A very unusual recipe, I came across this one very randomly. After visiting Durleighmarsh Farm to spend a day picking my own fruit, I noticed that there were blackcurrants that were perfectly ripe and decided to pick them. With my love of Ribena and the deep taste of the currant itself I know whatever the destination was going to be for them, it would be exceptionally tasty. Finding the original recipe online after simply googling 'blackcurrant recipes'. Naturally there weren't a lot of foods that included it. Mostly consisting of smoothies, I scrolled through and found this. Again, using fresh mint from my garden, it added a herby taste to vary the deep rich taste of the currant. The first loaf I had made of this lasted a good week also so it is great to accompany a lunch or as a treat!
340 g Self-raising Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
50 g Unsalted Butter, cut into small pieces
100 g Light Muscovado or Light Brown Sugar
150 g Fresh Blackcurrants
3 tbsp Chopped Fresh Mint
150 ml Orange juice, or as needed
1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF, gas mark 4). Grease and line a 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, then rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, and make a well in the centre.
2. Put the blackcurrants and mint into the well in the dry ingredients and pour in the orange juice. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the liquid until everything is thoroughly combined. The mixture should be soft, so add 1–2 tbsp more orange juice if necessary.
3. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake for about 1 hours or until risen, brown and firm to the touch. If the loaf looks as though it is browning too much after about 50 minutes, place a piece of foil loosely over the top.
4. Leave the Teabread to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. This Teabread is best left overnight before serving.
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