Battle of the Oatcakes
From the collection of
Bakewell's Famous Pudding
- Bakewell
- 1985-12-17
Battle of the Oatcakes (Heart of the Country)
Surely Stoke-on-Trent is the natural home of the Staffordshire oatcake? Not if you live in Derbyshire, where a rival claim has been made.
The Staffordshire oatcake is an oatmeal pancake cooked on a griddle. It is definitely not to be confused with the dry and crumbly oatcake biscuit popular in other parts of the country. That's the first potential source of confusion for the oatcake buyer. The second is the question over the original home of the oatcake. Was it first made in the Potteries of Stoke-on-Trent or the Derbyshire Peak District?
Naturally, Tony Francis finds the oatcake enthusiasts of Stoke-on-Trent prefer the Staffordshire version. They even have a local ode to oatcakes written by the Potteries poet Arthur Berry to back up their claim, although the line about the texture of oatcakes being akin to the skin of an 'old collier' may make them less appealing to the neutral bystander than their thicker and softer Derbyshire counterparts. Meanwhile, over the border in Hognaston, Derbyshire, Alan Wood - who was raised on "rabbits, rhubarb, parish relief and oatcakes" - has decided there can be only one winner.-
Tony Francis looks at rival claims to the traditional oatcake from the neighbouring counties of Staffordshire and Derbyshire.
Tags
Nice as Pie: Food Across the Midlands
Hearty food from the heart of England.
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.
13 videos in this collection
1
Bakewell's Famous Pudding
2
Blue Bird Toffee Factory
3
Pork Pie Month
4
Black Country Bonfire
5
HP Sauce Takeover
6
Chinese Supermarket in Nottingham
7
Battle of the Oatcakes
8
The Secret of Market Drayton Gingerbread
9
Vale of Evesham Asparagus
10
Black Country Food
11
Leicester Sweet Shop
12
Chinese New Year Food
13