ORKNEY BROONIE

For you Ben O' Hagan . Congratulations on your new job ... The ingredients needed for this oatmeal gingerbread with a Norse name is a reminder of the Islands'past history ... If no buttermilk is available , you can sour fresh milk by adding 1 tbs of vinegar / lemon juice per 250ml. The ingredients you need , 175 gm of plain flour , 1 dsp of ground ginger , a pinch of salt, 1 tsp of baking powder , 175 gm of oatmeal , 75 gm of butter/ marg , 2 tbs of treacle ,100gm of soft brown sugar , 1 well beaten egg and 250 ml of buttermilk. So let's get started ... Grease and lightly sprinkle with fine polenta a 900gm loaf pan . Preheat your oven to 180 deg C . Mix the flour , ginger , salt and baking powder together in a bowl and then mix in the oatmeal . Use your fingers to rub in the butter/ marg into the dry ingredients to achieve a breadcrumb consistency. Melt the treacle with the sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat , once melted remove from the heat , cool slightly and add 125 ml of buttermilk and the beaten egg . Now stir with a wooden spoon into the dry ingredients and beat well , adding more buttermilk if needed to give you a batter that drops off the wooden spoon . Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for 75 minutes or until well risen and a skewer inserted comes out clean . Allow to cool and set before turning out onto a wire rack . This gingerbread can be served warm or cold , sliced and buttered .