A couple of month's ago I was contacted by none other than Jamie Oliver's production company Fresh One. Once I had picked myself up off the floor, I had a lovely chat with one of their researchers about the long forgotten Lancashire delicacy of the "Tosset Cake", very similar to the now infamous Goosnargh cake.
After a bit of a chat I helped put them in contact with the local womens institute (WI) and also identified a St Oswalds church in the next village to where they where originally looking (having a bit of local knowledge you see !). The research team then came to check out the venue for later filming, so we met up for coffee and a further chat and discussed other local forgotten recipes too, at the same time I also mentioned it on one of my slots on BBC Radio Lancashire to see whether anyone knew more about the cake and its history.
Little did I know a few weeks later the man himself, that's Jamie Oliver is in Lancashire filming !! eek ! very exciting. Unfortunately, due to work commitments, I can't make it to the Tosset Fair at Parrox Hall, but I'm sure it will be a great event.
The Tosset cake is supposedly linked to the festival of St Oswald and is said to have been celebrated in Stalmine, the community of Preesall is now claiming ownership to the cake, the recipe for the cake can be found here on the Foods of England website. Unlike the Goosnargh which is just traditionally caraway, the Tosset cake has with both caraway and coriander seeds
The programme is being recorded for later in the year and there is an open invite for the people of Lancashire to attend
Tosset Feast - Wednesday 14th August commencing 2.30 p.m.
Come along to a fun-filled free afternoon at Parrox Hall on Wednesday 14th August at 2.30pm. As part of their new Channel 4 series, Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty are helping to revive the historic Tosset Feast and would like you to take part. They are inviting YOU the people from the villages of ‘Over Wyre’ to come together for this traditional feast to celebrate St Oswald’s Day. There will be food, drinks and plenty of fun activities in keeping with the Tosset Feasts of yester year! Bring along your home-baked Tosset Cakes to add to the original spirit of the feast. So please join in with this great day out and let’s make the Tosset Feast the biggest event on the local calendar, once more.
N.B. Plenty of space of lots of people to attend but entry will be come on a first come first served basis.