The Midland

A LONGSIDE THE GREAT HEARTLANDS of the Industrial Revolution paradoxically lies some of the most fertile agricultural countryside in Britain. The high level of milk production makes the Midlands a major cheese-making region, giving us Stilton, Derby cheese, Shropshire Blue and Leicester among others. What’s more, I’ve found two new major cheese producers who have revived an old tradition and, by the time this book is published, will be well and truly on the map. Fruit and vegetables grow in abundance across the region: the Vale of Evesham goes green with asparagus in May, and its plums are some of England’s finest. Plums are also a favourite in Lincolnshire, where they make plum bread. Pears feature on the coat of arms for Worcester; and the region’s cider and perry are celebrated. On the livestock front, the Tam worth pig is the breed of choice for most of the pork products, which include Lincolnshire and Newmarket sausages, pork scratchings, and traditional dishes based on offal, such as faggots. Perhaps the most British of all meat dishes comes from the Midlands - the legendary Melton Mowbray pork pie. The region is also home to many other totemic British-manufactured food products, like Worcestershire Sauce and Marmite.