Oatcakes
Alongside regional accents, derelict railway stations, and genuine Green Men, one of the other unique things Brum has to offer is a regional delicacy: the oatcake. Strictly speaking, the oatcake is a Staffordshire speciality, but they are also widely available and enthusiastically consumed in Birmingham too. These oatcakes are nothing like the Scottish variety. I’ve always found those dry biscuits to have all the flavour and texture of shredded cardboard. Staffordshire oatcakes are more like a pancake or crépe,âmade with oatmeal rather than wheat flourâand are totally delicious. I’m sure that they are best eaten freshly made, but even the packaged oatcakes sold in supermarkets are wonderful if you warm them under a grill for a few minutes.
Oatcakes are versatile, and equally happy filled with sweet or savoury stuff. Mr. Bsagâwho likes to have his cake and eat itâhas taken to having one oatcake spread with Marmite and one spread with jam in the morning. I like a little cheese sprinkled on mine before it goes under the grillâit makes a wonderful warming lunch in our superb, balmy English summer1. The oatcake has all of the goodness of porridge as a breakfast food, without any of the associated burnt-pan difficulties or the unpleasantly leaden feeling that a bowl of porridge can leave you with. In fact, the oatcake is pretty much perfect. They are even good for commuting, because you can fold one up into a neat little package to consume on the run, without getting jam all over your fingers. Unfortunately, for those of you not lucky enough to live in the Midlands, you might have to make a long trip to experience it.
1 Heavy sarcasm should be added here.
1
And then there's Bacon, Cheese & Oatcakes<a>!</a>----- They get as far North as Cheshire as I was once treated to some for breakfast by some friends of mine in Nantwich. I must say they were delicious with bacon, & fried mushrooms.
by Keith @ 21/08/2004 6:09 pm • Permalink •
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You used to be able to buy them in most large Sainsburys everywhere, well certainly here in Sussex anyway. Recently they seem to have disappeared, replaced I think by a multitude of overpriced and slightly disgusting ersatz "Mediterrannean" flat breads flavoured with varying combinations of onions, basil, red peppers, oregano and parmesan.
by ThoughtBadger @ 21/08/2004 10:08 pm • Permalink •
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Sainsbury have now stopped selling oatcakes...according to a report published by them ...there is no longer a demand .....well we are an oatcake shop selling to both locals and country wide via our web site and we have seen the market grow not diminish
by Chris Bates @ 03/09/2007 10:19 am • Permalink •
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You can buy fresh oatcakes online from www.staffordshireoatcakes.com
by Chris Bates @ 03/09/2007 10:23 am • Permalink •
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For all you affecianados of the North staffordshire Oatcake Check out wwww.theoatcakeguide.co.uk Here you will find Free Downloadable POI,s for your Sat Nav systems so when you are in the Staffordshire Area you can find the oatcake shops that up till now were only known to locals
by Norman Reeves @ 15/02/2008 9:23 pm • Permalink •
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