locale: Somerset

The young shoots of the Star of Bethlehem plant, Ornithogalum pyrenaicum, a tall woodland herb, boiled and served as asparagus. Common around Bath and Bristol.

Rounded yeast-raised white wheatflour buns, about 4ins diameter and 2ins high, made with sugar, egg, butter and a little lemon and sweet spices. Light baked, gl...

Small unleavened cakes of butter-rich sweet dough, very lightly baked and topped with sugar or comfits etc. (Moxon 1764, Raffald 1769)

Yeast-raised sweet buns made with sugar, egg and butter, flavoured with caraway and coated with caraway comfits.

The lower portion of a long-jawed pig's cheeks, pickled in brine for 2-3 weeks, soaked in fresh water for 24 hours then boiled for 3 to 4 hours. Cooled, skinned...

Unpasteurised Cow's milk cheese. Made as small, thin squares. Ripened in two weeks and eaten when covered with a fuzzy mould Usually white, sometimes yellowish,...

A form of small Polony sausage, associated with the town of Bath. Described in the 'Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette' (Thursday 13 February 1873, p3); "We must...

Ground rice boiled in cream with egg and yolks, sugar, butter, ground almonds and brandy, baked (Walsh 1859)

Form of tripe formerly produced in the town of Bath, the receipt now lost.

Rich hog's black pudding made with minced pork as well as blood, possibly with currants and spice.

Peas, young peas, mint, celery, Cos lettuce, part pureed, in stock (White 1932)

Brittle, very sweet, round biscuits with a dark orange bake and rustic surface, flavoured with ginger and other sweet spices. Not as hard as ginger nuts.

Full-fat blue-veined soft cheese with a average fat content of 34%. Typified by a rich yellow colour and buttery texture. Made from unpasteurised Jersey cows' m...

Stew of rich dark meat (eg venison) with dark fruit (eg cherries).

Steamed egg-and-flour sponge pudding, flavoured with lemon rind and filled with an apricot and apple puree.

A pasteurised cow's milk cheese, very similar to cheddar, with a smoke flavour added. Formed in 3kg wheels rolled in paprika.

A form of Elver Cake, made by frying the tiny young eels in butter.

and the Cheltenham Dripper

Circular, slightly enriched, bread buns c4ins round, 1½ins thick, with white sugar icing strewn with hundreds-and-thousands.

Pears in syrup in pastry case containing ground walnuts. This is presented by J.Salmon's ) 'Favourite Somerset Recipes' as being an English specialty, but we ca...

Pork, bacon and cheese pasty, similar in form to a Cornish pasty. Invented in the 1960's by Paul Leyton at the Miner's Arms in Priddy, Somerset.

Rabbit stewed with bacon and thyme. Said in J.Salmon to be a specialty of Somerset.

(also Lund, or Lun) Large, round, very soft, yeast-raised white wheatflour bread buns made with added egg and butter. Originally usually served as a breakfast i...

Small, round, c¾ins thick scones flavoured with sweet spices and brandy, the tops decorated with icing, tied in threes with ribbon to represent the Holy Trinity...

Eel pieces cooked in cider with cream and parsley. Served with bread sippets. (Grigson 1974)

Plain sponge cake with chopped apple mixed in, slight flavouring of sweet spices. Known, by this name, at least since newspaper reports from the 1930s

Roast chicken with sauce of cider and cream.

Fish chunks with apple.

Now usually cider with thickened cream. A sauce for pale meats.

Individual baked sponge puddings flavoured with grated lemon-rind, bitter almonds, or essence of vanilla, served with custard or wine sauce over (Mrs.B)

Milk splashed into wine with clotted cream over, powdered nutmeg and cinnamon (Walsh 1859, etc)

Pork chops, slit, and filled with rich breadcrumb stuffing. Baked in cider (J.Salmon)

Stewed snails with sauce, most traditionally cider and parsley. This was a speciality of the former Miner's Arms in the village of Priddy in the Mendip Hills. I...