Food is so much more than a fuel. What we choose to eat is in some part shaped by our shared community and culture. The pies, puddings and cheeses of England's Midlands are the products of recipes passed down through the generations - they literally couldn't have been made anywhere else.
For Stilton cheese, with its origins in 1720s Leicestershire, this was made official in 1992, when it was given 'Protected Designation of Origin' (PDO) status. Only cheese made using milk from the cows of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire can be labelled 'Stilton' - serious stuff!
These films will take you on a journey through a Midlands menu. You can sample pork pies in Melton Mowbray, with a dollop of Birmingham's HP Sauce on the side. In the Black Country you might go for Groaty Pudding, followed by the sweetness of Derbyshire's Bakewell pudding (definitely not a 'tart'), finishing with a Blue Bird toffee from Worcestershire. But if this all sounds a bit too traditional, why not pop into Nottingham's Chinese Supermarket, where a heady taste-experience awaits?
Hope you've got an appetite - It's time to savour the flavours of the Midlands.
Bakewell's Famous Pudding
- Bakewell
- 1985-12-17