Where is the North - South line in England?

[simonineaston]

There's a whole book on the dish, written by a Middlesborough-based local historian... got to say I've never had one, but am tempted. One of those dishes that look fairly disgusting but are probably very very nice to eat! see too poutine and lomo saltado
https://www.heritageunlocked.com/news/parmo

[Paulatic]

There's a whole book on the dish, written by a Middlesborough-based local historian... got to say I've never had one, but am tempted. One of those dishes that look fairly disgusting but are probably very very nice to eat! see too poutine and lomo saltado
https://www.heritageunlocked.com/news/parmo

That’s interesting as I notice he uses the term decades. My dad was a Middlesbrough boy ( infamous Canon St) and I was born in Thornaby near the race course. I’d never heard of Parmo until the nineties
Born in the early fifties the only take aways I recall were chip shops and other than fish , fish cakes and patties were available, along with the scraps.
Had my first Parmo aged 60. Couldn’t eat it all and no wish to order again.

[Jdsk]

...
Born in the early fifties the only take aways I recall were chip shops and other than fish , fish cakes and patties were available, along with the scraps.
...

None of those low-quality burgers, such as Wimpy's?

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

There's a whole book on the dish, written by a Middlesborough-based local historian...
...

It's fascinating to be able to observe the invention of new dishes. And even when they're this recent the history can be disputed!

Jonathan

PS: And in the long tradition of English food this one has meat from an East Asian bird (or a Near Eastern mammal), topped with a cheese but named after a different Italian cheese used in an American dish, in a French sauce, wrapped in a Middle Eastern cereal.

[Paulatic]

...
Born in the early fifties the only take aways I recall were chip shops and other than fish , fish cakes and patties were available, along with the scraps.
...

None of those low-quality burgers, such as Wimpy's?

Jonathan

I have no memory of a Wimpy until the sixties.
I also recall they were sit ins people who ate on the street back then were talked about.

Before Wimpy came everyone went to Rea's ( Chris Rea's family)

[al_yrpal]

There was a Wimpy in Henley on Thames in the 80s and 90s I think. Downmarket joint in an upmarket town! Replaced by an upmarket bakery.

Al

[mattheus]

There was a Wimpy in Henley on Thames in the 80s and 90s I think. Downmarket joint in an upmarket town! Replaced by an upmarket bakery.

Al

Henley is the only UK town that AFAIK has NO cheap places to eat! It is on many local group cycling routes, so you'd think SOMEONE would know if there was something!

It's not really part of Oxfordshire - it's more like an offshore territory of London....

[Nearholmer]

The only Wimpy I can remember from ‘way back’ is the one that was in Brighton, which makes a fleeting cameo appearance in Quadrophenia if you know when to look.

For a boy from a small country town on days out to the seaside, that didn’t feel downmarket at all, it felt quite ‘space age’, all bright, clean and modern, and since it was the only time we ever ‘ate out’ (other than out of a bag of sandwiches we’d carried with us), and it had waitress service, it felt pretty posh too.

So, as with most things, including where the North-South line might be, the view changes according to where you look at it from.

[simonineaston]

As an aside, there was an article in the Graun the other day, in which local teenage hang-outs were discussed. Both Jay Rayner and I grew up in Harrow, nw London, in the '70s. There were a couple of places we had in common - the Mad Hatter and the Wimpy bar - chalk and cheese. The MH offered toasted cheese&ham sandwiches - or as they put it, Croque Monsieur, which as an engenu 17 year old, I thought most exotic... the Wimpy bar certainly wasn't exotic - at least not in any good way. Another Harrow-based chum reminded me that the Wimpy was where a certain Kevin Rowland used to hang out with his mates, after he ceased to attend school at 15, some of whom would go on to be parts of Dexys Midnight Runners.
But once I had a motor bike, I used to go to Maxwell's in Hampstead, which seemed a huge step up from both the Wimpy bar & the Mad Hatter. Jay Rayner agreed. No parmo in any of those outlets though...

[simonineaston]

That's the menu I remember... was it the same across the whole of the UK?

the prices !!!

[al_yrpal]

There was a Wimpy in Henley on Thames in the 80s and 90s I think. Downmarket joint in an upmarket town! Replaced by an upmarket bakery.

Al

Henley is the only UK town that AFAIK has NO cheap places to eat! It is on many local group cycling routes, so you'd think SOMEONE would know if there was something!

It's not really part of Oxfordshire - it's more like an offshore territory of London....

If its still there theres a lovely little café that used to be in Friday Street, now in Reading Road called Hot Gossip. Used to be good (I left the area in 2019). As for London....yes Henley's insufferable on weekends when London workers are around but ok in the week. Mind you Wellingtons Waitrose is just as full of rude folk just like Henley.

Al