J is a ’scouser’ and I’ve been talking to him about his ‘Northern Origins’ (as he says). He was saying that he was brought up on Bubble & Squeak, Black Pudding, Everton Mints and Pigs Trotters.. apparently his father is fan of them. I didn’t realise that pigs trotters were ‘English’… My other side of me is German, so I knew they go potty about pig trotters and when you talk about it to people in the South, they ‘think it’s weird’.
I did find Everton Mints in Woolies recently and bought him some. It’s not always easy to find. He was pretty happy about having some.
Hi, love the idea of your blog; a subject after my own heart. I spotted a reference to it on Enitharmon’s Cave.
Some English grub doesn’t seem to “travel”. In particular the fascination with pig products doesn’t make it south of the Midlands.
I went to university in Leicester and as well as the usual joints, sausages and ham my local butchers sold haslet, brawn, trotters, roasted pig’s cheek, and hearts.
The meat stalls on the Leicester indoor market sold all forms of game – pigeons and rabbit were particularly cheap and there was one stall devoted to tripe. Despite a Northern upbringing I can’t bear to eat it but it was thriving. Most of its customers seemed to be elderly Afro-Caribbean ladies. I wonder if it is still there, as I left almost 20 years ago?
What is about the North and their fascination for offal? I’m not surprised this kind of food has ‘travelled down south’! Saying that some hotels have black pudding down here but I think ‘that’s to please the Northerners, think most Southerners turn their nose up at that but I like it occasionally and try not to think about ‘what’s in it’. We get a bit ’sanitised’ down here.
When I was in Blackpool I saw bags and bags of huge pork crackling being sold in market. It was great, I loved it. But, with that kind of food, no wonder some parts of the Northern are unhealthy.. still, what a way to go.
Amazing to hear of a stall devoted to tripe, I wonder if that’s still going strong?