In 1865 in the small hilltop village of Brogborough in Bedfordshire lived Miss Elisa Bell more commonly known as "Clangy" a name given to her by her village school friends that stuck with her throughout her life. Clangy was a popular girl who grew by girth and stature to become one of the small communities larger and more colourful characters and when taken on as the cook to the local coaching house she soon became a key feature to the establishment. The village of Brogborough was not an especially wealthy one but it benefited from a local clay soil which had given rise to a small industry of brick kilns that brought a level of trade and minor prosperity which resulted in well established stage and wagon routes developing which served the haulage of goods and people from as far a field as Watford in the South and Grantham in the North. It was one such coach that delivered to the village the object of Clangy's desires in the form of one Master Reginald Redhead, "Reggie" to his friends who was the travelling forage merchants son and being broad of shoulder and firm of thigh the very sight of his red locks of hair dancing in the breeze made Clangy's heart take on a flutter at every viewing.

Now Clangy could never have been described as a looker but she knew from tales told at her mothers knee that the way to a mans heart was through his stomach and so she removed herself into the kitchen to devise for Reggie a travellers pie that would be guaranteed to turn the head of any man. Now in those days spare vitals were not to be trifled and so the contents of her lightly turned crusts must be more by way of invention than content, furthermore she had little knowledge of whether her mans tooth was turned for sweet or savoury and so her course was set.

Clangy made a pasty base from her double sifted flour with a half fist of the masters finest duck fat bound with local herbs, seasonings and fresh drawn water from the well, this she rolled out until flat on the kitchen table and trimmed square to be exactly double the length than to the width. Next she took a ladle full of the nights mutton stew from the stove and blended it by hand with the mashings of potato and a half spoon of salted porridge from the breakfast pot which when finally of a firm but malleable texture she placed into the centre of the left hand rolling of her pastry, to the right side she placed an ample fist of sugared apple filling from the pie shelf to which she had blended in juicy sultanas from the Christmas stock, the grating of cinnamon and a half tot of spiced Jamaican rum from the barrel in the corner, the other half being taken internally herself for medicinal purpose. The contents now in place she eased the pasty lovingly over as if folding an envelope and then with a skill and dexterity that came from years of practice in her art she made a twist between savoury and sweet in the fashion not dissimilar to the creation of a Christmas table cracker. Satisfied thus far she took rest to admire her work and agreed with herself that a tad more medicine would be efficacious before continuing. Finally when ready the fine twisted pastry pie of both savoury and sweet was baked in the wood oven to a golden brown and glazed with egg and sugar respectively to produce a travellers pie of the finest quarter.

As yet to hot to wrap she placed it on the bar top counter with eyes of fire for any man who showed need to touch it.

"That looks a fine pie young Clangy", the Reverend Morgan was heard to utter, "a real Clanger!

And thus the Bedfordshire Clanger was born, alas Reggie never got to taste the token of Miss Elisa Bells love as he was spotted leaving the back of the dairy with Daisy the milkmaid with her garters all asunder but it is said that the widower Reverend Morgan left the Inn a full and happy man.