A Slice of Britain

A round Britain trip in search of our traditional teatime treats. In her encounters with those people making traditional cakes, Caroline Taggart unravels the stories behind why they originated, where and when they did, and meditates on their resurgence today, as we look to revive and celebrate local produce.

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'However you attempt to justify it with thoughtful questions about history and provenance, writing a book about cake is an idea born of pure gluttony. I just like to think it was gluttony with an enquiring mind.' If there's one thing we Brits never say no to, it's stopping at four o'clock for a cup of tea and a slice of something tasty. After all, we invented afternoon tea. Ours is a land rich in moist, mouth watering flavours, of sponges and scones, fruitcakes and fancies. So what better way to capture a slice of Britain than to devour its many tea-time treats, slice by sumptuous slice? That's what Caroline Taggart set out to do one day - nothing more energetic than taking a table by the window, and investigating one mouthful at a time what (other than geography) separates a Coventry God Cake from an Eccles Cake, or Grantham Gingerbread from Whitby Gingerbread. In her encounters with those people making traditional cakes, she unravels the stories behind why they originated, where and when they did, and meditates on their resurgence today, as we look to revive and celebrate local produce.