British cuisine

Once thought to be an oxymoron by the culinary minded, British cuisine is traditionally best summed up by take-away food such as fish and chips, or the likes of a steak and kidney pie[?], and the full English breakfast. In the years of culinary minimalism, the meat and two veg standards of the UK diet were considered less than fashionable.

In addition to its home-spun concoctions (from the Celtic standards of stew-pots and onwards), British cuisine has absorbed influences from former colonies and immigration (ie. India), and proximity to contemporary Europe, (particularly France and Italy). Italian-American influence is now ubiquitous and pasta or pizza make a significant contribution to many diets.

These trends are exemplified by the ubiquitous spaghetti bolognese[?] (known colloquially as Spag Bol) which has been a common family meal in Britain since at least the 1960s. More recently chicken tikka masala[?] and lemon chicken[?], from Indian and Chinese origins respectively, have been modified to suit British tastes. The British curry, essentially a hangover from the days of Empire (and subsequently embellished by immigration), is far more hot and spicy than the traditional Indian variety.

There has been a massive boom in restaurant numbers driven by a renewed interest in quality food, possibly due to the availability of cheap foreign travel. Organic produce is increasingly popular, especcially following a spate of farming crises, including BSE.

The rise in popularity of celebrity chefs on television has fuelled an increase in the awareness of good food and "New British" cuisine has shaken off much of the stodgy "fish and chips" image. The best London restaurants rival those anywhere in the world, in both quality and price and this influence is starting to be felt in the rest of the country.

However, traditional British cuisine still thrives in those households where fast food has yet to bite. The Sunday roast is perhaps the biggest culinary indication of a steadfastly traditional household. The Sunday dinner traditionally begins with a Yorkshire pudding (either as a first course or as part of the main meal), followed by a joint of meat and assorted vegetables. The more usual joints are probably beef, lamb or pork, although chicken is also popular. Game meats such as venison[?] are traditionally the domain of the higher classes. Game, while being a classic English preserve, is not generally eaten in the average household.

At home, the British have many original home-made desserts such as rhubarb crumble[?], bread and butter pudding[?], spotted dick, trifle and custard. The dishes are simple and traditional, with recipes passed on from generation to generation.

At teatime, the British savour scones[?] with jam, butter or marmalade, also favouring biscuits[?] and sandwiches. A unique sandwich filling is Marmite, a savoury spread made from yeast extract, with a dark brown tar-like texture and bitter taste. A hand-made favourite is butterfly cake. Children learn the methods to bake these sweets during cookery lessons at school.

Somerset Maugham is quoted as saying "To eat well in England, you should have breakfast three times a day."

British students attending university and living away from home for the first time can often be seen with a copy of a basic cookery book for beginners which includes such 'recipes' as 'boiled egg'.

Examples of British Cuisine:

• Bangers and mash[?] (sausages and mashed potato)
• Black pudding
• Bubble and squeak
• Haggis (Scotland)
• Hash
• Lancashire Hotpot
• Laverbread[?] (Wales)

References Hartley, Dorothy - Food in England, Macdonald, 1954; Little, Brown, 1996, ISBN 0-316-85205-8. This is a charmingly old-fashioned survey of the history of English food from prehistory to 1954, full of folk wisdom and recipes (not all practical).