Food around the area
Preston is on the edge of large agricultural areas and the soil is good. To the south west is the West Lancashire plain between the Ribble and Mersey. Loads of veg on the rich soil. To the north west is the Fylde for cattle, sheep and pigs. East are the Pennines, Bowland Forest and Ribble Valley all prime agriculture for mainly cattle - hence cheese. Sheep as well. Also in the area are shrimps from the Ribble Estuary, cockles from Morecambe Bay. Fish was once a major activity in Fleetwood but not any more.
Businesses and Local Specials
Organic Food; links to>
Growing with Nature, Pilling
For local home delivery box scheme. Link to their website:
link to http://www.growing-with-nature.co.uk/
Mr Alan 'growing with nature' Schofield making one of his many points about organic growing.
Robinsons Mammoth Onion, Forton, Nr Preston
Suppliers of seeds, specialist growers and major medal winners at
RHS Tatton and other major shows.
W. Robinson & Son (Seeds & Plants) Ltd
Sunny Bank, Forton, Nr. Preston, Lancs, PR3 0BN
Tel: +44 (0)1524 791210 Fax: +44 (0)1524 791933
Their display at Tatton RHS Show 2007.
Below is their display at Tatton RHS Show 2006
Preston Farmers' Market
Every Fourth Sunday Of The Month - 9.30am until 2.30pm
Large Outdoor Covered Market
Local Supermarket and Wine Merchant; E.H.Booth & Sons Ltd
Excellent and well priced selection of wine and beer. As well as good local produce.
Recently opened a new flagship store in Lytham. Combined with smart eatery, art gallery and Stringers Homelife. Quite smart. Not too far from Lytham centre. The gallery mainly features paintings by Richard Ansdell an artist who set up for a time in Lytham, making a big impression, and had the district called Ansdell named after him. One of the paintings was presented by the Booth family, they are mainly owned by Fylde Borough Council.
Edwin Henry Booth was born in Bury and moved to Preston, aged 15, to work at a grocers. He had a very poor childhood with little education but worked hard and at the age of 19, in 1847, persuaded his employer to lend him money to sell vegetables in Blackpool. This started the company so it is 160yrs old. The main store and HQ used to be where Waterstones is on Fishergate. Upstairs was a prim cafe with waitresses dressed in aprons, from recollection. The biggest stores, I think, are in Windermere and Highfield Road in Blackpool although the Lytham one is probably as big. In total there are 26 stores. A lot of the above has come from the label of Booths 160th Anniversary Ale bottle, brewed by Daleside Brewery, Harrogate, hope it's good.
I think my favourites at Booths are - for those with simple tastes;
Pattersons made with Olive Oil Oatcakes.
Summer Lightning Beer although I've started brewing my own so I don't get a lot now.
MRS KIRKHAM'S TRADITIONAL LANCASHIRE
THE KIRKHAM FAMILY,
BEESLEY FARM,
MILL LANE,
GOOSNARGH,
PRESTON,
LANCASHIRE PR3 2FL.
T: +44 (0) 1772 86533
F: +44 (0) 1772 86533
I've got to admit a soft spot for Mrs Kirkhams cheese.
Lancashire Cheese (protected name)
Lancashire cheese is said to have developed from Cheshire cheese. It is more difficult to make than a lot of cheeses as it uses curd of different ages to give it a crumbly texture and more tang in the taste. There are several types; creamy, mild, young, sharp, aged and acid.
Creamy is not crumbly and is said to be perfect , ideal in some opinion, for melting and use as toasted cheese.
In the Forest of Bowland area there are 7 Lancashire Cheesemakers, these are;
Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses
Dew-Lay
Greenfields Dairy
Mrs Kirkhams
Leagram Organic Dairy
JJ Sandham Ltd
Singletons Dairy
A 6 mile walk has been set out and a leaflet is available showing it. The route is marked by 'cheese' arrows. I picked one up for tasty Lancashire cheeses at Garstang Tourist Information.
Full details of the walk are on;
http://www.forestofbowland.com/visit_activities_walking.asp
Also there is a Lancashire cheese website;
My own comment is that these walks are likely to be in dairy areas and after being chased by bullocks at Malham Cove in 2006 I've never liked going into cattle fields. So we'll stick to the roads.
Lancashire Cheesemaker; Singletons
Chorley Cake
A flat round cake best with thin pastry. Any left over pastry can be made into a Chorley cake by putting currents and / or raisins on top and placing another piece over them and flattening it a bit. Put into the oven on a tray with the quiche or whatever you made the pastry for. Best with butter on but great without when fresh from the oven.
Chorley is a small town south of Preston.
Lancashire Cheesemaker; GreenfieldsLancashire Cheesemaker; Proctors
Eccles Cake
A puff pastry version of a Chorley cake covered in sugar. Usually not as flat as the fruit is free standing in the middle and usually not as wide, say 3 to 4 inches wide and three-quarters inch high.
Acknowledgement to an excellent site for regional food information; Click here
Barm Cake
A plain bun for making sandwiches.
Goosnargh Cake
A small richish pastry type cake, about 4 inches diameter and half an inch high containing coriandor or caraway seeds and covered in caster sugar. Although I only vaguely remember.
Goosnargh is a village / suburb north east of Preston. Sounds a bit Nordic.
Lancashire Hotpot
Butter Pie
A potato pie with no meat in it for eating on non-meat days such as Friday. Preston having a large Roman Catholic population.
Blackpool Rock - classic red outer with white inner and Blackpool all the way through. Hard and brittle although older sticks can be soft speaking from knowledge of 50yrs ago.
Schwan Food Company - Large employer in Leyland (European HQ) for Chicago Town Pizza.Fleetwood Fishermans Friend - small large tablet size losenge - hot.
Fox's Biscuits - Kirkham. Part of Northern Foods.Wigan Uncle Joes Mint Balls - hard, oval sweet, clear brown - hot.
Coronation Rock Company - BlackpoolScouse of Liverpool - hotpot with a crust.
Burtons Biscuits - BlackpoolEverton Toffee
My grandfather used to make this for when I arrived. A big tray of Everton Toffee. It was good. The closest now to that is Thorntons Special Toffee. That's good as well.
Myerscough Agricultural CollegeManchester Tart
Kendal Mintcake
Everyone knows the sweet, strong mint, cold on the tongue hot in the stomach of Kendal Mint Cake. There are a couple of manufacturers in Kendal. There is the sweet white version and the less sweet brown version. A chocolate covered version is now available - this is like a large crunchy After Eight mint and is a worthwhile experience.
Grasmere Gingerbread
Next to the church where Wordsworths grave lies is a small building, a cottage, where the smell of Grasmere Gingerbread emerges. It's good, large slabs of square gingerbread individually wrapped. Take some home if your car can take the weight, eat it immediately if not.
Food LinksEnglands Northwest Fantastic FoodsGreen Chronicle (not Preston)