food
Back Up North
by Ally Shepherd
After a decade overseas, Ally Shepherd got stuck in the Northwest of England amid 2020’s pandemic chaos. She promptly became a born-again Northerner and, probably annoyingly, wanted to tell the world.
Documenting her journey to understand herself through the region in which she grew up, she explores its pressing questions, such as: Is there still a North/South divide? Was she descended from a Pendle witch? Why does Liverpool have a slavery museum? What’s with Scouse and Geordie accents? Where are Northern women’s stories in TV, film, and literature? And is it okay to eat chips, cheese and gravy? (Spoiler: The answer to the last question is ‘yes’).
Drawing on history, politics, pop culture, and folklore – as well as a childhood in Cheshire, family stories from Lancashire, and an education in Yorkshire – Back Up North explores the region’s diverse legacy of food, music, literature, dialect, social change and superstition. Give it a read, pet. Tha might learn summat.
Sandy’s Great Northern Cookbook
70 Delicious Recipes for Every Occasion to Capture the Essence of the North
with Bake Off’s Sandy Docherty
Rarely seen without a rolling pin, Sandy Docherty appeared on The Great British Bake-Off in 2015 and has been a regular guest on local radio and Channel 4 since – talking especially about food from the land of her birth. She achieved GBBO’s legendary ‘Hollywood Handshake’ for her rich chocolate-indulgent Yorkist Tart – among the recipes featured in this, her first collection of culinary treasures specific to northern English traditions. Each mouthwatering suggestion comes with a little potted history and instructions for deliciously moreish creations perfect for any time of day, whether for solo indulgence or enjoyably shared with family and friends. Learn how to make Leeds soup, Swaledale lamb and mint pies, Whitby chowder, Helvellyn butter, Batley truffle, Moggy and so much more… Plus, of course, the definitive recipe for Yorkshire Puddings in a book designed to evoke the sounds and smells of Sandy’s mother’s kitchen.
“Full of classy Yorkshire fodder. I look forward to trying them all!” – Julian Norton, The Yorkshire Vet
