History of Local Food

Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire has been a centre for vegetable production in the UK since the early 1700’s. Drained by the Ouse River, most of the county is extremely fertile and, apart from the easily flooded valley bottoms, belts of light sands and urban areas, much of Bedfordshire has been under cultivation at one time or other.

Field scale production of certain vegetables was common by the beginning of the 20th century. Vegetables were concentrated in different parts of Bedfordshire depending on the types of soil, for example, some vegetables such as onions and parsley were concentrated almost entirely on the Ivel terraces; others such as white turnips were largely confined to the Eastern Greensand whilst others, particularly early potatoes, were distributed widely over all the sandy land. Production of most vegetables ended abruptly at the boundaries with the adjoining clay land.

By 1905, a goods train, especially for vegetables, averaging fifty wagons and with up to twice this provision in July, left Biggleswade for London four days a week during the busy months. During July and August 1905, 602 tons of carrots, comprising about 886,000 bunches were sent from Sandy station alone to the Glasgow wholesale market. The record daily consignment was 57,000 bunches. About 40 per cent of the England and Wales acreage of Brussel sprouts were grown in Bedfordshire by 1914.

Bedfordshire also has an important fruit growing history; one of the most successful plant breeders in the world was based near Bedford – Thomas Laxton was born in 1830 at Tinwell near Stamford. Together with sons and grandsons, he produced an amazing number of new varieties of apples, plums, pears, gooseberries, raspberries, currants and strawberries. Fifty years ago there were many small-scale orchards in the county containing several types of fruit. The Totternhoe and Eaton Bray area once had extensive damson orchards and industry. The damsons, known locally as prunes, were used to make jams and the skins are thought to have been used to dye RAF uniforms around WWII and dye hats for the Luton hat trade.

The fruit from the orchards were often used to fill Bedfordshire Clangers, a traditional Bedfordshire dish. The Clanger is an elongated suet crust dumpling with a meat filling at one end and a jam filling at the other, comprising main course and dessert in one. Traditionally, it was made by women for their menfolk to take to their agricultural work.

Buckinghamshire

It forms part of the gently undulating plain of North Buckinghamshire and is one of the finest diary and stock-rearing areas in the whole of England. This well-watered, clayey plain was formerly farmed by crop rotation as can be seen by the long ridges running across the fields resulting from a special ploughing technique designed to maintain drainage.

The deserted manor of Creslow claims Creslow Great Field (three hundred acres) as the largest single pasture in Britain. Here cattle have been fattened for the royal table since the times of Queen Elizabeth.

Aylesbury ducks were a breed developed for their meat around the early 18th century and became a cottage industry in Aylesbury. The ducks were walked to the markets in London stopping at night at inns which provided large enclosed yards for a charge of a few birds. Each morning the feet of the birds were given some protection by driving them across a shallow ditch filled with cold tarry solution which made their feet sticky, then through sawdust which adhered to their feet.

Cherry, plum and apple orchards, once common south of Aylesbury, were reduced by over 90% between 1938 and 1994. Cherry orchards were the county’s speciality. Seer Green Cherry Pie Fair in June still continues, and recently has been part of Seer Green's Village Day, where there are locally made cherry pies for sale.

« Back to Home Page