Recipe for North Staffordshire Oatcake

I CUT THIS RECIPE OUT OF THE SENTINEL WHEN IT WAS PRINTED SOME YEARS AGO BUT, PIECES OF PAPER GO ASTRAY. I HAVE MADE THE OATCAKES AND IF I SAY SO MYSELF THEY ARE EXTREMELY TASTY. I EVEN GOT ORDERS FROM FAMILY MEMBERS. THANKS FOR PUTTING THE RECIPE ONLINE SO I CAN CONTINUE MAKING THEM.

Glad you found it useful – I didn't know it was in the Sentinel, it was posted to me when we were out of the country and couldn't find the Potteries answer to haute cuisine.

Thanks Mr Harrison…

I love them, my father lived there and he loved them. This is the third time I have used your recipe and it works well. Thanks!

Howard

Food of the gods! Glad you're enjoying them. For years the recipe was secret but now we can enjoy them everywhere. I'm amazed they've not become popular outside of north Staffs. We've had visitors from abroad and they've really taken to them. I don't think they were just being polite.

Thanks for the recipe! I live in Brazil and have always enjoyed oatcakes when I grew up in Shropshire. We have started making them here using the recipe you have provided. We have a sunday school and take large batches of Oatcakes for the children, we have about 39 children come along to the Sunday School…..even some mothers and grandparents come along and sit in the Sunday school and get an oatcake. Last sunday we saw a small child showing signs of malnutrition with a large distended stomach…It's difficult to believe with Brazil being relatively wealthy this should be so, but the oatcakes at least go someway to helping children like these. Thankyou so much for letting us have the recipe!

Thanks ever so much!! My boyfriend is from stoke and missed his oatcakes. So im in the kitchen making them about twice a week now! Also a big thanks fom my boyfriend.
An John, im dutch and love oatcakes with cheese and hp sauce. they can get me out of bed for them. But then again i've lived in England and got used to the taste of English food.

I'm old enough to be absolutely amazed at getting posts from Brazil and Holland! Oatcakes are, like many of the best dishes, 'peasant' food. Cheap, filling and easy to cook. I've never understood how come everyone in the UK at least isn't addicted to them. Food of the gods!

Hi, Many thanks for posting this, I'm on my own in the USA for 6 months and being a Hanley boy, miss my oatcakes!
My local shops recipie was a closely guarded secret so only now I can try to re-create north stafs in northern Illinois.

Hi Alex – maybe you'll end up with a chain of oatcake shops across the USA! But can you get Cheshire cheese and Branston?

Hi thanks for this recipe,
we live in Tenerife, so we miss our oatcakes!!!
great with chesse, bacon, sausages, tomatoes, eggs!!!
the list goes on! now got to find the ingredients!!
will make them as soon as I can
cheers J & K

The oatcake is also alive and kicking in Perth, Western Australia. I can't live without my oatcakes so have been making them here downunder for 13 yrs since i moved here.
The aussies love them too.

MB

I love them. Used to buy them at local Sainsbury's a few years ago, but they no longer stock them… a shame!
SG

Hi there – I'm very happy to have found this recipe as I'm an ex Stokie now living in Bulgaria!

Can you tell me is it fresh yeast that you need to use or is dried ok?

Can't wait to be making me own oatcakes as I have a fridge full of imported cheese and branston that just isn't the same on toast!
Nat x

Hey there, I'm an ex Stokie now living in down under Melbourne AUS i miss my oatcakes we used to get really good ones from the Haymarket in Tunstall many moons ago, dad got the recipe from the shop owner when he went back for a holiday and made them out here up until he passed away, where abouts in SOT did u live? Lindsay

Many thanks for the recipe,
Interested to hear about the Leamington Spa Hotel sending out for supplies. Can't get them here now. I moved down to the Leamington Spa area twelve years ago and I usually get supplies every now and again when I visit family in Eccleshall. Managed to convert everyone who have sampled them from me and I will now try my hand at making some.
Kind regards
Rob

Thanks for this – goes without saying you can't get oatcakes in Japan (i'm still yet to find baked beans or gravy!) but not for long!!! I'm going to try the recipe tonight.

Would be interesting to see if anyone has tried introducing oatcakes back to India?

Thanks for your recipe ,my late husband was a baker and we have an aga cooker so oatcakes were made quite often ,however since he passed away I only make then now and then ,thanks for the recipe and method ,the batch is rising as I type so must go and get busy, all the best from Derbyshire.
I still prefer the Staffordshire recipe so here's to Happy Oatcaking,
yours B,Pennington

My Gran used to make Staffordshire oatckes for me when I was a child, growing up in Newcastle under Lyme.
What a treat to find this recipe,now I can make them for my Southern boyfriend whom up till yet,has never had the pleasure!

First tasted them 3 yrs ago when working in Stoke. Got them from a small shop near the Royal Doulton factory I think absolutely gorgeous. Surprised they haven't become more widespread.Wish someone would start selling them in Liverpool

Waitrose still sell them, as do Booths. Booths also sell Lancashire oatcakes, but I prefer the Staffs ones.
Just made a batch from the above recipe and was pleased with the results. I only had medium oatmeal though. It didn't seem to be a problem.

i used this recipe. and made some oatcakes. and what they were really lovely. the only problem i had was to get hold of the oatmeal. and my father managed to get some from Morrison's. as i couldn't get it from tesco or asda. so used the morn flake oatmeal. these oatcakes are really tasty. and i will continue to make them for my family. my 2 brothers who are living in cork Ireland. asked me to send them some over. so i will send them some oatcakes over.

Hi from Thailand,just heard a breakfast bar in Pattaya is making them and they look lovely on the pics provided to the site.The stokie guy is a chef at the restaraunt
as they say

stokies here stokies there

My Grandy and Grandma lived just outside Stoke in Draycott le Moors… Oatcakes are a way of life in those parts. I worked for a while in Cardiff and my Pals from Stoke used to bring them down for my family. I can say hand on heart they are the nicest breakfast known to man!! Thanks for the recipe, I'm out in Germany now and I am just about to make some.

Thanks for the recipe. I saw a letter in the Guardian on Saturday about oatcakes and looked up for a recipe. It is wonderful. I have slightly changed it by adding oatbran for a colestrol problem. The result is slight heavier but will do the trick for me. Thanks again. I was tired of eating muffins. Mary

Thanks for this! I was recently back in Staffordshire and couldn't wait to eat oatcakes. Needless to say, I can't get them in Tokyo, but I'll be trying your recipe this weekend.

Hi just thought id say thanks, this recipe will be going to bendorm in Nov. I'm from Wigan but live in St Annes on sea and I am fortunate enough to have a brill mate in Burslem who puts up with and puts us up an always gets oatcakes for me at 8-30am Sun Thanks to Paul and Mandy

I saw them on Rick Stein programme they look wonderful so now I will be making them in Brisbane OZ thankyou …

I'm a Leek boy living in Brisbane. Looking forward to making some Oatcakes
Thanks.

I am so pleased to finally have this recipe….. I remember how amazed and in awe I was of the oatcake when I 1st visited Stafford as a child…. I will be making these as soon as I ytrack down some oatmeal here in deepest darkest Africa!

Having just visited Chatsworth Farm shop and bought some delicious, albeit expensive oatcakes, "I bet we could make these" lead to googling 'recipes for oatcakes'. And so I have discovered your website and it is wonderful! I am the Healthy Eating advisor for Lincs Healthy schools and I have a list of useful websites which I give out to schools who are interested in introducing food into their school, whether it is via the curriculum or an after school cook club. Your website is definately going to be addedto the list!

I was very pleased to find this recipe. I am a Birmingham girl and have been buying these oatcakes from my local Tesco. Problem is, Tesco's ordering system is very unreliable and I have been unable to buy them for some weeks. I shall try making my own instead!

Thank you for posting this recipe, I am originally for Stoke on Trent and have been living in Vancouver Canada for the past 9 years.

Just tried the recipe and it was a little slice of heaven.

Thanks Again

When you put the liquid onto the cooking area use the base of the ladle to push the liquid out as far as it will go before setting. This is important to get a thin product. just pouring it on and then letting it cook will produce a cake that could be too thick to roll easily, just tried some of Tesco Staffordshire Oatcakes, far too thick and also very small.
I use an ultra hot chilli beef mix to roll in mine also a beefy bolognaise mix(when I have run out of Bacon that is).

North Cheshire : Sainsburys sell them in this area and we love them ! None of our recipe books mention them, so a quick Google and here you are ! Top of the list and rightly so. Our thanks for your recipe.

Dubai calling, my whole family (apart from me funnily enough) were born in the Stoke area. My Mum and Dad actually met whilst both working on The Sentinel. A career move for Dad relocated us to Manchester (Sale) but we regularly visited relatives in Stoke and stocked up. I tried making my own from an internet recipe but I wasn't 100% happy so I sent away (internet) for a mixture which worked well (despite the fact that it was mis-mailed to Vncouver, Canada) – Stoke-Vancouver-Dubai ! ! I will try your recipe next weekend and thanks.

The recipe as shown here is the one I have used at home for a couple of years here in Australia, and the oatcakes certainly are delicious. However, I went to North Staffordshire for the first time in my life in September 2009, and patronized a great little oatcake shop in Leek a couple of times. For some reason, the oatcakes I bought there were flatter than the ones I make, indicating that their batter is much thinner than mine, and if I made my oatcakes with a diameter of 22cm, that would be a day's food. Has anyone any explanation of why my mix seems to be so much thicker than the actual Staffs batter? Oatcakes are sensational with just about anything. We tend to have them wrapped around a banana or warm with honey drizzled over. They are especially good with vegemite, but only we Aussies would know about that!

just made my first batch, delicious, so simple

Thanks for posting your recipe. My husband used to go apple picking up in Stoke when he was a teenager (he's now retired) and was telling me stories of devouring what he only knew as "oatcakes" – now I can surprise him with your recipe! We live in Portugal now but are about to return for Christmas in the UK so Oatmeal is on the shopping list! Happy baking!

thank you for this recipe, we are from stoke but we live in Bulgaria.
ive found a supermarket here that sells Blakemans sausages….i just needed the oatcakes to go with them.
thanks again.

Excellant thanks so much! We live in Brisbane but are back in Staffs for Christmas with the family. My sister always stocks up her freezer with oatcakes for when we visit and we gorge on them but now we can make our own anytime. You've made an ex-pat very happy!

Have just made oatcakes for the first time using porridge oats blitzed in the food processor and easy blend dried yeast. The results were fantastic and they were so simple to make. I'll never buy them again!

Hi, rather than officers returning from India, I think you'll find the history of the North Staffordshire oatcake goes a lot further than that. They are supposedly a product of necessity, developed during the Jacobite rising of 1745. A bunch of Jacobites had become trapped around the Newcastle under Lyme area and as supplies (of their main staple, oatmeal), started to run low, they needed to eke them out. So rather than porridge, they added more water to make a batter and the oatcake was born

I am a South African and was introduced to these in 1999 by my wife's cousin in Cheadle whilst visiting the UK. The shop owner refused to give me the recipe as we lived "too close" and would be competition. I have tried a few recipes from the net but this one is tops.
We will eat them again tonight!

Hi!
I was born in Tunstall and grew up in SOT, until I left for London in the early seventies, after a great education at Stanfields Technical High School on High Lane.

I have been fortunate to have lived and worked in Europe, the U.S. Central America and the Caribbean, and have lived in Canada since the mid eighties. I live on a medicinal herb farm in Ontario with my wife and daughter.

Why all the history? Well during all that time I never forgot my roots and education in SOT. When I was a teenager, a friend of mine lived in an Oatcake store in Cobridge, and I got to see and participate in all the process (Pikelets anyone?). My brothers and sister and I grew up on Oatcakes and fish and chips (it was what we could afford). I often mentioned Oatcakes to my Canadian wife and daughter, and filled them in on their history as a food. Before I left SOT, some friends and I ran a vegetarian cafe at Keele University (adjacent the uni bar!) and 80% of the food items served were Oatcake based. We even had Friday night Oatcake eating contests (Oatcakes and melted cheese). I think the record was either 17 or 23 Oatcakes!

Thanks for the great recipe… my Canadian family and friends LOVE Staffordshire Oatcakes, and would never have heard of them or tasted them, but for my SOT youth and your perfect recipe. Now if only I could get "proper" Cheshire cheese!

Staffordshire oatcakes are not a modern invention by soldiers, although I see the resemblance to chipatis, they are in fact hundreds of years old, a staple that could not be eaten in summer months because they soured and overfermented. Aren't we lucky to have fridges. Great recipe, works slightly better than another I had. My daughter loves them with peanut butter, I'm a houmous and rocket girl myself.

Oatcakes and I met while on a recent visit with friends in Staffordshire. Being a fan of quesedillas (torillas and cheese) I took to oatcakes like a duck to, er, oatcakes! Thanks for printing this recipe so that I can continue my love affair with Staffs cooking!

Ive been living in mallorca for 17 years and theres 2 things i miss about home Oatcakes and mince burgers from terrys…..love to all back home .thanx for the recipe john. ps if anyone can pop in to terrys at the potteries center and ask him for his mince burger recipe that would be nice. over and out

Hi just found your site and am well chuffed hubby is from SOT and does bring oatcakes home for us when he manages to get to the football but with 2 daughters a son and granddaughter they don"t last long at all so will be definitely trying your recipe THANKS a welshie

I lived in Stoke for 6 years before moving to Korea. I have just discovered a source of oatmeal here, and am now very keen to give this a go. I wonder what the Koreans will think of Stokie Oatcakes for breakfast? It'll make a change from rice and seaweed soup!

Be very careful with oatcakes I have recently found them in 2 months I have undone my weight loss efforts of last summer and clapped on 1 stone through one bacon cheese and tomato oatcake as a Friday treat at work and 2 of the same on Saturday and Sundays. They are very delicious had to take to exercise now to enjoy this delicacy……simple peasant food at it's best. Michelin star restaurants why do you think Michelin have a tyre plant in Stoke!

When I was little, we, mum,dad and 3 kids walked 2 and a half miles to church on an empty stomach every sunday for the 8.15 am Mass at Bucknall. On the way there we passed an oatcake shop opposite Newhouse Road, making oatcakes and the aroma drove us mad with hunger. On the walk back again (no car, no buses) we bought those freshly done oatcakes for our breakfasts and it was eleven o'clock before we got to eat that delicous meal of oatcakes, bacon, egg, tomato! I can't begin to tell you what a feast it was!
This would be in the 1950's.
I still eat oatcakes on a regular basis and now , thanks to your recipe, I am about to make my own! Thanks John! You are a gem!

I'm an ex-Burslem lad now living in Virginia, USA. A friend just sent me this recipe as I'm a die hard oatcaker. High Lane Oatcakes were the best. I even got my Mother to bring a batch with her on the last trip over. Fortunatley there is a place called World Market where you can by HP Sauce (amongst other imported English foods) and you can get Heinz Beans from Harris Teeter I will be trying this out asap THANKS !

ooooh yummy this is one of my favourite snacks but i lost my old recipe so thankyou for putting this on

Staffy oatcakes are one of the main things I missed once moving to Australia*. Best thing you can do with them is get some asparagus and Cheshire cheese. Heat a grill and crumble the cheese into small lumps. Boil the asparagus for 2/3 minutes and heat (NOT TOAST) the oatcakes on one side (pref the side the holes!)

Remove the oatcakes from the grill pan – place 2 spears of asparagus in the middle and cover with Cheshire Cheese, wack back under the grill until the cheese is melted….. roll up the oatcake and eat!

*the other is Vimto!

many thanks for the recipe, my wife and i are now living in Thailand, and one of the things we miss from back home are oat cakes , we now make them regularly with your recipe. they are a great hit with all our friends over here .. as a expat stokie i must say the recipe is bang on authentic thanks for passing it on Arthur..

Thanks for the recipe. I make oatcakes slightly differently, but this recipe is just as good.
I was born in Hanley and studied both food preparation and food history. I did find that oatcakes were reportedly brought to Britain and the Scottish boarders by the Romans who were particularly efficient at making their supplies go as far as possible and keep their troops fed.
I've seen recipes where they made oatcakes stuffed with dates, herbs, honey etc.
Whatever you put with them – enjoy!

Thanks to my bestfriend who moved from London to Stoke-on-Trent, I've had the pleasure of oatcakes every time i went to visit her, the last one dating last march. Now thanks to this post, I don't have to cross the channel to have my next serving; now I can enjoy the taste of Stoke right here in Antwerp, Belgium. What's more, my hubby and kids love it too. Thanks John.

I like oatcakes a lot! yum
thankyou for the helpful tips and the informative history of oatcakes.

all the best
an oatcake fan

In response to Jacky Hall-Hi, I live in Bucknall and just thought you would like to know that the oatcake shop you describe on Werrington Road, opposite new house, is still here! And a very much loved shop, despite there now being a chinese, chippy, and co op store, the oatcake shop is still the one I visit most.
*I guess before I found this website I didnt realise how lucky I am to enjoy its simple delights on a regular basis. Glad that a recipe allows you the same . This recipe is brill, great for when the shop is closed and I need my oatcake fix! Also gives me a sense of pride that I'm from Staffordshire, and can make Staffordshire oatcakes! Thanks so much

Living in Thailand and miss my oatcakes,but had a stroke of luck.Met a stokie guy over heere and his mum and dad live with him too.He is making oatcakes from home and they are beautiful.Now he is making cheese and a cheesey oatcake nearly every day now.

Thanks for showing the recipe for Staffordshire oatcakes. These were a family favourite for myself and brother as we grew up, my favourite way of serving was with butter + jam or golden syrup, thanks again.

Just eaten my first ever Staffordshire oatcake I opted for maple syrup and it was delish – when I've got room for another, and going to try crispy bacon and cheese.

My only complaint is that despite often making bread and having extensive baking experience with yeast, the blonde in me took over and it never occurred to me that the batter would more than double in size so there was a rather large mess in my kitchen lol!

For the person who said they couldn't get hold of oatmeal, I just stuck some rolled oats in my blender – worked a charm

Thanks a lot – absolutely delicious!!!

Don't forget it's Oatcake day this Sunday, 8th August 2010

I buy Staffordshire oatcakes from my local Sainsburys every week (it's not breakfast without one) , but will give the recipe a go.

Loved me oatcakes when I lived in Stoke but sadly theres nothing that come near to them in Turkey, so thanks for the recipe shall be having a proper breakfast at last.

Travel to northern india on a semi regular basis. Himalchal and Rajisthan.

They do make an oaty version of some of the breads but it depends on the region and what is the staple grown grain.

Personaly i love roti while i am out there, paticulaly butter roti, and wondered if there was a way of making an oaty roti?

As for taking oatcakes back to Inida – maybe next time…. They certainly have the street and home sellers that used to be the way oatcakes were bought in stoke – in fact i'd guess you'd be able to find someone selling them if you went to the right area of India.

Made these years ago and loved them. Thank you for the recipe. Have been looking for it for ages.

I'm an expatriate potter (Wolstanton) living in Canada (since 1962)
and miss the oatcakes very much.
I've got my son and his family eating them, my grand children love them.

Keep up the good work.

Hi
Want to make these myself could you tell me where you get your fine oatmeal and wholewheat flour from.
Thanks

Brilliant . I live in Hull and have a recipe from a great Staffy lady who runs the cattery where our pussies go on holiday . Will try this one though . Will BLITZ the blend and see what happens . Keep up the good work >
Regs . Al

Hi I live in Austria now but was brought up in Cheshire. I have been telling my husband for ages about oatcakes now I can make them for him.

Oh, thank you Val and John, what a lovely surprise! My mother grew up in Staffordshire and she used to make them for Sunday tea when I was a child. I'm off work waiting for an operation, but now I'm half-way through making some oatcakes, and the smell is already cheering me up fabulously. When I get back to normal, I'm planning to carry on making them. Thanks so much for making it possible!

Thanks for posting the recipe! Bought some of these about 8 or 9 years ago in London @ Neal's Yard Dairy. Loved them and craving them since. Nothing quite like them here in Seattle.

Hi – From Stoke, but have now lived in Greece for the past seven years. Can't get oatmeal as such, but found that ordinary oats are available – just put them in a food processor & whirr down into meal… Works fine, as does your recipe – Thanks !

I simply can't believe just how popular these oatcakes are! Back in UK this summer, only place I could buy them was at a market in Wells in Somerset. Back in Tasmania (OZ) now & having to make my own again, brain numbs up converting fresh yeast to dry tho! Any tips? Thanks

Are you still in the U/S, I am in Lake Geneva Wisconsin, but from Leek Road, Hanley.

Oatcakes filled with sausage and cheese or bacon and cheese are my fave's. Cooked under the grill NEVER in a microwave.
I always use 2 cheese's mature chedder and cheshire. Mmmmm the best.

from potteries area but now living in Australia – this recipe is a Godsend – thank you so very much.

Born in Tean many years ago, brought up on oatcakes and butter hot or cold and rolled. Seem to remember after we moved to Coventry an old man used to bring the family 3 dozen every Saturday morning before returning to Leamington. Could this be the same supplier to the Leamington Hotel – for the life of me can't remember his name but if you're still around fond memories abound. Also remember driving to Stoke in the early hours of a Saturday morning in the late fifties early sixties just to get some of the first ones made. Pancakes, chipattis you can keep the lot, there's only one food of the gods a staffordshire Oatcake.
Brian

As a Stokie I love my oatcakes, and always will, however, would you believe, I am unable to find a decent oatcake in Stafford!!
I can get a certain mass produced brand but refuse to buy them due to their lack of quality.
Consequently I have endured many, regular trips to Stoke on the bus.
No need to do that now though because I can make my own!
Big, big thanks for the recipe.

Living 200 ks south of Perth, Western Australia, 35 years now. I started making oatcakes 30 years ago. same recipe, it's a good one. I have converted a lot of aussies to them, not one bad comment. Some of you ask about stone ground oats. Make your own. Just buy rolled oats, put them in your blender. You can have them as rough or smooth as you want. Also if your batter gets to thick only thin out with warm milk, never water. So well done guys, keep them oatcakes rolling. Re Trevor Fenton 17 2 2011 ps I came from Longton.

Having lived in Staffordshire for a couple of years, oatcakes are our favourite brunch! Thanks for sharing the love!

My husband and I have lived in Spain for the last 6 years, and are now regularly selling oatcakes on four local markets, we make them freshly and they are being enjoyed now by many different nationalities, who are filling them with many various ingredients, the Spanish particularly seem to like them, once sampled, about 80% buy them.

woohoo….I'm Stafford born and bred but now living in Burnley…..I've just read your post and being a lover of Staffordshire Oatcakes I'm going to give your recipe a try so many many thanks for posting. I have looked down the posts here and see that your Staffy Oatcakes are going round the world. How amazing is that. Well done to you for promoting our lovely County. I miss Stafford and I miss the oatcakes…Tescos/Sainsbury's are a poor substitute for the real thing. oh, and yes….its STAFFORDSHIRE i.e. Stoke…oatcakes that are the original and best and not er Derbyshire!!! lol *waits for the flack* hehe

Delighted to see your recipe for Staffs oatcakes and to read all the comments from people who love them. I sent off for several dozen last year, but couldn't eat them as they smelt and tasted of bicarbonate of soda. Thank goodness your recipe is authentic. The dreadful bicarb recipe was given to the Hairy Bikers, and they in turn gave out that recipe.

Thank you very much, I can now make my own. (as I live too far from the Potteries)

I can't wait to try and make these! My Dad is from Stoke but has been in NZ for 30+ years now. When I went to the UK and met my family there, my cousin cooked up oatcakes with bacon, melted cheese and mushrooms. They were delicious! I can't wait to make them for my family here!

Was born in Tunstall, grew up in Fegg Hayes, went to Hanley High School and did my electrical apprenticeship on the Potteries. Loved my Wrights pies and Oatcakes. My Dad (or I when I was >12 or so) used to walk down to the local 'Oatcake Shop' in Fegg Hayes on a Sunday morning. Have lived in Canada for the last 34 years (have worked from Southern Canada to the Arctic and in every province from East to West). My wife is Canadian and is a fabulous cook, 20 years ago she made me 'steak and kidney pudding' but couldn't get over the 'suet' in he recipe. My sister bought oatcakes for me about 5 years ago on a visit but my 'Canuck Missus' is convinced thay are bad for me 'it's bleedin' oats…how bad can it be' Thanks for the recipe im going to get my 'Missus' to make them for me.

I was born in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent in 1944 at the end of the war.
We really enjoyed the oatcakes from the local oatcake shop also they sold picklets. We would smell them cooking and relish them for breakfast some Sunday mornings. I went to live in Australia in 1968 and went back to visit in 2003 and there is no sign of oatcake shops now. Have been wanting to find the recipe…thanks for sharing. Planning to share with my kids on Saturday morning with eggs and bacon. mmmmm

@trevor fenton: Hi Trevor…I am also from Longton and living in Australia

@dawn: Hi I am from Longton and now live in Australia. Great connecting with people from way back.

@Jacky Hall: Wow…brings back memories. I lived in Bentilee from when I was 8 years old. That would have been in 1952. I now live in Australia and saw this website and recipe for Staffordshire Oatcakes…. I am going to make then this Saturday to eat with my daughter and granchildren.

Hi I live in New Zealand. My mum and Dad came from the potteries as they used to call it. We lived in Scarborough and my Auntie used to post us oatcakes once a week. My Mum managed to get hold of the recipe from a great Aunt who used to go round the housing estates in Stoke selling oatcakes from a cart. So we could then save on postage. That must be 60 years ago. I have continued to make oatcakes over the years and given the recipe to lots of greatful people. Been reading all the feedback and I can never understand how Oaties have never made the world food scene, but then we all know they're priceless.
regards jan king

I thought these wouldn't be as good as the ones in Burslem – but was wrong – they're great! Now I only need them to transport PVFC down south and I'm a happy man.

I live in Tennessee and had quite a search for fine grain oatmeal flour. Finally discovered it being sold as BABY FOOD !

I loved the taste of oatcakes which I tried for the first time at a market in La Marina on the Costa Blanca. The chap said that they were made wholly of oats so I bought some for my sister who is a celiac and cannot take any wheat or gluten. I was so disappointed to see that the oats are combined with wheat flour and yeast which she is not allowed. How about using only the fine oat flour and missing out the other ingredients?????

Just made 1st batch to your recipe, not had oatcakes for 10years. My late mother was a Stokie and introduced us to them early in life, now my oldest daughter loves them. By the way the recipe is very good, thank you.
John from Scotland.
ps support an oatcake day

I made these as a savoury meal and added chopped chives to the mixture and served with a mixed green salad on the side to add some variety and it was fantastic. Have also made it with finely chopped spring onions in the mixture and it was delicious.

@ALISON: To all you oatcake lovers out there, I missed them too, when I moved to Manchester and my mum now lives in Lytham St. Annes. The good news is that Sainsbury's, St Annes sells them, as does Booths (a Lancashire supermarket chain.) I have also seen them occasionally in Tesco stores, Greater Manchester and Morrison's, ditto. They are the genuine article, obviously being delivered regularly, usually found in the bread aisle. Don't slave over a hot griddle; pester your supermarket manager to stock them! Tip if you're dieting: try grilling them with a quick spray of Frylight to stop them drying out, or use low fat cheese.

thanks for the recipe, just in the process of making some in sunny Znojmo in the Czech republic

@Christine U. Lineham:
my girlfriend can't eat wheat or milk, and I am constantly on the look out for new alternatives to bread, wraps etc that don't taste like the cardboard found in the "free from" sections of the supermarket. I gave this recipe a whirl, swapping plain flour for gluten free flour, and milk for rice milk, and they turned out fantastic! I needed a little extra liquid in the mix, plus a bit longer on the griddle, but they weren't far off the real thing!

Cheers for the recipe, we in Scotland love them, all my family can't wait to taste them.

I'm from the Manchester area, but now live in Vancouver, Canada. There are two things I crave: The Sunday Times and Staffordshire Oat Cakes. As soon as I land in Manchester, I rush over to the Tesco in Stalybridge and stock up on SOC. I slather them with butter and honey, cut them into four and fold each one over. Mmmmmm, comfort food!!!!

When I eat one (often two) for breakfast, I am full for most of the day!
What is it that makes them so moorish?
I make sure that I pack as much as my luggage holds on my way back to Vancouver
Thank you for the recipe; will try them asap.

Fantastic recipe. Thank you brought back lots of fond memories of Saturday mornings. Now get to eat again in Santander Northern Spain. My ozzie girlfriend just tried them with bacon and cheddar cheese and loved them.

I live in Germany but originally come from Burslem,over the years I´ve tried and tried but could never get oatcakes right. Then I bought the right pan, a heavy bottomed Crepe Pan and with this recipe I've managed to master it after two goes. As the Mercians formerly the Staffords are stationed here and I play darts with a couple of them, I now make oatcakes for my mates on a regular basis and they reckon they are second to none.
With a statement like that I must be doing it right, only thing is the pan is 26 cm which makes them very large. Still bigger the better where oatcakes are concerned.

Nice one I love stoke oatcakes and can't wait to have a crack at them myself sorry but don't enjoy the supermarket ones

Not a 'real' Potter?? I was born and bred in N-U-L too (Clayton), and I certainly class meself as a Potter…..been in Oz since 1972, and still miss oatcakes…..I'll try the recipe asap

@Jacky Hall:

I used to go out with a Jacki (Jackie/Jacqui) Hall many years ago…..she lived in Clayton near the Newcastle Rugby Club ground….it's not YOU, is it??

@Peter:

I'm a UK journalist writing a feature on Staffordshire Oatcakes and would love to hear from ex-pats who are fond of the oatcakes, have memories of eating them when they lived in Stoke. How do you do now get your oatcake 'kick'!? Do you import them?

I'd be most grateful if you can email me at alice@wonderlandfreelance.co.uk with your thoughts. My deadline is Monday.

Alice

They are such a treat.There is nothing that beats the smell of fresh oatcakes. I remember getting up early every Sunday and queing for fresh oatcakes from the shop down the road. Then coming home to have them with our bacon and eggs after going to mass at the Sacred Heart Tunstall.

So I am in Budapest right now, and was in a restaurant talking to my girlfriend about oatcakes (as I've been in Burslem two years or so). The Hungarian waiter overheard me mention oatcakes and asked me for the recipe as he was working in Hanley for a year. Haha. I said I have no idea, but that's how I have found this site! Expect the Hungarians to be eating oatcakes very soon when I give him this link.

I made these once and they worked perfectly but now I am having real issues with them. The batter does not rise even when I follow the recipe exactly and, when I try to cook them, they just stick and go gooey. I am using fine oatmeal and dried active yeast. Thought that I was using too much liquid to mix with yeast but have tried different variations and it still doesn't work. Please help, we live in NZ and are not able to buy them here.

@beverley:
I hope these observations, noted since my first few failed attempts, will give you something to consider, and maybe you can avoid another “gooey mess”
My initial attempts all failed because I was using a thin aluminium pan which cooled the mix unevenly as it was poured, creating hot and cold spots – cooking temperatures were all over the place. Even where parts of the underside were deep brown, there were still clinging gooey patches that I couldn’t turn over: Changing to an iron “Le Creuset”pan, in the middle of this batter pouring, gave me instant success.
The reason a heavy iron pan is so important is because it’s slow to react to temperature changes, absorbing them and distributing as a common all over heat across the cooking surface, (think of a burger bar hotplate).
Ensure the heat source / hob surface you're using has a diameter big enough to cover the whole area under the cooking surface and allow it to heat right up (I set my electric hob to around mark 3 or 4).
Before pouring the mix, I rub around the pan with a minimal amount of cooking oil or Ghee – (clarified butter, as used in Indian restaurants when making Paratha's), and mop up any excess oil with kitchen roll before pouring in the batter mix.
Another factor I found in reaching the first cooked thru’ turn over point was when using a 23cm diameter pan, that a 150ml cupful of mix was just the right amount to use to give the optimum thickness / cooking time. (BTW use warm milk if you need to thin mixture not water).
John Harrison’s recipe doesn’t specify whether to use full cream milk, however I’ve used the semi-skimmed variety, along with a mix of rolled oats that has been put thru’ a blender with an hour allowed for the dried yeast to do its business.
I also keep the mix warm and whisk in the yeast bubbles between pours, but I don’t know if this is really necessary, I just continue doing what worked for me the first time. Good Luck

Must try this recipe. I used to have them when visiting relatives in Congleton and they were always bought locally and I'm sure at the co-op where my sister-in-law used to work.

She did make her own as well.

I lived near Hanley as a child & then Cobridge… Many moons ago.
Now living in Spain & hoping I can get the ingredients to make my own oatcakes & show my wife what I´m talking about!!!

@debbie woodward: Where abouts in Spain??

@Nick: I also went to Stanfield Tech!!!

I am living in Newark, Nottinghamshire, I was born in Bignall End, Audley, Stoke on Trent, I was brought up on Staffordshire oatcakes, and have often thought about them over the years, we ate them with various foods, but, as a child, my favourite treat was oatcake with butter and golden syrup, I am practicing making them, so far yum yum. Thank you for sharing it with us

@john holmes:

I am at present 22/01/2012 living in Pattaya Thailand.
I would very much appreciate the name and address of the Restaraunt.
Ken
thechairman18

As a native of the north east I moved from Newcastle upon Tyne to Newcastle under Lyme when I went to college in the early 70s. I missed the stottie cakes and great fish and chips but was soon hooked on oatcakes. Now in Calgary Alberta and came across this recipe…… ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC…. as one or two have stated it needs thinning with a little extra milk but they still look and taste as good as those from the oatcake shop in Porthill. I'm sure I will soon have some converts here…. we do have a slight problem…. Canadian bacon and sausage isn't as good!

@ERIC CLUTTON:
just grind up Quaker oats

So excited about this recipe as I really missed them when I moved to Glasgow, my Nanna had a oatcake bakery at the end of the street In Macclesfiled. Since moving to York, Tesco has them occasionally but this is great, thank you.

I've just been taken to an Ethiopian restaurant, where the bread served, ijera, reminded me of Staffs oatcakes – far more so than chapatis.. Checking the recipes for both, the methods are similar, although ijera uses sourdough yeasts, and oatcakes brewer's yeast. Perhaps the soldiers had been stationed in the Horn of Africa rather than the Indian subcontinent.