Cornish Fairings

These biscuits come from Cornwall, that windswept peninsula jutting into the Celtic Sea at England's southwestern tip. For centuries, they were sold at country fairs alongside livestock auctions and traveling entertainments. The word 'fairing' meant a gift bought at the fair, something to bring home to sweethearts and children. These ginger biscuits became so beloved that the name stuck to the cookie itself.

What makes a proper Cornish Fairing unmistakable is that crackled top. The surface shatters into a web of golden fissures as the biscuits bake, creating texture that catches the light like stained glass. This isn't decorative accident. It's chemistry. The combination of baking powder and bicarbonate of soda causes the dough to rise and fall dramatically in the oven's heat, leaving those signature cracks behind.

Golden syrup is non-negotiable here. That treacly British pantry staple gives Fairings their particular chewiness and caramel depth. American corn syrup won't replicate it. Look for Lyle's Golden Syrup in the international aisle or order it online. Once you have a tin in your cupboard, you'll find excuses to use it everywhere.

I first encountered these at a Christmas market in Penzance, bought from a woman whose family had been making them for four generations. She wrapped them in wax paper twisted at the ends like old-fashioned sweets. They were still warm. I ate three before I'd walked ten steps.