Today I’m sharing what may be the very first recipe I ever wrote down: an easy ginger biscuit recipe that I’ve adapted to use spelt flour. These spelt ginger biscuits are so straightforward a child could make them—indeed, the handwriting on the original suggests a young baker was at work.
Emancipation.
My parents have decided to sell the house my brother and I grew up in after living there for decades. Although the house has mostly held just my parents in recent years, it contains three and a half decades of accumulated keepsakes from their lives and ours. As they clear out, cupboards and drawers reveal years of family ephemera that now needs new homes.
For my part, many items will be donated or discarded. I value memories, but I’m wary of holding on to objects that won’t be seen, loved, or used regularly. Still, clearing space has its rewards: some things genuinely deserve to be kept.
A Spark of Joy.
A friend recommended Marie Kondo’s method—keeping only items that “spark joy”—and described it as a simple way to reduce clutter. The idea echoes William Morris’s long-standing principle to own only what is useful or beautiful, a sentiment I try to follow. This approach has led me to question old habits: for example, my carried-along collection of DVDs and CDs that rarely get used and are now more nostalgic than practical.
“…anything that doesn’t “spark joy” is to be touched, thanked and ceremonially sent on its way towards a better life elsewhere, where it can discover a more appreciative owner.”The Guardian
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”William Morris
Still, among the things destined for sorting I found a small treasure: an old handwritten recipe—my handwriting, from years ago. It’s charming in its simplicity and a reminder of how early my interest in recipes began. I had to make it, of course, and adapted it slightly to use white spelt flour.
I can picture a small version of me carefully writing the ingredients, then concentrating on mixing, rolling and cutting. When I baked the biscuits recently, I had to stop myself from eating the whole batch—half remained for sharing because I didn’t want them all gone. The recipe’s appeal is that it’s almost fail-safe: basic, quick, and forgiving.
Spelt Ginger Biscuits
By Gavin Wren
Makes 12–16
Uses greaseproof paper, a baking sheet, mixing bowl, sieve, rolling pin and biscuit cutters.
Ingredients
100g white spelt flour
50g soft light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
50g butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk (oat milk works well)
Directions
Preheat the oven to gas mark 6 / 400°F / 204°C (180°C fan). Sift the spelt flour, sugar and ground ginger into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk and bring the dough together until smooth.
Place the dough on a sheet of greaseproof paper and roll out to about 5mm thick. Cut out biscuits with a cutter, re-rolling trimmings as needed. Arrange the biscuits on a lined baking sheet and bake for 12–15 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden.
Transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack. Allow to cool before eating for the best texture, though they’re tempting warm straight from the oven.
