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Food for thought

Not so much of the old uns,i cant remember ever seeing cows feet in the pot,but on Saturdays i can remember pigs trotters boiling away,ready for my dads supper after my parents had been out to the local pub for a knees up

Mossy
 
Mossy, They were called cowheels when cooked when i was young, never had them my self, they were popular with us poor folks along with tripe, chitterlings, pigs trotters and faggots they were bought from a shop and were cooked on site, you took a crockery jug or bowl and they were put in along with some of the liquid they were cooked in. Len.
 
Len you can buy cowheels at the indoor market Perry Barr and even buy pigs head at the Barr Beacon butchers. Yes young man less of the old uns. [Only kidding] Jean.
 
Lencops i can remember fetching faggots and peas,me and one of my brothers would take two baking bowls,with a tea towel covering the top,and we used to take in turns carrying the faggots,because the one carrying them was able to have a drink of the gravy........those were the days

Mossy
 
Mossy there was a shop in Manor road that did faggotts and peas and they were b....y gorgeous but not as nice as the ones mom made. There was somewhere in the old market that sold them too. Jean.
 
All you 'old' connoisseurs (codgers if you can't read French) are making me hungry; I'm gonna make a Brummie steak & kidney pie for dinner.

Graham.
 
Hi Lyn
Thanks for the pic. I recently bought pig's trotters and home made faggots from our Farmers' Market. Both were YUMMY
 
Dave is that Super Boy on your avatar,i can remember when he lodged with the Wrights in Nechells...he was in the Rocket pub having a shandy...and there was some Villa fans in there and they spat at him......what can you expect

I know its off topic but i had to tell the story

Mossy
 
Rupert Pete's brother was a market trader in the Bull Ring for many years and he retired last year. He still goes back once a week for his jellied eels. Bye. Jean.
 
I always head for the Indoor and Outdoor Market several times when visiting Brum. I have never noticed Cow's feet but somebody must buy them where they are sold. I was always looking for the best Pork Pies I could find since you can't get Pork Pies in Canada and I crave them when I visit. I found some of the best in the Market and also in the mid-week Market held in the summer on New Street. Now I'm hungry for a Pork Pie.
My Father's family were from Wolverhampton and the food they ate there was slightly different to some areas of Brum. So Pig's feet, cows cheeks, chitterlings,tripe and onions, faggots and peas were on the menu in our house.
 
Jenny, you can get a frozen Mortimer's pork pie in Canada. There must be some in the shopping complex stores in Capilano. They are Melton Mowbray but expensive and small but once thawed out they taste pretty good. I broke down and purchased one...once. Beryl posted a recipe for a Melton Mowbray one time and I keep thinking that I will dig it out and make it, or at least have a shot. It seemed to be a bit complex.
 
my mom cooked in hard times, by the end of the week dinner was what she called, fresh air and eye-piece
 
We live in an affluent society but we waste nothing and one of the best meals of the week is when we clean out the left-overs from the fridge. When you went through the war years, you are mindfull of wastage. We did not have fridges back then so that any left-overs were dealt with more rapidly.
 
Oh you make me sooo hungry I say steak & kidney over here you would think I was eating pioson...wot I wouldnt give for a steak and kidney pudding.... proper english sausage and oh the thought of bacon these yanks aint gotta a clue roll on may
jean
 
bunnys meats in the indoor market do good pork pies nice crispy pastry bunny used to work for rowleys in the bullring before they closed hes a wellknown and liked man ...so if anyone is in the market please say hi to him from me and tell him I will be there mid may .
Jean
 
Hi. Talking of faggots, does anyone remember getting faggots and peas from Bromsgrove street in town, I think they where called Redmans, there was always a big queue outside. During the summer holidays I used to go there and buy them and take them up to Kirby Beards where my mom and sister worked. They where the best faggots in all of Brum.
Baz
 
I've just caught up with this one which is mouth watering but I believe we have done this one before.

Hope this post doesn't put you off the wonderful Taste Of The Midlands.
 
I also remember the 'Pigs trotters' boiling away Mossy. They were delicious with some salt on. Talk about sticky fingers. I wouldn't eat them now though, would any of you?

Maggs.
 
Would you Alf? If I see some I will let you know. I never gave it a thought that perhaps they are no longer available.

Maggs
 
Maggs going to the farm butcher later and they are on my list. Pete said he wouldn't eat them even if he was starving. Trouble is you drive down a lane with pigs one side and cows the other. Next weeks dinner. I also love pigs tails. Jean.
 
Best of luck then Jean, Alf will be pleased if you find some. I don't believe here in Cambridge people would have ever eaten them, well all I can say is they don't know what they missed. I know what you mean seeing all the animals as we drive by knowing that the pigs are tomorrows bacon bap.

Maggs
 
We always had faggots & peas, chickerlings etc. whealks and Mussels [still do have mussels - do them just like my mother did]. She also gave us pork bones and cabbage towards the end of the week Miriam.
 
Alf Maggs my mom used to cook them in pea soup. Beacon Farm where we go have two pet pigs too [they saved their bacon] but they are those ugly pigs and were someones pets before. When they went to collect them from their previous owner the butchers son asked which cuts they preffered. I don't think they appreciated the joke. I can now buy tripe from this butcher if I want but it has to be in bulk and I have now got rid of my second freezer as it was icing up too much. Bye. Jean.
 
Yes Al, faggots and peas from a shop on Spring Hill...lovely, it was take your own basin and get it filled up. Chitterlings yes, my dad used to love these. They didn't smell very nice when they were cooking, but OK with a bit of salt. The only thing I wouldn't eat which dad brought home to cook was brains Yuk!!! (dad worked at a butchers shop).
 
Yes Al, done them all in my time, can still get Mussels from Felixstowe but our last Fresh Fish shop closed about 3 years ago in Ipswich.
 
I just love this sort of thread. Having been a kid in the fifties these old offal dishes are a faint memory. A better (?) lifestyle has meant being thrifty no longer mattered. The chickens have come home to roost.
As other posters have mentioned getting hold of the offal is difficult. Many butchers order their meat from suppliers and dont bother with poorer parts of the animal. Some are no longer available for health reasons.
If I get the chance out comes the pressure cooker and in goes pigs feet, cheeks,or half a head. Love braun with mustard.Very likely my generation will be the last to have eaten or know of these dishes. After us it will be Historical Enactors who hopefully will keep these recipes alive.Mention chitterlings to my younger friends,explain what they are,and they turn a peculiar shade of green.I dont think its envy. I'm hungry now where is the pressure cooker?

Does any one know of a good recipe book of these old dishes.?
One certainly needs to written and not just for midland food.
 
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