A pretty poor picture, but needs must.
Mrs. Kinch and I were down in Cork for a wedding a while ago and we enjoyed all the hospitalility that Cork city is known for. The bride was beautiful, the groom was lucky and I had a happy excuse for wearing dress uniform during the Guard of Honour. Mrs. Kinch and I danced the night away and had a simply wonderful time, which while entertaining for us, probably makes for dull reading.
But, what is probably of more interest to readers of Joy & Forgetfulness is Engine No. 36, a restored Victorian steam engine which sits in Kent Railway station. I know nothing about trains, other than that they are infinitely preferable to car in my book, but I'm told that if one likes trains this one is of interest.
This while illegible at this resolution, should be readable when clicked on.
(Click to embiggen)
Engine No. 36 was built in Liverpool by Bury, Curtis and Kennedy in 1847. She cost £1,955 sterling and was brought to Ireland to run services between Dublin and Cork for the Great Southern and Western Railway. She remained in service until 1874.
The engine itself is quite big, though smaller than the contemporary types, and just looks great in its green paint and gleaming brass.
The staff of life
One things we did learn while we were in Cork was that "Gurr cake" was called "Chester cake" in the south. For those who are unaware, Gurr cake is a sort of compressed fruit slice made up of the remainders of other cakes, dark rum and raisins. I used to get mine from the small shop behind school and it is indelibly linked with that time and place in my mind. Wonderful stuff.
To learn that that it had a different name in Cork was an awful shock - I'm anxious to try some next time I'm down there, just to confirm that it is inferior to the Dublin made variety.
Chester cake indeed.
It'll be dogs marrying cats next.
Sounds like a lovely trip.
ReplyDeleteFMB
It was excellent.
DeleteNot known in Chester but the "cake" looks like the Scottish black bun
ReplyDeleteNot the infamous man eating Black Sawney Bun of the Ballantrae, surely?
DeleteI'm always pleased to hear of local baking traditions surviving and I like the look of this Gurr Cake.
ReplyDeleteI recall a place I used to work where the menu in the staff canteen regularly featured geographically specific recipe names which appeared to be entirely invented. So it was that we would be offered something like 'Chester Pudding' but nobody from that area had ever heard of it.
I must admit when I lived in the United States, I was offered traditional Irish food that left me politely baffled. I think it's the same the world over.
DeleteI cannot recommend Gurr cake enough.
"It'll be dogs marrying cats next. "
ReplyDeleteNot without a referendum, surely? :)
Referendum, schmeferendum.
DeleteIt'll be some damn foolish thing from Brussels I'm sure.
My boyfriend was livid about it.
On an unrelated note, because I don't have enough projects in my life, I was looking at your Liberated Hordes piece and thinking there was something that could be done with CCN.
I don't know whether CCN has a scale, but one thing to bear in mind about the South American stuff is that, for Napoleonics, it's pretty small scale. 2,000-5,000 men a side is the norm with few battles going much bigger.
DeleteYour 'Chester Cake' looks awfully like what ASDA calls a 'Scottish Fruit Slice' but locals here call it a 'fly cemetery'.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly does not have the appearance of 'Black Bun' which is a much different piece of cake (pun intended). Black Bun is more like a small loaf, flat on the bottom, curved on the top, the crust is thick and very brown and the filling is much much thicker but still compressed fruits.
Gurr Cake is on occasion referred to as Fruit Slice.
DeleteI must admit, I am relieved to hear that wholesome Gurr Cake isn't mixed up in that Black Bun nonsense.
In the North of England (well in our house at least) it was called "Fly Cake" or "Fly Slice".....
ReplyDeleteNeil
I see. Though further research has yielded the Eccles cake - which I'd like to try.
DeleteWhat is the crust made of? Is it cake or is it apie type of crust? Looks yummy. Haven't seen it in the States.
ReplyDeleteIt can be either sweet shortcrust pastry or a thin sponge, sort of depends on what's lying around needing to be used up.
Delete"just to confirm that it is inferior to the Dublin made variety"
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to keep your identity a secret next time though ;-)
I am an international Kinch of mystery.
DeleteIn similar vein, those cheeky French call the English Channel ... "La Manche"!
ReplyDeleteRegards, Chris