Yorkshire Parkin

[Flummery]

Would oatmeal be porridge oats?

No NOT porridge oats! It has to be the ground oatmeal - you can get it in most supermarkets - Prewetts make one brand. It is grittier and gives a much better texture thatn the rolled oats. Do try to find the oatmeal if you can. Can't guarantee the texture of your parkin if you use porridge oats.

[marigold007]

How confusing! In the States all Oats are called oatmeal. The time to cook usually tells the grade or how they were cut or rolled. I'll take your word for it Flummery since I have never seen a Parkin before in my life! My OH lived in Scarborough for quite a long time and vaguely recalls Parkin. I wonder if he'll be able to tell the difference! Are they the really floury type that are hardly recognizable as an oat flake? (On a side note, the ancient rivalry between Lancashire and Yorkshire was explained to me last night over the football game, you all might be happy to hear. )

Will look for Prewitts. If I cannot find them, I'll look for the Oats that have been pounded to death by any strange method. Lidl do a good version of that!! I swear, I have never seen anything called Oatmeal in the stores here. Sorry if I mislead anyone.

Here's a bbc food description of porridge oats I found yesterday:
BBC - Food - Recipes - Oats

*goes to sit in corner with Dunce hat*

[coomber]

I made mine with porridge oats cause I had them already and couldn't be bothered to go to the shops, It taste's georgous and i love the consistency. Don't know how authentic it is though because i've never had it before

[smallblueplanet]

Goodness Oatmeal, Medium 3kg

Prewetts

[Flummery]

That's the bunny! I have Prewett's Medium and Country Products Fine in the cupboard at the moment. They are good in biscuit reipes too. They really don't give the same results as rolled oats.

PS a handful of fine oatmeal is great in a white bread recipe.

[Hilary B]

Porridge is usually made from rolled oats, making flakes (but you can use 'meal', it is just a LOT more difficult to get it to work nicely). Meal is ground, like flour (but only 'fine' is floury in texture, the others are grittier) and used for baking. I like pancakes made with fine oatmeal instead of flour. (resisting temptation to make sarky remarks about Americans not speaking proper English. It wouldn't be serious anyway)

[marigold007]

Don't hold back on my account Hilary B. Apparently many people right here in the UK don't speak proper English. :-)

[sallym]

Parkin cooking as I type. Smells lovely. Maybe I can cut it in half and keep for a week. No way can I resist when its warm!

[Flummery]

Try to resist at least some of it. It goes wonderfully gooey if you do!

[sallym]

Sorry, tucking in now. Its lovely. Have saved half to keep tho.

[HayleyB]

Adopted Aunty Flum can I use butter instead of marge?

I might try making it next weekend (I did Anzac biscuits today)

[Flummery]

Oh yes! Makes it lovely. I just always have a big pot of marge in so I use that.

[HayleyB]

Brill, don't think the Anzacs are gonna make it to tomorrow the way the OH is going at them, he's not a cakey sort so DD and I might get a look in with parkin

[Hilary B]

Don't hold back on my account Hilary B. Apparently many people right here in the UK don't speak proper English. :-)

Probably the majority! No malice about the American language, it's just that the saying about 'divided by a common language' is rather a favourite of mine, and I and some American friends enjoy teasing each other about the differences<g>. It gets to be a habit.....

[marigold007]

'divided by a common language'

That's my OH's favourite saying too!

I got some Prewett's medium oatmeal today at the Wimbledon Holland and Barrett so all is well now. Parkin's on the way -- right after I finish my mid-term that I have been procrastinating from doing while I obsessed about oatmeal.

Thanks for all your help everyone!