We've been experimenting with Ancient Roman recipes this week. Sadly our local butchers don't sell dormice (they are quite rare here - maybe the Romans ate them all?) so we used chicken instead. We also made Libum - this is a sacrifical cake made as an offering to the household spirits, though of course the Romans ate it too!

Here's the recipe (which was recorded by the statesman Cato in his book Di Agri Cultura) if you want to try it:

Ingredients Half a cup of plain flour One cup of ricotta cheese 1 egg, beaten bay leaves Half a cup of clear honey Method Sift the flour in a mixing bowl. Beat the cheese until soft, stir into the flour. Add the beaten egg to the flour/cheese mixture, forming a soft dough Divide the dough into four and shape each piece into a bun Place on a greased baking tray with a fresh bay leaf underneath. Heat the oven to 375F – 190C. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until golden brown. Warm the honey, pour into a flat plate, place the buns in it and rest till the honey is absorbed

We went out this morning hoping our household spirits were happy, and debating whether Libum rhymes with My Bum.....what do you think?