Mothering Sunday

Motherhood is celebrated each year on Mother’s Day or Mothering Sunday. People all over the world show their appreciation for mothers who have made a wonderful impact on their lives. They celebrate and honour mothers on this special day which in most cases is on a Sunday. It is more than just a special day for one’s biological mother. It is also a day for the wonderful women who mother children who are not their own through birth.

Going back to about 2250 B.C. there are records of the ancient Romans who celebrated Mother’s Day. Today it is a wide spread celebration. There are different dates around the world when Mother’s Day is celebrated. However the most popular date on which most countries celebrate Mother’s Day is on the second Sunday in May each year. These countries include Aguilla, ,Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, New Zealand, Netherlands, Singapore,South Africa, United States, Uruguay and Zambia.

In the United Kingdom, Mother’s Day is traditionally known as Mothering Sunday as it’s always celebrated on a Sunday. Since the Middle Ages this special day is celebrated on the fourth Sunday during Lent according to the Christian calendar so the date changes each year but not the day.

The special day is celebrated with special gifts and special foods. Each country has its own traditions. In the United Kingdom chocolate is of course a favourite treat. However the traditional queen of all treats for Mothering Sunday is the Simnel cake in England. It has been a traditional treat since the Medieval times. Those who worked as maids, cooks and housekeeper etc. in wealthy households would usually have this Sunday off work to visit their families in the Victorian times. To make the occasion extra special, they would give their mothers a Simnel cake as a gift on Mothering Sunday when they would meet up at church.

It is made from a fruit cake recipe baked with a layer of marzipan in the middle. It is then decorated after baking with toasted marzipan. Each family has its unique recipe for this exquisite treat. Some cakes are ligh while others are very moist and rich like the unique Woolery Forbes award winning Simnel cake. Woolery Forbes Simnel cake is a blend of the richness of the traditional English fruit cake and the softer, lighter as well as boozier Jamaican fruit cake. The combination of both cakes makes our cakes unique. Thanks to the beautiful Jamaican, island girl and the English lad who fell in love. They are the ones who started a unique tradition of our family’s blended cuisine.

There is a myth which states that a couple, Simon and Nelly had a quarrel over how to cook this treat. One wanted it baked and the other wanted it boiled. Eventually they combined both methods, boiling it then baking it. By combining a part of both names, the cake is called Simnel from Simon and Nelly. In keeping with family tradition, Woolery Forbes simnel cakes are slowly baked to perfection. There is no need to boil it as our fruits are soaked in a unique blend of alcohol for at least a year. These mature fruits provide a unique flavour and they help to keep the cake moist.

This delicious cake has remained a favourite treat because it’s very delicious and it’s symbolic of Easter. Easter is the Christian celebration which is centred around the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the centre of the Christian faith and people who follow his teachings are called Christians. He was betrayed by one of his twelve disciples, Judas and this is one of the events which led to his death in 1st-century Judea, in either AD 30 or AD 33. As a representation of the season, the Simnel cake has eleven marzipan balls. These represent the disciples excluding the one who betrayed Jesus Christ.

Our Simnel cake is a perfect treat for mothers. They are a wholesome and natural treats which are handmade in small batches with the best of both worlds; a luxuriously rich traditional cake.

Taste: “It is dark and rich and packed with fruit. The middle squidgy layer is soft and almondy. The overall texture is moist and Rich. Generously sized cake with attractive gold flecked marzipan top. We also detect some booze in here! Indulgent, rich, very moreish and delicious.” Guild of Fine Foods 2019

To enjoy this delicious treat and any other of our treats to celebrate this Mother’s Day. You have an offer of a 15% discount by shopping with us at w-forbes.com using the promotion code, mothersday2021

Celebrate and honour mothers by sharing the best to show her how much you care. Keep connected, taste the love and share the love. – Follow us on Facebook