By Keighley’s Mike Armstrong, an award-winning master baker with a big passion for baking...

REMEMBER these? Can we still buy them?

I think they have gone out of fashion today, but you never know!

The Garibaldi biscuit is one of the oldest biscuits on the block, having first been sold in 1861 by its creator Carr's, the famous biscuit makers from Carlisle.

It was named after the man who played a prominent role in the unification of Italy – ''father of the fatherland'' – in the second half of the 1800s, storming across Italy in a bid for independence.

I fondly remember him from my school history lessons, and I suspect he particularly stuck in my mind because of the famous biscuit named after him.

The famous Giuseppe Garibaldi visited Britain in 1854, when the whole country rose to greet him, apart from Queen Victoria and the royal family. When he sailed into Tyneside, cutting quite a dash and dandy in his red ruffle-fronted silk shirt, poncho sombrero and floppy handkerchief, he was greeted with huge enthusiasm and excitement. He was so popular some local hotels even made a profit selling his bath water, and hundreds of Italian cafes and tavern owners renamed their establishments in tribute to Garibaldi.

The Garibaldi biscuit is flat and rectangular in shape, with a top and bottom layer, each of not overly sweet dough that is crisp when it comes out of the oven. The top is glazed with egg white and in the middle there is a squashed currant filling. Because of this filling, generations of people will have grown up calling the biscuit aka ''fly sandwich'' or ''dead fly biscuit'', which is a close relative to the Chorley and Eccles cakes and I did wonder if Mr Carr stopped off in Lancashire on his way north!

But my favourite version of this myth is that Guiseppe ''invented'' his biscuit when he accidentally sat on a Yorkshire currant and mint pasty, which is a plumper version of the same idea. Crumbs of knowledge, I know, but this biscuit deserves a comeback!

RECIPE

GARIBALDI BISCUITS

Makes 16

Ingredients:

110g/4oz plain flour, sifted

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

25g/1oz cold unsalted butter, cubed

25g/1oz caster sugar, plus extra to sprinkle

3 tablespoons milk

1 large egg, egg yolk for the recipe and egg white for glazing

150g/5oz currants or half currants/half sultanas, chopped

Zest of half lemon, optional

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, butter, baking powder and salt and rub into fine breadcrumbs with your fingertips.

2. In a mug, lightly whisk the egg yolk and milk together, add to the bowl and gently bring the dough together into a ball shape, chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas Mark 5 and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

4. Roll out the dough to a large rectangle shape, tip the fruit and lemon zest onto one half, spread it out evenly so it covers half the dough, fold the other half over the fruit and roll out again with a little flour to a large rectangle shape, trim off the sides neatly with a sharp knife.

5. Cut the dough lengthways, and then cut each strip into 8, so you have 16 small biscuits. Transfer onto the baking tray and lightly brush each biscuit with the remaining beaten egg white, then sprinkle over a little caster sugar.

6. Bake for around 12 minutes until deep golden brown, then allow to cool slightly on the tray before transferring onto a wire rack.