‘WE DO IT PURELY OUT OF LOVE’
Alison puts ‘healing energy’ into oatcakes
OATCAKE shops tend to keep their unique recipes secret but one Newcastle shop has a very special ingredient: healing energy.
Owner and spiritual healer Alison Plant says she channels the power of Jesus into the oatcakes as she packs them up and hands them to customers.
Alison, who runs Mellors Oatcakes in Cambridge Drive, Clayton, with husband Phillip and daughter-inlaw Melisa, says the energy ‘comes through her from Jesus’ – and she can sense how customers are feeling and what support they might need.
The 55-year-old does not charge for healing and many customers return to the shop after it closes at 1pm for ‘treatment’.
The Plant family took over Mellors Oatcakes in Porthill in 1992, which is now run as a franchise – and opened their second venture in a former archery and fishing shop in 1996. They still use one of the vintage gas griddles from the original shop, dating back to 1956, in their Clayton branch.
The family are Christians and there are posters with Bible verses and pictures of Jesus on the walls of the shop and in the window. The shop is a collection point for Holy Trinity food bank and they support charities such as Dougie Mac and Alice Charity.
They pride themselves on their community spirit and providing a space where people can come and share their worries and concerns – or just enjoy a chat. And Alison, who discovered her healing gift almost 30 years ago, says she pours positive energy into the oatcakes in her shop.
Alison, who used to have a healing room at the Brampton, said: “I believe that the energy comes through me, not from me. I give Jesus the glory – it’s all from him. It’s like an electric current constantly flowing through me. I don’t say a blessing or anything like that but the energy flows through my hands into the oatcakes when I bag them up.
“Especially during the pandemic, if people were frightened or feeling vulnerable I could tell, and I would try to help them. I try to reach out to people but I don’t force religion on them. I will pay them a compliment or try to make them laugh and lift their spirits, and if they want to know more I will tell them.
“I can’t heal myself if I am ill but I can help others. If someone isn’t very well they can come back to the shop after we are closed for healing. A lot of the time businesses are about how much money they can make but we want to look after people. Working in the shop gives me the opportunity to be here and do this. It’s hard work but the rewards are great.”
Mellor’s sells traditional oatcakes and fillings – the most popular is cheese and bacon – as well as pikelets, all-day breakfasts, sandwiches, doughnuts and drinks. Oatcake prices start at £1.10 for a single cheese oatcake or £2.70 for a dozen plain ones. The all-day breakfast includes two rashers of bacon, two sausages, egg, tomato, beans, mushrooms and two oatcakes for £5.
Vegetarian orders are cooked on a separate griddle and the kitchen is open plan so customers can see their food being prepared. They bake fresh as they go every day and use good quality ingredients, including free range eggs.
Alison, who says she feels God’s presence all the time in the shop, says their regulars enjoy the ‘oldfashioned’ customer service. She said: “Some businesses have quite a cold relationship with their customers but we have that old-fashioned quality of making time for people.
“We get talk to people and get to know them. We have customers who used to come in as children and now have families of their own.
“No one has ever complained about the pictures of Jesus or the Bible verses. I think many people are happy to see them. I like having something positive in the window that people can look at while they are waiting. We hear so many negative things in this world - it’s nice to go somewhere where things are positive.
“I do find it quite spiritually draining, but I am glad that I am able to be here for people. I can’t change the world but I can do a little bit of good where I am. I’m not just a Christian on Sundays – I try to live it every day. This shop is not just about oatcakes. We connect with people on a different level. We don’t do this for money – it’s purely out of love.”
Mellor’s Oatcakes is open Tuesday to Sunday, 7.30am to 1pm.