Lancashire Day
by Alison Stapleton
27th November every year is Lancashire Day
Lancashire is a county in the north west of England.
This special day is celebrated by men and women and lassies from Lancashire who may or may not still live there.
Like me.
I am originally from Lancashire but I now live in Vancouver.
The sign says “Welcome to Lancashire A place where everyone natters” which is a twist on the saying everyone matters, because to natter is to chat (and maybe even gossip) especially with your friends and neighbours.
But in a friendly way, as people do in the north.
Lancashire
Nostalgia is a funny thing and draws you back to your roots and early childhood memories.
I haven’t been there for many years but still remember living as a child in a carefree environment walking the fields and picking blackberries each endless summer.
It was on 27th November 1295 when the county first sent its representatives to the English Parliament.
That was over seven hundred years ago and this date is now celebrated as Lancashire Day
How to celebrate Lancashire Day
Wear a red rose
This is the symbol for Lancaster and comes from the War of the Roses. For years Lancaster was the county town but now it is Preston.
As you can see it is the icon for Old English Creations and I have it as my favicon as well. Not got much to do with crochet but more of a backstory piece.
The white rose is for York and Yorkshire. You know, where the puddings come from, so no white roses.
Cook my Nana’s Lancashire Hot Pot
This is my grandmother’s recipe and we used to have it once a week as kids.
Lancashire Hot Pot is a casserole like meal prepared in one dish that can be kept warm for people coming home late.
It is made with the local ingredients from the area and is traditionally eaten on a weekday night.
It is a simple dish made from of lamb, onions, potatoes and sometimes turnips.
I haven’t made it for a while so the image is from wkkicommons free images
Ingredients
- 1kg shank or neck of lamb
- 2 large potatoes
- 2 large onion
- flour for dusting
- thyme dried but fresh is best
- 500ml vegetable or meat stock
Method
- Preheat oven to 180C.
- Cut the lamb into one inch cubes and dust in flour.
- Slice the potatoes and onions 5mm thick. Keep aside some evenly sized potato slices for the top.
- In the bottom of a greased heavy casserole dish (that has a lid) place a layer of potato slices overlapping slightly. Then add a layer of onion (and optional turnip) and then a layer of lamb.
- Continue the layers and end with a potato layer from the slice kept aside earlier.
- Add the vegetable stock and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 3 hours with the lid on and then 30 minutes with the lid off to crisp the top potatoes.
Your hot pot can be removed from the oven and kept warm to eat later in the day.
Serve with pickled red cabbage on the side.
Sing the folk song
The Lassie from Lancashire
She’s a lassie from Lancashire
Just a lassie from Lancashire.
She’s a lassie from Lancashire
Oh, so, dear.
Though she dresses in clogs and shawls,
She’s the prettiest of them all.
None could be rarer, or fairer, than Sarah,
The lassie from Lancashire.
