Back with a vengeance, hopefully

OK, so I've been absent for some time - indeed the last entry I put on this blog site was way back in October, so you may be wondering why I'm bothering now I've been absent for so long.  Well I'm gonna tell you, like it or not, although I'm not really expecting many people to visit and read this particular posting as my readership has become rather slack due to me being rather slack - what goes around, comes around - or so it is said.

You see, I've found a little niche that envelopes my favourite pass-time with writing stuff on the internet and all my focus has been on that subject.  Spare you too many details here but if you click this link and check out my 'Trail Trekking' blog site and 'Facebook' page you'll get the idea.

To be honest with you the main reason I've come back to 'British Belly Busters' is because I've recently completed writing a book and eBook full of recipes - well I say 'writing' when what I really mean is 'compiling' as none of the recipes within it are my own but rather over 140 recipes I've gathered from the internet and set out (occasionally re-written) in regional order.  The point is, I need an outlet to promote this publication and make people aware of its presence in the hope that some will buy; this is partially why I've returned.  What's more I'm also working on another one.

Now I'm not about to try and sell here as it is a free platform and to try and sell from here is against the rules, unethical, and somewhat taking the mick!  What I do need to do however is to start putting up quite a bit of new stuff on here, notifying 'Pingomatic' that I've updated my blog every time I do with the aim of getting some decent readership figures before I try to expand into publishing.

I started this particular blog site way back in June 2011 and so far have received just over 500 page views since then, whereas my 'Trail Trekking' blog site I set up at the end of August 2011 and so far it has received well over 5,000 page views; that's because I've updated it regularly, so I really need to do the same here or at least try and increase the page views somehow.

So there you have it, I'll be posting on here more often from now on - or at least I hope so.  However if you would like more info on the book then blast me an email to britishbellybusters@yahoo.com and I'll sort it for you.

Thanks!

Pete
britishbellybusters@yahoo.com

Something regional

Continuing with an outline of some of the recipes that are covered in my new UK regional recipe eBook that will be out in time for Christmas, hopefully; I am going to feature a few, but not all, of the recipes you will find there. These will be set out in areas as I did in an earlier post about Derbyshire (see here).


Just north of my home town of Chesterfield in Derbyshire we venture into Yorkshire, Britain's biggest county; so big that it has been split up into 4 seperate areas, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and Humberside (used to be known as East Yorkshire or Yorkshire East Riding).


Yorkshire not only has its fair share of beautiful unspoilt countryside but is also home to some of the largest and most influential cities in the UK; Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford and York of course are four that spring to mind immediately.


Yorkshire has a lot to offer visitors and is well worth a visit by anyone venturing into the UK, I'll spare the details here because this blog site is about food but a Google search will bring up millions of pages about Yorkshire.


So back to the mission.


Below are a number of recipes originating in Yorkshire for you to try but I have purposely omitted the famous 'Yorkshire Pudding' from the list:

Yorkshire Parkin


Parkin is essentially the Northern English form of gingerbread. Different parkins are characterized by where they are made and Yorkshire Parkin, one the most famous, is made using oats. Yorkshire Parkin is eaten on Bonfire Night, November 5th, celebrating the famous failure of Guy Fawkes to blow up the Houses on Parliament in 1605. Guy Fawkes was a Yorkshireman.


This Parkin Recipe is easy to make and creates a moist sticky cake. However, you will need to store the cake for between 3 days to a week before eating. This allows the cake to soften and become moist and sticky. Delicious.


Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes


Ingredients:


4 oz/110g soft butter
4 oz/110g soft dark brown sugar
2oz / 55g black treacle/molasses
7oz / 200g golden syrup/ corn syrup
8 oz / 225g medium oatmeal
4 oz/ 110g all-purpose/plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1 very large, or 2 medium eggs, beaten
1 tbsp milk


Preparation:


Heat the oven to 275°/140°C/gas 1
Grease an 8" x 8"/ 20cm x 20cm square cake tin.
In a large heavy-based saucepan over a gentle heat melt together the butter, sugar, treacle, golden syrup. Do not allow the mixture to get hot.
In a large spacious baking bowl stir together all the dry ingredients. Gradually add the melted butter mixture stirring to coat all the dry ingredients.
Add the beaten egg/s and mix thoroughly. Finally add the milk.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and cook for 1 ½ hours until firm and set.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Once cool store the Parkin in an airtight tin for a minimum of 3 days up to a week before eating; this allows the flavors to develop and the mixture to soften and become moist and sticky. The Parkin will keep up to two weeks in an airtight container.

Yorkshire Curd Tartlets Recipe

Ingredients: Makes 10

175 g/6 oz/1.5 cups wholemeal flour
A pinch of salt
150 g/5 oz unsalted (sweet) butter, diced
50 g/2 oz/0.5 cup ground almonds
Cold water, to mix
50 g/2 oz/0.25 cup caster (superfine) sugar
1 egg, beaten
225 g/8 oz/1 cup curd (smooth cottage) cheese
Finely grated rind of lemon
45 ml/3 tbsp currants
Grated nutmeg, for dusting
Thick cream, to serve

Method:
Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Add 75 g/3 oz of the butter and rub in with the fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the almonds. Mix with enough cold water to form a firm dough. Knead gently on a lightly floured surface. Wrap in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll out the pastry (paste) and use to line 10 sections of a tartlet tin (patty pan). Beat the remaining butter with the sugar. Beat in the egg, then the cheese, lemon rind and currants. Spoon into the pastry-lined tins and dust with nutmeg. Bake in a preheated oven at 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5 for about 20 minutes until golden and set. Serve warm or cold with thick cream.

Yorkshire Apple Pie Recipe

Ingredients: Serves 6

For the pastry (paste):
225 g plain (all-purpose) flour
A pinch of salt
50 g white vegetable fat (shortening), diced
50 g hard block margarine, diced
Cold water, to mix

For the filling:
3 large cooking (tart) apples, sliced
65g granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
A pinch of ground cloves
75g Wensleydale cheese, crumbled
15 ml/1 tbsp single (light) cream

Method:

To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the fats and rub in with the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix with enough cold water to form a firm dough. Knead gently on a lightly floured surface. Cut in half. Roll out one half and use to line a pie plate. Prick the base with a fork.

To fill, put a layer of half the apple slices on top. Mix all but 15 ml/1 tbsp of the sugar with the cloves. Sprinkle half over the apples, then sprinkle with half the cheese. Top with the remaining apple slices, then the sugar, then the cheese. Dampen the edges of the pastry with water.

Roll out the remaining pastry and lay over. Press the edges well together to seal. Trim, knock up the edge and flute with the back of a knife. Make a hole in the centre to allow steam to escape. Roll out the trimmings, cut into small leaves and use to decorate the top. Brush with the cream, then sprinkle with sugar. Place on a baking (cookie) sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7 for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Serve hot.

That's it for now.  I'm feeling the urge to go and bake something!

If you'd like a PDF of the above recipes then click here to download one free.

Thanks again!

Bakewell pudding and Bakewell tart

Referring to an earlier blog post where I was ranting off about Cornish pasties and their regional identity protection status (see here), well now is the Bakewell tarts turn!

Bakewell tart; don't you just love it!

Unlike the Cornish pasty the Bakewell tart has so far not been granted any regional identity protection, but I am not surprised at all. You see the almond flavoured sponge topped jam tart found in most shops and supermarkets that most of us know as Bakewell tart is actually a far cry from tradition, and resembles little by comparison to its regional namesake.

'Jam tart topped with almond flavoured sponge cake? That's never been a proper Bakewell!'

A small market town in Derbyshire, UK, Bakewell is quite an attraction to tourists; partially due to the traditional 'tart' or 'pudding' that originated there, but also due to its 'Olde England' charm and the annual traditions in the area such as the 'Bakewell Show' and 'well dressings' (a pagan ritual originating from Derbyshire). There are a few commercial premises within Bakewell that claim to bake and sell Bakewell puddings and Bakewell tarts made to the original recipe.

Although I now live in Nottinghamshire I was born and grew up in Derbyshire, and I still class myself as a Derbyshire man, so matters associated with the area are close to my heart.

Bakewell is also the only built-up area classed as a 'town' (all the rest are villages) that is located within the 'Peak District National Park', and the administrive headquarters of the 'Peak District National Park' authority is located within the town; other nearby towns of 'Matlock', 'Ashbourne', and 'Buxton' all fall outside the National Park boundary.

But enough of the tourist stuff for now, we're supposed to be talking about food here. So let's get back on track.

The famous Bakewell tart claims to originate from Bakewell but by tradition the original was actually a Bakewell pudding and not tart; although the town claims to be the birth place of the Bakewell tart also.

So what's the difference?

The Bakewell tart is made up of a shortcrust pastry base, a layer of jam (preferably raspberry), and topped with an almond flavoured sponge (and often with icing on top of that); whereas the Bakewell pudding is comprised of a puff pastry base, a layer of jam, and topped with an almond and egg based topping - the topping incorporates no flour whatsoever (unlike a sponge) and is made up entirely from ground almonds, egg and sugar - with the ground almonds acting like a type of flour.

Whether you choose to go for the tart or the pudding is down to your own preference but both are delicious.

Either way if you fancy having a go at making your own, whether on a shortcrust or puff pastry base I personally believe that the topping recipe below gives the best results; it is the one I use regardless of what pastry base it has.

110g (4oz) ground almonds
110g (4oz) caster sugar
50g (2oz) butter, softened
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon almond essence

Beat all together, preferably with an electric mixer
Pour an equal amount into each jam lined pastry case
Bake at 200 C / 400 F/ Gas 6 for about 30 minutes or until the filling is set and spongy

So easy to do and absolutely delicious!
 

A load of waffle about tatties

Although not British originally but brought into the UK in the middle-ages from the land now known as America, potatoes have become a staple food here in Britain; as popular in the UK as rice in Asia. Thousands of tons of potatoes (spuds, tatties) are now grown in this country to meet consumer demand.



The humble spud of many varieties

 Many traditional British recipes use potatoes as a main ingredient. some of the most popular UK meals have them: the Sunday roast, fish and chips, bangers and mash, fish pie, fish cakes, shepherd's pie, cottage pie, and Cumberland pie (what's the difference? shepherds pie uses lamb meat, cottage pie uses beef, and Cumberland pie can be either but with an extra layer of cheese or breadcrumbs - sometimes both - on top), many stews and casseroles, hot pot is a casserole made using sauted potato slices.

So looking at the above list we see that potatoes are used and cooked in a variety of ways: Chips are traditionally fried, but so are sauted potatoes, French fries, American fries, and crisps; Sunday roast usually has both roasted and boiled potatoes - the boiled potatoes often being mashed - on the subject of mashed potatoes we find that shepherd's pie, Cumberlsnd pie, cottage pie, fish pie and fish cakes all use mashed potatoes. Stews and casseroles contain boiled (but not mashed) potatoes, whereas jacket potatoes are baked in the oven with the skin left on; potato wedges are also often cooked with the skin on and are either oven baked or fried.

Any traditional savoury British meal without some form of potato is often difficult to imagine.

Not bad for something originally introduced from abroad.

Food - Is traditional British cuisine being phased out in favour of foods with overseas influence?

Many UK foods and ingredients that are taken for granted nowadays were not originally from Britain. For example potatoes, peppers and other spices now regarded as everyday stuff in the UK, are now easily available and used in many recipes.

As the UK is a multi-cultural country over the years foreign influence has had a big impact on the type of foods eaten in Britain with many people and families moving from abroad to live here in the UK and of course bringing their own influences and recipes into the country. Also the ease of transportation over the last century or so has helped many people to travel abroad more often and find food influence and ideas from other nations. A couple of good examples are curry and pizza, both of which are enjoyed by many as a favourite food here.

Foods that are very popular with the Brits but not originally of national origin are endless: Bolognese, curries, kebabs, paella, many rice or past dishes, noodles, goulash, lasagne, kedgeree, chow-mein, sweet and sour, pizza, chicken supreme, coq-au-vin, frankfurters, the list goes on and on.

Although many of these foods are favoured throughout the UK I do feel that you can't beat a good old traditional British meal. Even many UK citizens whose families originated elsewhere love the traditional Sunday roast for example or fish & chips. You can't get much more traditional than that; or can you? For a start both of these use potatoes. The potato is not a native British plant but was introduced during the middle-ages by pioneers (so was tobacco unfortunately) from their travels to the west, now known as America.

Also some consider certain readily available meats such as chicken and rabbit to be British; wrong! Chicken was introduced into western Europe and the UK at about 1000 BC, so yes British chicken is rather ancient in origin but not entirely British. Rabbit, although numerous in the UK, is also a non-native animal but was introduced during the Norman conquest as a ready food source along with hare.

I feel I aught to justify what I'm writing here; I love most food whether foreign or not but I do feel however that so-called traditional UK foods are gradually disappearing in favour of foreign influenced cuisine.
Fortunately I love traditional British food as well as many foods originating from abroad, and I'm sure you do also, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this would you!

So to conclude no I don’t think traditional UK foods are dead but are gradually beginning to take a back seat. However with these articles I will be singing the praises of traditional British cuisine. A dying art maybe, but there are still many out there who like traditional food so not all is lost!

Regional identity protection rant

Not long ago I read about how the good old Cornish pasty had been granted some sort of regional identity protection by the EU Eurocrats. 

So what's that all about then?

Apparently it means that it can now only be sold with the 'Cornish pasty' label if it was actually made in Corwall to a traditional Cornish recipe, and this is meant to protect its regional identity.

If it was made anywhere else other than Cornwall the label needs to be revised like so; 'pasty formerly known as Cornish', 'Cornish style pasty', 'beef, onion, potato and swede pasty' or whatever, but not 'Cornish'.

Oh and by the way, it's allowed to be cooked - or should I say baked - elsewhere as long as it was actually made - or should I say constructed - in Cornwall - to the traditional recipe of course.

Surely the fact that in the past it has been allowed to be made anywhere is what made it so popular in the first place!  Just like some other popular foods that now have similar regional identity protection.

Most of the top supermarkets in Britain - I think it best not to actually name them here, don't want to get in trouble; you'll have to look it up on the net - claim that their Cornish pasties are already made in Cornwall. 

Yeah right! 

I remember not too long ago working in a factory that made Cornish pasties - and loads of other pies and pasties - for most of the top UK supermarkets and guess where it was located?

'Lincolnshire' 

At the time it was one of the biggest UK producers - if not the biggest - of pies and pasties - including Cornish ones - for most of the leading supermarket chains.  Whether they still do or not I don't know but it was big business to them then.

I don't know!  Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that the supermarkets are not being entirely honest with us!

Pete