British Cuisine

[di reston]

The best authors on British cookery are: Delia Smith; Mary Berry; for bread and cakes Paul Hollywood; Simon Hopkinson; Rick Stein for fish. Hope this is ok for you to start with - oh, and Anjum Anand for Indian food, then you want chinese as well.

Di reston

Enough is never as good as a feast. Oscar Wilde

 

[NickeeCoco]

There's Jane Grigson's English Food.

and

English Seafood Cookery by Rick Stein.

They're two classics.

And I could eat a ploughman's lunch every day. I spent a month in London, eight years ago, visiting family, and I ate the heck out of sharp cheddar and pickle sandwiches. So much so that I buy good ol' Branston all the time. I have to go to a specialty store to get it, but it's delicious.

And a traditional slow roast with mash and veg? Yum. That was a Sunday pub staple. Along with mushy peas. I was wary of mushy peas, but my goodness are they good!

I did drink room temperature ale. Lagers and pilsners were chilled, but the ale was room temperature. My husband and I drink room temperature beer all of the time. Mainly 'cos we're too lazy to restock the fridge. People laughed at me 'cos apparently I liked 'old man beer', but hey, it was good. I was in England, no way was I going to spend the time there drinking Carlsberg. I don't care how many football things they sponsor.

Also, I was repulsed by how many people drank Budweiser over there. Out of all the beers they could import and get into and they chose Budweiser?

 

[RPCookin]

It's just not my favorite cuisine. I like highly seasoned foods and that's not a characteristic of traditional British food of any era, as far as I can tell. Modern tastes for curry, fresh vegetables and herbs that don't grow in that climate, etc., are not part of traditional British cooking, which is what I thought the OP was referring to.

I read a bit one time that referred to the first ships returning from the East Indies with black pepper. It apparently took some time before the English gentry (the only ones who could afford it) would use it because it was far too spicy for the British palate of the day.

Also, I was repulsed by how many people drank Budweiser over there. Out of all the beers they could import and get into and they chose Budweiser?

I've done a fair bit of traveling, and the ugly American Bud drinker is ubiquitous. I confess that my sister is one of them. It's rare that she will drink anything but Bud Light, no matter where she travels. She did actually drink Kalik Light when she visited us in the Bahamas, even though Bud Light was available - I about fell off my chair.

 

[RPCookin]

Our friends across the big pond enjoy a wonderful variety of cakes, tarts, trifles, Cornish Pasties, puddings, stews, pies, and anything else you could probably think of. Check out this site - Jamie's Great Britain Recipes | Jamie Oliver Recipes

A 10 second Google search with Great British Cookbooks gave me a host of cookbook offerings, many by well known chefs.


Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Jamie Oliver has some great looking recipes, but the list of ingredients seems to make them rather difficult to reproduce, at least for what I have available. I love the look of Toad -in-the-Hole, but I have no idea where I would get Cumberland sausage or runny honey, and how much is a "large knob of butter"?

Certainly I might be able to wing it, but for something like this I prefer making it to the recipe before I start fooling around. Sometimes the original recipe actually turns out to be the best way.

I may need to have a go at it anyway, since it appears that the key is the apple and onion gravy, and I can just make do with some un-runny honey I guess.

(Check that - Google is great. Runny honey is just honey that hasn't started to crystallize - got that covered )

Decided to Google the sausage too, but not so lucky there - the genuine article seems to be not readily available here. It may be in some specialty butcher shops in well populated areas - I'm not even sure of that - but not out here in wheat country, even online (Amazon sells what they call Cumberland sausage, but the reviews are very bad). If I do this it will have to be with a different sausage. One grocer here makes an in house German sausage from his family recipe, and it's excellent. That may be my best bet.

 

[CWS4322]

Because of the blockades during WWII, the cuisine of Britain was heavily influenced by what people could get. Following WWII, rationing was in place and again, people had to make due with what was available. During WWII, community halls were opened to feed people--these were the forerunners of restaurants in Britain. Today, the cuisine of Britain is influenced by the immigrants who have arrived, and increased urbanization. I think it is somewhat of a stereotype to think of British cuisine as overcooked beef or lamb and mushy veggies.

 

[taxlady]

Vegis used to be overcooked a lot of places. There is a Danish garnish called, "Italiensk salat". It's made with cooked peas and diced carrots and mayo and sometimes has ham. I used to hate it. I used to scrape it off my open-faced sandwiches. Now, with peas and carrots not overcooked, I kinda like it. I certainly have no urge to scrape it off my sandwich. So, though it is traditional, it is imo vastly improved.

 

[RPCookin]

Vegis used to be overcooked a lot of places. There is a Danish garnish called, "Italiensk salat". It's made with cooked peas and diced carrots and mayo and sometimes has ham. I used to hate it. I used to scrape it off my open-faced sandwiches. Now, with peas and carrots not overcooked, I kinda like it. I certainly have no urge to scrape it off my sandwich. So, though it is traditional, it is imo vastly improved.

I do, however have a problem with veggies which are undercooked under the philosophy that if crisp is good, then raw is better. I like some veggies either raw or cooked, but if they are supposed to be cooked, then that's what I expect.

I don't care for raw broccoli or raw cauliflower, so I'd rather have them a bit toward the too much than not enough. For me there is a fine line with those types of veggies where they are just right, but before they turn to mush.

I've been served broccoli in a restaurant that I swear would still grow if I stuck it in the ground.

 

[creative]

I do, however have a problem with veggies which are undercooked under the philosophy that if crisp is good, then raw is better. I like some veggies either raw or cooked, but if they are supposed to be cooked, then that's what I expect.

I don't care for raw broccoli or raw cauliflower, so I'd rather have them a bit toward the too much than not enough. For me there is a fine line with those types of veggies where they are just right, but before they turn to mush.

I've been served broccoli in a restaurant that I swear would still grow if I stuck it in the ground.

I would far rather veg be undercooked than overcooked. I recall hospital food that had a greyish looking slush that I just about identified as broccoli...ugh!

 

[RPCookin]

I would far rather veg be undercooked than overcooked. I recall hospital food that had a greyish looking slush that I just about identified as broccoli...ugh!

Never had hospital food so I can't say anything about that. I just don't like warmed up raw veggies, which seems to be a popular way to "cook" them these days.

 

[menumaker]

Please, please look at Delia Smith cook books. You will not go wrong and will make great food. She ranges from basic cookery books to seasonal dishes and beyond. Her Christmas book is so brilliant it gets used and used and used. Follow her recipes to the letter and you will be a very happy Italian getting praise from your British friends.
Ciao

 

[menumaker]

Chief,
Re; Toad in the hole,
Any good sausages will do fine and if you can't get runny honey then try a bit of corn or maple syrup instead. A big knob of butter is about the size of a decent walnut. Jamie is brilliant because he is very down to earth about substituting for what you have to hand.
This was a mid-week family filler when i was a kid and is real comfort food from Autumn-spring. Make it and enjoy!

 

[creative]

Never had hospital food so I can't say anything about that. I just don't like warmed up raw veggies, which seems to be a popular way to "cook" them these days.

So, stir frys would not be your thing then?

 

[GotGarlic]

So, stir frys would not be your thing then?

I like stir fries, but I do more than warm up the veggies.

 

[RPCookin]

So, stir frys would not be your thing then?

I like stir fries, but I do more than warm up the veggies.

Yep, me too. Chinese stir fried food is not remotely raw. It still has crunch, but it's cooked.