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Hatepe (R.I.P.)
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 Posted -
15/12/2004
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22:11
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Does anyone remember the oatcake man who had a shop at the bottom of Barkerhouse Rd., Nelson and who hawked oat cakes round Kelbrook, Earby and Barlick, mainly in the pubs and clubs for that wonderful drinking man's delicacy "STEW and HARD"????
My father-in-law kept the Stone Trough Pub for over 21 years and the racks in the kitchen were festooned with soft oatcakes drying to make the "hard" for the stew and hard.
The "Stew" was a concoction of meats, pigs feet or a cow's foot and a touch of gelatine, peppers and salt, that were boiled for ever and ladled into basins to "set".
Commercial Travellers would congregate daily at dinnertime for a Gill of ale and a stew and hard and walk out smacking their lips.
My mouth waters at the thought of an oatcake with thick slices of stew and raw onion and a pint of Tetley's bitter beer. Food of the Gods!!!
Unfortunately we cannot get oatcakes in New Zealand, but from time to time I make the "Stew" and eat it with an oat biscuit similar to "hard", the missus thinks I've got summat wrong with me, just shakes her head and says "Who the hell eats that kind of tucker....???"
Aye Hatepe
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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 10/02/2005 : 10:53
Raw liver is good......
Mags, yes, it's all right but I think I'll follow Richard next time and put some spice in.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk  |
bazshar
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Posted - 10/02/2005 : 14:33
Stanley Crumpets – Harry and Stan Stanley, 1950’s – extract from my autobiography.
Mentioning the earning of money reminds me of the many occasions I assisted, at Stanley’s Bakery and Whip’s Café.
The Stanley’s were very good friends of the family; in fact I always referred to both Stan and his brother, Harry, as uncles. I first started to assist the whilst at Barlick’s secondary school, first on Saturday mornings and then during holidays, which I thoroughly enjoyed, even going with uncle Harry on many of his deliveries to shops all over Lancashire.
In the bake house it was always Stan who made up the batter in a huge round container, which was then covered with a cloth to await fermentation.
This was done under maximum security; he was always concerned about his recipe being discovered. There were two large gas heated hotplates, which were covered with lightly greased crumpet rings, and then the batter would be ladled in. When the surface of the crumpets had bubbled up and just lost their moist appearance, it was time to turn them over. This was done with the aid of a cranked palette knife and a deft flick of the wrist, which I soon mastered.
Once the surface, now at the bottom, had acquired a light golden colour it was time to lift them with the palette, two or three at a time, onto the cooling racks. Five minutes or so later we would lift off the rings and stack the crumpets into piles of approx. eight into tissue lined cake trays.
Occasionally there would be a misshape, which at the end of a shift were given to me wrapped in tissue paper, as well as ‘ten bob’ or sometimes more. Many was the time I ran all the way home with the comforting warmth under my arm and the distinct aroma of impending gastronomic delight and money in my pocket as well! Ah happy days.
No doubt due to these experiences during my formative years, I have had a lifetime love for the humble crumpet, but sadly without the lashings of butter now considered de rigueur.
At the risk of sounding like a granddad! They just do not make crumpets like that any more, now they are smaller, thinner, steamed not baked, and either left pale and anemic in colour or ‘torched’ to give some semblance of colour but devoid of the true flavour.
In addition to crumpets Stan and Walter introduced Scotch Pancakes and Oatcakes to their production range, which like crumpets, I still find irresistible if not somewhat disappointing now.
Scotch pancakes were made with an egg-enriched batter in a similar mode to crumpets except without the restriction of rings or hoops. This gave them a pleasant lack of uniformity, although the practiced hand of the ‘uncles’ ensured fair portion size.
The Oatcakes were made much differently, and not without a degree of skill. A thin oatmeal batter was ladled onto an oat flake strewn, linen belt, which on the immediate flick of the wrist on a wheel, moved the belt and threw the batter out to one side. This was thrown onto a steel sheet also dusted with oatmeal; this resulted in an elongated thin oval, which was then dried in the hot cupboard until rubbery firm.
To consume this delicacy required the diner to dry the oatcake before an open fire until crisp, then break-off pieces, spread liberally with butter and eat immediately.
It was my father who introduced me to Whip’s Café and to the proprietor and his wife, whose names I sadly cannot recall.
The café also incorporated a bakery and shop, which was situated on the corner of the main street, opposite the then railway station, in Barlick. Here I spent many happy hours peeling potatoes, kneading bread for loaves, and passing tartlets through the lining machine and a myriad of other tasks. There was some suggestion that a job was awaiting me when I left school, but I had other ideas.
When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt! |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 10/02/2005 : 17:12
Brilliant Barry. More prime source material. I always knew about Stanley's crumpets but never got round to sussing it out. As I think I said before, I saw an article once I think in the Dalesman or it might have been Lancashire Life in the good old days when William Amos was the editor. I remember him once telling me I could send any pix I wnated as long as it wasn't of ducks in the park!
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
Hatepe (R.I.P.)
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Posted - 10/02/2005 : 20:49
Cathy - try thin slices of Tasty Cheddar Cheese and some thin slices of raw onion with oatcakes, almost as good as stew and hard.
Aye Hatepe
R.W.King |
Hatepe (R.I.P.)
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Posted - 10/02/2005 : 21:00
Morning Bazshar, I think we are still floundering round what is in the batter to produce AN OATCAKE. Your description of the hot plate and the flour coated linen rollers sounds like the one I saw at Nelson and the method is similar, but believe me, just try to make owt like it at home and you'll end up with a 'orrid mess on the kitchen table and stove.
I think in the olden days, the dough for oatcakes was rolled out thin and baked on a Bakstone (Bakestone) at the side of the kitchen and it was the staple diet of the working man who usually worked outside in the fields or on the roads fire.
I suppose all us amateur oatcake bakers must experiment to come up with a batter that will cook an oatcake in a skillet or on a BBQ plate.
Aye Hatepe
R.W.King |
Hatepe (R.I.P.)
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Posted - 10/02/2005 : 21:02
Stanley,
That picture of your stew looks magnificent, keep it away from Jack, or he will want it on a regular basis!!!!
Aye Hatepe
R.W.King |
bazshar
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Posted - 10/02/2005 : 21:59
Here you go Bob:
Oatcakes
This is a very old recipe
Ilb of Scotch oatmeal
8oz Wholemeal flour
½ oz Baking powder
Take about 2 pts water, warmed to blood heat (90°F.) Stir in ½ oz salt plus 1 oz crumbled yeast.
Stir in the dry ingredients, slowly, beating initially to avoid lumps. The resulting batter should have the appearance of Yorkshire Pudding batter, adjust consistency with either a little more oatmeal or warm water/milk. (Remember when making Yorkshire Pudding batter its like a women - the more you beat em the better they be!)
Let the batter stand in a warm place for 20 minutes to ferment.
Meanwhile grease a griddle plate, when hot, place a ladle full of the batter on the griddle, allow to spread out, this may be facilitated (Immediately) by a quick circular motion of the base of the ladle. Cook for about 5 minutes, turn over to cook the other side, before returning to the first side for a final couple of minutes.
Will keep for 3 to three days before frying, toasting and spreading with butter.
Would be very similar to the Stanley Brothers mix.
Sadly I lost touch with them, I owe them a debt of gratitude for their help and overall kindness. I never got back to see them in their retirement.
They produced, in my humble opinion the best crumpets, oatcakes and scotch pancakes in the north of England.
Perhaps I should post their photographs as a tribute, there must be many who mourn the passing of both them and their produce.
Oatcakes have been a traditional food in Yorkshire for many centuries, dating back at least to the time of the Norse settlement. The common name for them throughout many parts of Northern England was/is
haverbread, a word of Norse or igin – their word for oats, hafre, which also gave us the haversack, a bag for carrying oats. Other names for oatcakes stem from some of the ways they are made: clapbread is made by clapping, or beating, an oat dough into the correct shape with the hands; (much the same way as you may shape pizza dough)
Oatcakes were usually baked on a backstone. This was made of mudstone, a type of stone which splits into smooth, flat layers. When properly prepared, it is resistant to burning, warping and fracturing, and can be placed directly on an open fire or in the oven. The modern equivalent, a descendant of the backstone, is the ‘hotplate’ or griddle.
Oatcake (Haverbread)
The traditional method of making oatcakes is to use a dropping batter. It can be a tricky process but results in thinner, crispier cakes. The batter is dropped on to the riddle - or on to a wooden board known as a backboard - which is covered with a layer of fine or medium oatmeal, and shaken to spread it to the correct thickness. It is then slid off the riddle onto a board covered in muslin to prevent them sticking. When several are ready they are flipped onto the hot backstone.
Edited by - bazshar on 10 Feb 2005 22:28:31
Edited by - bazshar on 10 Feb 2005 22:36:21
When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt! |
Hatepe (R.I.P.)
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Posted - 11/02/2005 : 01:21
By gum ar' lad, we are getting somewhere with this oatcake recipe.
I did look in the Internet for the recipe for Staffordshire Oatcakes and this is very similar to what you have given us:-
8 oz of fine oatmeal
8 oz of plain flour or wholemeal flour.
1 teaspoon of salt
Half an oz of yeast
1.5 pints of warm milk and water mixed half and half.
1 teaspoon of sugar.
Add salt to oatmeal and flour.
Dissolve yeast in a little warm liquid and add sugar, Allow mixture to become frothy.
Mix the dry ingredients with the yeast liquid to make a batter.
Cover the batter and leave in a warm place for an hour.
Bake the oatcake on well greased griddle, putting enough batter to make an oatcake of 8-9 inches 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.
Now I think where we hard headed buggers up North differ from these Staffordshire Lads, is that we don't eat the oatcakes in a floppy state, we hang 'em over the rack to dry and eat them as "hard".
Apparently the Staffordshire Regiment brought the idea back from India when they ate the local flat bread and tried to duplicate it at home.
So what about us having a go to produce the "hard" and no doubt Stanley will supply the Stew if Jack hasn't wolfed it down!!!
Aye Hatepe
R.W.King |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 11/02/2005 : 02:03
The stew is sadly depleted but not by Jack, by me! Barry send high res scans of pics by email to me please, I'd like them for the archive. I'll put them on the site. Thanks.
Oatcakes look good, I shall have a crack at them.
Barry, not long ago I realised that Havre Park in Barlick actually means Oat Field. I agree with all you say about the ON 'hafre'.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
bazshar
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Posted - 11/02/2005 : 09:46
I have looked through the family photo albums again to find suitable pics of Stan & Harry Stanley.
Unfortunately they are all holiday snaps none showing them together or in reasonable proximity to each other.
However I have already posted an R.A.O.B. photograph to OGFB it can be found below:
Identification:
Main picture -
Back row 3rd from left - Harry Stanley
Middle row 4th from left - Stan Stanley
Front row 1st left - James Seddon Sharples (This was my father, where I got my good looks from  )
Help - sorry, link doesn't work, but photo IS there.
Edited by - bazshar on 11 Feb 2005 09:50:57
When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt! |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 12/02/2005 : 13:00
I shall seek out the pic and repair the fault.
I was with Chris Aspin yesterday and he was telling me about a bloke in Brierfield, I think his name was Green, who decided to make square crumpte as they would pack more easily and also fit into toasters. The enterprise failed because the supermarkets refused to accept square crumpets on the grounds it would upset their existing suppliers of the round variety.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 12/02/2005 : 13:06
Barrie, I can't find the pic. Submit again under different title?
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
Cathy
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Posted - 12/02/2005 : 13:27
Does anyone ever find it confusing at the Supermarket these days 
All the different types of bread, cake mixes, sauces, square crumpets,round crumpets,sandwich fillings, cleaners, magazines, milks, coffees, tea bags, snack foods, tissues, chocolate, toothpastes, pastas etc - not to mention labels.
I certainly do. 
All thru the fields and meadows gay .... Enjoy
Take Care...Cathy |
bazshar
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Posted - 12/02/2005 : 13:29
Square crumpets! God forbid, Somebody did produce some crumpet fingers which did reach the supermarkets. (Certainly the Co-op's)
Whatever next, square Yorkshire Puds?
I do remember seeing a darker wholemeal version a while ago which tasted quite reasonable but not to everyones taste. I think they must have contained some, dare I say it, Treacle.
Re the picture Stanley - its still there on page 10, although for some reason the search engine doesn't find it.
When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt! |
Cathy
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Posted - 12/02/2005 : 13:38
We've had square crumpets for yonks.......
All thru the fields and meadows gay .... Enjoy
Take Care...Cathy |
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Stew and Hard
