MAY UN MAR LOBBY
Cartoon couple inspire chef’s dish on TV show
A CHEF drew inspiration from a much-loved former Sentinel cartoon strip for one of his dishes on a TV cookery competition.
Thom Bateman, who runs The Flintlock restaurant in Cheddleton, named his Great British Menu main course after May un Mar Lady. He even met the son of the strip’s creator Dave Follows, right, on the BBC2 show.
May un Mar Lady ran for more than 20 years with 7,000 strips. Cartoonist Dave introduced the characters in 1986 and their adventures in broad Potteries dialect became an institution for the newspaper and city.
Thom knew it was the perfect choice to inspire his main course, which he named in honour of the strip’s bickering married couple.
And it wouldn’t be a culinary tribute to Stokeon-trent without featuring one of the staples of the city. Not oatcakes, but instead a rich, hearty lobby, which he served alongside a sirloin steak and potatoes.
Thom, who opened The Flintlock at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, also added dates, spices, garlic, onion, ginger and apple to make a brown sauce.
He said this had to be in there as the husband in the comic strip has brown sauce on everything he eats.
Thom met Dave’s son Darren Follows at his Cheddleton restaurant. He asked Darren: “How easily can you read this dialect?”.
Darren replied: “I don’t think it’s an easy thing to read for anyone, and that’s half the fun.
“It was important to my dad that he did it in the dialect.”
He added: “The actual couple themselves were loosely based on his mum and dad because they used to have a little bicker and they were quite funny with it.”
Darren sampled some of the dish, remarking: “It’s gorgeous, and I think my dad would be really proud that you chose his work to put your dish together.”
This year’ the programme’s banquet theme is celebrating animation and illustration for Paddington Bear’s 65th birthday. There was a treat for Thom too a glimpse at some of the strip’s original hand-drawn instalments.
The dish was served with a soundtrack of Potteries dialect, with Thom even reciting some words to applause from the other contestants.
He chuckled at judge Paul Ainsworth’s attempt at a Potteries accent as he read out name of the dish, for which Thom scored seven out of 10, putting him in second place.
But he scored just five for his dessert, tying for second place and meaning the show had to go to a tie breaker based on the pre-desserts.
Thom edged through on this, meaning he and fellow competitor, Lichfield-based Tom Shepherd, will now fight it out in the next round for a place in the national finals.