Somerset flummery

I think very few people serve flummery as a pud or dessert after a meal these days, few of these old thickened grain dishes often advised for invalids, are even known about. Semolina, sago, and tapioca have all gone out of fashion, although people might buy pots of ready-made rice pudding (parents and grandparents would have a fit!!) I’m not sure many people actually make it. Those soft, grain desserts have gone out of fashion.

The actual word flummery comes from the Welsh llymru, which is, apparently, a sour gelatinous oatmeal dish which was eaten at breakfast according to one site I looked at – similar to porridge it seems, Flummery came to mean flattery, empty, meaningless talk – “you’re talking a right load of old flummery!”

I’m sure there are lots of versions of llymru and flummery, different local versions, different family versions, the flummery a gran used to make, the flummery  Mrs So-and-So used to have in a pot on the stove…

Here is what people used to have round here…

Somerset flummery

• 1 lb apples, peeled, cored, sliced (or other fruit such  as stone plums, red/black/white currants, gooseberries, raspberries – these appear in Somerset recipes, but you cold use anything you have to hand – even dried fruit! Quinces would be lovely!)
• 4 tbsp pearl barley
• 2 oz sugar
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ pint whipped double or clotted cream

1. simmer barley in 2 pints of water and simmer for 30 mins (my pearl barley takes longer than that to cook!)
2. add fruit and cook until that too is soft
3. leave to cool the strain through a fine sieve or muslin
4. pour liquor into a pan and boil with the sugar and lemon juice; stir until it thickens and leave to cool again
5. stir in the cream and leave to cool again
6. serve in individual dish sprinkled with lemon zest (might be nice sprinkled with fresh raspberries if you use them as your fruit!)

(I misread the recipe and kept the barley and fruit in the mixture – I liked the texture but it’s not what a flummery should be!)

Here are two links to more interesting information:

https://museum.wales/collections/welsh-fare/?id=61

http://www.theoldfoodie.com/2010/11/flummery-factoids.html