Baking Seed Cake for High Tea
Tie birch twigs together to form your whisk,
dry six pounds of flour before the fire. When
making peaks, whip for half an hour.
Use two pounds of smooth caraways, sugar
and sweet spice, lemon peel, eight whites
and yolks, orange flower water, a pint of cream,
a pound and a half of butter. Seed Cake takes time,
it’s worth it, Caraway seeds are divine.
Add another two hours: one for your elbow
as you beat ingredients together. The other
to pour into a hoop and bake. Buttery crust
contrasts a muffin-soft interior.
Peacock Lord will not be in, the riches of fine
tableware will be paraded. Designs with tiny handles,
too small for ladies pinched forefingers,
a masterclass of etiquette to drink tea
without spilling. Caraway seeds bring a mix
of flavour, aroma and benefits to your high table;
seeds give healthy digestion, weight loss
and keep blood sugar levels stable,
none of this balance is known in the 18th Century.
Back then equilibrium was sought, a tension
in the concentration needed to portray perfect poise
and posture, which guaranteed a fluffy-crumb free dress.
By Nina Lewis
Former Worcestershire Poet Laureate, International Guest Poet in Australia (Perth Poetry Festival), curator of Transatlantic Poetry Projects and a Director of Worcestershire LitFest & Fringe. Nina has two collections: Fragile Houses and Patience (V. Press).