Mothering Sunday

• If you are taking your mum out for a meal or buying flowers this
  Sunday 14 March , are you aware of some of the reasons why?
  
  Here are some very interesting “Mother's Day” facts
  
  Mothers day is also known as Mothering Sunday, or Refreshment Sunday or Mid-Lent Sunday,
  Mothers day in the UK is held on the 4Th Sunday (which is the middle Sunday) of Lent. (The period of fasting before Easter
  
  Members of the working classes were often given the weekend off in the middle part of lent to visit their families, which eventually became associated with the bringing of gifts home to their mothers, especially flowers or a fruitcake called a Simnel cake. A simnel cake is a fruit cake with Marzipan on top , usually with 12 balls on top to represent the 12 apostles who betrayed Christ.
  
  
  Ingredients for Simnel cake
  
  Ingredients
  300g/10oz self raising flour
  1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
  110g/4oz butter or margarine
  110g/4oz brown sugar
  2 tablespoons of golden syrup
  350g/12oz mixed dry fruit
  2 eggs
  approx. 100 ml milk to mix
  700g Marzipan
  2 tablespoons of icing sugar for decoration
  
  
  Method:
  Rub the margarine into the flour, Add all the dry ingredients i.e. sugar, spice and dried fruit. Stir well.
  Add eggs and golden syrup
  Add milk to form a soft mixture
  Stir well and combine the rest of the ingredients
  Grease a round 8 inch tin
  Place half the mixture in the tin. Roll out one third of the marzipan.
  Lay the marzipan on top of the mixture. Add the remaining mixture on top
  Cook on gas Mark 3 `150 C 325 F for just over an hour
  When Cooled for a short time turn the cake out onto a wire rack
  Allow to cool thoroughly mix icing sugar and spread on the top of the fruit cake for the marzipan to stick.
  Then with the remaining marzipan make up 12 balls and stick with icing sugar.
  
  As well as a cake and flowers if you decide to take your mum away as a mother's day gift, You can buy travel insurance for as little as £9.28 for a week away to Europe including Spain for a quote or to buy travel insurance please visit http://www.holidaysafe.co.uk/