The Great British Staffordshire Oatcake, first brought to our shores from soldiers returning from India trying to recreate naan bread, is having the 8th August this Sunday as a day in honour of it.

Terry Bossons, local DJ, decided earlier this year that our beloved oatcake (not to be confused with the inferior and dried Scottish biscuit, that's not even a cake!) needed to make more of a fuss of our local favourite.

So, this coming Sunday, make sure you get some Oatcakes in, have some cheese, sausage, egg, brown sauce what ever your filling of choice is ready, and tuck in.

Quotes:
‘I didn’t know the oatcake was from Stoke’ – Rhod Gilbert, welsh comedian.
‘I had my first one today to see what all the fuss was about and they are nice’ – Liam Lawrence – Stoke City football club.
‘I can’t eat them cos I’m wheat intolerant, but my mate loves them’ – Kate Nash, singer.
‘They are alright I suppose’ – Sean Lock, comedian.
‘To me, to you’ – The Chuckle Brothers.

Oatcake Day Live Event - 2010

http://www.oatcakeday.com/
When: 08/08/10.
Where: The Sugarmill, Hanley, Staffordshire (aftershow party – Reflex, Hanley, Staffordshire).
Line up: Sworn to oath, Friends of Ken, Hello big world, Round in circles.
Cost: £5 (aftershow £1 with wristband from gig).

Oatcakes are much loved in Stoke on Trent and party of our history, that’s why local DJ – Terry Bossons is campaigning to get our local culinary delight its own annual day on the 8th of August. After joking with friends about there being a special day for our tasty treat, he set about spreading the word by visiting lots of oatcake shops and drumming up online support.

There are now over 7,000 people joined up to his ‘Official August 8th is Oatcake day’ Facebook group, and there’s a website that’s been set up by Battered Box in Biddulph – www.oatcakeday.com which tells you everything from where to buy oatcakes to who is supporting oatcake day.

Lots of celebrities have joined in and had their photo taken holding the ‘I support Oatcake Day’ banner, including local guys: Jonathan Wilkes, Nick Hancock, Samanda, Phil Taylor, as well as footballers from Stoke City and Port Vale, plus national stars like Ricky Gervais, Kate Nash, Reverend and the Makers, Dave Gorman, Lee Mack, Flight of the Conchords, Stavros Flatley and The Chuckle Brothers (to name a few). These images can be viewed on the website and Facebook group, so check them out.

Now it’s time to reveal the location and line up for ‘Oatcake day – The live event 2010’, and what better place to hold this than The Sugarmill in Hanley, with a gig, showcasing local music. There is an eclectic mix of bands to suit every taste, the line-up is: Sworn to oath, Friends of Ken, Hello big world and Round in circles (acoustic set) with Terry Bossons hosting the proceedings. There will be oatcakes for sale outside the venue, so don’t fill yourself up before you set out. The aftershow party will be held at Reflex in Hanley till 3am, with live DJs and loads of other fun.

Sworn to oath:
Brought up on a diet of oatcakes, blues, old school rock & metal, then later finding a heavier voice to identify with, Sworn to oath are a tight clenched fist in the face of a mundane, static society. They are a force to be reckoned with and pride themselves on their live show.

Friends of Ken:
F.O.K’s dictionary definition would say: A mish-mash of alternative-garage-punk-rock which produces a fast. raw sound with huge choruses and big melodies.
Their Halloween shows are legendary in the area, and their album - ‘Il Tempo Gigante’ received great reviews upon release last summer.

Hello Big World:
Elly Kingdon and Aimee Neville met at 6th form and wrote their first song which was called ‘Dani's Really Good Song’ for a friend. In the last year and a half they've written hundreds of songs, played lots of gigs, made lots of friends. They describe themselves as lovely two piece all-lady folk pop band.

Round in Circles
Round in circles are a pop/punk band from Stoke-on-Trent who play simple, catchy songs that you can enjoy and/or annoy your parents with. They had their self produced debut E.P "Mum's The Word" released in January 2010 after their Christmas recording sessions at 'Anger Management Studios'. They will be kicking off oatcake day with a very special one off acoustic set.

Aftershow Party

The aftershow party is being held at Relex 80s bar in Hanley, till 1.30 a.m. There will be loads of guest dj’s and a live show from cult TV legends – Bodger and Badger, plus loads of other surprises.

Recipe for the Staffordshire Oatcake

Ingredients

225g fine oatmeal
225g wholewheat or plain flour
1tsp salt
15g yeast
450ml warm milk
450ml warm water
1tsp sugar

Method

Mix the water and milk together.
Mix the salt to the flour and oatmeal in a large bowl.
Dissolve the yeast with a little warm liquid and add the sugar. Allow the mixture to become frothy.
Mix the dry ingredients with the yeast liquid to make a batter adding the remainder of the warm liquid.
Cover the batter with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place for about an hour.
Pour out enough batter on a well-greased griddle to make an oatcake of about 22cm. The surface will be covered in holes as it cooks.
Flip the oatcake after 2-3 minutes when the top side has a dry appearance and the underneath is a golden brown colour and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Try to use the heaviest frying pan available as this will keep the heat constant which is best for making oatcakes. Great served with fried bacon, mushrooms and cheese as a savoury snack or with butter and jam as a sweet treat.

Oatcakes can be frozen and a microwave is the ideal method of defrosting and reheating them.

Photo from Staffordshire Oatcake Website