Oat Cakes

There's something very satisfying about making such good, plain fare as oatcakes - as if you're doing something sober and basic and not entertaining yourself with fripperies - Nigella Lawson

I've been away this weekend and at 4pm this afternoon thought, 'Bugger! I haven't made anything for the blog!' And I know that RoseRed's been away so she probably hasn't either.

So I sat down to find the easiest, quickest thing to make in the book, other than Snickerdoodles, which I've made ad nauseum since I first made them.

A-ha! Oatcakes! An easy solution to the problem. Four ingredients, no fussing. Perfect.

Not exactly. Sean's first comment on taking a bite was, 'so what are they for exactly?' It went downhill from there.

The Verdict

I have to say, not even Nigella sounded very excited about these in her pre-recipe blurb. Ususally she goes on at length about the wonder of her chosen recipes. I have to wonder why she included them.


Unusual or Substituted Ingredients - I just happened to have some almost out of date medium ground oatmeal in the pantry. No idea why. I've never used the stuff. Other than that, no special ingredients. Bi-carb, oats, salt and butter (although you are given the option of using lard, and Nigella urges you to try it. Sorry Nigella, this was a last minute decision. I don't carry lard in the house as a rule!)


Special Utensils or Cookware - None at all.

Repeatability - I don't think so. Unless someone can tell me in the comments how these go just fabulously with this or that. They taste, I'm afraid, like pressed cardboard. They're Scottish, I believe. I'm not aware of any Scottish cuisine that's set the world on fire. Apologies to any Scots reading.

Sauciness - zero. Again, I have to say they taste like pressed cardboard. Nigella says making them is sobering. I'll say this for them - tasting these things is a reminder that we can all have moments in the kitchen where we look at what we've done and think, 'how on earth did this ever seem like a good idea?'

Overall Pleasure Level - Taking the shot below was the greatest pleasure I derived from this recipe. I had to do something with them. Cooked, they look just like that photo above of the cakes just before I put them in the oven. I'm giving these 2 out 10. They weren't a failure. They were just pointless. Am happy to stand corrected if someone can tell me there is a way to make these edible by pairing them with something else.