowdale Tea Bread

We’ve recently started working with local tea suppliers, Dorothy’s Teas, which is a great excuse to talk about taking tea. Here’s the recipe for a local favourite, Borrowdale tea bread, so that you can enjoy tea in true Cumbrian style.

Ingredients

275ml hot black tea (Dorothy’s Low Sizergh Blend or Oolong are our favourite)

110g raisins

110g currants

110g soft brown sugar (dark)

1 organic egg

225g self-raising wholemeal flour

Method

1. Pour the tea over the fruit, and leave overnight.

2. The next day, beat the sugar and egg together, then stir in the flour and the fruit. Add enough of the soaking liquid to make a soft mixture. 

3. Pour the mixture into a greased and lined loaf tin (1lb). Bake for 45 minutes at 180, gas mark 4, or until cooked in the centre. 

4. Turn out of the tin and cool on a rack. Serve thinly sliced, spread with butter. 

The recipe features in Tess Baxter’s The Lake District and Cumbria in recipes and photographs (available in the farm shop shippon).