The Road To Jaipur

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A tart or a pudding? Choices, choices. It is the burning question in the small Derbyshire market town of Bakewell. Always. The town is known for Bakewell Pudding - essentially a jam pastry with a filling that has been enriched with egg and ground almond. Meanwhile the Bakewell Tart is a different beast altogether. It is made with shortcrust pastry, an almond topping and a sponge and jam filling. The confectionery brand, Mr Kipling, confuse matters even further with their "Cherry Bakewells". Topped with icing and a glace cherry seemingly randomly plonked on top, we grew up with the product. Exceedingly good or so their advertising campaign would have you believe. The voice was instantly recognisable, the name behind it was not. The "Cherry Bakewells" of course were nothing to do with Bakewell. They were made in a factory near Doncaster or Stoke on Trent.

The origins of the Bakewell Pudding are not entirely clear. A much repeated story cultivates the rumour their creation was a pure accident. The accident happened in 1820, when the landlady of the White Horse Inn left instructions for her cook to make a jam tart with an egg and almond paste pastry base. However the cook got crossed wires and spread the eggs and almond paste on top of the jam, instead of mixing them into the pastry. The jam rose through the paste after cooking and the Bakewell Pudding was born. The White Horse is no more. It is now the Rutland Arms Hotel, which sits prominently at the main junction in the centre.

The Bakewell Pudding business is competitive. Three shops in Bakewell offer what they claim to be the original recipe. The Bakewell Tart Shop and Coffee House sells a multitude of varieties. They will let you have a Bakewell Tart or a Bakewell Pudding. Icing can be added to your Bakewell Tart and this being the new world of allergies, gluten free is also an option. They all looked good to be honest. A steady stream of punters were gazing expectantly inside, but if you can't make it in person an online option will transport it direct to your door. The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop also offers much the same - produced from a 'secret" recipe and not to be out done, the selection is available online too. They are very confident you are going to love them - Pudding or Tart. So much so, the Old Original throws up the option of pre-paying for your choice to be delivered every month for a year. Meanwhile Bloomers of Bakewell - a "craft" bakery - have been making their products since 1889 and have also latched on to the Post a Pudding business.

The weekend had started outside Bakewell on the Monsal Trail. The walk is essentially a section of the old Manchester - Buxton - Matlock railway link to London. The Midland Railway stumped up some serious money in 1863 to construct this relatively short section of the line, which required a series of tunnels and viaducts. The line closed in 1968 and is now a haven for walkers and cyclists. Aw with our recent experiences in Rutland, the cycling fraternity seemed to have immense difficulty in grasping the concept of shared space. The general idea is supposed to be ride with caution, especially where you could come into conflict with pedestrians (including small children, whose first thought isn't always to think bike). Vera stuck close through the Headstones Tunnel - the longest tunnel on the route. We descended from the Monsal Viaduct into the valley, where proceedings were somewhat quieter and less stressful.

The stress back in Bakewell was largely confined to parking. The number of visitors, even on an out of season weekend, seemed to outstrip the available paces in the main car park. We sought out an alternative. Vera amused herself hunting out the sources of a free treat in town. She took a sudden left turn into a pet shop and was rewarded for her troubles, by a gravy bone. She might have headed for the place selling Austran sausages, had she been able to read. The Other Half popped into Seasalt. Can you ever have enough of their tops? Apparently not! As always, the shop and staff are very fog friendly. Vera lapped up the attention. We retired for a coffee in the Rutland Arms Hotel, no less - where the original "mistake" was made to create the Bakewell Pudding. In amongst the the general busy nature of many of the other local establishments, I have to say it was a sea of tranquility. The coffee was good too. We walked up the hill behind towards the All Saints Church, described as one of the finest of its type anywhere in Britain. The Church was founded on the site in 920. I had another pilgrimage in mind at this point. It was founded a bit later than 920.

Thornbridge Brewery was only founded in 2005 in the grounds of Thornbridge Hall at Ashton on the Water, just outside Bakewell. Today, it is housed in the grounds of an old mill on the outskirts of Bakewell and has run up a list of awards as long as your arm. As well as the brewing plant and distribution warehouse, Thornbridge has established a Tap Room to encourage visitors to pop in for a sample or two. It is of ambitious scale, featuring bar, shop and food counter. The food option was largely limited to pizza, but judging by the samples passing our table it was a decent offering. The bar of course offers the signature brew, the Jaipur IPA - India Pale Ale. At 5.9%, don't underestimate the effects of Britain's Best Ale 2013. I comparison to my other most recent brewery experience at Saltaire, this was certainly the Rolls Royce experience. In contrast to Saltaire too, Vera ( and other 4 legged friends) are most welcome. There is room enough for all.

As always, the trip included some football. No ordinary football location either. In a non-descript leafy suburb of Sheffield - a mere 15 miles north east of the brewery - lies the world's oldest football ground. Sandygate Road. In view of the prominence of the game in the national identity of the country, it should logically be lauded more than is the case. Indeed, the Plough pub opposite should be a national icon and not a semi derelict former licensed premises, desperately trying to avoid a confrontation with the demolition billdozers. Whilst this is the 1929 building of the pub, it was in the Plough that some of the modern rules of football were established. The "Sheffield" rules included the concept of free kicks for foul play, corner kicks and heading the football. The rules were adopted by the local Football Association and later the wider country.

We stopped off to allow Vera to apply her squirrel hunting techniques in another wood. Eccleshall Woods is a gem. Easy parking. Well laid out trails and history to boot. It is the largest area of semi-natural woodland in South Yorkshire. This being Sheffield and the steel city, the woods of course have been exploited for industry over the years. Charcoal pits abound, as do the traces of coal mining. If you look carefully, coal fragments line the forest floors. After a busy couple of hours, we retreated to the Woodland Cafe. The Other Half waxed lyrically over the quality of the hot chocolate drink on offer.

Meanwhile in Sheffield 10, football awaited. Sheffield FC are widely acknowledged as the world's oldest club. They formed in 1857, but are now found playing in Dronfield half way to Chesterfield. Vera had already ticked off that venue, leading the Marske United Canine Crew on the rise to glory. Hallam were part of the local cricket club, but chose to formalise the football side of things in 1860 and have called home ever since. The first ever challenge match between the two clubs took place at Sandygate Road on Boxing Day 1860. In 1867, Hallam FC went on to win the Youdan Cup - believed to be the world's first cup competition and oldest trophy. It subsequently went missing, but turned up in an antique dealers in Scotland in 1997. Today, Sandygate Road is very much a one sided affair with no spectator accommodation on the cricket field side. The slick and modern clubhouse adjoins a comfortable covered seated area. Hard standing exists behind both goals, with a cover at the Plough end. A good crowd of over 500 was inside for this North East Counties League clash with the visitors from West Yorkshire, despite Sheffield Wednesday being at home down the road at Hillsborough. The visitors from Garforth Town are no strangers to the world stage, but don't have such a long history as Hallam FC. They once made a stated play to rise through the football pyramid and signed Brazilian World Cup legend, Socrates. Alas, he managed a mere one substitute appearance for the team. The match ended in a 2-2 draw. Garforth broke the local hearts with a 96th minute equaliser.

We departed for the Hope Valley and a meal on the way home at dog friendly The Maynard. The food was good, Vera was welcome in the bar and it was good to see some Thornbridge product being served.

Appendix 1

Northern East Counties League (Premier Division)

Hallam FC 2 Garforth Town FC 2

Venue: Sandygate Road, Crosspool, Sheffield. S10 5SE

Date: Saturday 8st October 2022 @ 1500 Hours

Attendance: 549

Scorers: 0-1 Burgess 3 Mins (Garforth) 1-1 Ball OG 4 Mins (Hallam), 2-1 Royles 42 Mins (Hallam), 2-2 Ball 96 Mins (Garforth)

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Photos

Sandygate Road, Hallam FC
The world's oldest football ground

Hallam FC
The world's oldest football ground

Eccleshall Woods
Woodland Cafe .... hot chocolate supreme