Bonfire Night Food - Guy Fawkes Night UK

"Please to remember, the 5th of November, gunpowder, treason and plot".
So goes the popular Bonfire Night rhyme. November the 5th is a celebration across England, Scotland, Wales and Ulster to commemorate the failed plot by Guy Fawkes to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605.

It is celebrated by the burning of effigies of Guy Fawkes on bonfires, fireworks and food. These fires are more often community led now, though at one time, and certainly when I was a child, each street would hold their own fire and everyone would cook foods to serve around the fire. My memories are of standing by the fire, my face burning from the heat and my back freezing in the cold (sometimes wet!) November night. It was always great fun and as children we loved it.

Food is an integral part of the celebrations and on a cold night needs to be warm, comforting and easy to eat standing up around a fire.

Bangers and Mash are very popular as are any type of sausage. A Shepherd's or Cottage Pie are other firm favorites; easy to eat, filling and warming. Warm soups served in a cup and jacket or baked potatoes wrapped in foil and baked in the embers of the fire are also great bonfire foods.

There are favorites that cannot be forgotten on Bonfire Night and one is Parkin- particularly Yorkshire Parkin. Yorkshire Parkin is the northern equivalent of Gingerbread but in Yorkshire it is made with oatmeal, giving it a dense, chewy texture. It must be made in advance allowing it time to mature, three days minimum but up to a week.

Another treat is Bonfire Toffee, aka Treacle Toffee. I often wondered if my parents prepared this in the hope the chewing and often sticking-to-teeth would keep us quiet for a while so they could enjoy Bonfire Night, though truthfully, I think they made it simply because it is delicious.