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British Food -
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!
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!
Roast beef, served
with Yorkshire
Pudding, roast
potatoes and a
selection of
vegetables, adorns
many a British table
on a Sunday
afternoon.
with Yorkshire
Pudding, roast
potatoes and a
selection of
vegetables, adorns
many a British table
on a Sunday
afternoon.
Toad-in-the-Hole is
an economical
alternative to Roast
Beef and Yorkshire
Pudding.
an economical
alternative to Roast
Beef and Yorkshire
Pudding.
Why not finish off
a good Sunday
dinner with a
helping of
Spotted Dick,
served with good
English custard.
a good Sunday
dinner with a
helping of
Spotted Dick,
served with good
English custard.
How to Make the Perfect Breakfast
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
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
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