User:Dodgeresearch/Ramsbottom soupstone

The Ramsbottom Soup Stone. (porosus ius calculus ramus solum)

The Ramsbottom soupstone dates back to the late nineteenth century. It was a smooth round stone about the size of an apple and grey in colour. It could usually be found hanging on a piece of string, in the kitchens of the poorer families of Ramsbottom, back in those hard time days. The purpose of the stone was, when there was money for food and people were lucky enough to buy meat or poultry of any description, the stone was placed in the pan or cooking pot, whilst the food was being cooked. The stone was of a very porous consistency and would absorb some of the flavours of the food. When the food was cooked, the stone was removed from the pan and hung up to cool, thus locking in all the flavours. Later in the week when the money ran out and food was scarce, mother would boil up some water, and put the soupstone in, along with a few potatoes. As the water boiled, the stone would release its flavours making a nutritious soup. This grey porous rock originated from the hills of Bacup, where in very heavy rain, pieces of the rock would be washed down the hillside and eventually into the river Irwell. From there they began their long slow journey down river, all the time being worn smooth and round by the rushing waters of the Irwell. Until finally they came to rest in a calm stretch of the river where now stands Ramsbottom cricket club. No one knows how long this journey took. Some of the rocks would get stuck somewhere up river, and some would be worn away to nothing, but just a few would make it to become a Ramsbottom Soupstone.