There's no limit to the versatility of the oatcake Whether you're a cook-shy student or a culinary genius, the oatcake can be manipulated to your heart's content, and served with a variety of fillings in a whole host of ways. 'Baked, boiled or fried...' Well not quite, but there are so many ways to cook 'em. First of all, they're the best microwave food in the world. A bit of cheese, bacon and sausages, wrap 'em in the oatcake, and one minute later ... it's ready! Of course, some prefer the traditional method of the griddle. That's how most of the shops will do it. To see them being warmed to perfection on a griddle first thing on a Sunday morning is a sight for sore (and drunken) eyes! A good grilling... Some swear by the grill.... it's the crispy ends that count! But they do burn easily, so don't forget to turn them over! Some (including myself) throw them in the frying pan, with a dab of butter, with all the usual suspects of fried food. This gives them a crispy texture and when the butter soaks into the oatie - it's such a guilty yet delicious treat! They even taste great cold! Stock up... You can get hold of oatcakes in most Staffordshire (and some South Cheshire) supermarkets. However the best varieties come from local bakeries and even specialist oatcake shops which are located in villages and towns all over Staffordshire and South Cheshire. Local oatcake shops have even been sighted as far north as Macclesfield! They freeze well too so you've got no excuse to be caught short. Fit and lean... Oatcakes are a great alternative to bread. Oats are full of energy and thus oaties are great for brekkie food. However with all those carbs we're not sure what Mr Atkins and his diet thinks of them! Full of fibre... but not the filling... But at least they're full of fibre... so they'll help you to stay regular. Anyway, it's the things people put inside of the oatcake, that do the damage. In fact all manner of artery-furring ingredients are typical fillings... Like what? Traditional favourites include any from the following: Cheese, bacon, sausage, egg, beans, mushrooms and tomatoes. Actually, if you try hard, you may well get a full English in between two of them! Don't forget the 'dressing'. A bit of brown/red sauce adds the required touch (delete as appropriate). Some like it sweet Some people even enjoy them as pancakes and drizzle a spoonful of golden syrup on top, which is delicious too... usually fresh from the pan! One final word, if you fancy making some yourself, why not check out our recipe page. There's even a messageboard so you can post your own alternative recipes, favourite fillings or supply your own ode to the Staffordshire oatcake! What do you think about about Oatcakes? If you've got something you want to say about Oatcakes, or any of Staffordshire's other greats, check out our message board and leave you own message too by clicking on the link below. Read some of your comments here - Oatcake recipe
Would you please pass on my sincere "Thank You" to Eileen Burton for her oatcake recipe. I live in Macclesfield and our local Oatcake Mine has recently closed .... depriving us of a staple food. I have followed the recipe and can now produce an acceptable Cheshire version of the oatcake. The easy-to-follow recipe has now been sent to Cornwall, London and Monmouth ... so my extended family (ex-Macclesfield) are most grateful.
Robbie cant get rid of the ache of oatcake
i'm so tired of playin with this bow an' arrow.i was born and spent primary school in trent vale, stoke on trent lived in manchester 'till end of college an been in bolton lancashire the last 5 yrs.seen as im from stoke i grew up on oatcakes and miss them beyond words, the only place local to get them is a stall on stockport market, its just not the same... theyre to floury.. more like japatties. i hav family still in stoke and visit them a few times a year, i make it a priority to go to the co-op to fill up a carrier bag full of the real thing b4 i see any family ..(sad).. i sit here at 1:45am vodkaded up looking 4 oatcake recipes and find this message board... im not alone.. oatcakes rule.. the stodgy snack that cannot b overruled.. no1 understands me.. "oatcakes or death" shall b on my tombstone, an addiction carried to the grave.
flash cake
bolton, lancashire Oatcakes are the produce from the gods!!! i live in cornwall and oatcakes are wel known hear as they are in stoke. only the slight mention ov oatcakes and ppls ears are on end.. we have a lady who imports them now and again but i wish there was an oatcake shop hear as there is nothing better than livin in burslem gettin up hungover on a sunday and fillin the belly with a beacon and cheese + a few mushrooms to cure that hangover.. respect to the ppl that make these and i look forward to eating some soon
Dan
plymouth Please let me have the recipe. I am going to America and my aunt wants the receipe.
kathleen good
Stockport hi linda
I miss my oatcakes and a lot more food than you could talk about i live in usa love it but miss stoke on trent i know a guy there for years RAY REARDON i know you know him in Hanley we were friend yrs go but i bet he forgot me if you see him ask him my name is Alma Green from Tunstall love to write you. Tra Alma
ALMA GREEN MONTGOMERY
ATLANTA GEORGIA USA Staffordshire Oatcakes are traditionally ate warm and filled with chesse and either bacon or sausage ....they can be brought either cold or hot from Traditional Bakehouse 250 Uttoxeter Rd Blythe Bridge or visit there web site
ChrisB
Blythe Bridge I was born in Macclesfield Cheshire...many years ago and what you call Staffordshire Oatcakes were part of our diet growing up. It was my job to go for fresh ones most days of the week ..we ate them with bacon and eggs on Sundays and other days we had them with golden syrup and butter for breakfast before school My sister married a guy from Stoke on Trent and I have recently returned from there ..The oatcakes are as good as ever ...They make great wraps for all kinds of fillings ..and the oatmeal is better for you than the regular wraps Please try them if you get the opportuniy
Rene
Oshawa, Canada Hi linda i was born in tunstall stoke on trent but now live in atlanta USA. I miss the oatcakes and all the food and a lot more i know its not the same but i will always love it no matter what. I have some family still in Stoke but only here from 2 familys i try to send them notes on this page or in the sentinal but dont here from anybody so i will talk to you. Very upset with charles maybe you are not but i have a large picture of Diana in my apartment and I cried when I looked at the wedding and she was looking too well i will close now its1.00 clock am here and i have to go to bed talk later tra cherio i still eat a lot of ENG food not american and still drink my cup of tea .
ALMA GREEN MONTGOMERY
CHAMBLEE ATLANTA GA USA reply to amanda harris
http://www.highlaneoatcakes.co.uk/ go to this web site and you can order them online, yes. online its great is nt it. i like you cannot get them at my local supermarket. i am going to place my first order to them. good luck amanda
sue spencer
bingham, nottingham. Staffordshire Oatcakes and other food
A great number of ex-pats mention oatcakes. With a bit of practice, they are not too difficult to make. Agree that they are not as good as the professionals in the business. I bought them from shops all around the city. The best were those made by Birt Ikin in Roundwell Street in Tunstall in the 60's. (This is before Birt went to be the landlord at the Bleeding Wolf in Scholar Green- He was good at that too!)When Birt was baking, he had a big extractor fan blowing the smell of fresh oatcakes down the street. Who could resist the smell?. It was so strong you could almost taste them! Brilliant marketing. There was also a superb bake shop in the same street owned by the Smith Family for decades. The bread was good, but the cakes were something else. Lovely Coconut Macaroons and Coffee Slices! to complete the hat-trick in Roundwell Street was Simpsons Chip Shop. Portions were on the small side, but the quality was excellent. They had a coal fired fryer. I can't remember one anywhere esle
Chris Coates
Perth Western Australia I am from Scotland and have never heard of oatcakes from any part of England. The ones you are talking about must be different since bacon or melted cheese or anything else hot could never be eaten with Scottish oatcakes.
Aileen
Geilenkirchen, Germany. HMMM .....................OAKCAKES
I discovered oatcakes when I moved to Staffordshire about two years ago and what a delight! ...Quick cheap and easy! the Oat cakes of course.
BABY oatie fillings
in my humble opinion the best oatcake fillings are cheese sos and bacon... with loads of tommy sauce! i fry mine in a bit of butter so they crisp and then just grate cheese on, chuck on the bacon and sos and squirt the sauce all over... what a hangover cure!
leon
congleton I'm new to Staffordshire and want to get some tips on what goes well with oatcakes. What can people recommend?
Mad Max
Lichfield Hahahahahahaha! The lady who said about opening an oatcake shop in Canada is a genius! Well they are an aquired taste, but everyone i meet that isnt from the area, i get them to try oatcakes...most really like them...but tend to prefer them with melted cheese...i like mine plain! hehehe oatcakes rule!
Sarah
Shelton My Father was born and bred in Stoke He adores oatcakes however, they have stopped selling them in our local Sainsbury's store. My daughter who is at Glamorgan University also loves them especially with bacon and cheese. I would like to know how I can order some as a treat for them both. Please can anyone help....
Amanda Harris I was interested to read about the history of the Staffordshire oatcake. However none of the accounts are correct.The word oatcake is acually a derevation of 'hosecake ' and dates from the time of the Chartist riots in the 19th century, when there was an acute shortage of shoe leather. It was found that when oats were mixed with water and baked it was equally as tough as leather and could be used as as a substitute, hence hosecake. when the leather shortage was over, since their was no further use for the hosecake, the locals decided to eat them and the name was changed to oatcake
Bill Carr
Fegg Hayes, Stoke-on-Trent oatcake shop in canada!!!
Well what a great website....i think its easy to take oatcakes for granted when, like me, you live right in the heart of oatcake land.....i went on holiday for two months recently to Toronto Canada and missed them greatly. Within the next two years i hope to be living with my family in Toronto so on reflection, wouldnt it be fantastic if i opened my own oatcake shop over there!!! There is certainly a gap in the market, dont you think!? Best get practicing.
Samantha Birks
Fenton, Stoke on Trent I have lived in Australia for 9 years and have missed the Sunday breakfast and my oatcakes. But never again. Recently a freind from stoke came for a visit and made me some. After making an utter pig of myself , cant help myself now making them every weekend. The good Old Oatcake is becoming famous with my Aussie neiughbours who now have the Recipe for them. seems like the Oatcake is becoming famous in my little street on the Gold Coast.
jude cook
gold coast queensland australia oat cakes were so good.
Hi Linda, We just return from a vacation in the Potteries, and I am so proud that I come from Basford. We have come back with many found memories of the Potteries. I am so sad to see all the pot banks closed down as so many people are out of work as this has happend. I dont want to buy pottery that shows Staffordshire on and its made in China or Indonesia. We brought a little figurine from Doulton and when we got it home it had a little sticker on made in China. That is really too bad. We had oatcakes many time for breakfast and enjoyed many walks down to Newcastle. We took walks around the village of Basford and to my litle cottage on the top of Basford bank, right by the Queens Hotel. Christine (Ontario Canada)
Christine and Eric Holford
Ontario Canada oatcake recipe
8oz pinhead oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (or of mixture of two parts cream of tartar to one part bicarbonate of soda) 2 tablespoons melted butter around 1/4 pint boiling water
Mix oatmeal, salt and baking powder together in bowl. Stir in melted butter and mix through. Add boiling water to make soft dough. (You may find you need more water - oatmeal soaks up a lot.) Either roll dough out to thickness you want - the oatcakes rise very little - or roll dough into small balls and flatten, then use edge of hand to smooth edges. Bake in pre-heated oven at 200c for 15 -20 minutes.
Oatcake Man Did you find yur recipe for Oatcakes that you asked for, if not let me know and I will send you the one I use, which my mother and granmother used.
Eileen Burton
Denstone Uttoxeter Staffordshire my name is rob podmore. i am looking for traditional stoke recipes for a project I am working on .
anybody have a recipe for lobby or trentham tart etc?
Des anyone know of any cookbooks that would be of use, as I don't come from stoke,or do you know any recipes I could use?
Any information would be appreciated
rob podmore Well I never thought it would be that easy to make oatcakes. they turned out great even with German oats. I will have to serve them up on faschingsdienstag ( the nearest thing to shrove Tuesday) Oatcake and Bratwurst sounds alright to me.
Sauerkraut? er...... no thanks
John Barron
Sulzbach Germany You don't have to live abroad to be done out of oatcakes. Sainsburys in Macclesfield have stopped selling the town's favourite oat cakes.
You can still get soya products, quark, all kinds of 'foreign' stuff but not a decent oatcake in sight. Shame on them! Complain and you are told that Sainsburys HQ is at fault. An executive decision!
No wonder they are falling behind Tesco with such contempt for loyal customers.
Liz Pickup
Prestbury near Macclesfield
Isn't the net great? there i was looking for an oatcake recipe and find someone speaking right from the heart about what you miss living abroad just great.
complained in Sainsburys in cheshire coz they didn't do oat cakes anymore they promised to change it.
John barron
Sulzbach
Old english food recipes of North staffordshire
I have been trying to duplicate oat pancakes, I used to have when I was a boy living in Red street Newcastle staffs, on Sunday mornings I used to roll them up and dip them into the cooked bacon and cheese breakfast covered in HP sause. I have never got them right has I don't have the original recipe as they were made by some baker. If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated as it has been many years since I live in England.
Pete Hammond
Weyburn. Saskatchewan. Canada ph - the Hole in The Wall oatcake shop in Hanley has some neat comments about making oatcakes - see their website - or try the BBC oatcake site, which has some history too! help
Have looked through your web site looking at various oatcake recipes, but none are the ones I remember when I was a lad.
They were like big pancakes but thinner, and they were mostly enjoyed Sunday mornings with a bacon and cheese breakfast and HP sauce.
If you can help me locate a recipe for them I would be forever grateful. thanks
p h Pete - the Hole in The Wall oatcake shop in Hanley has some neat comments about making oatcakes - see their website - ST
To helen... - here's an oatcake recipe
Here is the recipe my wife has been using for over 20 years:
1 tsp (5 ml) salt / 8 oz (225 g) fine oatmeal (we buy Australian oats on the local market and grind them in the blender) / 8 oz (225 g) plain white flour / ½ oz (15 g) fresh yeast – but we use ¼ oz of dried yeast since fresh is not available / 1 and half pt (850 ml) warm milk and water (half and half) / 1 tsp (5 ml) sugar – really only necessary if you use fresh yeast, but my wife adds it anyway Add salt to oatmeal and flour and stir. Dissolve yeast in a little of the warm milk and water; add sugar. Set aside to work in a warm place.
Mix dry ingredients with the yeast and remaining warm milk and water to make batter. Cover with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place for 1 hour.
Spoon onto a well-greased bakestone, griddle or thick-based frying pan.
Turn each oatcake after 2 to 3 minutes or when upper side seems dry; underside should be golden brown.
Bake for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Makes about 24. And with a good English banger rolled inside – again we can get these at a Swiss deli here in the Philippines! – delicious. Enjoy!
Mike Jackson
Los Baños - near Manila, Philippines oatcakes
it is a closely guarded secret and if you are a true potter you would know this
sam oatcakes!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Duck ave ya got an owtcake recepee thats anee gud?
How about the good Doctor whos southern wife has been making them for 30 years, come on please share!! I moves to the US of A in 97 and although return to Stoke each summer (for my fill of them yumee oatkakes and proper cheese!) I would love to make the occasional batch!
My 12 year old daughter ate oatcakes every day (no kidding) during our 2003 trip and we were in UK for 5 weeks. OUr lacal oatcake shop in Bemersley Rouad NOrton ahs just changed hands but by the roast they were good. The one bought in several Tesco stores around the country, a bit on the thick side but still acceptable. We lived in Germany for 5 years and folks would bring us oatcakes by the dozen for the freezer and we would stock up whwn ever we travelled by car. But it is not so easy to get them to America!!!! Life here in colorado is pretty darned good with ski-ing during the winter, its a bit hot during July and Aug for my English Rose complection but Im not complaining. I just need a recipie for OATKAKES!!! pleeze sumwon ye mus hav won!!
helen corbett
Fort Collins Colorado USA Thanks for the recipe
I missed oatcakes having grown up in Werrington as a child. I left and joined the Royal Navy and had them sent to me each weekend. I eventually moved to the US and left them behind. I now live in Chicago and will try my hand at making some. I always amazes me how many people all over the world are from the Stoke area. I travel internationaly on a regular basis and bump into people from there all the time.
Simon Lee
Lake Bluff Dear Dr. Jackson, I've just read your message that your wife and yourself have got a recipe for Staffordshire Oatcakes. If you would be so kind as to email me the recipe, I would really appreciate it, as by the time I have travelled from Stone to Normacot or Longton by bus on a Sunday all of the shops are shut.
Sarah Buttery
Stone Like everybody else from Stoke - MISSING OATCAKES!
Man I miss the Oatcakes... cheesey oatcakes... and marmite... drool. Managed to get some brown sauce here though. The Danish food here is excellent in it's own right though - pålæg is so nice it could in fact be Stoke related? One other thing is the hills - I left Stoke in 1982 to work in West London - which is pretty flat, now last August I moved to Denmark - which is totally flat.
I seem to be moving slowly towards sea level - perhaps the next move in 20 years is to Quatar? Last time I was in Stoke at Christmas a couple of years ago I did notice one thing - there seems to be a lot of tensions in the pubs, saw several drunken fights and threatening behavoir in my old local - not such a good sign.
Hope it gets better before my next visit (next year I think).
Dave Roden
Esbjerg, Denmark Oatcakes
please give me a recipe for a decent oatcake.
I have been in australia for the past 9 years and you willnot believe how much i miss them. I'm originally from Stoke itself near the railway station. Behind the Roebuck Pub before it was demolished
Eric Hughes
Stoke - moved to Trentvale Decided to surf the web to see if there was any information about oatcakes.
Why? Had some for breakfast this morning, and my wife was making a new batch.
Where are we? In the Philippines, about 65 km south of the capital Manila, where I work at the International Rice Research Institute. Originally from Leek (my father was on the Radio Stoke council (?) early on in its existence) I have been in the Philippines for 12 years, and for 8 years in South and Central America in the 70s, and a 10 year stint back in the UK in between. My wife is from Essex, but very soon came to love oatcakes - found a recipe and has been making them now for almost all our married life - 30 years in October this year.
So while we are away from home, it's good to have a little reminder (on a frequent basis) of a delicacy from back home.
And what a surprise they are for others when they come to hear and taste the delights of the Satffordshire oatcake!
Dr. Mike Jackson
Los Banos, nr. Manila, Philippines Born Newcastle under lyme
make my own oatcaks but never taste the same as what you remember. lived in Wa
Susan Dugay nee Robinson Oatcakes recipe
For all those people dying to have oatcakes again i hope that this will help;
Staffordshire Oatcakes Eat these as soon as they are made, if possible. They do, however, freeze well. Ingredients (Makes 12): Fine oatmeal - 225g (8 oz) Wholewheat or plain flour - 225g (8 oz) Salt - 1 tsp Fresh yeast - 15g (½ oz) Warm milk and water - 900 ml (1½ pints), mixed half and half Sugar - 1 tsp Method: In a large bowl, mix the oatmeal, flour and salt. Dissolve the yeast with a little of the warm liquid and add the sugar. Allow it to become frothy. Mix the dry ingredients with the yeast and the rest of the warm liquid to make a batter. Cover with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour. Bake on well-greased griddle. Put enough batter onto the griddle to produce an oatcake of about 20-23 cm (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 surface appears dry and the underside is golden brown and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Craig Wingfield
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia OATCAKES
Nothing I miss more than oatcakes. I'm ready to swim back cross the pond if I have to. PLEASE- if you have the recipie e-mail
Victor
Manorville, New York I,ve just found the ex pats site and offer the coveted oatcake recipe to any expat who drops in for some proper snappin,
yes I have the holy grail of good grub, it took me 6 years to find the instructions and practice this gob smakin art. After exchanging the bottle kilns of North Staffs for the paradise playground of Gold Coast Queensland Australia, and now Sunday mornings are once again complete with the mandatory bacon cheese tomatoes and yes "oatcakes" fully installed following a six year abstinence.
Paul Welsby
Gold Coast Neil
hi there, i'm a fan of oatcakes and grew up in north staffs (newcastle under lyme) and know it to be the centre of the universe and also where time slows down. i'm pleased to say i generally have a decent enough supply of oatcakes,(whenever i'm in a supermarket in south manchester i search! and happy to say i usually find) and almost everyone i meet ends up knowing if not tasting them. I have them in different ways than traditional (but like that too!)and i've found my favourite to be one crisped one side then the other not so much, then the crispy side have sundried tomatoe paste spread thinly on, then finely chopped peppers, onion, and chopped cooked bacon covered in cheese to be the finest. a nice sweet one is to crumble a chocky bikky on one, put a generous dollop of lemon curd on, roll it, micro it for a few secs (untill the chocolate melts)drizzle a little honey on and dust a little icing sugar - honestly this is fit for a king! you could also burn the icing sugar with a blow torch for an extra bit of pizzaz! yum, think i'm going to try and make the oatcake recipie now!!! Oatcake fanatic
Oatcakes are the produce from the gods!!! i live in cornwall and oatcakes are wel known here as they are in stoke: only the slight mention ov oatcakes and ppls ears are on end..
we have a lady who imports them now and again but i wish there was an oatcake shop hear, as there is nothing better than livin in burslem gettin up hungover on a sunday and fillin the belly with a beacon and cheese + a few mushrooms to cure that hangover..
respect to the ppl that make these and i look forward to eating some soon Dan what do I miss ? ...... OK let's get it straight, oatcakes are what the ancient Greeks referred to as MANNA.
Living in Vancouver (raised in KIdsgrove) I would commit bloody murder to get my hands on some proper snappin once in a while e.g. Leon's chippy. I miss the dry humour of the native Stokie: Aye, thee dunner get owt fer nowt th'knowst........... I miss the pubs obviously, Oatcakes especially! Hiya to all you ex Stokies abroad ...We are a small oatcake shop in Burslem and have come up with a possible solution to all those Stokies who yearn for the taste of Oatcakes again...we have just started to market through our web site a "Staffordshire Oatcake Mix"...it is exactly the same as the one we use in the shop...take a look at our web site a judge for yourselves
chris bates, Stoke-onTrent Oatcakes!! I am 21 and my family and I moved over to Virginia USA when i was 17, it was heartbreaking at first...we lived in Leek, Staffs and i still do miss lots... like the oatcakes and fish n'chips a good curry the pubs, the clubs!! haha and all my friends and grandparents~ but you just have to visit as much as you can!
Stephanie Taylor, Virginia USA My "Ode to the Oatcake" is in the Staffordshie Oatcake Recipe Book" produced for the New Vic Theatre appeal in 1980. There is also an extra verse. "If over indulged in, Both these cakes can play the very Devil with your waistline. I must warn! Indulgence leads to Bulgence!"
The other cake referred to is the pikelet.
Joan Welsh, Montreal Alone and lonely
cant get rid of the ache of oatcake! i'm so tired of playin with this "bow an' arrow".i was born and spent primary school in trent vale, stoke on trent lived in manchester 'till end of college an been in bolton lancashire the last 5 yrs.
seen as im from stoke i grew up on oatcakes and miss them beyond words, the only place local to get them is a stall on stockport market, its just not the same... theyre too floury.. more like chapatties. i hav family still in stoke and visit them a few times a year, i make it a priority to go to the co-op to fill up a carrier bag full of the real thing b4 i see any family ..(sad)..
i sit here at 1:45am vodkaded up looking 4 oatcake recipes and find this message board... im not alone.. oatcakes rule.. the stodgy snack that cannot b overruled.. no1 understands me..
"oatcakes or death" shall b on my tombstone, an addiction carried to the grave.
(from bolton, lancashire) Been living in Sydney Australia nearly 10 years now, Have attempted to make oatcakes on several occasions but failed miserably! Has anyone got a decent recipe and step by step instructions? After 10 years I still dream of oatcakes on a Sunday morning with bacon and cheese.
Shaun Knight, Sydney Hi, my name is Mike Machin ex Kidsgrove. It is Saturday morning and I am about to light the bbq here in Western Australia. Nothing special over there you might think! But wait, I have modified my four gas burner bbq and fitted a plate on which I can make up to seven OATCAKES at a time! My grandson and son in law rave about them and have them with cheese and bacon Sunday mornings. So remember this, 'There in some corner of a foreign land, where they're making b***** OATCAKES!
Michael Machin, Joondalup, Western Australia 6027 natalie dangoor, london
theyre so sexy! Carla
My daughter lives in the States and each time I go, my case is full of oatcakes, her American husband loves them as well. I am sure that Chris Bate's mixture is better than the ones we buy here in the supermarket. zoe booth
hey james, nice one. i ive in preston while at uni and iv been living in florida for 12 mths, workin at disney, so that goes to show all of us stokeys arnt no hopers and yes, i always come back to stoke for oatcakes!! it is my spiritual home!! Joan Welsh
Oatcake mix… Hi, Chris Bates. I used to buy this in the museum in Hanley but they don't sell it any more. So I was glad to see your message. I visit Burslem every year and would like to know where your shop is or visit your web site so that I can satisfy my craving year round! Richard Polley, Manchester
Aileen, My family was originally from London, and the kind of oatcakes we had were a lot sweeter than this recipe would produce. You would not eat anything else with them, particularly not anything savoury. Born and oatcake(instead of bred) junkie
secret of oatcakes? I agree with Sam. The best Oatcakes are made in Bucknall Oats Werrington Road. Try them fresh off the stove and they melt in your mouth. Dont buy the crappy supermarket things, Id only buy them to fix the hole in my shoe - too thick and rubbery!Try with cheese and onion for a veggie option or need a pud but only have oatcakes try some jam in them, sounds strange but quite nice Judy Meir, Saskatoon
Hi Pete, we moved to Saskatoon in August 2003 and one of the few things which we have missed is good old oatcakes, 'but' having persevered I am know able to make oatcakes, they taste good but not a patch on the 'real thing' but bacon and cheese help. Being in such a lovely part of Canada compensates a little get searching the internet for the recipe and use a skillet - I find that a good way of cooking them. Keep trying. Orginally from Bucknall, and spent 12 years in Trentham K, Garcia (Johnson), Dorset
I lived in Fenton, S.o.T when I was a little girl, and remember my grandma buying oatcakes on a Sunday from a lady who sold them from her front window, and I used to fetch the lobby in a big bowl from the Town Hall in the square in Fenton. I used to live in Nelson Street. jean ashley
I remember Bert Ikin,keeping the knave of clubs at chell heath before he bought the oatcake shop. i had an uncle who worked for him at the knave. I believethe shop is still their and the cake shop.happy memories. Chris, Sandbach
It's hard enough getting a quality oatcake in Sandbach without having to make an early morning pilgrimage to the village of my ancestors (Brown Edge), but when I was at Uni in Loughborough it was nigh on impossible to source the delicacy. Food from the subcontinent, no problem, but oatcakes from 50 miles away, no chance.
My recipe is for plain and simple cheese oatcakes. The secret is in the ingredients, the preparation and the cooking (told you it was simple).
Always get a mix of at least 2 cheeses, three is better. Try to mix the colours and textures. A crumbly Cheshire and some double gloucester is good. Now grate it finely (no, finer than that). You want maximum surface area for even melting. Make sure you fill them up nice and fat, the fine grating means more air so it looks like more cheese than it really is (that's what I tell my hips). Now roll the oatcake and place 2 on a plate. microwave on 70% power for 90 seconds. take them out and repeat with the rest of the oatcakes until they've all been done. Now put the first pair back in on 90% power for about 30 seconds. Timings vary, but you want it steaming hot with melted cheese, but not so melted it runs away and goes crunchy. It takes many years of practice to get the perfect oatcake so don't be worried if you don't get it right first time, just keep trying. I'm still practicing now.
For that final flourish serve with a fork and either pickled onions, mixed pickle or coleslaw. alan
oatcakes are the best proper potters pokey ltn
i miss oatcakes badly. i live in the south west and you just can't beat the taste. everytime i go back to staffs i stay with a friend and they always make me some... i should get some to go back with. sneyd oatcakes were my faves, every sunday, rough as a dog, two sos, bacon and cheese with red sauce! makes me hungry just thinking about it!!! sammi from stoke
i love oatcakes with anything with the cheese and back or just on their own for a quick bite or evening dipping a plain one in scotch broth soup lovely. Kath D
discovered n.staff oatcakes in tescos after seeing them being eaten on a tv programme. never looked back!! k.williams should try cooking them first! Fred Wilson
We at Macclesfield Cheshire had our own oatcakes made in james st the best you could eat but nolonger in buisness we do miss them Andrew Gibbs
I live in Suffolk but have relatives in Newcastle Under Lyme & Stone. I love oatcakes and the supermarkets obviously dont have them here. So when I visit I always bring back about 6 Dozen. Best fillings cheese and mushroom. andrew giddings
OATCAKES love e,m you don,t know what your missing i,m born and breed will die for stoke eat,em live,em love,em Iain
Have lived in the south all my life my family is from the potteries. I have loved oatcakes all my life.As a kid the last thing we did when visiting my gran was to stock up on oatcakes! Sainsburys have stopped selling them round here! Bugsy
Born in macc, lived in buxton for last 6 years, now in New Zealand,and cant wait to try this recipe,had them every sunday with melted cheese and a full fry up on top " lovely jubly " cheers mate! Lorraine Dobell
I left Stoke-on-Trent 23 years ago and my first stop when we come over is the oakcake shop. My daughter just returned from a 2 week trip in Stoke, she tried the oakcakes loved them and now we'll try make our own with the recipe we just found. Lorraine Manitoba, Canada kev williams
They taste like soggy cardboard - what is all the fuss about Louise Steele (nee Alcock)
We have lived in Australia since the 70's but our family has never lost the taste for oatcakes. My mum has a guarded secret for hers! We have them ever Christmas morning with Cheshire cheese and bacon. Mum swore that there would not be a recipe on the net!! I am so glad to find this and wave it under her nose!!! Clarence Williams
I was born in Etruria in 1928, met my wife when we both worked at Wedgwood's, Barlaston. We moved to Shropshire in 1964, and finished up here in Somerset. Sadly she died just over two years ago, and now life is very drab. I have never lost my taste for oatcakes, and still have them sent by post.Still have many relatived living in the Potteries. Mike Day
Having been an 'import' to Staffordshire some 20 years ago, I discovered Oatcakes. I now take them to relatives in the west country when I visit. My favourite way to enjoy them is to make a filling from mushrooms in a white sauce (splash of white wine, milled black pepper). Lovely! Simon
I am most grateful to Eileen, my mother in law who lives in the USA loves them and has been for the past 4 years trying to find a recipe, thank you Ye Olde Oatcake Shoppe, Cheadle
Just noticed that John was looking for Gluten Free Oatcakes. You can get them at 11 Cross Street Cheadle. Phone 01538 751393, many thanks Lizzie Brown
Having come across North Staffordshire Oatcakes via my mother in law, I now always try to buy some when I'm in the North. On our last visit (we came home through the snow this week) I failed miserably and although we passed several outlets, it was too late in the day. Motivated to get some, I went on the internet today and was pleased to find a company who dispatch small amounts by post or larger by courier! This page also came up - thanks for the recipe - I love cooking, so hopefully will be able to make some for my oatcake deprived husband! barry gratton
Desperate for oatcakes-an ex-Derbyshire lad. Where can I get them in the Highlands? Della
I love them with Stilton. Crumble stilton on one quarter then fold into four and grill until the cheese melts..... Delicious. If you like lots of cheese, sprinkle over half or all of the oatcake and grill lightly before folding. John
Great to find a recipe. I remember one that there was one in a programme I one had from the Vic but haven't been able to find it. I've been an oatcake fan for 60 years but over the past few years I've been deprived of the delicacy as I am intolerant to Gluten in the flour. Now I have a recipe I can experiment with gluten-free flour and try to make some decent Oatcakes. If anyone has cracked this problem ans has a recipe that works for Gluten free oacakes I would very much like to know. lizzy
could i please ask shops to not microwave cheesey oatcakes....its oatcake murder! Phil
Slice some cheese thinly, lay out over oatcake ensuring entire surface area is covered. Put under grill for 3 mins. It doesn't get much better than that. For parties do same with cheese but while still warm roll the oatcake then slice into small sections and spike with a cocktail stick to hold things together. Use various spreads before rolling to make things more interesting - chilli sauce, chutney, Branston, ketchup etc. Please be careful - the outer edges of over grilled oatcakes can be leathal. Steve Ellis
Cannot get oatcakes in Germany,shall try to make my own.God bless Eileen Burton. I have just found this website and having left the Potteries when a child had to depend on a family recipe for oat cakes. I found them in Sainsburys and was upset when they discontinued selling them. BUT I was reading the Asda magazine and found an advert for Staffordshire Oat Cakes, they still havent appeared in my local store. I did ask and was told that Basildon may be the nearest store to me to stock them. I will go on an expedition soon to check on stocks. Josie Wallett
Having been uprooted as a child from Baddeley Edge,Milton. I have just found this site, it is so good to see that my recipe for oat cakes isn't the only family one to exist. Mine came from a gentleman called Harry Eardley and I have a memory of being in the room where he made oat cakes for sale from the window at the side of his house. I was a very small person at the time so the memory is a bit hazy. Thank you for the memory. | 
