The history of Derbyshire Oatcakes

Mark Dawson


Region:
East Midlands
Notice Period:
Short (maybe less than one month's notice)
Type:
Hobby
Fee:
Paid: 50
Category:
History
Updated:
9th November 2023

Maybe not so well known as their cousins from Staffordshire, Derbyshire Oatcakes have a long history and are a traditional food of the north and west of the county. Up to the Second World War they were often the only form of bread that was eaten in large parts of the Peak District. I look at the earliest records of Derbyshire Oatcakes and the surviving evidence for how they were made, how they were eaten and what people thought of them. The story is brought right up to date as thankfully we still have people making and selling Derbyshire Oatcakes and I provide some traditional recipes for them.

Views: 773 | Enquiries: 4

About Mark Dawson

I've been researching, writing and giving talks about the history of food and drink for the last 20 years. I gained a PhD from Nottingham University in 2007 for my study of food and drink in a gentry household in the 16th century. Since then I've conducted extensive research into food and drink in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire in the 16th and 17th centuries and done some studies of individual foods - sheep's milk cheese, oatcakes and Henderson's Relish. I'm part of the organising committee for the Leeds Symposium on Food History and Traditions, regularly speaking at our annual conference or symposium as well as chairing sessions and writing and editing volumes of papers.

I'm used to giving talks to a wide variety of audiences - both national and local history societies and more general groups such as U3A, Probus and WI. Everything I talk about is thoroughly researched, but the aim is to entertain rather than just to lecture.

All talks are 45 minutes to 1 hour and illustrated by Powerpoint slides. I'm also happy to deliver all talks either in person or over Zoom.

I charge a flat £50 that includes travelling expenses if within Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire & South Yorkshire.


Send a message to the speaker

If you are interested in this talk and wish to contact the speaker, please complete the following form:

 
Please provide your contact name
 
Please provide the name of your group
 
Your phone number so that the speaker can contact you
 
Your email address so that the speaker can contact you
 
Give details about the event, time of day and location
Prove you are human please.
Use the slider to drag the puzzle so that the top and bottom are aligned , or use an alternate text based challenge by clicking here.
Which of fifty nine, 28, 76 or fifty one is the highest?
 

Site Search

Search across all speakers, topics and tags. Put your search term in the box and press enter or hit search

Use quotes around exact multiple word searches, eg "winston churchill".