A slice of Simnel Cake on Mothering Sunday

Last May, my mother went ‘home to glory’, as my dad described her passing. Hers was a good death. She died following a couple of years of deteriorating health and wellbeing, as her Alzheimer’s tightened its grip. She is buried in a beautiful location, on a hillside in a natural burial ground, just outside of Cardiff. I have not been back to visit the grave since the funeral. It’s not how I want to remember her. I have her held in my mind, a private place of my memories of her life. Today we are in Rochdale, and Jane will take flowers to her mother’s memorial spot. She often leaves flowers there, but today is Mothering Sunday, and so the gift has even more special meaning.

I have been surprised at the emotional response I’ve experienced in the lead up to today. It is the first time that I can remember where I have not sent a card, flowers, or chocolates (or all three) or met up for a meal somewhere. It feels strange. Mothering Sunday originally saw folk returning to their ‘mother’ church – the one they perhaps attended as children, or where their family continued to live and worship. Mothering Sunday also falls between Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In the Christian religion, this is a period referred to as Lent. Whilst today, people who observe Lent usually give up something they normally enjoy, traditionally it was a time for fasting. Even if folk didn’t fast, they ate more simply, cutting out sweet, rich food and meat. 

On Mothering Sunday, however, such restrictions were lifted for the day, and the highlight of the day was often enjoying a Simnel cake. My mother would sometimes bake these wonderful fruitcakes, covered in yellow marzipan. The cake would be decorated with 11 or 12 marzipan balls representing Jesus and his disciples.

My mother lived to be 91 years old. That was her chronological age. I suspect her biological age was different; a little older I should think. Chronological age is age that is based upon how long someone has lived for. Biological age reflects the state of the body. Therefore, despite someone’s chronological age, if we could slow down the rate of biological ageing, it might be possible to reduce the risk of developing age-related illnesses.

Last week, I read that taking a multivitamin every day, could slow some of the markers of biological ageing. These are changes that occur at a cellular level, but the study could not determine how these changes translated into more general health improvement. What we do know is that there are no known risks in taking a daily multivitamin. The study was trying to find out if there were any benefits to taking the vitamins.

The study found that those participants who formed part of the control group, and received daily multivitamins did not eventually live any longer. Over the two years of the study, researchers simply found there was about four months less ageing of the biological markers. They did, however, find that there was an association with taking daily vitamins and improved cognition, and possible reductions in the risk of lung cancer and cataracts.

I’m a long-time vegetarian, and I have been taking multivitamins (with iron) for many years now, so the question is, am I wasting my money? The answer is almost certainly YES. Why certainly? Well, I have never given much thought to taking vitamins, but when I looked at that study it did make me stop and consider my motivation. Was it because I’m a vegetarian and wanted to keep healthy? No, not really. I eat a great diet, so maybe it was just out of habit. When writing this blog, I took a look at the NHS guide to vegetarianism. I was reassured that I am getting all the vitamins (and iron) from my diet. So as from today, I’m stopping taking the vitamins.

With the money I will save I might buy all the ingredients for a Simnel cake and have a baking session when I return home later – then again, I might just pop into M&S and buy one of theirs. Wishing mums everywhere a wonderful Mothering Sunday.