Yorkshire food is a reflection of the people that live here. It’s a bit rough and ready but full of intense flavours to tickle the taste buds. If you’ve been on a muddy moorland walk, there’s nothing better than finding a cosy pub and settling down to a great lunch. Last edition I wrote about three sweet treats to look out for in and around the teashops of York. And now it’s time for the savouries. At first, there doesn’t look like much to tuck into that isn’t ale, but give it a chance.
Wensleydale Cheese
Wenslydale already wins brownie points as the favourite of Wallace and Gromit and is sourced from the Yorkshire Dales. But in case you’ve never given it a try, Wensleydale has a light, crumbly texture. Subtle yet creamy, it goes very well with fruit. A Northern quirk is to serve the cheese crumbled into a sweet, moreish apple pie, or with a slice of fruitcake.
Somehow the intermingling of sweet-bitter, booze-soaked currants goes excellently well with the creamy, savoury saltiness of the cheese. Give it a go in Betty’s, or the Treasurer’s House behind the Minster.
Oven Bottom Rolls
Also known as Oven Bottom Muffins, or, if you’re from the North East, these are pretty similar to Stottie Cakes. Ok, so it turns out they’re from Lancashire. But I love them and I want to tell you about them. You might have seen them in the supermarket already; they’re big, flat and look as dull as anything. But don’t be put off by their tinted beige exteriors, for Oven Bottom Rolls are the king of baps. If you’re looking for the perfect roll to cram with bacon and sausages after a heavy night, look no further. Slightly sweet, slightly chewy, these beauties transform cheese and pickle, or ham salad sandwiches into something special. Don’t even get me started on chicken and mayo.
Curry
Now I warned you things might get controversial. There’s no point rattling on about pikelets or stand pies when the true gem of the Yorkshire food circuit is the mighty curry. Whether you like them fiery hot or aromatic and creamy, the North is just bursting with limitless choice and amazing flavours, all ready to blow your mind. If you want to be authentic, look no further than Bradford, last year’s “Curry Capital”, and only a short train ride away.
Spoilt for choice, choose the Kashmir for delicious rustic charm or Mumtaz for award-winning ritzy glamour. Bradford also boasts winner of Gordon Ramsey TV show ‘Ramsey’s Best Restaurant’ – the vegetarian Indian restaurant ‘Prashad’. The restaurant is particularly famous for its gloriously tasty starters. I highly recommend a visit.
Closer to home, splash out with flatmates at student friendly Akbar’s on George Hudson Street. For a real treat though, Mumbai Lounge has to take the biscuit as York’s Number One Indian. Simply delicious!
Yorkshire Pudding
This may seem like an obvious choice yet the humble Yorkshire pudding’s history is shrouded in mystery. The first recorded recipe was supposedly written in 1737 when it was called a ‘dripping pudding’. The main purpose of the pudding was to fill people up before a main meal, especially children “them that eat the most pudding gets most meat (sic)’. In 2007 a campaign was started to give the pudding protected status for its Yorkshire roots and in 2010 it was voted the most popular and most successful thing to come out of Yorkshire.