The Great Staffordshire Breakfast

So while I sat last week eating my brunch - a delicious plate full of bacon, eggs, sausage tomatoes and mushrooms with a good cup of tea, (I was being spoiled in return for washing up duty) I overheard a couple next door who had also partaken of a great Staffordshire all day breakfast commenting to Peter that is was the best breakfast they had enjoyed. I glowed with pride and then began to think. So what made it better than any other breakfast?

Was it the fact that the bacon, cooked gently in the pan, tasting ever so slightly of crisp porky sizzle and salt complimented the creamy texture of the free range egg and the tart acidic soft texture of the tomato or was it the fact that it was presented beautifully on a large fine china Wedgwood plate and my cup of finest English tea brown enough to taste of tea but pale enough to be delicate was also in a lovely china tea cup... maybe it was as simple as the sunshine streaming through the window, bouncing off the floor making me feel warm whilst the dulcet sounds emanated from the CD player temporarily taking me far away from my pots and pans!


Now everybody likes a big, hearty English breakfast once in a while, don't they? Families sit at their tables on a Sunday morning and tuck in but I wonder do they know where the tradition really came from? why is the Full English Breakfast, so well... English?

I bet they don't know that the English breakfast first came in to our households as a marketing ploy, in the 1920’s, much the same as the red Santa Claus arrived via Coca Cola. ‘Bacon and eggs’ was the phrase used by Edward Bernays to persuade people that a good hearty breakfast after a relaxing lie in on a Sunday morning was just what they needed to start their ‘relaxing’ day off.
With the passage of time and significant advertising it became very popular to buy Edward Bernays bacon and eat it with lots of different things on a Sunday morning. The most popular were sausages, eggs, black pudding, mushrooms and tomatoes.

Further google research has also revealed that Henry V and his men ate a hearty breakfast before going out to battle. This included all manner of ingredients, some not so appetising such as uncooked cows kidneys with black pudding and bacon! Eggs were also eaten but as they were harder to come by they must have been a bit of a treat and I guess in those days an impending axe crashing through your armour kind of obliterated the worry of cholesterol!

More recently in 2002 the BBC reported the death of the Great British Breakfast claiming foreign muesli's and french croissants to be at fault, however reports from a small rural village in Staffordshire can confidently claim that the Staffordshire all day breakfast is definitely not deceased but growing in popularity. So why not pop down to the Gastronomy Shop and enjoy a moment of pure deliciousness with Staffordshire bacon and eggs but definitely no raw cows kidneys and let us know what you think - Are the days of bacon and eggs a thing of the past...

A Tenor and Cinderella!

Well If you like a good quality modern Opera, you enjoy Italian cuisine and good company you need to join us on the 9th October at the Wedgwood Museum.

I would like to tell you a little story about a chef and an office girl (naming no names!) ;
It was an early autumn evening and said chef who was a member of the local 'Round Table' had been invited to the area Ball which was to be held at Stapley Water gardens. The Chef and the office girl had only been on a couple of dates and neither knew at that stage what the future would hold.
The office girl had not been to a ball before and was very excited so much fuss and attention was paid to choosing the right dress, the right shoes, the right curlers etc etc. The chef didn't have as much work to do - just a change from a white jacket to a black one and a neckerchief to a dicky bow.
The carriage arrived at 7.00 to collect the girl and together they sped across Staffordshire to the Ball. Neither was convinced that the venue would provide a Cinderella type atmosphere but romance was in the air and as the orchestra started (a local chap on a keyboard over dinner) and the lights dimmed it became an evening to remember and a meal that sparked mixed emotions. Much dancing around handbags and rugby talk at the bar followed and the guests were allowed the privilege of walking around the aquarium and the planted gardens. The beat of the music in the background could be heard faintly and as the young chef gazed into the eyes of the office girl over the indoor ferns her heart flipped and so a lasting love began...

So reel forward in time to the present and Peter and Sarah met with the staff at Wedgwood to plan some special themed evenings. The first of these has been planned meticulously to offer loyal customers and those who would like a rather special evening of their own, the opportunity of relaxed time to browse the galleries at the museum. To discover the culture and heritage of the finest china made in Stoke for over a hundred years. The opportunity of experiencing a fantastic meal cooked with fresh seasonal produce to reflect the theme of the evening and served on finest Wedgwood china in the best museum in England. Then to complete the evening musical entertainment that will leave you breathless and eager to do it all again at the next event...

So may be there are no fish and ferns at Wedgwood to flutter your eyelashes over at each other but we promise you a great evening of real tradition and culture and it will be special... and you never know where new relationships may flourish be they romantic or of a business nature!

To book your place on this evening not to be missed call The Wedgwood Museum on 01782 371913 or pop into the shop to pick up your personal invitation and booking form.