John Leach and his wife in their oakcake bakery, Skipton, 1942. Image: Dalesman

In 1942 the Dalesman published a feature article on the oatcake maker of Skipton, John Leach, who ran his family business from small premises in Hardcastle Yard, off the High Street.  The business, established in 1858, was: “still going strong, though perhaps not so strongly as of yore”:

 The time has passed when there was a stream of carriers calling to take Mr Leach’s oatcakes to all corners of the Dales, but even now, the oatcake is of international repute, for among his customers are people living in Switzerland and the United States. Years ago, he used to send oatcakes to many of the famous clubs of London and also to Chatsworth House for the late Duke of Devonshire.”

The Dalesman journalist observed the cooking process:

 He sifted a quantity of oatmeal through a fine sieve, sprinkled it on his well-thumbed ruddling board of beautifully polished oak and added his batter. This he ‘reeled’ into shape … and skilfully drew it on to a piece of flannel covering a board shaped like a ping-pong bat.

Then came the part of the process calling for the most expert skill – throwing the mixture on to the backstone. This Mr Leach accomplished with an expertness acquired through years of constant practice, and the batter and oatmeal, six inches in diameter, became a a 20 inches long mark on the backstone.  I say mark, for the oatmeal was incredibly thin, but after it had baked for one minute, Mr Leach deftly slid a long thin knife under it, lifted the oatcake from the stone, and the operation was complete.

John Leach, who was assisted in the business by his wife, regretted that oatcake making was on the decline in Yorkshire and remembered a time when almost every Craven farm had its own backstone and field of oats.

Source:  Dalesman, no 4, 1942, p.72.

See also the Oatcake recipe on this site.