 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
the World's Best?
or the World's Worst?
Lets face it, the UK does not have a great
reputation for its cuisine. Yet, to many people,
British grub is the best in the world. So why is
there such a divergence of opinion on the matter?
It all depends on your perspective. If you enjoy
fine dining, chances are you will go to a French
or Italian restaurant. If you prefer simpler fare you
may head to the nearest "gastropub" for a helping
of cottage pie or fish and chips.
Some say, if you want the best, go visit your old
Mum and taste home made British grub the way it
ought to be.
The Times They Are A Changing
One thing is sure, food in the UK is going
up-market and fast. Many of the super chefs on
our TV screens, strangely enough, have British
accents; even though the wealth they have
earned from their success may have led some of
them to live outside the UK.
Somewhere Beneath the Sea
But why did the UK earn such a bad rap in the first
place? I believe the answer lies just below the
waves of the Atlantic Ocean; not now, but in the
middle of the 20th Century.
It was all the fault of the World War II German
U-boats sinking supply vessels entering British
waters. They created a food shortage that led to
rationing. British families had to become creative
with their recipes. Food quality was relegated to
second place behind the necessity to fill hungry
bellies with whatever was available.
Give us a bash at the Bangers and
Mash my mother used to make
British mothers cooked up hearty meals using old
and new recipes. In the north of England,
Yorkshire Pudding was served as a first course. It
was cheap and filling. With bellies full families
would have less appetite for the scarce and
expensive roast beef that followed.
The fat that dripped from the roast was collected
and spread on slices of bread to make a high
calorie treat for tea.
Suet puddings for dessert, covered in lashings of
English style custard (thickened with corn flour
instead of eggs), Bread Pudding made with so
much beef suet that the fat dripped off each slice.
Toad-in the-hole made with the traditional
English sausages that taste so good yet contain
mostly offal and fat. Tripe and onions, Black
Pudding (made principally from pigs blood and
oatmeal), Bubble and Squeek and lots and lots of
potatoes. These and many others like them are
the dishes Britons grew up with in the post war
years.
Traditional Cooking Made Easy
The way my old Mum prepared it needed a hot
oven, a stove top full of steaming hot pans and
several hours of hard work. But good old British
food doesn't have to be such a chore anymore.
Nowadays we are energy conscious and our
lifestyles often make it difficult to find the time to
spend hours in the kitchen every time we need a
good meal.
Don't despair. There are many excellent imported
British products available to shorten preparation
times and save energy while still delivering the
traditional flavour of good old British food.
You can find many of these products listed in
Blighty's Mail Order Guide.
Eat well and enjoy!
potatoes and a selection of vegetables, adorns
many a British table on a Sunday afternoon.
to Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding.
helping of Spotted Dick, served with good
English custard.
The full English breakfast is a tasty
and filling start to the day but it may
not exactly be the healthiest choice.
Why not start your day with porridge
instead? It's a much better meal
than you might have thought. To find
out more about this grossly
under-rated health food read this
article: How to Make the Perfect
Breakfast
