If you love simple, old‑fashioned baking with real roots and real stories, these Oat Bannocks are a recipe you’ll want to keep close. Light, tender, and gently nutty from quick oats, they’re a traditional Scottish bake that comes together with just a few humble ingredients and a soft touch. This is the kind of recipe that has been passed down through generations — the sort of bannock once made in busy farmhouse kitchens, at seaside cottages, and in family gatherings where stories and food were shared in equal measure.
Whether you enjoy them warm with butter and jam or alongside a hearty bowl of soup, these Bannocks are comforting, nostalgic, and wonderfully easy to make. A true taste of heritage, baked fresh in your own kitchen.
- 2 cups (240g) plain, all purpose flour, plus more for kneading and patting
- 1 cup (80g) quick cooking oats
- 1 TBS baking powder
- 1 TBS granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (60g) cold butter, cut into bits
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (120g) plain yogurt
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Set aside. (Lining the pan isn't really necessary, but I find it easier to line it and then I can just slip the whole sheet of baked Bannocks from the baking tray onto a wire rack to cool in one go.)
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Whisk in the oats, salt, and sugar. (Make sure everything is whisked together well.)
- Drop in the butter. Rub it into the mixture with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. (I find if I use a snapping motion with my fingertips this works very well.)
- Whisk together the milk and yogurt and stir this into the flour mixture with a fork to form a soft dough. (Add it all at once.)
- Tip out onto a well floured surface and knead gently a couple of times with floured hands. Pat out to an 8 inch square, which is approximately 1/2 inch thick. Cut in half down the middle in both directions and then cut each quarter into 3 equal strips, using a floured knife. (Do not overwork the dough as this may toughen the end result.)
- Place onto the baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between each for rising. (Also crisper sides.)
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 17 minutes until well risen and light golden brown.
- Serve warm with whatever you desire. (Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.)
Malpeque Bay Oat Bannocks
A very old family recipe. Those are the best kinds of recipes don't you think? Serve warm, fresh from the oven with plenty of cold butter and jam. Light as a cloud.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240g) plain, all purpose flour, plus more for kneading and patting
- 1 cup (80g) quick cooking oats
- 1 TBS baking powder
- 1 TBS granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (60g) cold butter, cut into bits
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (120g) plain yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Set aside.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Whisk in the oats, salt, and sugar.
- Drop in the butter. Rub it into the mixture with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
- Whisk together the milk and yogurt and stir this into the flour mixture with a fork to form a soft dough.
- Tip out onto a well floured surface and knead gently a couple of times with floured hands. Pat out to an 8 inch square, which is approximately 1/2 inch thick. Cut in half down the middle in both directions and then cut each quarter into 3 equal strips, using a floured knife.
- Place onto the baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between each for rising.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 17 minutes until well risen and light golden brown.
- Serve warm with whatever you desire. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.
This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
On Sundays I like to share with you, my dear readers, all of the main meals I have enjoyed over the past seven days along with any recipes pertaining to them, and my suggestions for what you can enjoy on the side. I do have supper at my sister's place most Sundays, and I usually have dinner out with my dad and his friend Hazel on Wednesday's. For those days I have included "like" recipes for what I have enjoyed eating outside my home.
These recipe round-ups are some of my favorite posts to do. It helps me to stay aware of the things which I am eating. I don't repeat things very often. Not that I don't enjoy what I cook, I really do, but I enjoy a large variety in what I cook and eat, which helps to keep things interesting for me.
That is really important when you live on your own as I do. I don't ever want to be a person who eats only ready made meals or frozen dinners. I want to eat real food. Food prepared by my own hands without a lot of salt, sugar and preservatives. Especially now that I am getting older.
I do have my oldest daughter living with me temporarily at present, while she looks for an apartment to live in. This has made my meal planning and prepping even more fun as I cook some things that she remembers from her childhood and that I know she enjoys. I am also trying to use this time to teach her how to eat a bit healthier and how to stick with a food budget.
SUNDAY, April 12th - Sunday Dinner at Cindy's
On Sunday we went up to my sister's place for a family dinner. Eileen was really excited to go as Cindy was making Swiss Steak and she had not had that in a very long time. Steak is getting so expensive. My sister makes a great Swiss Steak with lots of peppers and onions in it. We enjoyed that along with mashed potatoes and green beans. We had Strawberry Rhubarb Pie for dessert.
In it's place I am sharing a vintage recipe for Swiss Steak. Tender and delicious with a lush tomato and onion gravy. So tender it melts in the mouth. We were always really happy when Swiss Steak appeared on our dinner table when I was growing up and it was something I used to make for my own family as well! This was a part of a vintage menu I curated a few years back with the steak, mashed potatoes, vegetables, pickles and some applesauce. Its wonderful. I miss doing those Vintage Menus even if they were a lot of work.
MONDAY, April 13th - Chicken & Corn Chowder
We enjoyed some comfort food by way of Chicken & Corn Chowder on Monday. This is something I used to make for my family all the time when my kids were growing up. It came from a vintage cookbook as well. It’s creamy without being heavy, packed with tender chicken, sweet corn, carrots, and simple pantry ingredients. This chowder comes together quickly, uses everyday staples, and fills your kitchen with that “someone’s cooking something delicious” smell. Whether you’re feeding one, two, or a whole table, it’s a hearty, feel‑good soup that tastes like it simmered all afternoon… even though it didn’t.
We enjoyed hearty bowls of this along with some fresh bread from the farm and sweet butter. Boy but it went down a real treat. We had also brought home two small slices of the strawberry rhubarb pie. Naughty but very nice.
TUESDAY, April 14th - Spicy Turkey Ranch Burgers
I love a good Turkey burger and in fact would choose a turkey burger over a beef burger any day of the week. I think I almost have Eileen convinced that they are better as well! On Tuesday we enjoyed these Spicy Turkey Ranch Burgers. They really have lovely flavors. From the cool and creamy ranch slaw that gets tucked into the buns with the burgers, to the spiciness of the burger they are a real taste sensation! I just love them!
We enjoyed them on brioche buns along with some sweet potato fries on the side that I cooked in the air fryer. Nobody was complaining!
WEDNESDAY, April 15th - Dinner out with Dad, Cindy and Hazel
On Wednesday we had our usual dinner out with the family, going to the same place as we always go. Both Cindy and I had the one piece fish and chips. Dad had the shepherd's pie. Hazel had the grilled haddock dinner. Eileen had the meatloaf special which she really enjoyed.
I am sharing my vintage menu recipe for Meat Loaf and Scalloped Potatoes. This menu was from the Good Housekeeping Cookbook from 1963. It consists of Susan's Meatloaf, Creamy Scalloped Potatoes, Baked Acorn Squash, Buttered Carrots and for dessert a Fruitful Cobbler with cream.
It's all delicious. It's all simple. It all cooks in the oven at the same time, with the exception of the carrots. This is a delicious menu that reminded me very much of a meal that my mother might have cooked for us when I was growing up. It was really tasty and simple to make.
THURSDAY, April 16th - Tomato Soup with Cheddar Cheese & Chive Scones
It was a beautiful sunny day on Thursday but the temperatures were absolutely perishing! There was a bit of a wind blowing so I opted for a simple supper of Tomato Soup. I did make my soup from scratch. The link is there. I have shared it before. On this day I chose to accompany it with some delicious scones rather than a grilled cheese sandwich.
The Chives are going crazy in my back garden and I am trying to use them in as many ways as possible. These scones are lovely. Light and jam packed with plenty of strong sharp cheddar cheese and loads of chopped chives for a mild onion hit. These went really well with the tomato soup!
FRIDAY, April 17th - Crispy Mustard Chicken with Spring Potato Salad
I like to buy packs of chicken thighs and then I divide and freeze them in two-thigh sized packs. On Friday I made us this delicious dinner for two of Crispy Mustard Chicken with a wonderfully flavored Potato Salad Vinaigrette.
The chicken is spread with Dijon mustard on the underside and then flat roasted in a heavy skillet, skin side down and weighted. This results in a lovely crisp skin. The mustard flavors the chicken from the inside out, mellow and not slap in the face. The flavor is beautiful and goes wonderfully with that lovely baby potato salad with its fresh herb flavors. Altogether this was quite scrumptious!
SATURDAY, April 18th - Beans on Toast
We had a pretty busy day on Saturday and so I just made us a simple supper of beans on toast. A nice toasted slice of brown bread from Pelton's topped with some tasty Sprague Baked Beans, and a handful of good cheddar cheese grated. I had picked up some salad bags that were on special in my shopping and ended up having half of one of those on the side, just to add something green and healthy to the mix.
I love Beans on Toast. Its one of my favorite quick fix suppers. I don't always have cheese on top, but I had picked up a good cheddar in my shopping on Friday and so thought why not! Eileen has become a huge fan of Beans on Toast as well, especially if there is cheese on top!
And there you have it, my meals of the week for this, the third week of April, 2026. There wasn't anything complicated in the least and everything was delicious. Simple, economical, except for the meal out and a great week of meals to end the month on!
I can't tell you what the source of this recipe is. It is hand-written on a page of foolscap paper along with another custard recipe for a simple Cup Custard . . . Get Well Custard . . . how could you NOT fall in love with something with that for a name?
Only five ordinary simple ingredients . . . . nothing fancy or out of the ordinary . . . whole milk, single cream (light cream), sugar (just a tiny bit), gelatin and vanilla . . . that's it. Simple things. Simple to make and not too sweet, it is delicious just as it is . . . which makes it perfect for the sick room and for appetites and tummy's that may still be somewhat tender and recovering from illness . . .but, we like to add a few berries to the top. Its fabulous!
- 1 TBS powdered gelatin (the equivalent of 4 gelatin sheets)
- 2 TBS sugar
- 1 cup (240ml) single cream (coffee cream, half and half)
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- They did not have powdered gelatin in the U.K. Instead they used leaf gelatin. Both work very well.
- As you can see this is not a really sweet dessert. I used Kirkland organic granulated sugar. In the U.K. I would use caster sugar.
- Single cream is the equivalent of what we call half in half or coffee cream here in North America.
- Whole milk or 3% is what you need to give this delicate dessert it's proper rich flavor. Low fat milk will not be the same.
- Use pure vanilla extract.
- Soften the gelatin in the milk in a saucepan for 5 minutes. (If you are using leaf gelatin, soak in cold water for 5 minutes, then remove and squeeze out any excess water. Add the softened sheets to the milk in a saucepan.)
- Add the cream and sugar. Heat over low heat, stirring until the gelatin and sugar have dissolved completely. (It should no longer feel gritty in the pan. Do not allow to boil.)
- Whisk in the vanilla.
- Pour into dessert cups and chill in the refrigerator until firm. (I pour it into a large measuring cup before pouring it into the dessert cups to prevent any spillage.)
- Read through the recipe several times prior to beginning to help familiarize yourself with any ingredients.
- Assemble everything you need to make this dessert before you begin.
- Follow the instructions with exactness.
- Make sure the gelatin is perfectly softened.
- Heat the mixture gently to dissolve the sugar.
- Leave overnight or for at least several hours to allow it to set up properly.
- If serving with fresh fruit, make sure you wash the fruit thoroughly and pat dry with some paper towels.
- If serving with tinned fruit, make sure you drain the fruit very well.
Get Well Custard
Quite simply delicious. Serve with fresh berries or tinned fruit. A dollop of whipped cream on top is also really nice.
Ingredients
- 1 TBS powdered gelatin (the equivalent of 4 gelatin sheets)
- 2 TBS sugar
- 1 cup (240ml) single cream (coffee cream, half and half)
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Soften the gelatin in the milk in a saucepan for 5 minutes. (If you are using leaf gelatin, soak in cold water for 5 minutes, then remove and squeeze out any excess water. Add the softened sheets to the milk in a saucepan.)
- Add the cream and sugar. Heat over low heat, stirring until the gelatin and sugar have dissolved completely.
- Whisk in the vanilla.
- Pour into dessert cups and chill in the refrigerator until firm.
This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
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