A Staffordshire Oatcake
 

Staffordshire Oatcakes
The Hole In The Wall

A personal view by Chris Bates

I was born 200 yards away from The Hole In The Wall Oatcake Shop and have fond childhood memories of playing in the streets and back entries nearby with the smell of freshly baked Oatcakes filling the air. In the mid 60's we moved to the `new' houses in Seymour Sreet, but given a favourable wind the unmistakable smell of Oatcakes was still there.

By the time I was 21 we had moved away from the area, but who would have thought that by the time I was in my late 30's I would return to that same area with a wife and twins to the street I was born in, buying my very first shop.

All those years later and that fantastic smell of the Hole In The Wall Oatcakes was still there as strong and inviting as it ever was. Every morning, even in the depths of Winter with nobody else around, Oatcakes were being made ready for the breakfast rush.

In 1994 we had a daytrip to Blackpool and like lots of parents played games with the kids on the way to pass the time but this time it was slightly different. Yes we played the usual very entertaining game of who could spot Blackpool Tower first and as usual both the kids said they saw it first, but the second game was who could think of the best name for our new shop.

After a thoroughly enjoyable day the kids had seen about twenty Blackpool Towers, the first one just outside Stoke (bet you never realised you could see it from there) and we all agreed that Hiccups was a great name for our new convenience store and Off Licence, which just happened to be right opposite...you guessed it, The Hole in the Wall.

That smell! It was still there, and now not only me but my kids also loved the smell, and of course the taste.

The smell and taste of Staffordshire Oatcakes must have had some effect on us all, as we went on to open our own Oatcake Shop, and this too was compulsory purchased under the Middleport Regeneration Scheme.

Not wishing to give up, it is then that we opened the shop we still run now, The Oatcake Kitchen.

I now have that fantastic smell I've lived with all my life coming from my own shop. My kids have grown up and we have three lovely Granddaughters, sadly none of which have ever heard of the Hole In The Wall but all three know the smell and taste of the Staffordshire Oatcake.

Yes, it is very sad that Glenn and Sue had to close, and yes he is a true gentleman and his wares truly were in the Premier League of Oatcakes, but thankfully there are still around forty other Oatcake Bakers today, all keeping alive the tradition of the Staffordshire Oatcake.

Traditional Staffordshire Oatcakes Baking
   Chris and his family

 
 

We deliver freshly baked Staffordshire Oatcakes to anywhere in the world.

To order yours now, using credit card or paypal on a secure server, go to the Staffordshire Oatcakes Online Store.

What to do with them when they arrive? Go to the Oatcake Recipes page.

 

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