Wednesday 11 September Market Drayton - Gingerbread and Scratchings

A day rover ticket took us to Market Drayton across flatter country towards the Potteries. The bus was hoPPP e which just saidt, there was a screaming kid and a twot at the back was playing a radio changing stations every couple of seconds.
Sign on a road near Market Drayton,
ROAD HUMPS FOR 200 YARDS.
The mind boggles.
Every Wednesday Cheshire Street is closed to traffic for the market. There is a wide variety of goods on sale - tools, clothes, fruit, vegetables, baked goods, sausages etc.

Mary had a latte at the bicycle sales and repair store and we set out along the market. There are several timber framed buildings and the church is interesting.

Tudor House Hotel

 

Market Drayton is the home of the elusive  gingerbread. A lady at a market stand told us that she normally made gingerbread but hadn't brought any in today. Another lady sold us her last one(she had only brought in three) but cautioned this was not the original recipe and we should inquire at the delicatessen.
The lady at the delicatessen told us to ask at the card shop Heart to Heart where we were told that the family making the genuine gingerbread had had some problems and that there would not be any for several weeks. However we should try at the sweet shop.  The lady there had picked up some gingerbread animals this morning so we came away with gingerbread sheep but not of the original recipe.

The Crown was an interesting old pub which had a passable Marston's Pedigree bitter.
Wandering back to the bus stand we saw some packets of Pork Scratchings. We asked the man, "What are these?"
"They are scratchings".
"Yes, but what are they?"
"Scratchings, of course."
"What are they made of?"
"A Black Country delicacy. Made 'em miself".
"Are they made of bits of pig skin?"
"Yes, that's right".
It was a tough sell but I bought a packet for 85p.

On the back "We have been producing Pork Scratchings for over 30 years to an authentic Black Country recipe, our products are traditionally hand cooked in the heart of the Black Country using only the finest ingredients. ONLY RECOMMENDED FOR PEOPLE WITH STRONG HEALTHY TEETH.

46% Fat

What do pork scratchings taste like?

Pork scratchings, of course.
Click here to see all pictures taken at Market Drayton
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colinchurcher/sets/72157636395553954/
Click below to see these pictures in slide show format.

This evening we ate at a French restaurant in Shrewsbury.  Good job we spoke English. The salmon was well cooked but the confit de canard was pretty good. I asked about the red wines which were shown merely from France.

"Where do the French wines come from?"

"France."

"Yes, but where do they come from?"

"France."

"Are they Bordeaux or maybe Burgundy?"

"I dunno, I'll ask."

She came back with a Bordeaux bottle which just said vin de France.

Many of the desserts came slathered in piping hot custard.

I finished off the evening with a pint of Oswestry Brewery Station Bitter in the Three Fishes - excellent.

When I walked into the Three Fishes I saw a man sitting at the bar - eating a packet of scratchings