The North Staffordshire oatcake is a culinary delicacy almost entirely unknown outside the north of the county of Staffordshire, England, UK. It has been called a 'Tunstall tortilla', a 'potteries¹ poppadom', and a 'clay suzette'. One less flattering, though visually accurate, description applied to it is an 'oat flannel'. A proper oatcake is at least nine inches in diameter, and is crêpe-like in appearance.

Hundreds of thousands of these delicious rounds of baked loveliness are made each year, many from closely-guarded family secrets, and potteries people love them. Recently, Sainsbury's² have started to sell the oatcake as a speciality bakery item across the UK from Land's End to John O'Groats. But these are poor imitations of the real thing, often having a rubbery texture and being too small.

Legend has it that the oatcake's origins lie in British Colonial India. Apparently, the Staffordshire lads who served in the military there enjoyed the local flat-bread³, and tried to duplicate it when they returned home. Many of the authentic ingredients being unobtainable, they substituted the nearest local equivalents, and found the little beauties thus created were a grand fare to tuck into one's pocket before entering the mines⁴.

Oatcakes themselves are quite healthy and are a good source of fibre, though the overall nutritional benefits depend on the accompanying filling. They freeze well and are probably the best microwave food in the world. Simply roll up some grated cheese, cooked bacon, tomato, cooked mushrooms - or in fact anything you like - in an oatcake and microwave it on full for about a minute. You can also grill them, or eat them cold. Using big chunks of cheese instead of the grated variety gives the most interesting texture. Best of all is a cheese, bacon and egg double, with brown sauce.

Oatcakes can also be served with jam or eaten plain.

How to Make Oatcakes

This is probably best left to the experts, but if you want to make them yourselves, try this recipe which makes 12 cakes:

Ingredients

• 8oz fine oatmeal
• 8oz wholewheat or plain flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2oz fresh yeast
• 1 1/2 pints warm milk and water, mixed half and half
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Method

1. Add the salt to the flour and oatmeal.
2. Dissolve the yeast with a little warm liquid and add the sugar. Allow the mixture to become frothy.
3. Mix the dry ingredients with the yeast liquid to make a batter.
4. Cover the batter with a clean cloth and leave it in a warm place for an hour.
5. Bake the oatcake on a well-greased griddle. Put enough batter onto the griddle to produce an oatcake about 8-9 inches in diameter. The surface will be covered in holes as it cooks. Turn the oatcake after 2 - 3 minutes when the upper side appears dry and the underneath is golden brown, and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes

Eat as soon as possible. They won't be around long.

For more information visit The Staffordshire Website and type 'oatcake' into their search engine.

---

¹ Many things in Staffordshire have the term 'potteries' applied to them in reference to the county's main industry: the making of ceramics and china. One term includes the ever-popular bus service, Potteries Motor Transport, or PMT.
² One of the UK's large supermarket chains.
³ The unleavened Indian bread called japaties or chapattis.
⁴ Until the early 1980s coal mining was another of Staffordshire's major industries.