Elizabeth Botham set up her bakery in the ancient fishing port of Whitby over 150 years ago, selling her bread and cakes from a basket at the local market and eventually bought a premises in the town. Botham's traditions are now proudly continued by the fifth generation of her family who have grown the business and now also supply tea rooms, farm shops and supermarkets in Yorkshire.
One of my favourites is Elizabeth Botham’s Plum Bread.
This is a rich moist fruited loaf with vine fruits and mixed peel with just a hint of spice. What makes this loaf different from other fruit loaves out there is the delicious ripe fleshy plum flavours
We have it for breakfast sometimes, lightly toasted with thickly spread butter.
But where it really comes into its own is for a mid-afternoon snack, served as it is (or again thickly buttered if you are not on a health kick!) with a big mug of Yorkshire tea. For those admin days when I am not on tour – I’ll often look forward to my 3.30pm tea and plum break break!
