I landed at London Heathrow Airport, as I have done many times these past 37 years. I checked into my fave airport hotel — the Hilton Garden Airport Hotel at Terminal 2 and relaxed for the rest of the day, culminating in a delicious glass of Malbec on the 14th floor, overlooking the runways. I was going to need my rest for my long journey by train the following morning. I was “training it,” apparently.
You forget how excellent — on the whole — the European train system is. When I broached driving myself up north, my friend quickly suggested no, much the best to hop on a train, so that’s what I did. The London traffic is not for the faint of heart. I had forgotten that little detail. The long underground ride from the airport to Kings Cross on perhaps the hottest day of the year, underneath the steamy streets of London town, made for a not great start, but I cooled myself with cheery thoughts about all the fun adventures we were going to have in the coming days.
Kings Cross Station was much smarter and cleaner than I recalled from my teen years, and I found my cheerful train with red and white liveried staff very easily. I was headed up north — the land of my ancestors. It had been a while since I was last there. Whizzing through the lush green countryside on my super train (you could order a coffee onboard with an app, or even a glass of wine!). I felt excited that I was doing something new and different this time.
I had purchased the “Hidden Food Tour” vouchers for my sister and myself for Christmas. The old saying — “If you buy it, they will come” — was true in my case, not my sister’s, sadly. Charla and her colleague Matt had put together these tours about a year ago, starting out in Melton Mowbray, an old market town in Leicestershire, renowned as the rural capital of food. Being both self-professed foodies, this was an obvious excursion for the pair with food tourism being quite a novelty in the UK — perhaps not always known for its food. But you discover a town like Melton Mowbray with a solid history of pork pies and stilton cheese, you combine the walking tour with a historical lilt wherever you go… (Quote Matt: “King Richard, the Lionheart traveled along this road in 1194”) and you are reminded just how very old and interesting England can be — how an old market town like Melton Mowbray can take on a different flavor when you add history and mix it in with food history. I was hooked.
On our tour was an interesting mix-match of folks, including Lily, the dog, couples from around the place interested in doing something different of a weekend, a pair who came all the way from Bournemouth (that gave everyone in the coffee shop a rise; excuse me, I had traveled all the way from California!) and a very famous guest Sheila Dillon and her producer from the Radio 4 Food Program that wowed everyone at the cheese shop, where we were doing our first tasting. I could have pulled up a chair at that divine place — The Melton Cheeseboard — and tried everything on offer in the cool case (160 different types of cheese), but I opted to “only” buy two types of stilton for my father and the most delicious slice of Red Leicester I’ve ever tasted, also for father. Amy and Paula worked the family business from behind the counter, focusing strictly on the craft of cheese making and seemingly doing extremely well at it!
The Melton Mowbray pork pie is something to behold. Rich, golden crust encases a delicious combination of pork and spices. We discovered that the pork pie wars are a real thing in these parts, and we did a blind tasting of four different types — all yummy — slugged down with some local ales. Not being what you might call an expert, I enjoyed them all, no winners in my book! Stilton cheese is an equally hallowed product and must be made in Leicestershire, Derbyshire or Nottinghamshire in order to be called “Stilton.” What one might call a protected food group with a long, proud history. I recall my grandparents who were from Derbyshire buying a round of stilton to bring to us for Christmas and my parents enjoying it with port over the festive season.
In the downtown, we visited Ye Old Pork Pie Shoppe — the home of Dickinson & Morris and Mrs. Kings pies. The site had been a pork pie haven since 1851 with no sign of slowing down anytime soon. The manager explained to us the importance of the rich jelly around the pork and inside the crust. All I know is that I could have carried on eating those buttery, crusty, savory rounds of deliciousness, but I opted to just take a couple of them in my luggage for my father on the Isle of Man.
Next on our food tour, we were greeted by the self-proclaimed King of the Samosa, resplendent in his gold, green and purple garb and received lovely local cider to swig alongside those tasty pastries. After that it was on to the Feast and the Furious Smokehouse — “We don’t just hang our hat on pies and cheese in Melton Mowbray,” the proprietor boasted, as he shared their business model and extensive menu with us, and I must say that his smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel melted in the mouth. The Mallard Point local wine in its sustainable aluminum bottle was the perfect addition to the smoked salmon. At this point, ice cream was supposed to be on the menu, but we just couldn’t do justice to it.
Over the past 3-4 hours, we had eaten and drunk our way successfully around the streets of Melton Mowbray and most of us needed a nap. We opted for a final drink in the local pub by the smokehouse and chatted about the day and how much we all enjoyed it. The radio lady seemed to have loved her time as well, and I look forward to hearing her story and interviews with the participants and the proprietors on the British Radio Four Food Program on Friday, Sept. 12.
Last I heard Charla and Matt were working on building up their Lincoln food tour — that one is a must for me in the future — and planning to branch out into Nottingham. If you are curious about the food tour and are planning a trip to the UK, check out hiddenfoodtours.co.uk for an unmatched food and historical experience.
I was happy I took the time to take the tour and indulge myself in all the varied food and drink pairings that day. I felt as if I had got up very close and personal in the space of a short afternoon with the town of Melton Mowbray and enjoyed a side of England I had never previously explored.
From there it was time to go and visit my cousin. We had not seen one another since we were children.
