Local Food Heroes - Stephen Wheeler looks at the famous Gloucester Old Spots
Some of Britain’s best known food has formed part of our daily fare for so long that it was named after the region or town where it first appeared, and Gloucestershire is no exception.
The originators of the Gloucestershire Old Spots Breed Society called the breed 'Old' Spots because the pig had been around for as long as anyone could remember. They originated around the Berkeley Vale on the southern shores of the river Severn and were usually kept in the cider orchards of the area, hence its other name – the ‘orchard pig’. Local folklore says that the spots on its back are bruises from the falling fruit.
Gloucester cattle are an ancient breed that go back to the 1200’s. Farmed for their high quality meat and milk, the Gloucesters were also strong draught oxen and herds extended from Devon to Essex. Double Gloucester cheese has a percentage of milk from Gloucester cattle to earn its name. In 1796 the Gloucester cow Blossom provided the first anti-smallpox serum to Berkeley local Sir Edward Jenner, the pioneer of vaccination, as he noticed that milk maids were free of smallpox.
The Cotswold breed of sheep, sometimes known as the ‘Cotswold Lion’ was introduced to Gloucestershire by the Romans. Their wool known as the Golden Fleece was a major export up to the 19th century, and played a major role in the development of the Cotswold towns and villages. In Norman and Saxon times history records enormous flocks in the hills around Cirencester – Edward 111 demanded 30,000 sacks of Cotswold wool annually for the Royal household. The first purebred line of sheep to be registered in America were Cotswold.
Tewkesbury mustard is a blend of mustard flour and grated horseradish root, and was developed there in the 17th century. Shakespeare’s Falstaff casts the insult “his wit’s as thick as Tewkesbury Mustard”, but by the late 19th century “he looks as if he lived on Tewkesbury mustard” was Gloucestershire slang for an austere countenance.
The parsnip-shaped Cheltenham beetroot is making a comeback, and Gloucester Royal and Gloucestershire Costard apples are being preserved in local orchards. Great local food has been around for a long time in the Cotswolds.
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20th February 2010
A Gloucester Old Spot
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