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Country Cottage Comfort Food: Nanny’s Pan Haggerty

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Country Cottage Comfort Food: Nanny's Pan Haggerty

Country Cottage Comfort Food:

Nanny’s Pan Haggerty

Country Cottage Comfort Food: Nanny's Pan Haggerty

Layers of meltingly tender potatoes, tasty onion slices and molten cheese in one pan, that’s what “Pan Haggerty” is all about, a frugal “end of week” family dish that resonates with me on every comfort food level. I was raised on food like this, and simple though it may be, it filled our tummies and tantalised our taste buds, it was like a big cuddle in a frying pan and to this day this humble dish remains a firm favourite of mine. This one pan meal is perfect when accompanied by a wedge of Stotty Cake and steamed, buttered Savoy cabbage, although we always enjoy it with fresh salads leaves now. It’s easy to make and is one of my family’s most loved recipes, and although no recipe as such was ever written down, I have watched both my grandmother and my mum make it many times, so it is fixed in my memory.

Pan Haggerty

Pan Haggerty is not to be confused with another “Geordie” dish which my grandmother and mother used to make, “Panackelty”, which is similar to Pan Haggerty but is made with potatoes, onions and meat in some form or another – usually bacon, lamb chops or corned beef and is usually baked in the oven and not cooked on top of the stove. Both dishes are born of frugality and the need to feed your family with hearty and nutritious fare, but pan haggerty is the cheaper of the two dishes as it uses cheese and cheese used to be known as “poor man’s meat”, as it was cheaper than meat – not so today I know.

Pan Haggerty

As I mentioned before, the family recipe for this dish has never been written down anywhere, although mum thinks she does have an old letter somewhere, where her mum (my grandmother) told her how to make it when she was newly married and living away from home. Although it is often called a “Geordie” dish, it is known throughout the North East, and was very popular in mining communities for a quick and tasty supper for the man of the family. Our family recipe uses Cheshire cheese, but any cheese can be used in this recipe, such as Cheddar, Lancashire or Wensleydale.

Pan Haggerty

Although it is a one pan meal, it also makes a fabulous accompaniment to other meals such as sausages and pies…….as well as cold cuts and cooked meats. I hope that you enjoy this dish as much as my family have over the years and as Christmas is only three or four months away now, I can heartily recommend this North Eastern dish for a simple festive supper when served with chutney and pickles, or even for Boxing Day brunch. My lasting memory of this dish is my grandmother cooking this on an old range cooker in her country cottage in Northumberland; I hope you create memories as happy as mine when you cook this. Karen 

Pan Haggerty

Nanny’s Pan Haggerty

Print recipe
Nanny’s Pan Haggerty
Serves 2 to 4
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 30 minutes
Total time 45 minutes
Allergy Milk
Dietary Vegetarian
Meal type Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack
Misc Child Friendly, Serve Hot
Occasion Casual Party, Christmas, Halloween
Region British
By author Karen S Burns-Booth
It is hard to apply weights to this recipe, as nanny and mum never used to weigh anything, so I have also added quantities as well as weights) - Serves 2 as a main meal and 4 as an accompaniment.

Ingredients

  • 30g (1oz) butter
  • 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 450g to 500g potatoes (3 to 4 large potatoes)
  • 1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 115g to 165g (4ozs to 6ozs) Cheshire Cheese, (grated)
  • Salt and white pepper

Note

It is hard to apply weights to this recipe, as nanny and mum never used to weigh anything, so I have also added quantities as well as weights) - Serves 2 as a main meal and 4 as an accompaniment.

Directions

Step 1 Peel and thinly slice the potatoes.
Step 2 Melt the butter and oil in a heavy frying pan, my nanny used to use an old cast iron pan and the heavier the pan the better.
Step 3 Layer the potatoes, onions and cheese in the pan, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. Make sure you end up with a layer of potatoes and some cheese on top.
Step 4 Place a sheet of greaseproof paper on top of the potatoes and then a lid that fits or covers the dish snugly.
Step 5 Cook over a very low heat for 20 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes and onions are soft.
Step 6 Place under a pre-heated grill and cook until the top is golden brown and bubbling, then serve straight from the pan with bread, seasonal greens or salad.

Pan Haggerty or Panhaggerty

Pan Haggerty or Panhaggerty

(Foods of England)

One Pot Meals
(Northumberland)

Alternate layers of thinly sliced potato, then onion, then grated cheese (usually Cheddar, Cheshire or Lancashire) cooked in a shallow pan, most traditionally with meat flavours such as beef dripping, or bacon fat, but now commonly with a mixture of butter and oil. Small meat pieces, chopped bacon or corned beef, may be included in some versions, though such might more properly be termed Panakelty. Grilled, or turned over in the pan, when cooked to give a crisp topping.

This dish is now sufficiently popular to have gained the nickname ‘Pan hag’, but its origin remains entirely obscure. It does not appear in any early cookbooks, and it is often said to have come to prominence in mining communities during the ‘hungry’ 1930’s, but there is no direct evidence for this. It does, however, seem to be the case that the name became popular following the broadcast of the play ‘The Episode of the Pan-haggerty’ by FE Doran on the BBC’s Northern Service in July 1936.

The name possibly derives from ‘hashed’ as in ‘chopped’, or from ‘ragged’ for its irregular appearance.

Just like the very similar French ‘gratin’ there is a distinct tradition that Panhaggerty should always be served from the vessel it was cooked in, and ‘panhin’, is an old English word for a small cooking pan.

Pan Haggerty Recipe Tea Towel

Image: North East Gifts

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Comments

  5. Penny says

    Haven’t seen that in ages … thanks SO much for the recipe – and the rekindling of an old memory. Definitely going to try this soon!

    All best,

    Penny

    Reply

  8. Sandra Gardner says

    Yay im a northener living down south,have been telling people about panackelty for ages.thank you karen.x

    Reply

  11. Glamorous Glutton says

    This is a fab comfort dish. I love recipes that are passed from generation to generation part of the fabric of family life. I d heard of this before but not really been aware of what it was. Delicious! GG

    Reply

  13. Shauna says

    Hello Karen,

    I’ve made this twice–so far! Gosh, it is so good! The last time I made it I was too busy to watch it on the stove(my stovetop is persnickety), so I baked it in the oven and it turned out delicious. I’ve heard rumors that the little bit that is leftover, is tasty cold right out of the refrigerator. But those are just rumors…

    Thanks again for a great recipe and site,

    Shauna

    Reply

  14. Janet Hoole says

    Hello Karen,
    I found your website by chance today whilst recipe browsing and I just love it !! Have spent more time than I should exploring your recipes, comments and lovely photos. I’m a keen home cook who loves cake making and I so appreciate pretty crockery and bakeware. So pleased that I have stumbled across you and can’t wait for some more free time to visit again. Keep up the good work –l already have a list of your dishes to try asap , some new and some variations on old favourites.
    Thank you for such an informative and homely blog, Yours gratefully, Jan H?

    Reply

    • Karen Burns-Booth says

      WELCOME Janet and thanks for your WONDERFUL comments, you have made my day and I am thrilled that you have found my site and that you enjoy it so much – makes all my hard work feel worth while!
      Hope to see you many more times – watch out for new recipes coming soon!
      Karen

      Reply

  15. maire says

    Hi; I’m an American who loves British food. Another foodie put me on to your blog. Lovely; I make this dish at home sometimes – we just call it potato gratin. I sometimes add a bit of nutmeg to it.

    Reply

  17. Andrea says

    Well, Karen, that was a nice surprise to meet this food in your blog! It is very similar to a rustic recipe I’ve learnt from friends in Bretagne, France. They poured some milk into the oven pan underneath the layers, and sprinkled a slice of bread cut into small cubes on top. Then the pan was covered with aluminium foil and they baked it in oven for about an hour and a half.
    The first encounter with this food has happened 30 years ago, but the Breton potato – as I call it – is a massive hit in our kitchen since then. Funny to see its English version, I’ll definitely try this, too! All the best, Andi

    Reply

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