Before saying anything more, I am going to confess that this isn’t about scones. We went to Stoke-on-Trent, so we had Staffordshire oat cakes at the Middleport Pottery.
That’s a lot of links for one short paragraph.
It started badly when, after parking, we found that they’d changed the way in since our last visit. A hearty woman redirected us, which was helpful but not what you want to hear when you are twenty yards from where you want to be but are being sent an extra 200 yards. One small step for a man with good knees – not so good when you have a bad knee and a stick.
It didn’t improve when I found that they don’t do my favourite oatcake now – no black pudding and bacon for me. I settled for sausage and cheese. Not a great combination, but the best one, I thought, for brunch. With hindsight I should probably have gone for cheese, tomato and mushrooms, but, with hindsight, I should really have gone somewhere else.
The cafe is better lit and cleaner than it used to be, so I expect they have someone new in charge. The oatcakes were a surprise. There were two of them, with salad. That, to my mind, is how you serve trendy stuff like paninis. It’s not what I want from oatcakes, which is an old-fashioned sort of food.
To make things worse, the tomato in the salad was old and dried out, like it had been cut several days ago and stored.
The sausages were pretty average too – not actually bad, but definitely not good.
It wasn’t cheap, and, to be honest, I expect fresh salad. Mediocre sausages are, sadly, a fact of life, but there is no excuse for wilting salad.
The tea was good, as was the pottery, which is made about 100 yards away.
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Learning more from you…Oat Cakes aren’t dry dull thick hard to get through round things…they’re crepes or Swedish Pancakes or blintzes or Palachinke…of course depending on where you’re from. So glad to know they weren’t my original thoughts! Himself is pleased too. You’re doing great at the teaching, keep it up! =)
I do my best. 🙂 I eat both sorts of oatcakes – the Scottish ones are great as biscuits for cheese.
Ah, the Scottish ones are probably what I was thinking of. Thanks again for the explanation.
Too many things – not enough words to go round! 🙂
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So you won’t be going there again
I may go back for photography but I don’t think I’ll be having the oatcakes. Might try the scones…
The pottery is beautiful. I am sorry your favorite oatcakes were not available. Rick and I sometimes joke that once a restaurant or a store learns what we like, they stop carrying it. 🙂
It sometimes seems like that. 🙂
Well, the pottery is beautiful! Had to look up a recipe for oatcakes to see what they were. They look pretty tasty, and I might try making them someday. Would it be complete heresy to put chocolate chips in them?
I have checked various sites and seen toppings including syrup, nut butter, jam, chocolate spread and fruit. Look on it as a healthier pancake (UK style – not those tiny thick things you Americans eat). Looks like anything goes!
We have been known to put chocolate chips in pancakes. 😉
Seems a good idea. 🙂
Very tasty, although believe it or not, I prefer blueberries.
A very good looking teapot. That would have been enough to make me happy.
They do have nice crockery, that is true. They also have teapots converted to lampshades but they don’t photograph well. If you ever visit your brother you may like to try a trip to Stoke.
I will bear that in mind.