I always struggle to explain to someone who's never heard of them or had one....just how amazing they were!
Second that bud. Every Christmas we used to have our Works party there. There was a brass band playing whilst you ate your meal. One of our lads ( originally from Worsborough) used to order the Barnsley Chop. I swear I'd never seen a joint like that ever. Brooklands was a great place. Ran by a jolly Italian lady and her family. Remember there was a circular serving station in the middle of the room with a bowl of plastic fruit on it. One of the lads ordered a mixed fruit salad as his sweet. Unwittingly a wag reached into the fruit bowl and dropped a couple of plastic grapes into his custard without him knowing. We all sat there absolutely pi**ing ourselves laughing as the lad attempted to finish his pudding. Everybody nearly exploded when he fished one out of his mouth put it on his side plate and said " God those grapes are tough." Happy days.
Used to go there years ago and order the Barnsley chop.It was like a big rack of chops.Today they class a flat piece of meat as a Barnsley chop no way.
Agree ROG. From memory the Brooklands version was six or seven chops from the back of the lamb. If you finished it, you got a free pint and certificate to say you'd done it.
Here you go. The Brooklands chop came from Albert Hirst's and weighed 1 pound 60z. http://www.beatsonhouse.co.uk/menu/the-barnsley-chop/
I cooked these bad boys for my mates family from Birmingham.. bought from Barnsley Market ..just tell him how thick you want them and away you go..
Thanks guys, I was hoping someone would have a picture of one. We had a Christmas do there once, complete with brass band. Always remember the ice cream option where they brought you a big bowl of vanilla icecream and a tureen to the table full of hot chocolate sauce that you just ladled into your bowl up to the brim.
Sorry mate, your post is incorrect. 1lb 60oz is in fact 4lbs 12oz which is near enough the weight (4lbs was deemed the ideal size). The article says it was a chop when it was a series of chops ie. 'a saddle' which is a rack of chops from both sides of the backbone of the beast.
Nearest I've seen to the original at Brooklands, is the one served at Beatson House Restaurant Cawthorne although the Brooklands version was at least another three inches thicker. It resembled a small loaf. As a result of our Works visits, I recommended Brooklands to the staff at the Youth Club I worked at part time. One of our leaders was a former prop forward for Bradford and Keighley. We doubted whether anybody could eat the Barnsley chop. There was a notice at Brooklands. It said " under these portals ''tis no sin to ask for more. Ask and it will be freely given." The lad " Big John" not only ate the Barnsley chop but asked for another two cutlets and some more veg. In the lounge he had four pints and ate six satsumas from the fruit bowl on the table. His wife was telling us that for his Sunday dinner he had twelve roasts and eight slices of bread and butter. I honestly don't know how that lad could eat so much, but he was around 6 foot 2 ins and around 18 stone. https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Locat...wthorne_Barnsley_South_Yorkshire_England.html
Thought the Barnsley Chop at Ardsley House in the 70’s was better than Brooklands , although it was more a joint of lamb than a chop
The Club used to hold the supporters midweek lunches at Ardsley House. Former Director Chris Harrison invited my boss and myself to one, the day we played Newcastle in the League Cup in 1994 because we saw some Newcastle players who were staying there. Guest speaker was the late Jackie Blanchflower former Man Utd defender and brother of Danny. Somebody was telling me recently that Ardsley House has been demolished which is a shame because it was a nice place.
Sorry George must admit I didn't know what 60z meant. Just stated what it said in the article. Whatever it weighed, it looked to be the size of a small Warburton loaf- a reyt beast.
I`ve seen a picture of Albert Hirst Snr preparing the original Barnsley Chops with his brother for the Royal visit and they weren`t a saddle - just a number of one side of the rib (shown to me by Albert Jnr).
Don't want to **** on anybody's chips but in 1968 when I was 11 I had a Saturday morning job working for pitchards....fruit and veg wholesale merchants ( remember them ) my uncle Tom was the manager in charge or running the place... most Saturday's I would do my fair share of barrowing to the market along side my grandfather Walt giving freddie (remember him) from Arnold denniss a run for his money lol...not that we could ....( freddies barrow was always stacked like a HGV they put that much on ) . Some mornings I had to go out with the delivery driver in the lorry if there was a lot of orders. What comes next isnt pleasant reading This particular day we had a load of spuds and veg to deliver brooklands as it was then was the first drop ...we got there about 7 and in those days they had a long shed at the back facing the kitchens where they stored the veg....also inside were the fridges ...knowing this from previous visits we started to unload .....we opened the shed door and couldn't believe our eyes...laid on a tray on top of the table in there, was either the recent butchers delivery or meat that had been taken from the fridge for the days service....joints sausages chops laid on top of that two cats ... the place stank of cat ****....and was absolutely covered in dust and muck....we both looked at each other and I remember saying I will go and tell them in the kitchen....i came out of the shed and tapped on the kitchen window some bloke came out so I told him what we had seen ...unconcerned as hell he said aye ok lad ...just put the padlock back on when you've finish your delivery but don't lock it il sort it out later when I've got time ..im up to my neck at the minute what with chopping veg and trying to finish my cuppa...turned around and went back in.....the cats were still there when we had finished....even though it changed hands I never ever ate there.... it even comes to my mind when I've visited what now stands in its place....infact as soon as I see the word Brooklands and the mention of a barnsley chop that memory is the first thing that goes through my mind Tarnished for life PMSL