Saint Comes Out

What sparked this off you may ask, well it was that mention of Treacle Mines by (Over Easy Baker) that really made up my mind.

Treacle has always been one of my passions, and unlike many childhood passions that normally manage to disappear like high clouds on a summers morning, treacle has never been further away than the kitchen cupboard in our household.

Perhaps it was that being a child of the last Great War, when following this event many of the basic commodities were rationed, and I was determined to make up for lost time. Unlike today children of my era never had the luxury of a car in the family, I never even had a bike until I was nearly fourteen and so I spent all my time running around, and in doing so burnt off masses of energy. This has to be replaced by something and what could be better than good old "Lyle's Golden Syrup", unlike many things from my youth that wonderful green tin has never changed with the lion on the front, and underneath the magical words- "Out of the Strong Came Forth Sweetness".

I was the youngest of a family of five, so my mother, God bless her, spent most of her time in the kitchen cooking for us all. Not for us the bought-in meals of today, in those days each meal was created from the ingredients on the parlor shelves and my mum was a great cook. Not only managing to create great dinners but also to create smashing puddings and cakes on a daily basis. Looking back it seems that us kids never went too far away from home, perhaps it was because the nearest bus stop was nearly a mile away, and a penny was better spent in the local shop on sweets than going into Richmond or Kingston.

This led me to spend a lot of time with my mum in the kitchen often helping to make jams and pickles, and offering to help by making a Treacle tart, or Treacle Cornflake Tart or a roly poly (Steamed Pudding) or a "Spotty Dick" same as a roly poly but with currants and raisins in. This would be served hot with custard that same day, but on the next it would be sliced up and fried, have I got the juices flowing? No then you certainly haven't tried the best pudding in the world! The slices were then covered with an ample covering of you know what - yes treacle, absolutely delicious!

Having spent most of my life as a very active person, working with my hands, and also taking part not only in sailing but in other sports as well, it was not difficult to maintain a reasonable figure and keep the middle aged spread at bay. So giving me the opportunity to occasionally dip into the Treacle tin without too much worry. Has the addiction been passed onto my sons, unfortunately not, they seem not to like the very sweet things in life, well out of a tin any way?

So what is the connection between the sweetness of treacle and the words "Out of the strong came forth sweetness" and also the picture of the lion?

The good book has the answer, in Judges14: 7-9 it tells of Samson, who on his way to visit a woman that he likes, is attacked by a lion, which he tears apart. Some time later when he goes to visit this woman again he sees the lions carcass lying on the ground.

A swarm of bees fly out of the carcass and Samson reaches into the carcass and extracts honey, and gives this to his mother and father, but does not tell them that the honey has been taken from the carcass of a lion. This is the connection between sweetness, bees and the picture of lion with bees flying out of its carcass comes from.

Want to know more about Tate & Lyle then contact them for recipes and more at:-
Tate & Lyle Thames Refinery Silvertown London E16 2EW

PS Don't do daft thing like handle a tin of treacle and try to type at the same time, things can get awfully messy, and its not very good for the keyboard either.