Staffordshire Oatcakes

miniature oatcake
© F H Powell 2008

The Staffordshire Oatcake hails from north Staffordshire from an area known as the Potteries. This area in and around Stoke on Trent was home to illustrious fine china manufacturers such as Wedgwood, Royal Doulton and Spode.

The oatcake is a pancake usually about 9 inches (21 cm) in diameter. Although each shop that makes oatcakes guards its recipe, the basic ingredients are: oatmeal, water, milk, flour salt, sugar and yeast. The liquid mixture is poured on to a hot griddle (or a frying pan in domestic situations) cooked turned and served. The oatcake is not eaten for its own merits. The oatcake is filled with a range of foods including bacon, sausage, eggs, cheese or sometimes jams or preserves.

During the 18th century, at the height of the pottery manufacturing industry, it was traditional for workers to take oatcakes to work, as it provided a convenient method of carrying and protecting their food.

Although a food most associated with the now declining pottery industry, it still continues to flourish today and the appeal of the oatcake extends beyond its traditional home. Mail order and Internet oatcake supplies continue to trade and some national supermarkets across the UK now carry them.