I think Parkin is cake. It certainly has a cakey consistency, albeit quite a dense cake. I would also regard a brownie as a form of cake. I don't think you can give brownies a whole classification to themselves.

I like parkin. It's one of the few cake products that doesn't always go wrong when I try to make it myself. I always do it with a hot treacle (actually a slight misnomer as it uses both black treacle and golden syrup) sauce on bonfire night. And custard. always cold custard if the sauce is hot.

Okay I can live with the idea that Parkin is in fact a cake and I can just about accept that Brownies are cake too (I think they probably should have their own category though).

Can you get Parkin in and around London is what I really want to know? I would love to find a local distributor cos along with Les Neil's gran's home made treacle toffees I really miss Parkin around November 5th time and does anyone still make toffee apples?

Cake + Custard is always a winner.

Probably not. I live in Warwickshire, which is only about half way to London from the mother county, and most people here don't seem to know what parkin is. When you explain, you get "oh, you mean ginger cake?" at which point I beat them to death with a ferret.

As part of my 'lazy day' on Sunday after the final I am going to make a passion fruit and lemon cake. Would you all like me to post a picture / receipe on here after?

That's probably illegal albeit entirely acceptable.

Using a ferret as an assault weapon is not a great idea as they can get a bit mardy after use...

That's true

Richard Whiteley (RIP) can testify to this!!!!!!

They can, but if you persuade them to swallow a couple of snooker balls first they make such an effective weapon that the downsides are all but irrelevant.

Good call...go with it

To shout "I'm the Daddy now" after impact really adds to the occasion

Parkin passes the "Does it go with a freshly brewed strong black coffee?" patented test and so has gained the "Its a CAKE!" sticker.

Anyway, as for parkin in London, not being able to find parkin in London is the penalty you must pay for being in London, for all its boasts about being the capital, being the best, being the richest, having the biggest - its incapable of producing a simple ginger based bonfire night cake - pathetic.

So think on - if you must go to London then expect to be disappointed, you will always be disappointed until you return to Yorkshire. (the JerryChicken rule of life #42)

I still come home to Leeds on a regular basis and therefore am able to get...

a proper pork pie
a curd tart
PARKIN
genuinely good fish and chips
a match at Headingley (not always as uplifting as the rest of these items)
& spiritual nourishment of various sorts including views of the Heavy Woollen District, The Dales and Whitby

You can take the boy out of Leeds but you can never take Leeds out of the boy etc.