In celebration of St Patrick's Day, our Customer Champion for Retail, Fiona, adapts a recipe by the great Irish chef Richard Corrigan to create lockdown-friendly Irish soda bread muffins to share with her local community.

As Corrigan himself describes this recipe, 'It’s the kind of bread you put out on the table with a meal, and by the end of it the loaf is finished.' As we are still unable to share a table with our friends and family, rather than baking one large loaf Fiona makes individual breads which enabled her to leave them on neighbouring doorsteps - delivering little parcels of warmth and care.

We sell a variety of pantry essentials and fresh dairy in our shops that, like our cheese, are made with simple, carefully chosen ingredients. In adapting this recipe to suit her needs Fiona champions several of these locally-made products that we are proud to sell - Irish stone-ground Macroom Oatmeal, Ivy House Farm Organic Jersey Buttermilk, and Scottish Blossom Honey. Sticking with the classic accompaniment to soda bread - salted butter - she serves these with Bungay Butter, a raw milk cultured butter made by the team at Fen Farm Dairy (who also make Baron Bigod.) 

Fiona hopes this recipe inspires you to seek out your local British and Irish food champions and share your love of food.

Irish Soda Bread Muffins

Serves 6. Adapted from Richard Corrigan's recipe here.

Ingredients

250g plain flour

10g salt

15g sodium bicarbonate

150g wholemeal flour

75g jumbo oat flakes

75g Macroom Oatmeal (available in our shops)

1 tbsp clear honey (try our Scottish Blossom Honey)

1 tbsp black treacle

500ml buttermilk (try Ivy House Farm organic Jersey buttermilk, available in our shops)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C and grease six muffin tins (or line with baking parchment.)

2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a well in the centre, then mix in the honey, treacle and buttermilk, working everything together lightly with your hands until you have a loose, wet dough.

3. Flour your hands, shape the dough into six equal portions and place into prepared muffin tins. Lightly sprinkle the muffin tops with some some plain flour and a few oats. Put them into the oven and bake for around 15-25 minutes. Test if they are done by taking one out and tapping on the bottom- if it sounds hollow they are ready. Transfer to a wire rack, drape a damp cloth over the top and leave to cool.