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I cant say anything good about the countries that serve such dishes, so I will not say anything at all Stephanie.

The geography society at my school oce had a Jacob's join at Christmas and we all had to take foreign food. I had some sort of grub (as in insect) in chocolate and snails. Ugh to both. But my mum sent me with a Swiss roll! Bless her, the only foreign food she'd heard of was Brussels sprouts and New Zealand lamb.

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Maureen
If you can't fight, wear a big 'at

The numbers on lambs are the same as the numbers on their mothers, so if a sick lamb is found they can link it up with the right mum, nothing to do with when they go in for slaughter.

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Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

Portia/Maureen, nobody here in the far south knows what a Jacob's join is, except me. I have to explain myself if I ever use the phrase.

Must have missed this - what is a Jacobs Join?

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Mel

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Hi Mel, it's when you have a get-together, everybody brings some food. The staff at the school where I work do it at the end of the summer term, you put yourself down to bring a salad/dessert/cooked meats/cheeses.

Oh right! We do that occasionaly but I didn't realise it had a name!
Thanks Jill.

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Mel

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Sorry everybody, you forget that these expressions don't travel.
Apparently it's limited to the mountainous areas of Lancashire and the other county next door to the east.
Sometimes called a Jacob's Joint. Basically it's the eating equivalent of a bottle party.

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Maureen
If you can't fight, wear a big 'at

So true that expressions dont travel, they dont even travel round Lancashire very well, I am born and bred in Burnley, but since marrying 17 years ago I know live near Bury, I have had many a friendly arguement with my hubby and his Mum about teacakes. Teacakes as far as I am concerned come plain or with currents in, not here, teacakes here have currents in, without currents they are muffins, if you asked for teacakes here you would get them with currents in. Muffins to me have the texture of crumpets without holes. In Bolton plain teacakes are knows as barm cakes.

I once went into a Morrisons store near Bury and went to the pastry counter and asked for a torpedo, she did'nt have a clue what I was talking about, neither did my hubby, I mean everyone from Burnley knows what a torpedo is dont they????
Stephanie.

Teacakes have to have currants in them. Without them they are just a bap. We don't have barm cakes here.
Two types of muffin - the cake type with blueberries etc. or there is the more savoury variety though I wouldn't have said they have the texture of crumpets. Nice with a fried egg and a slice of bacon (as an alternative to the Staffordshire oatcake).

Torpedo - isn't that underwater missile fired by a submarine?

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Mel

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Manchester born & bred. I agree, teacakes have curants in. Muffins (apart from the American variety) are like soft bread rolls, but flat. To me a barm cake is just the same as a muffin.
What's a torpedo? Is it like a cornish pastie?

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Maureen
If you can't fight, wear a big 'at

In Canada a Jacob's Join is called a potluck, short for potluck dinner. The idea travelled but not the expression. I thought a torpedo was another name for Cornish pasty.

Joan

I thought the same Joan, torpedo and cornish pastie being the same.

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Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

A torpedo is different to a pastie, pasties are flatish arnt they, but a torpedo is long and the pastry is gathered together all along the top, you can get cheese pasties and meat and potato pasties but you only get meat and potato torpedos, they arnt seen as much today as they once were, but I still make em.
Stephanie.

If you go in a cafe in Burnley and ask for a toasted teacake, 10 to 1 they will ask if you want a plain one or a currant one, I served up loads in my time when I worked in Kenyons years ago.
Stephanie.