Staffordshire Oatcakes

The April magazine work for Camping and Caravanning Club magazine focused on Staffordshire Oatcakes.

Now, I knew of Scottish oatcakes but I had not heard of a Staffordshire variety before, so it was fascinating discovering this tasty, and simple to make, treat.

The Scottish oatcake is similar to a hard oat-based biscuit whereas the Staffordshire oatcake is more like a savoury pancake, served with bacon and cheese more often than not, which are wrapped up and the oatcake can then be eaten a bit like a tortilla.

My problems came, from an illustration standpoint, in that a oatcake (imagine pancake) is not a particularly exciting subject.

I’ve included a recipe to accompany my illustrations, but the original article focussed on The Hole in the Wall cafe in Stoke-on-Trent, which has since sadly closed.

Ingredients

225g fine oatmeal

225g wholewheat or plain flour

1tsp salt

15g yeast

450ml warm milk

450ml warm water

1tsp sugar

1) Mix the salt with the flour and the oatmeal in a large bowl.

2) Mix the milk and water together.

3) Dissolve the yeast with a little warm water and add the sugar. Allow the mixture to become frothy.

4) Mix the dry ingredients with the yeast liquid to make a batter. Add the remainder of the warm liquid.

5) Cover the batter with a cloth and leave in a warm place for about an hour.

6) Pour out enough batter on a well-greased griddle to make an oatcake of about 22cm. The surface will be covered in holes as it cooks.

7) Flip the oatcake after 2-3 minutes when the top side has a dry appearance and the underneath is a golden brown colour and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve with:

Combinations of

Fried bacon, sausage, baked beans, tomato, mushrooms and cheese

Or as a sweet alternative;

Butter and jam

Notes:

Try to use a heavy frying pan – as this will keep the heat constant.

Can be frozen

May be defrosted/reheated using a microwave.