Traditional Home Cooking in the Craven Dales

Craven is a predominantly limestone region of the Pennines, extending eastwards from Cumbria to the watershed of the Aire Valley in North and West Yorkshire. From the eighteenth century its farmers concentrated on sheep and cattle, especially the grazing of huge herds of Scotch cattle on their way to the English autumn markets. At this time cereal crops went into a great decline, having to be brought in from elsewhere, while meat consumption virtually ceased for many families. As a result, the basic diet became largely dependent on oats in the form of crowdy, porridge, and varieties of oatcake, with locally produced butter and cheese. The farmers' diet was much more substantial, including home-killed beef, mutton, and pork products, along with purchased wheat flour. Local dishes also include pikelets, pasties, custards, curd tarts, pork pies, and ceremonial foods such as funeral cakes, for which traditional recipes are given

Agronomy · Animal science · Biology · Geography · Grazing · Herd · Culinary Culture and Tourism