Discover Northumberland culture through cooking
Learning to cook local favourites is like learning a new language
What do stotty (or stottie) cake, singing hinnies, and pan haggerty have in common? They’re Northumberland’s favourite foods – but don’t worry if you’ve never heard of them. The words were unknown to me last year, beforemy visit to Corbridge.
I discovered these tasty treats through emails with my new online-friends, David Waugh and Ian Wylie of the Corbridge Heritage Society. Always up for an experiment in cooking, I began to research the recipes to try.
Disclaimer: Bear in mind that as the youngest and most inept cook in my family, I was generally chased out of the kitchen (or voluntarily ran away) until I began feeling more confident about cooking two years ago. This article focuses on sharing my research and the information I discovered, as well as my first attempts to transfer the words into action. For a proper “how-to” on Northumberland cooking techniques, check the end of the article for links to a few of the many recipes I discovered online, as a guide for those with the cooking skills to follow up in their own kitchens. And please add a comment if you have experiences or ideas about these recipes!
New culture = new words
Language and culture are intertwined, and in looking up these words I began to learn more about Northumberland. Most of this won’t help me in the time period of my 13th Century novel, but it was useful in increasing my understanding of the nature of the area and those who live there.
First, people who live near the River Tyne call themselves “Geordies,” according to the Newcastle Local Studies & Family History Centre. The name dates back to 1745 and the Jacobite Rebellion and was logged in the Oxford English dictionary by 1876 to refer to miners from the local area. Since the River Tyne passes through Corbridge, locals may refer to themselves as Geordies.
So, what are stotty cakes, singing hinnies, and pan haggarty? These are real words in the “Geordie” dialect and well known generally in the area. For example, stottie/stotty cake or bread, by any variation of these names, is a round flat loaf, with a bread texture.
That caught my interest, especially since it’s not (apparently) a difficult recipe. I have a gluten intolerance, so I am always on the lookout for something that would increase my dietary options. As a result, this was the point where research diverged into experiments in the kitchen.