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The forgotten recipe being revived after almost 100 years

Lindsey Prosser,North Westand
Lauren Hirst,North West
News imageNettle cafe A crumbly baked good with dried fruit on a plate next to small bowl of clotted cream.Nettle cafe
The recipe for the Port Sunlight Bun was originally published in the Port Sunlight News

In 1929, a curious journalist held a competition to create a signature recipe to rival the famous currant-filled Eccles cake, leading to the creation of the Port Sunlight Bun.

And, for almost 100 years, the recipe remained hidden away in a magazine in the archives of Merseyside's Port Sunlight Museum - until now.

Now the tasty treat - which features sultanas and is typically served with cream and jam - has been brought back to life in the village it was named after.

"Port Sunlight has such a rich heritage and it's been fascinating to discover more about the way of life here in the village almost 100 years ago," said Claire Bates, audience development officer at Port Sunlight Village Trust.

"From reading the magazine, it appears the baking competition was really popular among the factory's workers, with lots of local ladies taking part."

The recipe was created when Sophie Somers, who wrote under the pseudonym of Sonia for the Port Sunlight News in Wirral, published an appeal for bakers to devise their tastiest bakes.

She wanted the new creation to rival local bakes such as the Eccles cake - which is more of flat pastry than a traditional cake, with a currant filling sandwiched between flaky, buttery layers.

The contest was won by a woman called Miss Lee, who worked at the Lever Brothers soap-making factory.

Little else is known about the baker behind the recipe and the museum is appealing for anyone with more information to get in touch.

News imagePort Sunlight Village Trust The recipe for the Port Sunlight Bun was printed in Port Sunlight News. It Read 1Ib plain flour, 1/4 Ib margarine and lard mixed, 1/4 Ib sugar, a good pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon of carb soda, sultanas, 2oz of candied peel, 1 tablespoon of ground almonds and 2 eggs, two tablespoons of milk, grated rind of orange and lemon. Port Sunlight Village Trust
The winner was a factory worker known as Miss Lee

Known as the Port Sunlight Bun, the recipe included a range of ingredients including almond flour, grated rind of orange or lemon and candied peel.

Long since buried in the museum's archives, it was recently re-discovered by staff.

They then enlisted the help of the team at local Port Sunlight cafe Nettle to bring the recipe back to life, which has since become a hit with customers.

"They just want to have a little taste of history," said baker Kamil Strelczuk.

"I completely understand that. It's good to be connected to the past."

Julia Strelczuk, founder of the cafe, said they had "so much fun perfecting Miss Lee's winning recipe".

"Her version of the Port Sunlight Bun resembles a traditional scone, with a crumbly texture," she said.

"Her recipe included a lot of lard – not something you find a lot of today, but we've worked really hard to keep the recipe and method as authentic as possible."

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