Please welcome our guest Jane Willan! Jane is the author of the very charming Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn mysteries.
My novels
are set in Wales and my Welsh characters love to eat—especially, Sister Agatha
whose favorite treat is a crispy Welsh cake with a cup of Welsh Brew tea. I didn’t know how great Welsh cakes were
until I attended the National Festival of Wales this past summer. At the three-day festival, in addition to
incredible singing, talks about Wales, and everything Welsh, there was a table
set with endless Welsh cakes and tea.
And all-you-can-eat-Welsh Cake experience. I came home wanting to make my own Welsh
cakes. Since I am not really much of a
baker, I went to the internet to find the perfect recipe. This recipe is from a BBC website “BBC Food Recipes” at https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/welsh_cakes_16706
I have modified it a
little for easier baking.
Recipe
Preparation time
less than 30 mins
Cooking time
less than 10 mins
Makes 6-8 welsh cakes
What you'll need:
4 cups flour
6 tablespoons salted
butter, diced
1-2 cups sugar, plus
extra for dusting
A handful of
cranberries or currants
1 egg, beaten
A little milk
What to do:
Sift the flour into
a bowl and add the diced butter.
Rub with your
fingertips, or pulse in a food processor, until the mixture resembles
breadcrumbs.
Add the sugar,
cranberries and beaten egg and mix well to form a ball of dough, using a splash
of milk if needed.
Roll the dough out
on a floured board to a thickness of about ½in.
Rub a bakestone or
heavy iron griddle with butter, wipe away the excess and place on the hop until
it is heated through.
Cook the Welsh cakes
a few at a time for 2–3 minutes on each side, or until golden-brown.
Remove from the
griddle and dust with sugar while still warm.
Serve with a cup of tea!
Praise for The Shadow of Death: A Sister Agatha and
Father Selwyn Mystery (#1)
“Sprightly… The rich life and personalities of this
religious community, coupled with Sister Agatha’s devotion to the sage advice
of a retired inspector turned podcaster, guarantee reader impatience for the
next installment.”
―Publishers Weekly
The Hour of Death: A Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn
Mystery (#2)
"Charming… Peopled with plenty of interesting
characters and local color.”
—Kirkus Reviews
GIVE AWAY
Leave a comment to be entered to win a copy of
The Hour of
Death
Leave your
email so I can contact you if you win.
I will pick the winners on Wednesday.
I will pick the winners on Wednesday.
Bio:
Reverend Jane Willan
is a parish minister and author in Paxton, Massachusetts. She serves the First
Congregational Church of Paxton and lives in the church parsonage with her
husband Don and their two rescue dogs, Magi and Moses.
Before moving to
Paxton, Jane served congregations in the Iowa Conference of the United Church
of Christ in the small town of Creston and the larger-but-still-small town of
Burlington, Iowa.
Before becoming an
ordained pastor, Jane worked in Boston as a science editor, a freelance science
writer, a teacher, and a brief stint in biological research at Harvard. In
2003, she became a full-time pastor and took her first church in Iowa.
Jane completed her
undergraduate work at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio. She has a Master of Science
degree from Boston University, and a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt
Divinity School.
She has published
two Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn mysteries:
The Shadow of Death and The Hour of Death.
Website: janewillan@gmail.com
Face Book:
@authorjanewillan
Twitter: @jane_willan
I lived in England for a year or so and my husband and I ventured to Wales for long weekends of hiking. Admittedly, I have never had Welsh cakes but they look delightful and easy to make.
ReplyDeletelittle lamb lst at yahoo dot com
you will love them. Welsh cakes are a little addictive.
DeleteThe recipe looks delicious. Thank you for the recipe, and this chance! areewekidding(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeletethey are so good...have them with a cup of tea!
DeleteI’ve never heard of welsh cakes before.
ReplyDeletesgiden at verizon(.)net
They are really good! I had never heard of them either until I started researching Wales for my mystery series.
DeleteI've never had a Welsh cake, but those look simple and delicious. Thanks for the recipe! mbradeen [at] yahoo [dot] com
ReplyDeleteThese look lovely.
ReplyDelete1-2 cups of sugar is quite a range. How does one decide?
libbydodd at comcast dot net
good point. 1.5 cups to mix in and a half cup for dusting.
DeleteWelcome to the Kitchen, Jane! Your books sound delightful! We visited Burlington, IA several times when I was a kid -- my dad worked for a furniture company based there -- during Steamboat Days, and I loved the river front and steamboat rides.
ReplyDeleteBurlington is a great place-- wonderful and welcoming people.
DeleteWelsh cakes look so delectable. I will pass along this recipe to my granddaughter and see if she wants to give it a shot. Your story premise sounds so interesting. I definitely need to read!
ReplyDeletepatdupuy@yahoo.com
I hope your granddaughter enjoys them and I hope you enjoy Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn!
DeleteThank you for the recipe. I have had scones, but never Welsh cakes. Thank you for the book giveaway.
ReplyDeletedebprice60@gmail.com
I don't think I've ever had Welsh cakes before. My mother is from England, and the two items she has served us were scones and crumpets. My mother loves crumpets. I do, too. I love watching the butter melt into the little holes. LOL The joys we get from food. The Welsh cakes look pretty. Perfect with tea. bluedawn95864 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteif you like crumpets and scones-- you will like welsh cakes. They are a bit heavier and more filling. Very good with tea.
DeleteI've never had welsh cakes before. These look very good.
ReplyDeleteturtle6422 at gmail dot com
I hope you bake them-- but you can also order Welsh cakes on Amazon...
DeleteI can.t wait to try those and to check out your books!
ReplyDeleteJulie.e.boynton at gmail dot com
I hope you enjoy both the Welsh cakes and the books!
DeleteThose look delicious - bet they'd be good with Welsh tea! And I happen to have some of that! Ha! Just wanted to say that Jane's books are great. Highly recommended by me and also our mystery book group! Enjoy!
ReplyDeletethanks Kay!!
Deletethank-you. New to me author. Sounds interesting. kckendler at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteKathleen, I hope you try out both the Welsh cakes and the books! jane
ReplyDeleteThe recipe for Welsh cakes sounds delicious. I'm not familiar with Jan Willan so it would be a pleasure to win a copy of her book. robeader53(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteit is a good recipe and I hope you check out my books! drawing a winner on Weds. jane
DeleteWelsh cakes sound delicious. I never had any when I was in Wales. We stayed in Ruthin Castle but weren't really in Wales long.
ReplyDeleteI love the castles in Wales. try a Welsh cake with tea!
DeleteThanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeletejtcgc at yahoo dot com
you are welcome!
DeleteSounds good, and easy. Could you use Craisins instead of fresh cranberries?
ReplyDeleteI absolutely adored THE HOUR OF DEATH, in fact I mentioned it on my blog today. I'm usually a stickler for reading in order, but made an exception with this one. Now I have to read the first. My Mom got the first from her library and loved it!
cozyupwithkathy @ gmail dot com
I am so glad you liked it! And thank you for mentioning it on your blog!! and "yes" to craisins. In fact, that sounds really good.
DeleteGreat meeting you at Malice! Will have to try to make these with gluten free flour....
ReplyDeleteHave the first book, would love to read the second.
Jwhite410@yahoo.com
gluten-free flour should work. will you be at Malice in 2019? we will have to meet up.
DeleteWow those look good and so do your books. Thanks for the chance to win. kayt18 (at) comcast (dot) net
ReplyDeleteI will draw a winner on Weds….good to hear from you!
DeleteI love scones so I’m excited to make welsh cakes! I read one of your books and really enjoyed it so much. It was refreshingly different and I couldn’t put it down. I hope to read this one too. Hope I can find it or win it here. Thank you for the chance. Happy New Year donakutska7@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteso glad you enjoyed the book! and if you like scones, you will like Welsh cakes. they need a cup of tea though.....
ReplyDeleteWelsh Cakes look so delectable and perfect with tea. Your book looks captivating and intriguing. Happy New year! saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you as well!
DeleteI would love to read your novel. The Welsh Cakes are delightful with chai and during this cold winter. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeletechai tea sounds perfect!
DeleteThank you for the Welsh Cakes recipe. I would like to read your book! Happy New Year! willparish2002@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you as well.
DeleteThanks for sharing the recipe. It looks and sounds delicious! I would love to read your book! bernice-kennedy(at)sbcglobal(dot)net
ReplyDeleteThe recipe is really good-- and easy to make. I hope you do read my book-- you would probably like Sister Agatha!
DeleteThank you for sharing this recipe! It looks great! I would love to read your book!
ReplyDeletethank you and Happy New Year!
DeleteThis is a new series to me. Really enjoyed the description of the books and I'm adding to my TBR list.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks!!
DeletePutting these on my TBRlist. Thanks for the chance. Candykennedy45@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThank you and Happy New Year!
DeleteLiked in the UK for a good many years, Love Welsh cakes but have not tried to make my own. I will try this recipe asap . Thank you for the chance to win this great sounding book
ReplyDeletedebbiec1313(at) yahoo (dot) com
thanks! enjoy the Welsh cakes!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to try these with a cup of tea and a new book.
Deletearemcy@aol.com
thank you and Happy New Year!
DeleteWelsh cakes sound delicious, especially with a cup of tea! sharonquiltatyahoodotcom
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy them! and the cup of tea!
DeleteThanks so much for the chance to win your book. It looks so good. Also the recipe looks yummy!
ReplyDeletefaithdcreech at gmail dot com
I really need to make these! They are perfect for a weekend breakfast. Thank you so much got sharing and for the giveaway. Meg85242 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lovely series. I am always interested in following g authors from New England and MA I would be happy to win a copy. Thank you Cynthia Bayer Blain on FB
ReplyDeleteHi Jane,
ReplyDeleteA Welsh festival sounds wonderful. My father was told that we may have welsh ancestry. I found your website online and read the description on your books. Your books sound great ,sister Agatha sounds spunky!
Thanks for sharing your welsh cakes recipes.I will definitely be trying your recipe,I think I will use dried cherries in place of currants or dried cranberries. Wishing you a Happy New Year!
BakingCookies32(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks so much for the chance! JL_Minter (at) hotmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds great - thanks for the contest - Happy New Year - trwilliams 69 at msn dot com
ReplyDeleteI would love to win. this is a new author to me. Recipe sounds really good. Thank You jsmith207@socal.rr.com
ReplyDeleteIt is one of the most beautiful covers I have seen. Thanks for the opportunity.
ReplyDeletebrowninggloria(at)hotmail(dot) com
I have read both of these books and loved them both!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! This is a new author to me. Would love a new read in the new year. I plan to try the recipe. It is something I know my family would like.
ReplyDelete6186pep(at)msn(dot)com