Lancashire hotpot is food most associated with the county
LANCASHIRE HOTPOT is the food most associated with Lancashire according to an online survey by Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board for Lancashire’s food and drink year, Taste Lancashire 08.
Over 500 people, drawn from across the UK, completed the survey which also showed that the Trough of Bowland was the place most favoured for a picnic and Lancashire Tea was the drink most associated with the county.
The survey took place over four weeks and was conducted through the tourist board’s tastelancashire08.com website. Of those surveyed, 262 had been to Lancashire before.
Questions asked also included the best types of place to eat from a list selected by the tourist board, local foods to buy if they were readily available, a favourite Lancashire place to eat, whether respondents had a Lancashire food hero, and a Lancashire recipe or food memory to share.
Good pub grub, at places like The Highwayman Inn at Burrow nr Kirkby Lonsdale, came out top for types of place to eat at, while Lancashire Cheese was the most popular food purchase people would make.
However, there was no clear winner for Lancashire’s favourite place to eat. The Inn at Whitewell, Northcote Manor and The Three Fishes were all mentioned several times but also recommended were nearly 20 other places.
When asked who or what is your Lancashire food hero (chef, baker, farmer, cheese maker, wine merchant etc) or a product (Lancashire Cheese/Lancashire Hotpot etc) there were two names that kept emerging: chefs Nigel Haworth from Northcote Manor and chef Paul Heathcote, owner of The Longridge Restaurant, Winckley Square Chop House in Preston and The Olive Press in Clitheroe. The Lancashire cheese makers and notably Bob Kitching also figured several times.
The surveyed also captured people’s food memories and among those recorded were the following:
“Plaice, dabs & sea bass caught on landlines at Knott End & gutted, cleaned & eaten within the hour. Delicious.”
“My mum’s boiled onion and Lancashire cheese mix with crusty bread. It ruins your saucepan but tastes divine.”
“Loved the Lancashire black sausages we bought from butcher at Huntleys.”
“Tripe and elder every Friday teatime at my grandma’s as a child.”
Results from the questions asked:
Food you most associate with Lancashire?
305 Lancashire Hotpot
102 Lancashire Cheese
54 Black Pudding
24 Fish & Chips
19 Morecambe Bay Shrimps
15 Blackpool Rock
13 Chorley Cakes
4 Goosnargh Duck
Drink you most associate with Lancashire?
170 Lancashire Tea
127 Lancaster Bomber (beer)
118 Pendle Witches Brew (beer)
83 Sarsaparilla
Where would you most like to picnic in Lancashire?
155 The Trough of Bowland
143 Morecambe Bay as the sun sets
74 On the beach at Lytham St Annes
40 Barley nr Pendle Hill
29 On the prom in Blackpool
28 Lancaster Canal
13 Crook O’Lune, Caton
11 Stanley Park, Blackpool
11 Williamson Park, Lancaster
6 Avenham Park, Preston
If you haven’t been to Lancashire before, which one of these would take your fancy?
109 Good pub grub at e.g. the award-winning The Highwayman Inn, Burrow nr Kirkby Lonsdale using farm fresh ingredients from local suppliers
70 Fine dining at the Michelin-starred Northcote Manor, Langho
68 Sunday Lunch at e.g. the award-winning Fence Gate Inn, Fence, nr Burnley
63 Fish & chips at e.g. the award-winning Seniors Restaurant, Blackpool
46 A five course menu gourmand at e.g. Stanley House, Mellor
36 A relaxed Italian lunch at e.g. Fresco Fresco, Croston
32 Mediterranean cuisine from Taste of Lancashire and Blackpool Award winner Kwizeen,
Blackpool
27 A vegetarian takeaway from e.g. Soupanova, in Lancaster
Lancashire produce is famous across the UK. Which of these foods would you choose to buy if they were readily available to you?
316 Lancashire Cheese
208 Bowland Lamb
186 Morecambe Bay Shrimps
165 Goosnargh Duck/Chicken
155 Garstang Blue Cheese
Barbara Howorth, Taste Lancashire Executive at the tourist board said:
“Although it was perhaps no surprise that Lancashire hotpot sprung most to mind for the food associated with Lancashire, we were pleasantly surprised to see so many different eating places mentioned for the county’s favourite place to eat. This confirms the growing number of quality venues we have across the whole of Lancashire, many of which champion local produce and dishes – including hotpot.”