INCREASING ONE'S HAPPINESS

[This is just a draft, ATM. Needs more work, but I want to get it out there.]

Dear fellow activists, if you’re feeling down, ATM, things are getting on top of you, feelings of anxiety are coming to the fore, etc, here’s something that may help. 

It’s so easy to put too much pressure on ourselves - we want to do more for the animals, but if we burn out in the process that doesn’t help them. It’s difficult, but we have to try and take a more detached view of things. What helps me to do this is a book I think very highly of, “The How of Happiness” by Sonja Lyubomirsky. I recommend you get hold of a copy as soon as you can.

It’s an explanation/description of scientific, peer-reviewed methods which are proven to increase one's happiness. Sonja was a student of Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology. He took the view that psychiatrists had only ever used psychology to treat ill patients - but what if we didn’t wait for people to become sick, but used psychology to create optimistic people who were resilient? 

Sonja’s book explains that we all have a basic level of happiness that we’re born with: that’s 50%, which we can’t do anything to change; then, there’s a 10% component, which relates to our circumstances - it’s not easy to change that 10%. But that leaves 40% we can change, and she details 12 happiness increasing activities that have been proven to work. 

My favourite method is ‘Savouring the moment’. So, I’m in the Cube, it’s already cold and there's a lazy wind blowing (one that goes straight through you instead of around you), my hands are freezing, and I need to blow my nose. But: I’m standing shoulder to shoulder with some wonderful people - I can see one of our group talking to someone, perhaps getting out a card - whatever. And I savour that moment, because I’m part of something so important, so worthwhile, that I wouldn’t want to swap places with anyone. And I feel sorry for those members who didn’t, or couldn’t, for whatever reason, make it to the Cube. 

And I use it when things aren't going my way - I’m in a traffic jam, say, and I really don’t want to be late - but, I’m comfortable, I’ve got some decent music on - and I’ll get there, in the fullness of time. So, once again, I can savour that moment - and in this case, it prevents me from feelings of annoyance, etc, and I can physically feel happier. In situations like that, I often force myself to smile, even though I don’t feel like it - and that always improves things.

Savouring is just one technique: There are 11 more happiness increasing exercises in Sonja’s book; she recommends you choose the 3 or 4 that most appeal to you, and practice those. 

I’ve been described, by Alan Hutchison, Senior Lecturer in Happiness at Winchester University (yes, there is such a subject) as the happiest bloke he knows. I think there are several reasons for this: First and foremost, as an animal rights activist (ARA), I feel I'm doing something positive, in that I'm helping to increase the amount of wellbeing in the world. I've also become good friends with a huge number of ARAs - whom I call my 2nd family. To make such wonderful friends - from all over England - at my time of life, is just a complete joy. Another factor is that I actively work at increasing my happiness and well-being. I also have several forms of exercise I employ on a regular basis. I'm in good health, and, all in all, I have a lot to be grateful for.

PIKELETS (FREEFORM CRUMPETS) - CHEAP AND CHEERFUL!

June 2010.

Placed in the frying pan, a dessertspoon at a time

Oops, seems to be one missing!

There are few things easier than making pikelets (free-form crumpets).  It’s a good way into breadmaking for a beginner.

100ml lukewarm water

1/2 teaspoon yeast – any kind 

Enough strong (breadmaking) flour - around 50g - to make a thickish batter

(Check here for a gluten-free version.)

Start by making a thick paste, then gradually stir in more water to the water/yeast/flour mixture, to make a batter. 

When you're ready to go, lightly oil a frying pan and place over a medium heat.

When the pan is warm enough, place a spoonful of batter in the frying pan to see if the batter is the right consistency. If they spread across your frying pan the batter is too thin and you’ll need to add some more flour to thicken it. Cook them until the top has turned pale and is set in a mass of tiny holes.

As soon as the top is dry – and not before – turn them over to cook on the other side. They should be nicely brown on both sides.

Keep them warm in a folded cloth until they are all done.

For fruit pikelets, as in the pic, add a handful of sultanas after you’ve mixed the batter.

I made these last night and had half the batter left over for this morning’s breakfast. The fruit plumps up lovely.

Note:
These can also be made with self raising flour - in which case, simply mix the batter and go straight ahead.

Tuesday 22nd October 2019

Deciding to go a little bit healthier, I thought I'd make these with wholemeal flour (Doves organic - very tasty).  What stops me making these more often is just laziness - after dinner I generally can't be bothered, but there really is nothing to it. And if I have everything prepped beforehand, I've no excuse.

So this morning, I mixed 4 heaped dsps of w/m flour + 1 dsp sugar (optional, hence the 'almost' above), with enough water to make a thickish batter and a handful of sultanas. I added half a teaspoon of fresh yeast - but half a tsp of baking powder would serve just as well, added just before cooking - stirred it and left it for this evening.

Saturday 28th January 2017

Been making ginger pikelets, recently. Instead of sultanas, I've used chrystallised ginger, chopped into small pieces - and I've added a teaspoon of ground ginger to the batter. Simply wonderful!

Monday 23rd January 2012

Following a discussion on the BBC Food board last night, I made a batch of these, some of which I had last night, and another batch of which I've just eaten for breakfast. 

(When starting a sourdough culture, you're asked to discard part of it regularly during the early stages. However, this discard makes excellent pikelets.)

In the light of this I've updated the recipe (see below) - and I took several more pics:

The first two were cooked on top and the rest are just drying from the sides 

The third one turned over and the others continuing to dry from the edges 

All done - perhaps a little on top...

...and covered with marmalade. Breakfast is ready!

Have to admit I found it hard to resist eating these just as soon as they come out of the frying pan. Had some for my pudding tonight, made some for my wife and made enough for tomorrow's breakfast.

MY SPEECH AT THE BRISTOL MARCH FOR THE ANIMALS, 2019 + INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL GREEN

I was highly honoured to be asked to speak at the Bristol March for the Animals 2019 - even more so when I found out I was to be the last speaker. Not only that, I was on the same 'platform as Juliet Gellatley, founder of Viva.

Have to say I was very flattered when Juliet asked if she could have her picture taken with me. It was a wonderful day - and this was the highlight!

Here's my speech in full;

"My name’s Paul; I’m 81; I’ve been vegan for 15 years - and I’m on a mission!

A mission to prove that, on a vegan diet, you can be fit, healthy and strong, well into old age - should I ever get there!

More about that in a moment - a little about me, and how I became vegan. I gave up meat in the early 2000’s, because I wanted to avoid Mad Cow Disease - and it took me 2 years before I realised the truth behind the dairy and egg industries, and all the blinkers came off, and I went vegan - or should I say plant-based, for it was another 14 years before I became fully vegan. 

Fast forward to April last year. On the 28th of that month I attended my first Cube of Truth, organised by my good friend, Steve Clout - and on that day, my life changed forever! I’ve been a regular attender at Cubes all over the SW ever since - and I became an AV organiser a couple of months ago.

Now, I want to make up for lost time and do as much as I can. Not only that, I feel tremendously guilty about the animals that suffered on my behalf in the years before I gave up animal products. We here are all aware of the absolute torture and suffering that farmed - and other animals - go through, but of course not everybody does. So it’s incumbent on us, not just to go vegan, but to become a vegan activist. As Einstein said, “Those who have the privilege to know have the duty to act.” It’s often said that being vegan is the least anyone can do - I would argue that being a vegan activist is the least anyone can do.

In my opinion, standing behind a mask in a Cube of Truth is one of the easiest way into activism. Whilst standing there you will hear the conversations going on around you, and you’ll begin to think to yourself - “I could have said that,” and it’s not long before you’re engaging with the public yourself. People will tell you that there are two parts to a Cube - there’s standing in the Cube - very important, this is what makes people curious and brings them in - and there’s the outreach, where other activists will generally educate people on the ways of veganism. But there’s a third, I think vital, component which comes after the Cube is finished - that’s the social bit, where you wind down, swap stories with like-minded folk, and generally get to know each other better. - and make lifelong friends. I would urge anyone to join us in a Cube of Truth - you’ll find us on Facebook. If you’re nervous about joining the Cube - and everyone is nervous to begin with - why not just come along to the after-Cube get-together? You’ll be welcomed with open arms by people you will grow to love and respect - I can guarantee it. I happen to be the oldest AV organiser in the world and my friend Mira Lubin, who is 14, is the youngest. It doesn’t matter what age you are - I’m living proof of this. It’s never too late to become a vegan activist! So you need to ask yourself, “What’s stopping YOU from becoming active?

My good friend, Alan Hutchison, Senior Lecturer in Happiness at Winchester University - yes, there is such a subject - maintains that I am the happiest bloke he knows. And I ask myself - just why is it that I feel so happy almost all of the time? Well I think it’s down to two reasons: Firstly, it’s the complete fulfilment I get from being an Animal Rights Activist, and the difference I feel I’m making ; Secondly,  I get to hang out with the most amazing group of people, whom I call my 2nd family. I now have friends all over the South West, from Plymouth and Barnstable to Cheltenham and Swindon - committed, caring, dedicated friends, and I consider myself so fortunate to have met them. I reckon I’ve had more hugs in the last 14 months than I had in the 80 years before that. So my message again, is: It’s not just, “It’s never too late to go vegan” - it’s never too late to become a vegan activist. 

Back to my mission - which is to prove that, as a vegan, you can be fit, healthy and strong, well into old age: A  couple of years ago, I raised some money for a couple  of local charities in Taunton by doing 1000 press ups in an hour. (It’s a lot easier than swimming the channel, or riding from Land’s End to John O’Groats!) Wanting to maintain the level of fitness I’d reached, I set myself the challenge of doing 1 million press ups between the ages of 80 and 90. I figured 100,000 a year, or roughly 8000 every month would do it. But, wanting to get ahead of the game, in case of ill-health, or holidays, I started doing sets of 1000, 2 or 3 times a week. It takes me roughly 40 minutes to do each set - 25 press ups every minute, and so far I’ve done over 200,000, 21 months into my challenge. At this rate, I’ll finish the 1 million 2 or 3 years early - then I’ll have to look around for another challenge. Maybe I’ll take up marathon running or something.

My name’s Paul; I’m 81; I’ve been vegan for 15 years - and I’m on a mission!"

I decided to leave this out of my speech:

[A word about my encounter with arthritis: Before I gave up meat, dairy and eggs, I suffered from osteoarthritis, which went into remission when I went plant-based. However, after several years, when my mantra then was ‘I don’t want another animal to die so that I can live’, I ate a couple of chicken breasts which were about to be thrown away. Immediately, my arthritis flared up again, and it took a couple of months for it to die back down again.]


More on my story here in Vegetarian for Life.

Here's an interview I did .with Michael Green, after the March

BREADS AND CAKES FOR VEGAN ACTIVISTS (PLUS OTHER IDEAS I HAVE OCCASIONALLY)

These are some of the cakes and breads I've taken on my CubeofTruth adventures.

In this post:

Chocolate cake 

Summer fruit sponge cake (haven't shared this yet, but I intend to - it's just gorgeous)

Spicy fruit soda bread

Pizza
2 'instant' sweets for afters (well, ready to eat in just a few minutes):
    Chocolate or ginger cake

    Banana fritters (with savoury variations)

Chocolate cake

Ingredients:

175g sugar

25g cocoa powder

175g self raising flour
75g vegetable oil - or unsweetened apple puree

250g water

Method:

Measure the sugar and the cocoa powder, and mix them together. The sharp edges of the granulated sugar breaks up the clumps of cocoa powder, so sieving is not necessary. Add the flour and mix, then add the oil and water. Stir, initially with a dessertspoon, and then with a whisk, and pour into a prepared 20cm (8") cake tin.

Bake at 175C for 30-35 minutes.

Or: Use a silicon cake form and place in the microwave (800w) for 6 minutes. In my experience, not only do you get a quicker cake, but the cake rises about 25% higher in the microwave.

Note: I now make all my cakes in the microwave - only 6 minutes as against 45 or so minutes of oven time.

Here's the whole story, with links to the original recipe, a gluten-free alternative, vegan chocolate spread, and more.

Monday 15th April 2019
Breaking news: This is so good, nearly half the cake has gone already - and it's still warm!

Summer Fruit Sponge variation

Ingredients:
160g self raising flour
140g sugar
25g olive oil
250g fruit puree*

Method as above - 6 minutes in the microwave.

*Fruit puree consisted of 100g dates, soaked overnight; 100g frozen blueberries; 100g frozen summer fruits; 1 banana; 5 stewed prunes and water. All blitzed in my NutriShot blender.

Next time, I think I'll add a separate amount of soaked/stewed dates instead of some of the sugar.

Spicy fruit bread

I'll post the recipe in here when I get time, but here's a link to an online soda bread recipe.

For a spicy fruit bread, instead of adding salt, add 1-2 tsps of whatever sweet spice you've got - mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. I always add 1/2 tsp of ground cloves, as well; 1 dessertspoon sugar, 100g sultanas or raisins, and 100g chopped dates. 

[More to come]

Pizza

Ingredients:

200g (1 mug) strong white flour 

1 teaspoon bouillon powder

1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs

1 teaspoon curry powder

4 large sun-dried tomatoes, chopped into small pieces

125ml (1/3rd mug) lukewarm water

1 rounded teaspoon fresh yeast or level teaspoon of dried yeast

Topping:

Rich tomato sauce

Nutritional yeast (nooch)

Sliced tomato

Several sliced mushrooms

Method:

1. Place the dried ingredients and the s-d-tomatoes into a mixing bowl. Stir the yeast into the sauce until it’s dissolved (dried yeast takes a little longer to dissolve than fresh) and add it to the flour. 

2. Have a little water to hand to add if necessary, remember, it is better for your dough to be wetter (slack) rather than drier (tight). Begin to mix by stirring the ingredients together with a knife, starting with the yeast, cutting through the dough. When it gets too stiff for the knife, use your hand to squeeze the mixture together. As it forms into a solid mass, keep turning it over and pressing it down to pick up the flour at the bottom of the bowl – but make sure it stays soft. Don’t be afraid to add more water to keep it soft! When all the flour has been mixed in, wipe the bowl around with the dough, turn it out onto the worktop and begin to knead.

3. Knead by stretching the dough out, folding it over, stretching it out and so on and so forth. Do this until it is smooth – and stop before you get fed up!

4. Prepare your baking sheets, take the dough out of the mixing bowl and place it on your worktop. Divide the dough into 1 or 2 equal pieces and form each piece gently into a cob shape. Have plenty of flour to hand and liberally scatter flour over the dough and worktop. With a rolling pin, roll out each piece of dough to the size of your baking sheets. 

5. Spread the pizza base(s) with the tomato sauce and sprinkle with nooch. If the nooch gets soaked up a bit and the sauce shows through, add a bit more nooch. Place slices of tomato and mushroom on top and sprinkle with herbs and black pepper.

6. Leave them to prove until the dough has become puffy at the edges.

7. Place in a hot oven, 220C, 425F or gas mark 7 for 15-20 minutes, turning round halfway through if necessary. When they're done the pizzas will lift up all along one side when you check underneath, using a palette knife. The bottom should be browning from the edges.


2 quick puddings:

Chocolate or ginger cake

1. You want cake? You can be eating some in around 6 minutes of thinking of it:

In a cereal bowl place 4 dsps each of sugar and self raising flour - to this add a teaspoon of either cocoa powder or powdered ginger and stir. (You can always this adjust amount the next time you make it.) Then add around 6 dsps of water and one of oil (I use olive oil, 'cos that's all I have, but rapeseed or other oils will be fine.)
Now stir the mix thoroughly and microwave for 2 minutes. Now you have cake.

Banana fritters

Put a frying pan, with a little oil on to a medium heat. 
In a jug, place 1/2 cup of self raising flour and a dsp of sugar. Add enough water to make a paste - stir this to remove all the lumps. Then add a little more water to make a thick batter.
Slice a banana lengthways, then cut each slice into 2 or 3 pieces. Put the banana pieces into the batter and turn them over to coat both sides. Using a fork, lower each piece of battered banana into the frying pan and adjust the heat - you need it to be medium to high. Turn the banana over after a couple of minutes and fry the other side. You're looking for a golden brown on each side.

Variation: Exactly the same method can be used to make battered mushrooms. Except you would use salt (or half a vegetable Oxo cube) instead of sugar. And battered sausages.

Notes. Both these can be made with gluten free self raising flour.

TOWARDS A VEGAN WORLD - Information as I come across it

As you can imagine, I get an enormous amount of info about the multifarious benefits of a vegan, or plant-based, diet. As I come across it, I shall post it on here:

"Meat is ridiculously inefficient' says British philosopher, Ray Monks. Not only meat - dairy, eggs and fish are also wasteful. Just to take one example: 

"A person who doesn't eat meat or dairy indirectly consumes nearly 600 gallons water per day less than a person who eats the average American diet (National Geographic, 2015). Per day!"

Gary Francione, Honorary Professor (Philosophy) at the  University of East Anglia, asks why the Green Party and Extinction Rebellion are ignoring the vegan solution.

A VEGAN DIET AND FASTING - BOTH CAN HELP TREAT ARTHRITIS

(21/10/14)
Often, when there's not a lot on the box and I have time to kill, I google the word 'Fasting' or 'plant based diet', followed by a condition, or an activity or somesuch.

I saw my GP last week for something minor and I just happened to mention that my arthritis had been in abeyance for several years. It was just a throwaway remark along with all the other subjects we'd been discussing.

But later I began to think about this, and realised that my arthritis, which had steadily been getting ever so slightly (but significantly) worse - until I stopped eating meat and dairy foods and became a vegan. Since then, while there has been no real improvement in my condition (apart from the amelioration of pain I gained from acupuncture), it hasn't deteriorated in the slightest. In fact, apart from the swelling in most of the joints of my fingers, it would be difficult to tell I had arthritis at all!

So I searched for  'Plant-based diet and arthritis', and found this article which more or less explains why my arthritis has been stable for the past ten or so years. And why fasting, in conjunction with a plant-based diet is beneficial.

Here's the story of someone who has benefited from giving up meat, dairy and eggs.

It's well worth looking through all the success stories on the 'Forks over Knives' website. 

It seems to make perfect sense to me. Thoughts, anyone?

THE EASIEST PASTRY YOU'LL EVER MAKE - and it's vegan!

A Thai chilli non carne pie!

The other half ended up in the freezer

As a vegan, I often find myself thinking out of the box, and here's a pastry which uses no milk, butter, marge or lard. Consequently, there is no need for that tiresome technique known as 'rubbing in' which is supposed to make something like 'breadcrumbs'. 

No need, either, for resting the pastry in the fridge - this is a 'quick pastry'. Or for 'baking blind' - there's no need for any of that faff. Instead, the ingredients are mixed into a dough - kneaded for a few seconds to distribute the ingredients properly - then rolled out and popped into a pie dish. If there is an easier method, I'd like to hear of it!

VEGAN BREADMAKING AND COOKERY COURSE

I'm planning to run a 5 or 6 week course somewhere in Taunton, starting in September. Here's where I shall post all my planning, as details become finalised.

I mean, I don't have a venue, yet, so... 😀

It'll be primarily about bread - but the content would be determined by the students. I'll plan the first session, but after that, it'll be down to the students to choose what we make next. If the decision is, let's make a lentil and potato stew, we can do that - and then make bread pasties and stuffed parathas with the leftovers. 😉

To give you an idea about some of the breads we can make, here's a link to a previous course I ran at The Planet. I'd do it there again, but Wendy is getting so busy, I'm reluctant to add to her workload.

Who is this course for?
Anyone who wishes to improve their cooking skills. I'd really like a mix of vegans and non-vegans. As to how many I could fit on the course, well that would depend on the venue - as would whether children can come or not.  The optimum number for me is 8.

Purpose and cost:
Primarily, I'm doing this to raise money for a TV for the Taunton branch of Anonymous for the Voiceless. We've raised £150, so far, towards a target of £400. As for how much to charge, I'm still thinking about this - obviously, I have to break even, but beyond that, any money raised would go to AV.
At the same time, I don't want anyone not to be able access this course because of cost. 
So I'm thinking of just asking for donations, ATM. 

[More]

GARLIC BATONS - in the oven and frying pan (Vegan)

Saturday 1st July 2017
Since I began teaching at Taunton Association of the Homeless, a couple of years ago, I've made quite a bit of bread in a frying pan, along with the students. When they find accommodation, they may not always have an oven, but they may well have a hob and a frying pan. 

Last week the students on my current Burnham breadmaking opted to make garlic batons, as below, in the oven. So I wanted to see how these would fare, making them in a frying pan.

I used self raising flour, as I often do, these days:
Put the frying pan on a medium heat
100g s/raising flour
Pinch of salt
65ml water

Mixed into a dough and kneaded for a minute or two
Roll out into a rectangle a bit shorter than the frying pan

Garlic spread:
3 cloves garlic, smashed 
Heaped dessertspoon vegan spread -mixed together

Spread the garlic, et, over the dough and roll it up tightly.

Using a little flour and a rolling pin, flatten the dough and place it in the frying pan with a lid of some sort. Bake for 4 minutes each side - the colour should finish up a golden brown. 

Not like this one...

I baked it too long on both sides.

Still tasted gorgeous, though!

I made one for my neighbour - his verdict was, "Stunning!"

Sometime back in 2011.
Whenever I'm offered garlic bread at a gathering it's almost inevitably a supermarket baguette, cut into chunks, slathered with butter and garlic and baked for a while. It's OK, but it doesn't have the depth of flavour of these batons, where the bread and the filling are cooked together. Vary the filling as you will, with herbs, pesto, etc. As a vegan, I use olive oil instead of butter.

Garlic batons. Dough rolled out flat, covered with mashed garlic and olive oil, then rolled up like a Swiss roll

This method infuses the whole loaf with garlic

Ingredients:

400g strong white flour of your choice

1/2 teaspoon salt

250ml lukewarm water

1 rounded dessertspoon fresh yeast

Good splash of olive oil

Filling:

Garlic spread made with around a dozen or so cloves of garlic, peeled and squashed, and olive oil to taste. Mix in any herbs or spices you fancy. Spread with pesto to give it a bit more oomph.

Method:

1. Measure the water and stir in the fresh yeast. Place the flour and salt into a mixing bowl, pour in the yeast liquid, then add the olive oil.

2. Have a little water to hand to add if necessary, remember, it is better for your dough to be wetter (slack) rather than drier (tight). Begin to mix by stirring the ingredients together with a knife, cutting through the dough. When it gets too stiff for the knife, use your hand to squeeze the mixture together. As it forms into a solid mass, keep turning it over and pressing it down to pick up the flour at the bottom of the bowl – but make sure it stays soft. Don’t be afraid to add more water to keep it soft! When all the flour has been mixed in, wipe the bowl around with the dough, turn it out onto the worktop and begin to knead.

3. Knead by stretching the dough out, folding it over, stretching it out and so on and so forth. Do this until it is smooth – or until you get fed up! Either leave it, covered, for an hour or so, or go to step 4.

4. Divide the dough in two and form each piece into a round bap shape. Roll each piece out into a large rectangle – about 20cm by 30cm on a floured worktop. Spread the filling all over the dough and roll each piece up like a Swiss roll, with the seam side underneath. Gently tuck the ends underneath to stop any leakage. (You’ll still get a bit.) Place them on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.

5. Leave to prove until they have risen appreciably.

6. Bake at 220C, 425F or gas mark 7 for between 15-20 minutes. Look for colour underneath.

Spicy Fruit Soda Bread - De Luxe

Ingredients:

100g wholemeal flour + 1 tsp baking powder

100g s/raising flour, white

(Or you could just use all white flour - I’m just trying to be a bit healthier - you could use all wholemeal should you wish, but it'll be a bit dense.)

100g chopped dates

100g raisins

1 dsp sugar

1 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp cinnamon

(Or whatever sweet spices you like)

125ml water

1 dsp olive oil* (optional)

Filling:

50g (approx) golden marzipan*

8-12 or so glace cherries, halved

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then add the water and oil (if using). Using a flat bladed implement (either a stiff palette knife, or a table knife), mix into a workable dough, adding a little water or flour as appropriate. You’re looking for a soft dough that you can handle without it sticking.

Knead (flatten and fold) just until the dough is smooth, with no pockets of flour. you’re just trying to distribute the ingredients evenly.

Flour the dough on top and underneath, then roll out into an oval about 25-30cms across. Place your chosen filling across the oval, placing the halves of cherries on either side of the filling. Save 3 halves for the top of the loaf.

Bring the far side of the dough over the filling then fold over once more, leaving the seam underneath. Tidy the ends by tucking them under.

Cut three slits in the top of the loaf and half bury a halved cherry in each one, with the top of the cherry uppermost. (If you don’t secure the cherries in the dough, they’ll likely fall off as the bread rises in the oven.)

Bake at 180C for around 25 minutes. Keep an eye on it, and if the loaf begins to brown to early, place some baking parchment over the top. (I’ve been known to put the loaf into an empty flour bag to protect it for burning - works well.)

For a shiny finish to the loaf, glaze it with a melted teaspoon of marmalade or similar.

Notes: 

I made this initially as a Christmas (or Celebration) loaf, using strong flour and yeast, but this is just a quicker alternative.

I try and use as little oil as possible - I’m going to try adding ground walnuts next time, to see what effect that has.

Instead of marzipan you could use yellow dried apricots, pineapple or slices of mango.

When it’s sliced, the yellow of the marzipan and the red of the cherries gives a festive appearance.