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Food from Bath

Bring back the Bath Chaps!

A recent survey conducted by UKTV Food discovered that classic British dishes were facing extinction because the younger generation had not even heard of them. Bath chaps, jugged hare and brawn were all high on the list of foods that have fallen from grace.

According to UKTV Food, a generation gap in culinary knowledge is to blame for the demise of old British favourites. The research compared the desirability of a number of dishes with the under 25 age group compared with the over sixties. Bath chaps - pig's cheeks cooked in breadcrumbs - were only recognised by one per cent of the younger age group whereas 40 per cent of the older age group know about them.

BATH CHAPS

Bath chaps come from a long-jawed pig and are cured like bacon. They are traditionally served cold, often with cooked eggs, but are rather fatty which might account for their decline in popularity. The name probably derives from the early reputation of chaps produced in Bath. A quick survey reveals that there is no longer any demand for them from customers of the butchers in Bath but the Allington Farm Shop near Chippenham stocks them.

THE BATH BUN

The Bath Bun, not to be confused with the Sally Lunn bun, became notorious during the Great Exhibition in 1851 when records show that nearly 943 691 "London Bath Buns " were consumed during the five month exhibition. The invention of the Bath bun has been attributed to Dr. Oliver whose patients loved them so much that their waistlines expanded at an alarming rate so they were quickly replaced with the savoury Bath Oliver biscuit. The buns were originally a brioche or rich egg and butter dough topped with crushed caraway seed comfits. Today's Bath bun is made from a sweet yeast dough and is sprinkled with crushed sugar after baking and often has a sugar lump in the centre of the bun. Bath buns feature on the menu in the Pump Room and in nearby Hands Traditional Tea Rooms.

BATH OLIVERS

Bath Olivers are popular today as an accompaniment for cheese and can be found on the shelves of most large supermarkets. However, this was not the purpose for which they were designed. Dr. Oliver was among the successful physicians who gathered in Bath during the Eighteenth Century to treat the sick who came to Bath for the curative properties of the thermal waters. During that period it became more popular to drink the waters rather than bathe in them. On his death Dr. Oliver left £100, a sack of flour and his secret formula to his coachman Atkins who subsequently set up a shop on Green Street and became rich on the proceeds. In tandem with architect John Wood and Master of Ceremonies, Beau Nash, Dr. Oliver was instrumental in founding the Royal Mineral Water Hospital to look after the less fortunate. This is now one of the oldest functioning hospitals in the UK.

SALLY LUNN BUNS

The Sally Lunn bun is much larger than the Bath bun and is like a large airy brioche. It is served with sweet or savoury accompaniment. Sally Lunn's, the oldest house in Bath, is a shrine to her skill with a museum in the basement and a restaurant on three floors. Sally Lunn, a Haguenot refugee, arrived in Bath in 1680 and started work with a baker in Lilliput Alley. She introduced the baker to her brioche style bun and they soon became popular at the public breakfasts and afternoon teas that were in vogue at the time. The recipe is a closely guarded secret which is mentioned on the deeds of the house. Today, Sally Lunns Refreshment House is high on the list of places for visitors as they can combine history with a delightful meal. In the evening the buns are served "trencher style" and make a substantial meal.

CHEESE

If there is a food associated with Somerset, it has to be cheese and there is plenty of cheese in Bath. The Fine Cheese Company on Walcot Street stocks 150 varieties of which two thirds are British. Owner, Ann Marie Dyas says " if you are in the cheese business, the West country is the best place to be". She explains that people should not feel intimidated if they do not know their cheeses, " we know a lot about cheese and want to share it with our customers." There are plenty of opportunities for sampling and the cheese shop has its own cafe next door. Paxton and Whitfield, with no less than three Royal Warrants to their name, have a shop in John Street offering a vast array of cheeses and related merchandise.

CHEDDAR CHEESE

At the start of the twentieth century there were some 3500 tradional farmhouse cheddar cheese makers but today the figure has dwindled to two dozen. Cheddar is typically produced as a collaborative effort with farmers pooling their milk to make the cheese. The objective was to create a large cheese using up surplus milk and cheddar was one of the hardest cheeses so it has longevity. The Fine Cheese Company even export it to the US and Japan. Cheddar has been in production for eight hundred years and the largest cheese ever made in 1839 was for Queen Victoria when a half-ton cheese with a circumference of nine feet was produced.

BATH SOFT CHEESE COMPANY

The Bath Soft Cheese Company produces hand-made cheese from their own herd. Bath Soft Cheese is a full fat soft cheese that is white mould ripened and square in shape and at least one pound in weight. The cheese dates back to Admiral Lord Nelson who was sent one by his father in 1801. Named after the parkland where the herd sometimes graze, Kelston Park is also white mould ripened but round in shape. Bath Blue and the Wyfe of Bath are other popular cheeses.

MUMFORD'S WINERY

With the Roman connection with Bath perhaps it is not surprising to find a winery on the outskirts of the city. Mumford's Vineyards is a family business with four acres of vines and a purpose-built winery to the east of Bath where production includes a number of white wines, red and an award-winning rose. Visitors can buy wines for a picnic in Waitrose, order on line or visit the winery in person.

BEAUTY OF BATH APPLES

The Beauty of Bath apple was first grown by Mr Cooling near Bath in 1864. It is one of the earliest eating apples and used to be grown extensively by commercial orchards but is less popular nowdays as it has a shelf-life of only two weeks. It is pleasantly sharp, sweet and juicy.

CIDER

Somerset has always been renowned for its apples and 156 varities trace their origins to the area. The ancient name for Glastonbury was Avallon which means "the Isle of Apples" in the ancient British language. Today, Somerset is still famous for its apple orchards, apple cider and apple wines. The National Trust aim to restore the orchards that once grew around Glastonbury Tor and have planted traditional varieties of cider apple trees in the Wellhouse Lane Orchard. The Somerset Rural Life Museum tells the story of cider making and other traditonal country pursuits.

Old varieties of cider apple such as Dabinett, Kingston Black, Yarlington Mill and Harry Masters are among those used by the Somerset Distillery. Their cider brandy is stored in barrels which give the apple juice some colour as it ferments and draws off some of the alcohol content "the angel's share". For connoisseurs, the brandy is aged for ten years to make Somerset Ten Year Old Cider Brandy.

For further information on things to do and see and where to stay in Bath please call Bath Tourist Information Centre on 0906 7112000 (calls charged at 50p per minute) or log on to www.visitbath.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

1. For further information please contact Nicky Hancock on 01225 332299 or by e-mail at nicky@hancockcomm.com or Debbie Ponting at Bath Tourism Plus on 01225 477441 or by email on: debbie_ponting@bathtourism.co.uk

2. Bath Tourism Plus
Bath's destination marketing organisation, Bath Tourism Plus, began trading on 1st October 2003, taking over the management of tourism promotion from Bath & North East Somerset Council and in the process, establishing a ground-breaking partnership between the public and private sector.

Working with the public and private sectors Bath Tourism Plus takes full responsibility for co-coordinating the work of a busy tourist information centre, the marketing of Bath and the surrounding area to leisure and business travellers, PR activity to attract the nation's top travel writers, a conference office, and development of Bath's official tourism internet site www.visitbath.co.uk. Its primary objective is to optimise the value of tourism for members.