Fruit Bonnag

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup currants
• 1 tbsp margarine
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 large tsp mixed spice
• few drops vanilla essence
• cup or more buttermilk

Rub butter into flour. Add other dry ingredients. When will mixed, mix with buttermilk.

Bake about 1 hour in moderate oven.

A common recipe is

• 1 lb plain flour
• 4 oz margarine
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 4 oz sugar
• 4 oz currants

Bake in moderate oven 3/4 hour

A much richer cake-like recipe is 'Mrs. Kerruish's Manx Bunloaf' - note the addition of eggs which is not mentioned in any earlier recipe.

• 18 oz plain flour
• 2 oz margarine
• 2 oz lard
• 2 oz brown sugar
• 2 oz white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 18 oz currants
• 5 oz sultanas
• 2½ oz peel
• ½ level tsp Cream of Tartar
• ½ level tsp Carbonate of Soda
• 1 teaspoon spice
• Buttermilk to mix

No method given but judging from the ingredients rather like a rich fruit cake :beat fats and sugar, add eggs; sift flour spice and raising ingredients, then add with fruit and cook in a slow oven (150C - probably around 2 hours but needs experimentation). Alternatively possibly rub fats into sifted flour/spice mix and then add eggs, fruit and buttermilk to produce the required dropping consistency.

References:

For all these recipes I am thankful to Suzanne Daugherty for extracting them from her collection.

Measures or equivalents

• 1 tsp = 5g or 1/8 oz;
• 1 tbsp = 15g or ½oz
• 4oz = 100g = ½cup (flour)