On Sunday 3rd April, Goldsborough Hall, near Knaresborough, will be serving the traditional Yorkshire dish of Wilfra Cake – an apple pie made with Wensleydale cheese – as a finale to its three-course Mothering Day Sunday lunch.
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A slice of Wilfra Cake was served to Queen Mary in 1923 when she and her daughter Princess Mary took tea at Treasurer’s House in York when she was visiting Goldsborough Hall in the summer.
Wilfra Apple Cake was made in Ripon during “Wilfra Week” when it was traditional for every household to make the dish. These would be left out on the doorsteps or windowsills for passers by so that they could help themselves. Wilfra week commemorates Ripon’s patron St Wilfrid’s returning to Ripon from exile.
Owner Clare Oglesby says:
“We are delighted to be able to serve this apple pie on Mothers’ Day. Not only is Wilfra Cake a traditional Yorkshire dish but it’s one with a real connection to Goldsborough Hall. When Princess Mary lived at the Hall in the 1920s, Wilfra Cake was served to her mother, Queen Mary.
“And although convention dictates that we should really leave the pies on our doorstep,” Clare continues, “we might ignore that quaint tradition to ensure that all mums get their slice of this delicious pie on Mothers’ Day.”
Goldsborough Hall’s Mothering Day three-course lunch costs £35 per adult and £17.50 per child U12.
For full details of the menu and to book, see www.goldsboroughhall.com; email info@goldsboroughhall.com or call 01423 867321.
