There’s something about us Scots and our love of questionable foods. Haggis is the obvious one (love it), Lorne sausage, macaroni pies, deep-fried Mars Bar and even Irn Bru cupcakes – Scotland is famed for it’s love of “unique” foods. And it could only be the Scots who would come up with a pet-name such as Fly Cemetery for a sweet little pastry treat like Fruit Slice.
Ever so simple and a lot more tasty than it’s pet-name may suggest, Fruit Slice is a melt-in-the-mouth short crust pastry treat, loaded with currants and lashings of sugar. It gets it’s pet-name from it’s appearance, rather than it’s flavour. Not for the weak stomached; it’s simply because of the currant’s resemblance too, well, lots of dead flies… Our Granny can even recall when her own Papa would pick out the currants and joke that they were delicious little flies! Yum…
I was quite surprised just how many people were chuffed to receive a piece of Fruit Slice when I made it recently. Not a huge fan of currants myself, I was unsure of how many people would be happy to take some off my hands but it turns out there’s already been requests for another batch!
Granny’s Top Tips
♥ You can make your own pastry if you prefer but the ready rolled pastry just makes the entire recipe that bit more simple.
♥ Why not mix things up (and messier) by trying Fruit Slice with puff pastry for a change?
- 1 Pack of Ready Roll Short Crust Pastry (375g)
- 200g Currants
- 75g Sugar
- 50g Butter
- 1 tsp Mixed Spice
- Pre-heat your oven to 190°c and grease a baking tray with a little butter.
- Roll out the pastry and cut into two rectangles. Place one onto your pre-greased baking tray.
- In a bowl mix the currants, sugar, butter and mixed spice until combined. This is easiest when your butter is at room temperature.
- Spoon the currant mixture evenly onto the pastry on the baking tray, leaving a small gap around the edges. Wet the edges with a little water. Place the other sheet of pastry on top of the currants and gently press the edges together.
- Brush the top pastry with a little milk or beaten egg.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes until a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle a little sugar on top.
- Once cool enough to touch, cut the fruit slice into 8 slices and move to a wire rack to cool completely.
What do you know it as; Fruit Slice or Fly Cemetery?
Want new recipes direct to your email?
Subscribe to get our latest recipes, tips & tricks by email.
These look amazing, and so easy too! x
Very easy, Donna! And I’m a big fan of easy recipes ;)
I like your recipes but I would like you to leave a tray/tin size please
Cheers for an easy to follow recipe :) My mum calls it ‘fly paper cake’ :D looking forward to eating it!
This currant slice lacks love, to improve ,,being a chef, this product to me is just dried currants between 2 slabs of pastry, boring, how about binding the currants with currant jam, not to liquid, but thick jam, so it dosent run into the pastry, this product with a cup of char, would be a gastronomical delight
We call it dead fly pie! This is just going in the oven now! Can’t wait!
Fab! Let me know how it turns out, Gina.
The last batch of #flycemetry was so good, decided to make a double batch this time ;) !
Wish I’d have found this recipe years ago…so easy ! My Dad loved these “Flies Cemeteries” and Eccles Cakes, would have loved to have made him these. I’m having a little trip down memory lane.
Thanks for commenting, Ann. Fly Cemetery is definitely one that brings back memories for people. We’re also looking a sharing a Eccles Cake recipe in the near future so be sure to keep checking back :)
what is the spice mix?????????
Hi, I am in UK,my jar of mixed spice listed the ingredients as Dried orange peel(60%), Cassia, Ginger, Nutmeg, Pimentoes, Caraway seeds
yes!! Please tell us what you mean by “spice mix”?? what kind of spices are in it? We have a pumpkin pie spice mix here in the USA, is that what you mean?
I added chopped dates, chopped apple and a good tbsp of marmalade to bind it together. It’s delicious.
Can you freeze these please
Yes you can and they cut up much more easily and neater when frozen
Would like to know size of tin/tray to use
Thanks
What size of tray/tin to use please
Thanks
These were always a big hit after Christmas Dinner. Mom and Grandmother were from Dunfermline, Scotland and never heard them referred to as anything other than Currant squares.
I’ve been making these years I know them as currant slices made with Ruff puff pastry from my mums old Bero cook book they are my husbands favourite cake.
These Current Squares look delicious. I think I will make some.