The Secret of Market Drayton Gingerbread
From the collection of
Bakewell's Famous Pudding
- Bakewell
- 1985-12-17
The Secret of Market Drayton Gingerbread (Heart of the Country)
From India via North Shropshire, Billington's famous gingerbread has been spicing up a traditional tea since the days of the British East India Company.
A plaque on the wall marks the site of Billington's original gingerbread shop at Market Drayton in Shropshire. The recipe is a closely guarded secret, kept under lock and key in a local bank vault, as well as being locked away in the brain of the head of the family firm, John Hayward-Hughes.
Gingerbread has put Market Drayton on both gourmet and tourist maps, as has its links with Robert Clive, a controversial figure who was born nearby in 1725 and later became known as Clive of India. His rough techniques in business and even rougher techniques in war brought untold wealth to the nation (and ginger to Market Drayton) in the 18th Century via the infamous British East India Company.
If you decide to sample this sweet treat be warned - it is made extra special when consumed with a good shot of rum. So if you are invited to a North Shropshire coffee morning don't be surprised if you're offered something a little stronger than a cup of hot brown liquid with your gingerbread...
Liz Pike samples the original and best gingerbread made at Market Drayton in Shropshire.
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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