-This was the go-to recipe for my mum in the 1970s because it never failed. I have made it at various times for 40+ years.
-Thanks to our friend, Vincent Hardy, for introducing me to scrumping! Actually, he introduced me to the meaning of it! The word “scrump” means stealing fruit, especially apples, from someone else’s tree! I don’t advocate doing this but I have been known to retrieve apples when it is obvious that they are being left to rot. Also try other fruits such as apricots, quinces.
-In general, I prefer to use a 50:50 ratio of butter:vegetable oil in cake and biscuit recipes because of the health benefits of vegetable oils. My opinion is that olive oil does not adversely effect the flavour of cakes, especially cakes that are made with wholemeal flour.