Here at Wood Manor we have lots of snow coming down at the moment. Earlier this afternoon (around 3pm and before any snow had arrived) and after the media scare stories about the weather, Waitrose, Tesco's and other supermarkets were selling out of vitals. As reported by my mother-in-law, Waitrose doesn't even have mince or chickens!
@ 19:15
It's now close to 10pm and we have a few inches of snow, we are trapped, society is falling, with no means of escape we now have to wait until the spring for the thaw - if it ever comes - maybe we should have done a dance at the winter solstice, a load of deities must be pissed at the UK.
@ 21:16
This is of course unlike Norway where my wife and mother-in-law are from and would walk in a couple of metres of snow with society working perfectly well, where the school bus stops on the side of an icy road half way up a cliff to put on snow chains to avoid slipping further down the road and off the side of said cliff.
Now that being said and all things being equal the likely hood of me getting into London tomorrow is slim, but what's the point of being English if you can't complain about the weather.
But to keep you warm tonight and keep your spirits up I will now impart to you the only thing that will stop Stoke-on-Trent for being someplace you pass on the M6, I am of course, talking about Oatcakes.
The reason for this random part of the post is thus, it's snowing and when it's snowing you need a something warm and something filling - a hot oatcake.
It was one of the things that kept me going at uni each weekend, a great hangover cure and I lived just down the street from the "Hole in the wall", the last surviving front-room oatcake shop in Staffordshire - cooking the best oatcakes in Staffordshire. It was under threat of closure from the re-development of Stoke-on-Trent, but will be re-homed when they get around to that area.
Now however, for all those who have left Stoke and want a bit of oatcake goodness, you can buy online from those very great people who own the "Hole in the Wall" Glenn and Sue at www.oatcakes.org order by wednesday night and they will be sent out to you on thursday!
The way I have them is with sausage and cheese (as Glenn would say 'soss and cheese') or bacon and cheese or all both and cheese without sauce, however, apparently you are not a muppet, no matter what I say, for having a bit of red or brown sauce according to Pritch, the gent who introduced this food of the gods to me.
Anyway, here is what you do
- Buy said oatcakes from www.oatcakes.org
- Wait for delivery on the Friday after order
- Remove from packaging
- Layout
- Grate Cheshire Cheese (NOT Cheddar it doesn't taste right and goes rubbery)
- Add your selection of meat if desired
- Place on oatcakes
- Grill - open
- Fold in half once cheese has started to melt
- Grill some more - folded
- Ready to eat!
