Wednesday 21 February 2018

Suffolk Rusks

You might have heard of Eccles Cakes, Stilton Cheese and  Cornish Pasties but do you know about Suffolk rusks?

My mum made them, Col's mum made them and I've been making them for nearly 40 years.

When we had 3 children at home and I did a big bake every week, I'd make these while I was deciding what other things to rustle up. Col's pack up had a couple of rusks spread with a little butter every day.
Although back then they were just rusks and it was only  years later when I came across them called Suffolk Rusks in a regional cookery book, that I found they were traditional here and nowhere else.
I think they used to be made for farm workers to take to the fields with a piece of cheese. They are high in fats so would have given the workers a good boost mid morning.

A few years ago Home Farmer Magazine ran a feature about cooking in different parts of the UK and asked for recipes so I sent them this recipe and they featured it in the magazine but with their photos -  goodness knows what they did but they looked nothing like my rusks!










 The recipe - if you are not into healthy eating - is on the separate recipe page - scroll down almost to the end. If you think these have too many calories you are right and even more if you add a bit of cheese as well as butter to the top of the rusk when you eat it!

Back Soon
Sue


28 comments:

  1. So that is how they turn out! I think they would go down well in this house. Congratulations on the magazine item! I am intrigued, what did the food stylists do to them?

    I still do a lot of baking, some little gannets live next door - two of my grandchildren. We have them after school, for a couple of hours, I swear they have hollow legs.

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    1. I wonder if they are in any of your old recipe books?

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  2. They look delicious and the thought of having one with butter and cheese is just too good to be true! Congratulations on the recipe/article.
    J x

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  3. Looks similar to a scone, but more fat and halved and baked again. Not heard of those, thanks for the recipe.

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    1. More crumbly than a scone and egg instead of milk to mix and no sugar of course

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  4. Su that is a bit spooky. I was just thinking about having seen what the Americans call biscuits thinking I should make some as I have said for ever, then I saw your post and yours are a little similar. Not sweet and could be eaten to mop up stews, the Americans eat them with what they call grits and gravy, just in case you haven't seen. (I love American cookery progs; my favs are The Pioneer Woman, The Barefoot Contessa, Diners Drive-ins and Dives).

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    1. These are too crumbly to use for moping up gravy. The high proportion of fat to flour means they just fall to bits easily

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  5. Wow they look really scrummy. A couple of those a day with cheese on top should help Colin’s weight go up I should think! My late mum was born and brought up in Suffolk, but I’ve never heard of Suffolk rusks.

    I’ve just looked at your recipe page for the first time, Sue and there are loads of things I will try - many thanks!

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    1. I've no idea if these were widely made in Suffolk or just by people involved in farming

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  6. P's mother at 97 still bakes a batch of these each week, cheese flavoured. She is well known for them. She has a baking day when all the week's baking is done.

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    1. Maybe cheese is a Norfolk version. I only use cheese in cheese scones or cheese straws

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  7. I’ll certainly give these a go (I need the calories). I’ve not looked at your recipe section before - there’s some good stuff there.

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  8. I've heard of Suffolk Rusks but never seen them before. Well done for having them featured in a magazine....what did they do to them to make them look different to yours though?

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    1. I have no idea what they did but they looked too wet, too thin and just not right. It was several years ago

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  9. Glad you are carrying on that tradition. My mum baked once a week, cheese cakes, currant cakes and rusks. Mum turned out pies as needed. Her cooking was plain but my goodness so good.

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  10. They sound lovely. I do love pastry but it doesn't love my hips!

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  11. They look like what I grew up with as being called baking powder biscuits. However, we do not split and put back into the oven. When a bit of sugar is added we use for strawberry short cake. Without sugar, sausage gravy and biscuits. I use to come home from school, when I was a kid, and slap a big gob of butter on a day old biscuit to hold me over until supper. Your rusks are very similar. Ranee (MN) USA

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  12. My mother was a good plain cook - her speciality was Lincolnshire Plum Bread - never found anything to come anywhere near as good anywhere else.

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  13. I have heard of them but I've never had them! I do have a recipe in one of those little East Anglian cookery books they sold a few years ago along with (I think) stories of them.

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  14. My mum makes these every Sunday for tea! I love a rusk with lashing of butter on it, especially hot from the oven.

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  15. my in laws from beccles suffolk made these every week on baking day - lovely she also made pigs fry once a week

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  16. My Grandmother(Nanna) made Suffolk rusks every week and I would have some every time I visited. Usually they were a week old but they kept very well in a tin. Better than the cold cheese on toast she used to give me😁

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  17. I am Suffolk born and bred, and my Mum used to make Suffolk Rusks every week. I now make them from my Mum’s recipe, in fact, I have just made a batch. They are very crumbly, but are absolutely delicious!

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