Summary (by AI): My unsuccessful trip to find a Bedfordshire Clanger in Biggleswade left me disappointed and with an impression of the town as run down and edgy.
Blog: Imagine a savory and sweet pastry-wrapped pie—that’s the Bedfordshire Clanger. It’s a fascinating concept: on one end of the pastry wrap, you have a savory filling of minced meat and vegetables, and at the other end, a sweet filling like apples and cinnamon. It’s a full-on meal in one.
Unfortunately, I’m finding that for many of these traditional, historic foods, it’s actually quite difficult to track them down. However, after a bit of research, I found a bakery in Biggleswade—what a fabulous name—that claimed to sell them. I checked the map and realized I was close enough to make the trip. The bakery was due to close at 3:00 PM, and I was on track to arrive around 2:15 PM. With plenty of time to spare, I diverted my route.
I turned up in Biggleswade, parked the car, and immediately started noticing that despite its characterful name, the town felt a little run down and edgy. The car park I chose was a bit of a mess, to be honest, with the discarded contents of what looked like a burglary scattered all over. Regardless, I wandered over to the bakery, but as I walked up, my heart sank: "Oh damn, it’s closed." There was a sign on the wall explaining that due to staff shortages, they were closing at 12:00 PM. It was obviously way past noon by the time I arrived. I have to admit, I was pretty disappointed.
To pick myself up, I spotted a Greggs in town. Now, I do like a Greggs, so I decided to improvise my own version of a Bedfordshire Clanger. I bought a steak bake and a cream-filled chocolate éclair and had myself a makeshift version of the local specialty.
I did that mostly because I'm not 100% sure I’m ever actually going to find a real one. It wasn't even clear if that specific bakery would have had them in stock. I’ll keep looking, of course, and if I do find an authentic Clanger, I’ll update this post.
Visiting Biggleswade was an experience in itself—as I mentioned, it felt a bit "icky." But then, an incredible coincidence happened later that day. I found myself in a Szechuan restaurant in the City of London. There was a lady working there who had served me before; she’s a wonderful, older East End character, just a lovely person.
We got to talking about how she used to live quite close to my old place in Islington, but then the conversation shifted. She was sharing her disappointment with the rise of crime in the country and mentioned her daughter. "She lives in a town called Biggleswade," she said. "Have you ever heard of it?"
(Photo of my ‘Cold Sichuan Chicken’ for interest - amazing)
I laughed and told her, "Well, yes, I was actually there today!" I didn’t get into the whole saga of the Bedfordshire Clanger, but she told me her daughter feels the same way I did—that it’s become a bit run down and is suffering from the general downturn hitting many parts of the UK. That chat was an amazing coincidence - love it when things like that happen.
The Map: