I was delighted to receive a press copy of the cookbook, Towpath Recipes & Stories* by Lori De Mori and Laura Jackson, from the publisher a couple of weeks ago, and I’m even more pleased to be allowed to share a recipe from the book with all of you! Towpath is an outdoors cafe, situated alongside Regent’s Canal in North East London, and has a dedicated clientele of local Londoners (even Keira Knightley is a big fan!). Due to its outdoor seating, the cafe closes in the winter and (in normal years) is open from March to November; the cookbook takes you through this arc of the year, with seasonal recipes and stories shared month-by-month.

Towpath is a joint enterprise between two women: its founder, Lori De Mori, left Italy for London, inspired by the simplicity of a hole-in-the-wall bar in Florence, and when she met the chef Laura Jackson, Towpath was born. In their cookbook, the recipes are written by Laura, and Lori shares musings on running a business that encompasses her values and life philosophy, as well as anecdotes on the local community and the pleasures brought by different seasons. It’s a lovely book to have by your bed, so you can dip into it whenever you’d like a taste of London life, or some inspiration for your kitchen.

The Towpath cookbook is filled with many delicious recipes - both savoury and sweet - and it was hard to choose which to feature from the book, but I thought Laura’s recipe for Treacle Bars sounded mouthwateringly good, as well as easy to make, so I was sold! You can watch Mum and me making the recipe on today’s YouTube video (click here), and I’ve also included the instructions below:

Towpath Treacle Bars

Ingredients for the Base:

185g / 6 1/2oz plain flour

50g / 2oz icing sugar, sifted

170g / 6oz unsalted butter, melted

Pinch of salt

Instructions for the Base:

Start by making the base. To a medium bowl, add the flour, sugar, melted butter and a pinch of salt. Mix well to form a dough. The pastry can be made up to a week in advance if left in the fridge.

Take a 23 x 23cm / 9 x 9in baking tin and line with greaseproof paper.

Roll the pastry out directly into the lined baking tin using your hands, then take a piece of greaseproof paper, lay over the pastry and use a half-pint glass or jar to smooth over the top. Make sure the pastry goes right up to the edges of the tin as it will shrink a little once cooked. Prick the pastry all over with a fork. Place in the fridge and rest for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 140°C fan/325°F/gas mark 3. When ready, bake the pastry base in the oven for about 25 minutes. You don’t want any colour on the base and nor do you want to overcook the base - the base will be cooked again and if it is overcooked, it becomes crumbly and messy to cut.

Ingredients for the Treacle Topping:

400ml / 14fl oz golden syrup

100g / 3 1/2oz breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs

70g / 2 1/2 oz ground almonds

zest of 1 lemon

150ml / 5fl oz double cream

1 egg, plus 1 yolk

Instructions for  the Treacle Topping:

Gently warm he syrup in a medium saucepan and when liquid, add the breadcrumbs, ground almonds and lemon zest. Mix well and remove from the heat.

In a separate bowl, whisk the cream, egg and egg yolk til well amalgamated. Pour into the syrup mixture and stir well together.

Pour the treacle topping over the cooked base, turn up the oven heat to 150°C fan/340°F/gas mark 3 1/2 and cook for around 30 - 45 minutes and then check - the topping should still have a slight wobble. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.

These are often made a day ahead, so they can be put in the fridge to make them easier to cut the next day, but the treacle bars are also delicious served warm straight out the oven with a blob of creme fraiche.

These Treacle Bars make the perfect treat for afternoon tea, and I think they’d also be wonderful to take on a walk or a picnic in warmer weather. I do hope you enjoy them if you give the recipe a go!

*I use affiliate links for uk.bookshop.org, which supports independent bookshops.