Nan's recipes, from San Fernando to Chapeltown

In 1962 my nan Pearl arrived in Leeds with one suitcase and a Peek Freans biscuit tin full of recipe cards. I'm typing them up, cooking every one, and keeping her notes in the margins.

Pick a card

Typed up so far

Five cards down, 78 to go. A new one most Sundays.

A plate of chicken curry with a soft roti folded on the side, slaw and rice

Sunday curry chicken with roti

Serves 4. 2 hours, mostly waiting.

“Don't rush the curry in the oil. When it goes dark and smells like toast, then the chicken.”

Rounds of dough puffing up as they fry in a pan of oil

Fry bake and saltfish

Serves 4. 1 hour.

“Soak the saltfish the night before or you'll be drinking water all day.”

A glass jug of deep pink sorrel next to limes and dried hibiscus

Christmas sorrel

Serves 8. 20 minutes, then overnight.

“Grate the ginger, don't slice it. And hide the rum from your grandad.”

A sticky loaf of parkin cut into thick slices

Mrs Hartley's Yorkshire parkin

Serves 12. 1 hour 20, plus 3 days.

“Wrap it and leave it three days. It goes sticky. Don't let anybody cut it before.”

A hand pulling apart a slice of dark fruit cake studded with cherries

Black cake

Serves 16. Weeks of soaking, 3 hours baking.

“Burn the sugar till it's nearly black. Nearly. If it goes bitter, start again.”

An old handwritten recipe card in blue ink

The card for black cake. You can see where the rum got on it.

About Nan

Pearl Ramdial was born in San Fernando, Trinidad, in 1939. She came to Leeds at 23 to train as a nurse at St James's, and stayed for sixty years.

She cooked for everyone. Her neighbours, the night shift, my mum's whole school year. The recipes travelled the other way too: Mrs Hartley next door taught her parkin, and she taught Mrs Hartley curry.

When she died in 2024 she left me the tin. I'm Shanice, I'm 29, and I'm a much worse cook than she was. This site is me learning.

Did you know Pearl? Write to me.shanice@pearlscardbox.co.uk