In Cornwall, Good Friday is celebrated as a feast day known as “Goody Friday.” This is contrary to the mourning day marked by the rest of the country. Families take this day to go for walks, soaking up the stunning local scenery with the ones they love. It was traditionally a time many moons ago for young people to mix with those of the opposite sex in the hope of finding a future husband or wife.
It’s traditional for people of South West Cornwall to do the walk from Penance and Newlyn to Lamorna on Good Friday, bridging some incredibly beautiful cliffs and passing through the picturesque village of Mousehole. After arriving in Lamorna, people sit and enjoy the scenery of the cove with their picnics. It is still extremely popular to walk here on Good Friday, to go for outdoor walks and enjoy the beautiful Cornish springtime landscape. In the west of the county St Michaels Mount is also a very popular spot to go for a stroll and take in the sea air.
Now, of course, it wouldn’t be Cornwall and it wouldn’t be Easter if there wasn’t some form of eating involved, it is common to bring picnics and celebrate with a feast. Luckily we have a selection of Easter treats in our shops to tempt you with including mini eggs nests, decorated shortbread biscuits for the kids and of course our famous saffron buns. Another traditional Easter treat is the Cornish Fairing – a type of traditional ginger biscuit. The name Fairings comes from the name given to the treats sold at fairs around the country. They are spicy, round and baked in the oven. The Cornish version of the Fairing became famous in Victorian times and is still a popular snack to this day. They were a treat that parents bought their children, or men bought for their sweethearts.
Traditionally a saffron bun, Cornish tea treat, or revel bun is a rich spiced yeast leavened sweet bun that is flavoured with saffron and contains dried fruit including currants and raisins similar to a teacake. Larger versions baked in a tin loaf are known as saffron cake. Our traditional cakes are made using real saffron to a secret 100-year-old recipe.
If you don’t have time to visit your local store, why not order a hamper full of delicious treats that will tantalise your taste buds for Easter weekend. Will you and your family be following any traditions this year? We would love to hear
from you on our social media about how you are celebrating this year.
Walkers, Lamorna Cove, c1980s Reproduced courtesy of Andrew Besley as featured on cornishmemory.com