County Durham and Teesside

by Helen Gaffney

County Durham is a fairly recent political invention, but the region has a strong heritage of semi-independence and self-reliance. This was the territory of the Prince Bishops of Durham, medieval church leaders endowed with far-reaching political powers that made them virtual rulers within their Bishop's see. Technically, Durham was a 'palatinate', or kingdom within a kingdom. In practice the Prince Bishops of Durham were absolute rulers within their territory. The influence of the Bishops gradually lessened after the Middle Ages, and their powers were eventually ceded to the crown. Durham Cathedral is a wonderful reminder of the age of the Prince Bishops. Monks from Lindisfarne, who had fled their island home when the Danish Vikings came calling, founded the Cathedral in 995. Requiring a home for the relics of St. Cuthbert, the monks built a superb church on a rise above a bend of the River Wear, although this was pulled down by the second Bishop of Durham when the present building was begun in 1093.

Bacon Floddies are traditional to Gateshead and Durham. They can be served on their own but are more usually served with sausages and fried bacon or eggs as a breakfast or supper dish.

Pulses, formerly a staple of the British diet, have lingered on in the north-east of England. Until the early years of the twentieth century, the habit of consuming pigeon peas on Carling Sunday (the fifth in Lent) was well known - a custom said to go back to Tudor times. The dish, known as Carlings, originally consisted of peas, par-cooked in water and finished in lard. It is very similar to foodstuffs in other parts of the north of England such as parched peas in Lancashire. However, the pigeon peas used for this dish are a tropical crop, originating from Africa or the Caribbean, and were once popular enough in the north-east to have been commercially produced there.

Cabbage is an important vegetable crop in the area; taking only three months growing time, one acre of cabbage will yield more edible vegetables than any other plant. The world's largest-ever cabbage is credited to William Collingwood of County Durham, whose prized cabbage weighed in at 123 lb (56 kg) in 1865.

The Fat Rascal, a round domed teacake with a rich brown crust and made with currants and candied peel is closely associated with the Cleveland area on the borders of County Durham and Yorkshire. The origin of the name is unknown, but has been in use since at least the mid-nineteenth century. Fat rascals from bakers' shops are larger and richer than those made at home. They are baked in ovens rather than on a griddle and have an added decoration of a face made from halved glacé cherries and almonds, although this is not associated with the original teacake. Singin' Hinnies, made in Durham and Northumberland, are based on a similar recipe.

Although mustard is largely associated with Norfolk, the original creation of dry mustard powder was by a Mrs Clements of Durham, not that she had a monopoly for long. During the 1700s producers sprang up all over the country, one of the most important being the London firm of Keen and Company - hence the phrase "keen as mustard". It was no coincidence that part of mustard's story comes from County Durham: the county grew a lot of mustard plants and had an industry to grind and process the seeds, although there's no production there today.

Various breweries can be found here, some still family-owned, independent ones. They produce beers that differ greatly in flavour and style, some of which can only be found locally while others are more widely distributed. J. W. Cameron and Co in Hartlepool, now merged with the Castle Eden brewery, produce a full range of mild and strong bitters but are most famous for their Strong Arm premium bitter. Frederic Robinson in Stockport are a large brewery producing a very distinctive best bitter - well-hopped, full-bodied and strong - called Old Tom.

Although this part of England may not be as well known for her food traditions as her neighbours such as Northumberland and Yorkshire it is clear that there are still a number of interesting foods and food traditions originating from here.