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The Country Child by Alison Uttley and Staffordshire Oatcakes – Traditional English Hotcakes – Pancakes

Yum
The Country Child 
by Alison Uttley 
and 
~ Staffordshire Oatcakes ~
Traditional English Hotcakes/Pancakes

 In was eleven years old when I first read The Country Child by Alison Uttley ~ I chose it as my “book of the week” to read in primary school. I remember I was so captivated and enchanted by the book that I couldn’t put it down ~ it was a “torch under the bedclothes night” with me reading well after my mum thought I had gone to sleep. 

I have subsequently met many other people who felt the same magic as I did on first reading it; the simple tale of a country child in late Victorian England and her day to day life on the family farm. It may not sound very interesting, but the prose and descriptions of a rural way of life that is sadly no more is hugely engaging and very poignant. The descriptions of the food they cook, the passing of the seasons and the year through feasts and festivals are intensely vivid, and even today it still remains my favourite book.  

The book is beautifully illustrated with black and white line drawings that add charm to the book and create a feel of a happier and less complicated life, where material things are far less important than a trip to the local town on market day or the joy of a Christmas stocking filled with simple toys, apples and nuts. 

One of the key characters in the book is the Oatcake Man ~ he travels around the countryside with his basket of freshly made oatcakes and wins the heart of the serving girl who works on the farm in the book. It is therefore fitting that I mention the book when it comes to my recipe for Oatcakes…….plus the book is set in the  Derbyshire Peak district of England where these style oatcakes are popular.

 Before I share the recipe with you, I would like to give you a little taste of one of my favourite passages from the book ~ from the chapter called “December” and all about the prelude to Christmas and the ensuing job of arranging the decorations…..
…”Holly decked every picture and ornament. Sprays hung over the bacon and twisted round the hams and herb bunches. The clock carried a crown on his head, and every dish-cover had a little sprig. Susan kept an eye on the lonely forgotten humble things, the jelly moulds and colanders and nutmeg graters, and made them happy with glossy leaves. Everything seemed to speak, to ask for its morsel of greenery, and she tried to leave out nothing”…
 Wonderful and a chapter I always read at that time of the year.
Once only eaten locally, the Staffordshire Oatcake has grown steadily in popularity over recent years. The traditional filling would be practically any combination of ingredients such as bacon and eggs, but anything goes these days, although I love golden syrup or honey in mine. These make a wonderful vehicle for “wraps” too, and are delicious when filled with scrambled eggs or smoked salmon and cream cheese.

~ Staffordshire Oatcakes ~

Traditional English Hotcakes/Pancakes

(Delicious light pancakes made with oats and yeast – traditionally from the Midlands region in England, in particular the county of Staffordshire.)

Ingredients:
150g fine oatmeal
150g wholemeal flour
300ml milk
300ml water
7g sachet quick-rising yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Method:
Pour the milk and water in a saucepan and heat gently over a low heat.
Add all of the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix together before starting to whisk in all of the warm milk and water. Once the batter is mixed, cover with cling-film and leave in a warm room for about an hour, allowing the yeast to make the batter nice and bubbly.
When it’s ready, give the batter a gentle stir, smear a little butter or oil on a hot, non-stick griddle or heavy frying pan and add enough of the batter to thinly coat the bottom. Cook on one side until golden (about 3 minutes) and gently flip over and cook the other side for another couple of minutes. Continue to cook all the batter until it is used up. (This batter will yield about six large oatcakes.)

Time to go, more chores in the garden and the kitchen! I will see you tomorrow.

Karen

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Comments

  2. Marie says

    Your pancakes look great Karen. I Love the British Pancakes. Believe it or not they are the same as the ones my French Grandmaman used to make when I was a girl, so they make me very nostalgic when I eat them. She has been gone a long time now. My youngest daughter loved the Little Grey Rabbit series of books by Alison Uttley. I was able to get a set of them which I am sending over to her daughter, my first granddaughter, for Christmas this year. She is not old enough to enjoy them yet, but I am thinking that they will really touch my daughter's heart and perhaps bring back some nice memories of me reading them to her when she was small. She is somewhat estranged from me as you know. Another great post Karen! xxoo

    Reply

  4. Karen S Booth says

    Thanks Marie ~ I LOVE the Little Grey Rabbit books as well as Sam Pig …..she was an amazing author, and some of her other books, adult, are also wonderful reads.
    I am sorry to hear that your daughter is estranged to you, I didn't know actually, that is such a shame for her and you….I am sure that this lovely act of sending the books will make her think of what she has to lose, I hope so. And what a lovely gift for your granddaughter too.
    Have a great holiday!
    Karen

    Reply

  5. Kentish Keg-Meg says

    Great post and photos. Lovely book Karen I have a well thumbed copy on my shelf kept from childhood. It evokes a past time so well. Another book I have alongside it is Lark Rise which I dip into for the same reason.

    Reply

  8. Inside a British Mum's Kitchen says

    Hi Karen!
    The book sounds so magical – I can quite understand how you were captivated – and still are. The oatcakes/pancakes look simply amazing – SOOO good, my mum used to make something similar and they were melt in your mouth good – can't wait to try yours – thanks for a lovely post:)
    Mary

    Reply

  9. mary says

    I haven't had oatcakes like that for years. Are they the same as pikelets?
    I remember reading The Country Child at school. It was our set book when I was about 10. And didn't she write another called A Traveller in Time? That was my favourite.

    Reply

  10. Heather says

    I've never had oat cakes! I must try this 🙂
    And that book looks so sweet! I need to look it up. You know how i love old timey things!

    Reply

  11. Inspired by eRecipeCards says

    It is so much fun to revisit a book we loved as children. Course, mine was "Lord of the Flies" and not much cooking… but I digress

    I so enjoy the slice of life posts, with classic rarely seen dishes. Too many bloggers get caught up in the new, when the joy is in the familiar!

    Thanks for a great post. Think I'll spend part of the morning with Ralph, Piggy and jack!

    Reply

  16. Karen S Booth says

    Thanks Mary ~ yes she also wrote A Traveller in Time and many more semi~autobiographical books, she was a prolific author.
    Karen

    Reply

  18. Karen S Booth says

    Thanks Dave! I also love the Lord of the Flies too…..and yes, it is nice to ponder and muse over things that have passed now and then…..
    Karen

    Reply

  20. kellie@foodtoglow says

    Lovely, lovely post Karen. Sainsburys used to stock them years ago but I haven't seen them in ages. I'm sure yours taste miles better than shop bought and I will definitely be making these. I like to keep them savoury with tapenade and a little feta with chopped cucumber and tomato. Not traditional, but then again I'm not even British…Thanks for this.

    Reply

  21. Fiona Matters says

    These look lovely. I adore oats and have them for breakfast most mornings (in the form of home made muesli) – these pancakes look just lovely. I love the idea of using them for wraps too. I will have to make them at some point.

    Reply

  22. Grace says

    I was given a copy of Alison Uttley’s Magic in my Pocket for my 8th birthday, and still have it today. It contains stories from several of her books including the Country Child, and the chapter called ‘Christmas Is Coming’ has always been one of my favourites, and one I read to my sons at bedtime every Christmas Eve (and Sam Pig stories for the rest of the year!) I’ve also made my own version of the Garland Family’s ‘Kissing Bunch’ every Christmas since I had my own home-‘the best and brightest pieces of holly made in the shape of a large ball which dangled from a hook’. I am going to read an extract from ‘Christmas Is Coming’ at a carol service next weekend. I still love my Alison Uttley books even after more than 50 years!

    Reply

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