Big British Food Map Scoffing Staffordshire

Date Published:

17/06/2008

Andrew scoffed his way round Staffordshire sampling the delights of local cheese and cake

What a fine spread

Day off today where I cooked Sunday lunch for my family. I had two little helpers who did a splendid job of shelling peas and broad beans.

Resisted the glorious sunshine to write up my weekend tour around Staffordshire and South Cheshire. After a day spent doing that I took myself off down the pub for a cheeky pint.

Mine's a double

At mid-afternoon I rushed outside like one of Pavlov's dogs because I heard the chimes of an ice cream van. Ah the memories came flooding back. When I was a lad 25p would get you a cone, with sherbet in the bottom and raspberry sauce and a hot potato bubble gum for afters. Occasionally I went off piste and went for a Wham! bar. But those were the days when I was eking out my pocket money, now I can have anything I like so I went for a double - yeah that's right - double Mr Whippy with a flake, strawberry sauce and hundreds and thousands. Yours (or more accurately mine) for £1.20. The afternoon sailed by on a sugar high.

It's sunny in Stockport for about three days a year

Paid a visit to 39 Steps restaurant and had a mooch around Wilmslow. In the evening I headed to Stockport College to the private view of the Foundation Course, a course I attended way back in 1993. They say you can never go back, and do you know what? They're right.
I got chatting to the girl who was exhibiting in the space where I used to sit. She explained her thinking behind the piece and then said 'Sorry are you Sarah so-and-so's Dad?' I was crushed. I thought I was down with the kids, now this slip of a lass thinks I'm someone's Dad! Maybe it's the beard, it's added a few years.
I went across the road to the pub that we all used to go to, the Nelson. There was a young lanky lad and his squeeze at the bar both wearing Doc Martins, all full of teenage angst and ambitious artistic intentions, plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose. Couldn't resist the chippy afterwards either.

Checked out Horseshoe Farm shop, Alderley Edge today, on it there's a bakery run by Duncan, the chef from 39 Steps. He sublets a bit of it to Katja who makes cup cakes and who also coincidentally teaches HND art at Stockport college, who I met last night. In the evening I headed into Manchester to meet up with an old school chum and her fella. Back at theirs I got a crash course in World of Warcraft. I got to thinking are there any good restaurant/cafe/taverns/chefs in World of Warcraft? In the meantime, barbecued buzzard wings anyone?

Had a nose around Manchester today then headed back to London in the afternoon as tomorrow I'm speaking at Interesting 2008 about this project. The Guardian are going to webcast it I think, so if you want to see me talking through the highs and the lows for five minutes you can, or you can watch me chatting to Matthew Fort on UKTV's Market Kitchen I recorded last week, it's being shown this coming Wednesday 25th at 7pm.

Bigging up the big map

Spoke at Interesting 2008 today alongside a host of other cool, knowledgeable and ultimately interesting people. Each speaker was given five minutes, which by the time you've said hello, introduced yourself and told people what you're planning to talk about, is really four minutes. But that's a good thing, and it was a real pleasure to be asked to speak about the Big British Food Map. I've met so many interesting people along the way that it was difficult to choose what to talk about. But in the end I summed up the whole experience so far as this: there's bags of talent and experience out there, as well as lots of diversity and new and interesting products and businesses, and finally everyone has been incredibly open and transparent and keen to talk to me about what they do. But you the public are the other key thing, so if you know of something 'interesting' in your area, please add it to the map.

A walk in a park followed by roast chicken, what Sundays are made for.

Last week Andrew was in the Black Country.

Next he's off to Liverpool.

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