The hyper-local food thread

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

Mixed grill on a shovel, of course carbomb likes it. Made me want to punch my phone. 

[Carbomb]

1 hour ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

Mixed grill on a shovel, of course carbomb likes it. Made me want to punch my phone. 

I was liking the cow pie, goddammit. Don't tell me you wouldn't do like Desperate Dan if you could.

[Lorne Malvo]

On 8/12/2024 at 11:18 PM, TibBo said:

Mad O'Rourke's Pie Factory
Tipton, West Midland

They used to do a huge cow pie with pastry horns sticking out the top (a la Desperate Dan).
If you managed to eat it all, the chef would come out and have a photo with you, shake your hand and give you a certificate.
 

They still do the Desperate Dan pie and you still get a certificate if you eat it all (although I don't think you get a photo with the chef anymore).

Pie Factory is a difficult one though. As nice as it is, the staff are so miserable and the gaffer is a massive arsehole (that probably explains the miserable staff, actually) that I really have to weigh up the pros and cons if I fancy going there.

Mixed grill on a shovel can get to fuck though.

My suggestion isn't an actual place but more a local delicacy that we've mentioned a few times in the chippy thread - the battered orange chips you find in the Black Country are incredible and if you're a chippy connoisseur they're worth going out of your way to try.

[RedTwoster]

On 8/12/2024 at 4:31 PM, Ironic Indie Lad said:

It's fairly easy to avoid just based on how fucking busy it is to be fair. Whenever I walk by and think "might get a black pudding supper..." I am then put off by the enormous groups of people waiting outside for their order. 

Oh, and with that in mind - here's another one...

Stornoway Black Pudding

I genuinely have no idea how well this one is known outside of Scotland. Obviously I'm aware that black pudding is available all over the country, but frankly, unless it's Stornoway Black Pudding, it tastes like shit to me. I'm not sure what they do with it up there (Stornoway is a town in the Western Isles of Scotland, for those of you who don't know) but it's absolutely incredible and tastes very different from any other black pudding I've tried. They sell it in almost every farm shop I've bee in across Scotland and in a lot of high end butchers too, and I always buy it when I see it. 

[Carbomb]

2 hours ago, RedTwoster said:

Oh, and with that in mind - here's another one...

Stornoway Black Pudding

I genuinely have no idea how well this one is known outside of Scotland. Obviously I'm aware that black pudding is available all over the country, but frankly, unless it's Stornoway Black Pudding, it tastes like shit to me. I'm not sure what they do with it up there (Stornoway is a town in the Western Isles of Scotland, for those of you who don't know) but it's absolutely incredible and tastes very different from any other black pudding I've tried. They sell it in almost every farm shop I've bee in across Scotland and in a lot of high end butchers too, and I always buy it when I see it. 

Ah, that's something to look forward to. I've wanted to visit Stornoway for a long time, for two reasons:

1. I'm a huge Runrig fan

2. My little sister, when she was about four or five years old, thought we lived there, because whenever the weather forecast came up, Stornoway was always one of the places listed; she'd heard so many times that "we live on an island", and it never occurred to her that the big ol' map of the UK was the island in question, so she thought Stornoway was it. We've been planning on going on a family holiday there one day, just for the shits and giggles of it. It looks like a beautiful place to visit though.

 

Any idea what makes it taste different? Black pudding's something I've come to relatively late; as a kid, I found it too salty and it made me very thirsty. But I definitely enjoy it now.

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

This beauty is Myers of Horncastle Plum Bread. It's a tea loaf with mixed fruit, no plums though. Not overly fruited, ideally eaten with butter and cheddar cheese. I was virtually weaned on the stuff as we lived 5 minutes from the bakery. Other plum loafs over fruit the mixture, this is just the right ratio. 

[RedTwoster]

30 minutes ago, Carbomb said:

Ah, that's something to look forward to. I've wanted to visit Stornoway for a long time, for two reasons:

1. I'm a huge Runrig fan

2. My little sister, when she was about four or five years old, thought we lived there, because whenever the weather forecast came up, Stornoway was always one of the places listed; she'd heard so many times that "we live on an island", and it never occurred to her that the big ol' map of the UK was the island in question, so she thought Stornoway was it. We've been planning on going on a family holiday there one day, just for the shits and giggles of it. It looks like a beautiful place to visit though.

 

Any idea what makes it taste different? Black pudding's something I've come to relatively late; as a kid, I found it too salty and it made me very thirsty. But I definitely enjoy it now.

I was going to DM you some non black pudding-related info you might find helpful, but apparently you can't receive messages (full inbox?)

I don't actually like black pudding outside of the Stornoway variety. It might just be a case of this being my first experience of it, and it's ruined all other varieties as a result because the gulf between Stornoway and non-Stornoway BP is so significant. 

[Carbomb]

Just now, RedTwoster said:

I was going to DM you some non black pudding-related info you might find helpful, but apparently you can't receive messages (full inbox?)

I don't actually like black pudding outside of the Stornoway variety. It might just be a case of this being my first experience of it, and it's ruined all other varieties as a result because the gulf between Stornoway and non-Stornoway BP is so significant. 

That's weird, didn't know my inbox was full - I'm not a mod, so don't deliberately keep it full. Thanks.

Definitely something to look forward to then!

[SuperBacon]

This thread has reminded me that one of the local bakeries in the village recently had a "gypsy tart" (come on behave) in and I bought a slice, which is something I haven't had since I was growing up.

I wonder if it's just a London/southern thing or if any other areas had/have it? Seems quite an old fashioned thing to be honest.

They also do a sticky lardy cake but I can imagine that's a Northern thing without looking

 

[Carbomb]

Had to look up gypsy tart. Thankfully, my search history algorithm remains intact, as the cake was the first thing that came up. Looks very nice, and sounds exactly like something I would have - made with evaporated or condensed milk, that's definitely going to be something my sweet tooth loves.

[MungoChutney]

2 hours ago, Carbomb said:

 

 

Any idea what makes it taste different? Black pudding's something I've come to relatively late; as a kid, I found it too salty and it made me very thirsty. But I definitely enjoy it now.

They use a slightly different recipe I think. Beef suet is part of it, maybe something else. It has protected status in that you can't call it Stornoway black pudding unless it's actually made there. 

[Hannibal Scorch]

2 hours ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

 tea loaf with mixed fruit, ideally eaten with bcheddar cheese. 

 

Fucking behave! Do not try and throw in eating fruit loaf and cheese is just a normal thing, No wonder this country has boiled over. 

Edited August 14, 2024 by Hannibal Scorch

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

7 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

Fucking behave! Do not try and throw in eating fruit loaf and cheese is just a normal thing, No wonder this country has boiled over. 

It is a normal thing, the same way you would eat cheese with Dundee cake. 

[JLM]

Oh yeah, a good strong cheddar with a slightly sweet accompaniment is a winner. A lot of crackers have sweetness to them, most cracker selections have those ones that are just digestive biscuits in there. Chutneys and pickles are sugary as hell too, and were only invented because people don’t want to admit they’re eating cheese with jam. True story. 

[SuperBacon]

I'd eat cheese with absolutely anything.