These tasty pastry delights have been on our minds of late. It’s a cake from a small Lancashire town on the outskirts of Manchester, a place where there are chippies and comedian Peter Kay frequents (from time to time).

We’re, of course, chatting about the lovely Chorley cakes.

These tasty little things are most delicious and borderline perfect. We can highly recommend them! So much so we’re doing this full scale review. Huzzah!

What are Chorley Cakes?

They’re like biscuits—a rather delicious flattened, fruit-filled pastry thing. These are fellow cake called Eccles cakes that are somewhat similar (we’ll get into how they’re different a wee bit further below).

Being small and moreish, it’s easy to consume more than one at the same time. That’s our theory for why it’s “Chorley cakes” rather than “Chorley cake”.

Whatever, they’re a common staple around Lancashire, Manchester, and wherever else “oop norf” you dare to mention.

Chorley/Eccles cakes are available in many stores across the North West of England.

As with fish & chips and mushy peas, these things are ubiquitous with life here. If you’re not from this part of the world… tough! You’ll have to go without them.

Or you can just bake the bloody things and have done with it. Whilst you’re at it, go and get some Marmite to flush them down with.

The Difference Between Chorley and Eccles Cakes (with a dollop of history thrown in)

Okay, so these snacks are basically the same except the Eccles variety have flaky pastry. Whereas in Chorley it’s shortcrust. A small difference with major consequences.

But both are delicious. However, Banbury cakes are also similar! Oh my days, this is getting confusing. They’re oval-shaped, though, so yeah. If you like circular things go for them.

The strange thing is we couldn’t find any history notes on the Chorley variety.

Whereas Eccles cakes have a detailed record dating back to at least the 17th century, although they were wildly controversial at that time. They were viewed by Puritans as an act of evil (Satanic, even) and overly indulgent.

See Hieronymus Bosch and the Garden of Earthly Delights for how religious scepticism ruled Europe back then.

Anyway, Eccles cakes and mince pies… were banned (the curse of THE WOKE MOB again). Apparently even Oliver Cromwell labelled the delicious delights as pure evil and warranted imprisonment if anyone should dare eat an Eccles cake.

Times have since changed and you can eat as many of these things as you wish now without having to face the threat of eternity in Hell.

In fact, James Birch was the first person to sell Eccles cakes in 1793 in and around the town. By 1818 they were being exported to the US!

We presume after, or during, some of that lot above Chorley residents adapted the recipe slightly for their region of England.

How To Bake Chorley Cakes

As you can see from that video, they’re also easy to make. So even if you’re from Egypt, why not go ahead and bake some up?

Pastry Ingredients

300g (10oz) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
25g (1oz) caster sugar
180g (6oz) butter
80ml (3fl oz) milk or milk alternative

Filling Ingredients

200g (7oz) currants
50g soft light brown sugar
50g butter—melt the stuff!
1 egg white, whipped up and beaten

For preparation tips, look at the above video. Or just search around online.

What? What do you expect? This isn’t a cooking blog, FFS, we just write about stupid stuff and culture. Don’t be lazy!

And a Few Notes on Chorley, Lancashire, and Oop Norf Life

Whilst we’re here, let’s have a gander at Northern life. Chorley is a fun place, although a rather small town. But it’s only 40 minutes by train from the bustling city of Manchester, so it’s worthy of a trip if you like quiet town life.

Stuff to do here? Many a quaint tea shop (for sure). Chippies aplenty. You’ll find Chorley cakes hear as well (aptly), which may come as no surprise (even if they are baked en masse in a factory in Burnley up t’ road).

There’s also ONE sushi restaurant! It’s called Nishi and it’s very bloody good indeed, if fish and rice are your type of thing.

We mention that as sushi would have been unthinkable in a town like Chorley just 20 years ago, which is a tribute to its broadening sweep as a town.

Just don’t expect mushy peas slopped on top of it, eh?

Oh yeah, Chorley is also right next door to the glorious Rivington, home to sweeping countryside, a massive hill, and a wee castle atop of it.

Worth a visit just to check out that, you know? Do it. And forever hold your peas (of the mushy variety).