HEIRLOOMRECIPE
CAROLINECREEKLIVESona 1600-hectaremixed
farmingpropertyatBoyupBrook, 269 kilometres
south-eastofPerth,buta sliceofhergrandmother’s
carawayseedcakecaninstantlytransportherbackto
theUKuniversitycityofCambridgewhereshegrewup.
“GrannywouldarriveeverySaturdayafternoon
withhercarawayseedcakeanda plateoffishpaste
sandwiches,orsometimescucumber,thatalwayshad
thecrustscutoff,”sherecalls.
WhilethefishpasteissomethingCaroline,69,
ishappytoleaveinthepast,thecakeisa cherished
reminderofherchildhood.“Igrewupinthe1950sand
I canstillrememberthatgorgeousaromainher
kitchen,wheretherewasalsoa woodenclothes-drying
rackhangingfromtheceiling.I lovedwatchingher
pulltherackupanddownandplayingwiththe
treasuresinherbuttonbox.”
Carawayseedcakeisa traditionalBritishrecipethat
waspopularintheVictorianeraandisbelievedtodate
backtomedievaltimeswhenseedcakeswerebakedas
a rewardforagriculturalworkerswhenthey’dfinished
sowingseedsinthefields.
Thelongcrescent-shapedspiceaddsa warm,aniseed
f lavourthatpairsparticularlywellwithtea,butthisis
whereCaroline’sgrandmother,AliceAston(pictured
above), broke with tradition. “At the door she wouldalwayssay:‘Hellodarlings,comeonin.I’vegotthe
coffeeon.’Mostpeoplewouldmakea potofteabutshe
wouldalwaysmakecoffeewitha panfullofmilk.”
AlicewasborninLondonin 1896 andtrainedas
a milliner,latercreatinghand-stitchedhatsforprivate
clients.Inthe1920sshemarriedCharlesAston,
a formerWorldWarI stretcherbearer,andmovedto
BristolwhereCharlesworkedwiththecivilservice.
AfterCharlesdiedin1954,AlicemovedtoCambridge
tolivea fewstreetsawayfromtheironlychild,Patricia,
whowasnowmarriedandraisingherownyoungfamily.
“Grannyusedtomakeallmyclothes,oftenbycutting
downherowndresses,”Carolineexplains.“Shewas
a veryuprightlady...shehadlotsofbeadsandalways
worea hat;however,shehada veryloudstagewhisper,
whichwasa bitembarrassingwhenwetookherto
thetheatreorballet!”
Fortunately,Alicedidn’tkeepquietaboutherbaking
secretseither,soCarolinewasabletobringthecaraway
seedcakerecipewithherwhensheemigratedto
Australiain 1979 withherhusbandandtwoyoung
children(athirdchildwaslaterborninAustralia).
Thetrickisinthetopping.“Whenyousprinklethe
sugarontopbeforebakingit,itmakesa lovelycrustas
thecakerises.Putsomenicechinaalongsideit and it
will be just as Granny would have done it.”AWESTERNAUSTRALIANREADERSHARESTHESECRET
OFHERGRANDMOTHER’STRADITIONALSEEDCAKE.
WORDST R ACEY PL AT T PHOTOGRAPHY AND STYLINGCHINA SQUIRRELthe good seeds