CHIRKY WHEELER

Now for something special. I was given this wonderful old Cornish recipe on a yellowing 6 page typed leaflet, price 3d from the Cornish Federation of Women’s Institute, entitled Cornish Traditional Recipes. It originally came from my sister’s mother in law, Margaret Symons, who lived in Feock. I really thought I knew all of our old traditional recipes, so was thrilled to find this. Please pass it on and let as many Cornish folk, who love to bake, know about this brilliant little cake. It must not be lost.

You will need a fry pan, warmed to a medium heat, very lightly rubbed with lard. Mine was 7” wide at the base.

The old fashioned language is very charming and I think it best if I just type it out as printed. Enjoy!

6 ozs plain flour

3 ozs lard

1 ½ ozs sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

3 ozs currants

peel, if liked [I am Cornish - I love peel!]

“Mix flour, salt and fat roughly together. Add other ingredients, mix with water to a stiff dough”. 

It is just like a heavy cake. “Roll out to approximately ½ inch thick”

“fry the mixture in the pan instead of baking the same in the oven. This should be cooked through and turned as necessary in the pan like a traditional pancake, to ensure both sides are cooked to a golden brown, or slightly burnt, as part of thorough cooking of the whole. This mixture having been rolled into a thin cake and being round to fit the pan, and also slightly scorched, has been aptly named ‘Chirky Wheeler’, in the view that ‘Chirks’ is an old Cornish word for cinders from the fire. This dish is quickly made and is satisfying to the appetite, especially of manual workers, and is more delicious than might first be imagined”

Isn’t that wonderful?

What more do I need to add? It was made and ready to eat in less than 30 minutes. We absolutely loved it. I cooked it for about 12-13 mins each side, making sure the ring was not too high as I did not want it to burn, but just perfectly golden.

To turn it over without breaking, I placed a dinner plate on the top of the pan, flipped it over, then slid it into the pan again.

A real treasure of a recipe. By printing this here, we hope it will never be lost to future generations.

Note; I rubbed the lard into the flour, as I would for rough puff pastry i.e. not too finely.