Tea – A Different Kitchen

Here’s a fresh and fruity traybake to welcome the first signs of spring. Dried mixed fruit is plumped up by infusion in freshly brewed Rooibos (or Redbush) tea. Dark brown sugar and mixed spice ensure a deep rich colour and satisfying warmth.

The tea blend I used is one called Kalahari that I picked up in the Tea Emporium in Bath, on one of our motorhome trips down to the west country. It mixes Rooibos leaves with orange peel, lemongrass, and specks of marigold and thistle flowers. It looks beautiful and makes a lovely, refreshing caffeine-free drink. Here it is:

I’m pleased to say it can now also be enjoyed in cake form! No Kalahari? No problem – other blends of Rooibos (flavoured or plain) can be used just as well.

Servings

This should give you around 16 slices.

Timings

Prep took me around 30 mins, including soaking the dried fruit in the tea. Bakes in a fan oven at 160C for 40 mins.

You Will Need:

75ml tea made up with Rooibos leaves and boiling water
160g mixed dried fruit – I used sultanas, candied peel and glace cherries
180g butter, softened
160g dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice (nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander seed, clove, pimento and ginger)
3 tbsp dark brown sugar for sprinkling

Method

Grease and line a tray bake tin. The one I used is 22cm square.
Place your assortment of dried mixed fruit in a bowl.
Make up a pot of tea using the Rooibos leaves and boiling water. Using a tea strainer, measure out 75 ml and pour it over the dried fruit. Stir and set aside (see the photo just above, showing my fruit soaking in the Rooibos tea).
Put the sugar and softened butter in another bowl, and whisk together with an electric mixer until nice and creamy.
Crack in each egg one at a time, and whisk in. Sprinkle in a little of the flour each time to avoid curdling.
Sieve in the rest of the flour and the mixed spice. Whisk again to combine.
Turn a fan oven on to 160C.
Drain the mixed dried fruit with a sieve, catching the tea to retain in a separate bowl. Tip the fruit into the cake mixture and whisk in.
Add in as much of the retained tea as necessary to bring the cake mix to the right consistency. You should be able to pick up a spoonful and slowly but surely let it slide back off the spoon, into the rest of the mix with a plop! I used most of the retained tea in mine.
Give it a final whisk then scrape into the prepared tin with a spatula. Spread out into the four corners and level the top.
Finally, sprinkle the dark brown sugar topping over the cake with your fingers.
Place in the oven at 160C for 40 mins. Check after about 30 mins – if a skewer in the middle comes out dry then it’s done.
Leave to cool and cut into slices. They will keep in a tin for a few days but, seriously, they will all be eaten by then anyway!

Customise It!

You can use a different combination of mixed dried fruit if you wish, or if that’s what you have in the cupboard – currants, dried apricots and so on should work fine.

Rooibos leaves that come with different natural flavourings to mine will be ok. If you like plain Rooibos to drink then use that. I sometimes have Rooibos with a dash of vanilla extract, and that would make an interesting combo for using here.

The weather is due to be fine this weekend, so I’m getting out into the garden today to enjoy our first real sun and warmth of 2025, with a pot of Rooibos and a slice of traybake. Time to relax and enjoy the silence.

Speaking of which, it’s currently the 35th anniversary of the release of the classic Violator album by Depeche Mode, which I plan to listen to again in the garden on my headphones. So, let’s add this track to the ADK Playlist: Enjoy the Silence.

New Forest Afternoon Tea

Now here’s a real treat: a recent family celebration took us to the Montagu Arms in Beaulieu, at the heart of Hampshire’s New Forest, for an English Afternoon Tea.

The New Forest is a slice of traditional old England. Originally a hunting forest for royalty from the 11th Century, it has benefitted from environmental protections over the centuries, and is now a National Park. This means that the beautiful scenery and wildlife have changed little, and the region is rich in heritage. One of its most famous aspects is the New Forest Ponies, who freely roam the land.

History lesson over – on to the food. Afternoon Tea was served in the Dining Room, with china tea service and the elaborate three tiered cake stand shown in my main photo.

Starting with the bottom plate, we had a selection of finger sandwiches: thinly sliced Cucumber with Cream Cheese; Longman Cheddar and Chutney; Honey Roast Gammon with Dijon Mayonnaise; and Smoked Salmon with Creme Fraiche. There were also slices of Pork Sausage Roll and Mushroom Vol Au Vents.

Once you’ve polished off the sandwiches, you move to the middle plate, which has warm Fruit and Plain Scones, with Strawberry Jam and Clotted Cream.

The top layer has the cakes: Chocolate Brownie with Salted Caramel and Kirsch Cherry; Blood Orange Choux Balls; and Carrot Cake.

Situated alongside the Beaulieu (it is pronounced Bewley) River, the Montagu Arms is an enchanting old country house hotel. The current building dates from the 1880s, and oozes traditional English charm with its interiors of oak flooring, wall panelling, original brick fireplaces and grandfather clocks. You would not be surprised if you bumped into Basil Rathbone or Wilfrid Hyde-White on the stairs (note to younger readers: look them up on Google).

When the likes of Netflix are trying to create a location for an Agatha Christie movie or period drama, this is the look they are aiming for – except this is the real thing. Even the plush carpet is eccentrically unique, with a quirky design based on the famous New Forest Ponies.

The food was delicious, the service friendly and efficient, and the surroundings relaxed. It is almost impossible to finish all the food, so you are able to take home whatever you can’t eat, to enjoy later. I can wholeheartedly recommend it for a birthday, anniversary or special celebration.

Musical accompaniment for this post has to be something quintessentially English. To me, that means Kate Bush. I saw her live in 2014, at her Before the Dawn residency at London’s Hammersmith Apollo. She is a captivating presence, whether with a full band accompanying her, or alone on stage with just voice and piano. This is one of many great tracks she performed, from the Aerial album – Joanni.