A sponge biscuit shaped more like a builder's thumb than the fingers of most ladies I know. It is sugared on the outside and baked until it has hardened. About 10 cm (4") long, rounded at each end, they make a good skeleton for soft dishes such as charlotte russe, holding it in a mould.
An old, very small, hard, crisp, slightly ribbed western European apple, apparently found in the forest of Api in France and exported to New York in the 19th Century. It has yellow skin blushed with red, and tart flavour. It was recorded in France as early as 1628. It is a late-season apple, harvested from mid-October in South-East England, is stored and is at its best from December to April.
Lady Balfour is a variety of all-purpose potato mainly produced organically. It has good storing properties and is disease-resistant. (1988).
A tea flavoured with bergamot. Ideally it should be drunk with a slice of lemon rather than with milk. It is a refreshing tea, lighter than Earl Gray.
A variety of all-purpose apple raised in the 1840s at Thornham Hall, the estate of Lord Henniker, at Eye in Suffolk. It was subsequently introduced commercially in 1873 by John Perkins, the Hed Gardener. It received the Royal Horticultural Society First Class Certificate in 1873. It is yellow, flushed with red and has November to January.
A sheep’s milk cheese, dry and dense in texture. It is washed with saffron for about a month and, if aged for about 8 months, becomes somewhat reminiscent of Manchego. From the same maker as Acorn.
