TWO SOUTHAMPTON residents are celebrating this week after winning a recipe competition run by a community bakery in the city to help revive the Regency meal of ‘nuncheon’ (January 2024).
Shirley-based CommuniBakes wanted ideas for treats suitable as a mid-morning or afternoon snack. Barbara Wright and Charlotte Shepherd were picked as the winners – winning two Regency-based novels each.
Matt Baker, Director of CommuniBakes at 21, St James Road, says: “I would like to extend my congratulations to these two worthy winners. We selected Barbara’s mincemeat and marzipan loaf cake and Charlotte’s Chocolate shortbread as our winning entries. Both recipes will be shared on our website for everyone to have a try at making at home. Barbara’s is especially good if you have any left-over mincemeat from Christmas that needs using up!”
CommuniBakes launched the competition last year after Sunday Times Bestselling novelist, Sophie Irwin visited the bakery, as part of the book signing and Q&A sessions she was doing with the charity Communicare. All the bakery’s proceeds go towards Communicare and its work enriching the lives of lonely and isolated people in and around Southampton.
Matt added: “Sophie very kindly left us some signed copies of her novels, which are both based in the Regency era, for us to use for a competition. We were intrigued to see the latest book features the meal nuncheon, which we’d never heard of before! We thought it was worthy of revival and wanted to get as many suggestions as possible from people for what they might like to eat for nuncheon that we don’t already make here in the bakery.
“Southampton has strong links to a hugely famous Regency novelist. Jane Austen visited and lived in the city, and even danced at the Dolphin Hotel, now a Mercure, in the late 1700s, so I’m sure today’s city residents will be keen on eating nuncheon when they can and we’ll be plugging it more at the bakery this year!”
Nuncheon is an old Anglo-Saxon word, which means, in today’s terms, a quick snack between main meals that you can hold in your hands. It was also used in Regency times, before lunch was popularised. It’s thought it comes from the word ‘nuch’, which was used in the 16th and 17th centuries and meant a piece of bread.
Author Sophie, who grew up in Dorset, says: “Well done to Barbara and Charlotte. Great recipe ideas! It’s so wonderful people are talking about nuncheon and reviving it, especially during the winter months. From my research, for my latest book, I discovered it can be any kind of mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack of bread or cake.
“In the Regency, they didn’t have a sit-down lunch per se, but snacky moments through the day and this was one of them!”
Sophie’s latest book ‘A Lady’s Guide to Scandal’ was published at the end of last summer on the same day that the paperback edition of her first novel ‘A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting’ came out.
Barbara, who shops at the bakery and supports Communicare whenever she can, said: “I am really looking forward to reading these two novels and I’m delighted I was selected as one of the winners. I don’t live locally to CommuniBakes, so I have to make a special effort to visit, but it’s worth it.”
CommuniBakes was purchased to help raise funds for Communicare in 2021 and is a separate limited company. All profits from all the bakes sold go towards the charity and the work it does to help lonely and isolated people across Southampton.
Charlotte said: “I’m very glad I participated in the competition. I love the bakery and regularly stop by and get myself and my partner a treat.”
Communicare is a friendly, neighbourhood charity staffed by devoted volunteers, known as Communiteers, who give their time freely.
It’s currently supporting more than 700 individuals/families through tasks including one-to-one befriending and transport for essential appointments and assistance with shopping.
The services it provides are free to users, although beneficiaries are invited to donate, if they can, and Communiteers are offered expenses.
Annie Clewlow, Communicare’s Manager, says: “We’re thrilled to have worked with Sophie on this competition at CommuniBakes. Well done to our two worthy winners.”
For more information about CommuniBakes, which is at 21, St James Road in Shirley, please visit its website here.
