Some of the best regional foods come from traditional workplaces. In Cumberland, homesick German miners were treated to a local remake of something they were familiar with from back home. This coiled sausage is instantly recognized as what it is but it’s not a Cumberwors, it’s our own interpretation and by all accounts, the Germans were very pleased with what we came up with.

The Cornish pasty was designed for the miners too, this time those from Cornwall. A pasty is a complete meal along with a carrying handle. This was eaten holding the pastry ridge which was thrown away to prevent poisoning from the miners own fingers. Norwegian sailors brought lapskaus into the UK. In Liverpool it got the name Scouse, in North Wales it is called Lobscouse and in Stoke on Trent, Lobby. Basically this stew is made with whatever spare ingredients were available but traditionally lamb or mutton was used. If meat couldn’t be found in Liverpool, then it was Blind Scouse.

Our very own homegrown delicacy has to be the North Staffordshire Oatcake. Also known as the Tunstall Tortilla or the Potteries Poppadom, the oatcake has been a firm favourite in Stoke on Trent since the late 18th century. Given that they are made using yeast and sturdier flours they are ideal for wrapping. This is the traditional way of serving them, as a case for breakfasts and for potters and miners to take to work. Expatriate Stokies can get them delivered by mail order, but they are still little known outside of the Potteries let alone anywhere but Staffordshire. These are a unique foodstuff and are very versatile for grilling, layering, baking and even microwaving. For the original consumer, this was an easy lunch to unpack at break and eat with just your hands.

If we go back to the Cumberland sausage and the Cornish pasty, what do they have in common, but not with the North Staffordshire oatcake? For the first two, their names and method of manufacture are protected by European law. The oatcake does not have this protection and is such a local delicacy. “The Staffordshire” cheese has protected designation of origin and it goes remarkably well with oatcakes. Given the history and the unique local-ness, when does the campaign begin to protect the oatcake?

In 2010 we were asked if we could put on a demonstration at the county showground in Stafford. For his live performance Chef Daniel did a main course and a dessert. Today, we would like to bring you the video of the dessert:

Chocolate Truffle with fresh Raspberries & vanilla flecked cream

If you want a copy of the recipe then right click here to dowload the PDF copy of the show handout

In 2010 we were asked if we could put on a demonstration at the county showground in Stafford. For his live performance Chef Daniel did a main course and a dessert. Today, we would like to bring you the video of the main course dish:

Rack of New Season Lamb, with a warm salad of new potato’s &
asparagus with a mint & red wine dressing

If you want a copy of the recipe then right click here to dowload the PDF copy of the show handout

As many of you know, we make a range of our own ingredients in-house. The sale of these products has been limited to the restaurant menu so far. However, this is about to change on the 15th January 2011. To start with, Chef Daniel will be creating a range of 6 homemade sausages. Following on from there, we will be developing our home smoked range, traditional and modern charcuterie, pickles, sauces, fudge and gifts for your favourite foodie.

All the range will be available on the Staffordshire Fine Foods website or from the restaurant. A couple of local delis and farm shops have been in touch as well. The whole line is hand produced and we have no intentions to move from that to large scale output.

If you have any requests or questions, please let us know

This is listed as an old Staffordshire pudding and is even mentioned in the song Yankee Doodle:

Fath’r and I went down to camp
Along with Captain Goodin’,
And there we saw the men and boys
As thick as hasty puddin’

The US version does appears to be almost like a porridge, whereas our version below could be accused on being a set custard.

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 heaped tablespoon of unsalted butter
1 heaped tablespoon of plain flour
3/4 pint of milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon of brown sugar

A key in getting this pudding right is in the basics of cooking the roux and creating the white sauce as a base. Other ingredients can be added before the egg gets introduced such as jam, more sugar and vanilla. It’s called hasty for a reason, because it’s hasty to make, so plenty of variations can be tried in a short time.

Method:
Warm butter in pan and once melted add the flour. Stir with wooden spoon until it completely combined. Slowly add milk, very little to start with as it will practically go solid at first. Add more milk and keep stirring, the consistency of the sauce will start to come through. Ideally, once all the milk is added, the base of the pan should be briefly visible when stirring. Add egg and mix quickly, this should thicken the sauce without curdling. Pour into ovenproof dish and sprinkle with sugar. Under the grill t brown the top and it’s done.

If you come across any other tweaks or ingredients for this recipe, please drop us a line.

This is one of those easy to cook / easy to get wrong dishes. With simple ingredients, it is all to easy to add extra items or tweak the method. Buttery potato cake makes a great side dish, especially with stews, rich sauces or pot roasts. A potato halfway between waxy and floury is best for this, probably Maris Piper is the more available choice.

Ingredients:

2lb potato
2oz butter
Seasoning

Method:

Preheat oven to GM5. Peel and slice potatoes as thinly as possible. Set potatoes aside in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes while the oven heats.

Gently grease a cake tin or oven dish of appropriate size. Thinly layer potatoes and dot each layer with butter. Once complete, seal with a disk of greaseproof paper. This needs to go into the oven until they can be gently pierced with a skewer, probably about one and a half hours.

Serve in slices.

A couple of things to avoid are: par boiling the potatoes, not soaking the potatoes, overpowering with salt or cooking at too higher temperature.

When the British Cheese Board asks a question such as what is your favourite cheese, they will get a very biased answer from us. Of course, this is going to be The Staffordshire. This cheese recently won protected designation of origin (PDO) from the European Union. According to their website the cheese is made from a rediscovered monastic recipe and can only be produced from milk from cows kept on Staffordshire farms.

One of our first jobs when opening the restaurant was to go out and visit potential suppliers. We took the long journey through the back roads of the Staffordshire moorlands to just outside of Leek. This is where Leek Brewery and Staffordshire Cheese Company are based. The cheese is made by hand on the premises and it’s quite a surprising thing to see this done on a reasonably small scale.

We use their cheese not only on our cheeseboard, but as an active ingredient in some of our other dishes. We’ve made a foam for one of our soups using The Staffordshire, as an ingredient in one of our vegetarian friendly dishes as well as on the cheeseboard. It’s a very versatile hard white cows cheese and will fit most roles that a good cheese should.

Given that Britain has had a resurgence in great cheeses, it is especially wonderful to see something so local and made with such care. The time and dedication it took to obtain their protected designation of origin was probably something they would not have done with hind sight. In common with a couple of other Staffordshire finds, this was down to the monks.

They certainly knew a lot about bugs, those monks, oh and of course beer …

Now this is not a dig at a popular nickname given to the police, it’s actually a piece of history of Burton upon Trent. Back in the late 18th century, the Peel famly fled industrial riots in Lancashire and came to settle in Burton. The family business was cotton milling and this was very unpopular up north. Unlike many mill owners, Robert Peel was a kind man and ensured high standards of welfare for his workforce, some as young as ten. At one time the family home was Peel House on Lichfield Street, which is still there in good order.

Next came Robert Peel II who joined the family firm. He was also instrumental in supporting workers rights and retired to the new family home at Drayton Manor. His son, Robert Peel III, redeveloped the home into a true mansion and became home secretary. It was this Robert Peel who went on to found the police force, at the time nicknamed Peelers and later Bobbys.

This family of over achievers also went onto breed the very first Tamworth pigs from imported stocks from Ireland in the early 19th Century. The Tamworth is today a rare species and to a certain extent endangered in some areas. Careful pig breeding will keep this beautiful creature from becoming another piece of history.

Starting a restaurant at the very beginning of the recession was not one of our brightest ideas. Hindsight is a great predictor of how things work. During that time we have gone from strength to strength. In the first year our proudest moment was winning Best Newcomer of the Year in the Taste of Staffordshire Awards. In 2009 we were listed as a UKTV Food Hero in 2009. The crowning glory was a coveted listing in the Good Food Guide in 2010, only four places in Staffordshire made it.

It’s not been all awards and glory, there have been some real challenges from sacking dishonest staff to vandalism, theft and leaking ceilings. Each of these was dealt with and we have progressed onwards and upwards. A real inspiration for us came at the beginning of 2009 when Daniel Pilkington replaced our outgoing head chef. Dan has taken each new menu to higher standards. Through his knowledge of some great local suppliers and produce, each dish is continuously perfected. Our real key to growing during these difficult times has been in keeping an eye on quality and trying constantly, to improve on what we have done before.

Who knows what the rest of 2010 will bring, but we are looking forward to our 3rd birthday and many beyond that. A big thank you to some great locals who dine with us, supply us and work as a team with us.

A bold statement you would think? Burton is indeed only a few miles away from the dead centre of England (a farm near Fenny Drayton), so that’s one part of the claim held up. Another is the nations most popular tipple on a night out, Carling Lager. This is produced at the Coors Brewery on Station Street in Burton and apart from Bass and Marston’s Pedigree, one of our most famous exports.

Although Burton is as far from sea water as is possible in England, it is only a few hundred yards from the water that started the tradition of brewing in the town. No, not the river Trent, but deep welled water, with high level of gypsum. To create the same flavour of beer anywhere else, the water needs to be “Burtonised”, by addition of sulphates which bring out the flavour of the hops used for bitter.