By Keighley’s Mike Armstrong, an award-winning master baker with a big passion for baking...

THIS week's recipe takes us to Bonnie Scotland for a fruit slice – also known as 'fly cemetery'.

Now, if someone offered you a slice of fly cemetery – or as it's sometimes called, graveyard pasty – would you eat it?

It's filled with a generous amount of spiced currants, sandwiched between sweet buttery shortcrust pastry – tempted now?

Can you guess where it gets its somewhat unappetising pet-name? I'm sure you can.

There's something about Scottish people and their love of questionable foods! Haggis is the obvious one, macaroni pie, deep-fried Mars bars and even Irn Bru cupcakes. Scotland is famed for its love of 'unique' foods. And it could only be the Scots who came up with a pet-name such as fly cemetery for a sweet pastry treat like a fruit slice.

Ever so simple and a lot more tasty than its name may suggest, fruit slice is a melt-in-the mouth delight, loaded with currants and lashings of sugar. It certainly gets its pet-name from its appearance, rather than its flavour. Not for the weak stomached, the name is simply because of the currants' resemblance to, well, lots of dead flies!

I've seen lots of fruit slices in our Yorkshire bakeries before that resemble our beloved Yorkshire mint pasty and sad cakes, but why would people consider a pastry with dried fruit, and is it worth picking ahead of a meringue or jam doughnut?

These poor fly cemetery slices may have a disgusting name and look a mess, but people love them despite their flaws.

If you've ever had an Eccles or Chorley cake, this is like the supersized version.

I'm not going to pretend it's a dainty little treat, but I can imagine its enjoyment at the peak of Ben Nevis or a Munro with hot, strong tea spiked with a wee dram of whisky from the flask.

This fruit slice recipe always reminds me of Garibaldi biscuits, which contain a layer of squashed currants and are often called a fly sandwich. I did publish a Garibaldi recipe years ago, as I do remember thinking what a fascinating history was behind the biscuit. I must share the recipe again next week.

RECIPE

FRUIT SLICE

Ingredients:

500g sweet shortcrust pastry, or shop bought

400g/14oz currants or dried mixed fruit

50g/2oz butter

100g/4oz brown sugar

2 teaspoons mixed spice

A wee splash of whisky, optional

Caster sugar to sprinkle on top

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas Mark 4, then divide the pastry in half, and roll out the base to fit a small lipped baking tray or similar container with a overhang.

2. In a mixing bowl, add the currants, mixed spice, butter, brown sugar and whisky, then mix together with your hands till well combined.

3. Pour the filling into the pastry base and evenly spread out.

4. Roll out the lid to fit the baking tray and press into the pastry on the sides, prick with a fork a few times, then glaze for a nice golden colour.

6. Bake for around 45 minutes or till light golden brown, sprinkle over a little caster sugar, slice into squares while warm and serve warm or cold ideally with a cup of tea.