How good are Nannas. Particularly European Nannas who think you are far too skinny and must eat more. That is my favourite kind of Nanna, in fact, that would have to be my favourite kind of person.

Whenever we go back to NZ to visit the fam, I come back at least 5kgs heavier. Don’t you just love how wogs eat! There is always an occasion, always a relative popping around so the tea and coffee, and cakes and biscuits all come out, even if we did just have a visitor and ate our body weight in Hrštule, less than an hour before. Ah, if only that kind of decadence was sustainable.

While it’s hard to pick a favourite Nanna speciality, I seem to push aside the bickies, after two or three, of course, and keep going back for more of the Walnut and Date loaf. Lovely, rich and dense with date and golden syrup, and then the walnutty crunch and never without a thick layer of cold salty butter. So good. I can’t resist. Unless there is Prikla in the room… then I am really torn.

Nannas Recipe

1 1/2 cups dates, chopped
115g butter
3 tbs golden syrup
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Place the dates, butter, golden syrup, sugar and 1/2 a cup of milk in a saucepan on a low heat. Mix well until butter is melted and the dates soften. Do not boil. Set aside to cool slightly.

Dissolve the baking soda in the other 1/2 cup of milk.

Combine the sifted flour, walnuts, date and butter mix, and the milk and baking soda and mix well until combined.

Pour into a lined loaf or cake tin and cook for 40 – 45 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly and serve with too much cold salty butter. Yum!