Est. in Granny's kitchen Granny Bakes Recipes from the tin

No. 1 · Granny's recipe tin

Every bake has a story. Granny kept them all in a tin.

These are the cards from that tin. Each one is dated to the decade it was a teatime favourite, carries the history behind it and Granny's notes in the margin, and switches between grams and Granny's own ounces.

Open the tin Bake through the decades
Hands rolling out pastry with a wooden rolling pin
Sunday pastry
A handwritten recipe card with a flour sifter and measuring spoons on a gingham cloth
The card that started it
Tried &
tested

Photo: jfiess, CC BY 2.0 · Photo: Muffet, CC BY 2.0

What makes this tin different

Dated by decade

Every card sits behind a divider, from wartime make-do bakes to 1970s lunchbox traybakes.

The story behind it

Where the bake came from, why it mattered, and what it meant on the tea table.

Granny's margin notes

The scribbled tips that never made it into cookbooks, right there on the card.

Grams or ounces

One tap switches every recipe to the imperial measures Granny actually used.

The dividers in the tin

Heirlooms Handed down 5 cards 1940s Make do and mend 5 cards 1950s Off the ration 4 cards 1960s Tea trolley days 6 cards 1970s Lunchbox years 6 cards

Fresh from the tin

Chocolate Crispy Cakes 1970s Teatime Chocolate Crispy Cakes Cornflakes, melted chocolate and golden syrup spooned into paper cases. No oven, and nobody too small to help. 5 minsEasy Lick the bowl Black Forest Gateau 1970s Cakes Black Forest Gateau Chocolate sponge, whipped cream, dark cherries and a snowfall of grated chocolate. The dinner-party showstopper. 30 minsMedium Whisk, whisk, whisk Lemon Meringue Pie 1960s Puddings Lemon Meringue Pie Crisp pastry, sharp lemon curd filling and a tall cloud of golden-tipped meringue. 50 minsMedium Meringue on HOT filling Pineapple Upside-Down Cake 1960s Cakes Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Tinned pineapple rings and glacé cherries baked under a sticky golden sponge, then flipped out with a flourish. 45 minsEasy Flip it WARM Jammy Heart Biscuits 1970s Biscuits Jammy Heart Biscuits Two crumbly shortbread rounds sandwiched with jam, with a heart cut out of the top so the jam shows through. 12 minsEasy Warm the jam Millionaire's Shortbread 1970s Biscuits Millionaire's Shortbread Shortbread base, thick soft caramel and a snap of chocolate on top. Three layers of pure luxury. 25 minsMedium KEEP STIRRING Anzac Biscuits 1940s Biscuits Anzac Biscuits Chewy oat and coconut biscuits made without a single egg. Wartime baking at its most resourceful. 12 minsEasy No eggs needed Ginger Nuts Heirlooms Biscuits Ginger Nuts Crackle-topped, snappy and fiery with ginger. Made for dunking, and strong enough to survive it. 12 minsEasy One tray at a time Florentines 1960s Biscuits Florentines Lacy, chewy discs of almonds and glacé cherries with a wavy chocolate back. Made for passing round with the after-dinner coffee. 10 minsMedium Only 6 per tray!

See all 26 cards

Rummage by type

Cakes 7 Teatime 6 Puddings 6 Biscuits 7
Old cast-iron kitchen scales with a brass pan
Granny's scales, still weighing true

Granny's golden rules

  1. Butter and eggs at room temperature, always.
  2. Weigh, don't guess. A spoon is not a measure.
  3. Don't open the oven door until it smells done.
  4. If it sinks, call it a pudding and add custard.

Photo: ndrwfgg, CC BY 2.0