A Culinary Trip Round England Trivia Quiz

Answer: Melton Mowbray

Melton Mowbray is famed for its pork pies. They are filled with uncured pork and surrounded by hot water crust pastry which is hand formed around the filling. Only pies that are made within a limited area around the town are allowed to carry the Melton Mowbray name as the product has been granted Protected Geographical indication status to ensure that larger commercial companies cannot cash in on its success.

Answer: Stottie Cake

Although Stottie Cake originated in the North East of England it can be found in most parts of Britain. It has a heavy dense texture which is where the name originated as "stott" is the Newcastle word meaning "to bounce". The texture of the bread is so dense that it was believed that if a loaf was dropped it would actually bounce!

Answer: Bedfordshire Clanger

The Bedfordshire Clanger was designed as a packed lunch for the agricultural workers in the county. The workers would take them to the fields and have them for their midday meal. The pastry was merely a case to protect the filling from the dirty hands of the workers and originally was discarded once the filling had been eaten.

The savoury side was generally meat and vegetables and the sweet side comprised of some kind of fruit or jam. The clanger itself had marks on it so the workers could tell the sweet end from the savoury.

Answer: Sage

All the herbs mentioned have been used in the Lincolnshire sausage recipe but only sage is considered to be the authentic ingredient. Lincolnshire sausages are pork sausages with a coarse chunky texture which is due to the meat content being ground rather than minced.

Answer: Pilchard

Stargazy pie originated in Mousehole in Cornwall. It is a fish pie topped with a pastry lid (usually shortcrust) and got its name from the fact that the fish heads stick out of the pastry as if they are looking at the sky. Some cooks use the fish tails as well. Instead of the pilchards, one can use sardines as well.

Answer: Mutton

Lancashire Hotpot is a delicious meal consisting of meat and onions (and possibly some other vegetables such as carrot or turnip) topped with slices of potato and baked in the oven. Traditionally mutton was used as it was a cheap cut of meat. However it is increasingly difficult to obtain mutton due to the high cost of producing it and lamb is now usually used.

It is usually accompanied by pickled red cabbage or pickled beetroot.

Answer: Chicken

Parmo is a piece of chicken coated in breadcrumbs and coated with white sauce and cheese. It is a very popular takeaway dish in the North East of England. It name derives from Chicken Parmesan and it is said to have been invented in the 1950s by a chef from the American army who came to live in Middlesborough and opened a restaurant there.

Answer: Mashed Potato

Both Cottage Pie and Shepherd's Pie consist of minced meat and vegetables cooked in gravy and topped with mashed potato. Minced beef is used in Cottage Pie and minced lamb in Shepherd's Pie. It is delicious in its traditional form but I like to add some grated cheese to the mash for that little extra taste!

Answer: Shropshire

Fidget Pie has a filling of ham and apple cooked in cider and flavoured with nutmeg. The case is always shortcrust pastry but opinions differ on whether or not the top is pastry or mashed potato. The origin of the name is unclear but it is generally agreed that it was originally from "flitched" or five sided in shape.

Answer: Cabbage and Potato

Bubble and Squeak is traditionally made with cabbage and potatoes and was a way to use left over vegetables from a roast dinner. The vegetables are pan fried until they are well cooked and browned. Other vegetables can be added for variety. The name comes from the noise the vegetables make as they are being cooked.