M Hunter & Son 12" Offset Oatcake / Havercake Knife Sheffield 1850s-80s

Very unusual M Hunter & Son offset oatcake knife made from approximately the 1850s to 80s. 

M Hunter was the first of Sheffield knife makers to use the American style tilt hammer in knife manufacture, removing the necessity for (unionized) hand forging. So called 'goffing' with the tilt hammer speed up production and was apealing also to Mr Hunter as he seemed to have endless disputes with the grinders union. 

Oatcakes are a northern British staple especially where wheat does not grow very well, there are many local varieties, but this knife is designed to be used as a spatula flipping Yorkshire 'Havercakes' (hafre old Norse for oats) cooked on a large bakestone. Oat flour was mixed with milk and left to ferment overnight and then cooked on a bakestone, after cooking they were eaten fresh or could be hung on a lattice like 'bread screel' hung from the ceiling and dried for long storage. 

This knife is exciting to find as it was certainly not made for export and reflects a hyper local food tradition. This is the second of these that I have ever found and the first to sell. 

This knife has seen lots of use and many sharpenings, its edge is irregular and there are some pits to the balde as well. The stag handle is nice and secure and is free from damage. It has been lightly cleaned but otherwise left in as found condition, just as someone stopped flipping oatcakes with it left it.