The main thing most tourists do in Stoke-on-Trent is buy pottery.  Why?  Because the potteries are there.  But after you've bought your pottery, what do you do with it?  If it's a cup, put tea in it.  If it's a mug, put beer in it.  But if you bought a plate, put some oatcakes on it and discover what Staffordshire has been keeping a secret.

Oatcakes in Staffordshire are not the same thing as those crunchy dry things in Scotland.  Stoke's oatcakes are flat and wide and flexible, tender and yeasty, and meant to be filled with good stuff.  In cafes in Stoke, you can get them filled with eggs & bacon, or with cheese, or with other savory treats.

But you can also buy oatcakes unfilled and take them home and fill them with anything you happen to have in your cupboards.   Bags of them are for sale in local groceries and supermarkets, but the wise tourist will go to an oatcake shop and watch them being made on huge griddles right before your eyes. 

And finally, to bring the oatcake experience home along with your pottery, buy a bag of oatcake mix and whip them up in your own kitchen.