More

Brits love their multi-layered peanut-caramel-cookie-nougat-and-air-bubble-filled concoctions, but ask for real dark chocolate, and they start muttering about the fall of the British Empire. In an attempt to satisfy my craving for intense, bitter dark chocolate after moving to London, I tried this sorbet recipe: it's a wonderful, incredibly creamy frozen dessert that is so rich and smooth, no one will believe it's a sorbet. More

Do not be freaked out by the picture of the dead lion surrounded by honey bees on the label. These treats are vegetarian and no lions are harmed in the making of the syrup. It is made from a sugar blend, not honey! Mr. Lyle was a religious man and created the image based on a Biblical story in which Samson found a honeycomb in the carcass of a lion. Bless Mr. Lyle, for somehow I doubt this image was "focus group" tested. More

Also known as oatcakes, bannocks are homely, cracker-like treats from Scotland and northern England that go nicely with clotted cream and strawberry jam. More

For our final recipe from Forgotten Skills of Cooking by Darina Allen I couldn't resist sharing this riff on an Irish Soda bread known as Spotted Dog. As far as I can tell, the whimsical name either refers to the spotting of raisins on the bread's surface, or it's a derivative of spotted dick, a steamed pudding dotted with currants. More

This Irish Apple Cake from Forgotten Skills of Cooking by Darina Allen, is like a giant scone with a clove-scented apple filling. More

On this side of the Atlantic, corned beef and cabbage may be about as Irish as a dish gets, but according to Darina Allen author of Forgotten Skills of Cooking bacon and cabbage is Ireland's national dish. It calls for whole loin bacon, a British Isles export, which is cooked along with the cabbage, sliced before serving, and paired with a creamy parsley sauce. More

This Irish Porter Cake from Forgotten Skills of Cooking by Darina Allen is the St. Patrick's Day version of of a Christmas fruit cake—except you actually want to eat this one since it's doused in Guinness and ridiculously delicious. More

As the cream cools it separates into two layers: the creamy top, perfect for spreading on scones (or anything else for that matter) and a thinner cream which cookbook author Darina Allen says will keep for several weeks and can be used in any recipe that calls for heavy cream. More