Last updated 11:26, Saturday, 22 March 2008

SOCIALISM, religion and cookery were all mixed together in June 1934, when Workington Band Of Hope held a garden party in the grounds of Workington’s Trades Hall.

The weather was good, the grounds were looking their best, it was well attended, tea was served on the lawn and a number of competitions were held, including bowling and putting.

They also held an action song competition, whatever that might have been. Any ideas?

Then came the baking competition. These were extremely popular at the time, especially the national competitions, organised by the major flour manufacturers, which were held annually and paid big money prizes to their winners.

The local Band of Hope competition, of course, wasn’t playing in the same league. But they did have a sponsor, Workington’s Brothwell & Mills – the manufacturers of, to quote, “Bromill Special Digestive Self-Raising Flour.” It goes without saying that all competitors would have used their flour in their baking. As their adverts used to proclaim, “It MUST be Bromill.”

Mrs Hanson, from Maryport, judged the entries. First prize, for best sandwich, was awarded to Mrs Casson, Peter Street. Then Miss Russell, from Harrington, won a first prize for her scones. And a Miss Russell, aged 13, won first prize for “scones baked by a Band of Hope member.” So did she win both categories? Or were there two Miss Russells?

No way of knowing what her scones tasted like, or what ingredients she used. But we do have a recipe which featured in the firm’s West Cumberland Times’ advert for Easter Spice Buns.

Ingredients: 2oz butter or margarine; 2oz of brown sugar; 1 egg; 1oz sultanas; a little chopped peel; 2oz currants; pinch of salt; 1tsp ground ginger; 2tbsp of treacle; season with a tsp of mixed spice; a little milk; 6oz of Bromill’s SR flour.

Method: Cream the butter and sugar together, beat in the egg, add treacle, spice and fruit. Mix in lightly the flour, and milk, and bake in a moderate oven. And there you have it, hopefully. But the flour manufacturers did assure their customers that “when you use Bromill, you are certain of excellent results, every time.”

Selling flour was a highly competitive business back in the thirties. The various companies vied with each other to maximise sales, using a whole variety of marketing gimmicks to do so. They also had to contend with foreign competition, some of which was, as they saw it, extremely unfair. So did A.C.N. Dixey, MP for Penrith and Cockermouth. He’d written to the papers in December 1930 on the subject, especially the French dumping their flour us. He had been complaining about this for some time, with no success. He claimed that the amount of highly subsidised flour sold to Britain had almost doubled in one year. Good news for consumers, but almost the kiss of death for British producers.

Newcastle based Hindhaughs Limited had been running bread making contests since 1898, when the total entry comprised of only 12 loaves and the winner going away with a modest £5. By 1934 they had over 12,000 brown loaves to choose from, and the prize for best loaf was £50. A lot of money in 1934

Mrs Gill, from Billingham, wasn’t entering the 1934 contest. Having won the prize in 1933, the advert tells us that she was standing down to give others a better chance of winning. Most of the big winners seemed to come from the North East and, to date, I haven’t come across any Cumbrian winners. Unless, of course, you know any different.

I don’t know when their competitions ended, but they were still advertising after the War. In 1949 we find them advertising “some very useful hints for kitchen economy.” We are told that “flour can be mixed with cold boiled potatoes” and that “an excellent and cheap short pastry can be made by working a little margarine into cold mashed potatoes and an equal amount of flour.”

And how about “cold suet puddings can be sliced and fried lightly in hot fat. Sprinkle with sugar and serve hot.” It’s a long way from £50 prizes for the best brown loaf!

On the subject of “waste not, want not,” I have heard of someone who uses up old Christmas cake by cutting slices off, as and when required, and fries them in a skillet. I’ve never been tempted to try it.