British cuisine

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British cuisine still suffers from a relatively poor international reputation, being typically represented by dishes consisting of simply cooked meats and vegetables that need to be accompanied by bottled sauces or heavily seasoned after cooking to make them palatable. Whilst this reputation has never been wholly deserved, as high quality fare has always been available to those who know where to find it, it is undeniable that food served in Britain has struggled to reach the same general standard of excellence that can be found across the English channel in France. During the middle ages, British cuisine enjoyed an excellent reputation; its decline can be firmly traced back to the late 18th century when the majority of the British population began to move away from the land, and was compounded by the effects of rationing during two World Wars (rationing finally ended in 1954). However, in Britain today there is more interest in food than there has ever been before, with celebrity chefs leading the drive toward raising the standard of food in the UK. In 2005 British cuisine reached new heights when 600 food critics writing for Restaurant magazine named 14 British restaurants among the 50 best restaurants in the world with the number one spot going to The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire and its chef Heston Blumenthal. Despite the move toward better quality fare, a general ignorance of good food persists amongst the general population who, over the last 30 years or so, with their increasingly busy lifestyles, have become used to pre-packaged "ready meals" that require little preparation time.

Contents

1 Industrial-era foods

2 Take-away food

3 New cuisine

4 Traditional cuisine

5 Alcoholic drinks

6 Vegetarianism

7 Lists

7.1 British food writers and celebrity chefs
7.2 Examples of British cuisine
7.3 Meals

Industrial-era foods

The Industrial Revolution that began in Britain in the 18th century is responsible for the former poor reputation of British food. Unlike the populations of most other countries, by the mid 19th century the majority of the British population were working in city factories and living in very poor housing. The new working classes had lost contact with the land and the standard of cooking declined as a result.

In the home, food was indeed frequently reduced to "meat and two veg", perhaps with stews and soups. The rationing of most foods during (and for some years after) World War II did little to assist the situation, though it did raise the average nutritional standards of the population to levels never previously achieved - from which they have since declined. However post-war population movements, foreign holidays and immigration to the UK led to the increasing absorption of influences from former colonies (e.g. India) and from Europe (particularly France and Italy). The books of Elizabeth David introduced many new recipes and ingredients from the Mediterranean. Italian American influence is now ubiquitous and pasta or pizza make a significant contribution to many diets. Berni Inns introduced the British public to prawn cocktail and steak, chips and peas, and Wimpy Bars did the same for the Hamburger.

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 there has been a huge growth in the popularity of dishes like chicken tikka masala and lemon chicken, dishes with Indian and Chinese origins respectively, though modified to suit British tastes. Indeed, chicken tikka masala was first prepared in London rather than in India. The British curry, essentially a hangover from the days of Empire (and subsequently embellished by immigration), is far hotter and spicier than the traditional North Indian variety, though Indians from the southern provinces find it insipid. The post-war introduction of refrigeration, in parallel with the rise of the supermarket has led to the packaging of such foods into oven-ready meals which, often cooked by microwave oven, have now replaced "meat and two veg" in many homes. Consequently, 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 (usually a Delia) which includes such 'recipes' as 'boiled egg'.

Take-away food

Fish and chips

The rise of the industrial revolution was also paralleled by the advent of take-away foods such as fish and chips, mushy peas, and steak and kidney pie with mashed potato (pie and mash). These were the staples of the UK take-away business for many years, though here too ethnic influences, particularly Indian and Chinese, have led to the introduction of ethnic take-away foods. From the 1980s onwards, a new variant on curry, the balti, began to become popular in the area around Birmingham, gradually spreading to other parts of the country. Kebab houses and American-style fried chicken hovels aiming at late night snacking have also become popular in urban areas.

New cuisine

The increasing popularity of celebrity chefs on television has fuelled an renewed 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.

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, especially following a spate of farming crises, including BSE.

There has also been a quiet revolution in both quality and quantity of places to dine out in Britain, in particular, the humble Public House has been transformed in the last twenty or so years. Many have made the transition from eateries of poor reputation to rivals of the best restaurants, the so called Gastropub - very often they now are the best restaurants in smaller towns. The term "Pub Grub", once derogatory, can now be a sign of excellent value and quality dining. Some credit for this sea change has to go to CAMRA, for helping to improve the quality of pubs and their products in general, and some to the privatisation of breweries, which forced many pubs to diversify into dining in order to survive as a business, as well as a greater appreciation and demand among consumers.

Traditional cuisine

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Ulster fry, a variant of British cooked breakfasts

Despite the fast-food reputation, traditional British cuisine has survived, largely in the countryside and amongst the upper classes.

The Sunday roast is perhaps the biggest culinary indication of a steadfastly traditional household. The Sunday dinner traditionally includes a Yorkshire pudding (almost always as part of the main meal, but sometimes before), followed by a joint of meat and assorted vegetables. The commonest joints are beef, lamb or pork; chicken is also popular. Since its wide-spread availability after World War II the most popular Christmas roast is turkey. 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 and trifle. The traditional accompaniment is custard, known as crème anglaise (English sauce) to the French. The dishes are simple and traditional, with recipes passed on from generation to generation. The pudding tradition reaches its height with the Christmas pudding.

At teatime, traditional British fare includes scones with butter, jam and clotted cream, as well as assorted biscuits and sandwiches. A unique sandwich filling is Marmite, a dark brown savoury spread made from yeast extract, with a tar-like texture and a strong, salty taste. A hand-made favourite is butterfly cake. Some schools teach young children how to bake such sweets during cookery lessons.

Tea is consumed throughout the day and is sometimes drunk with meals, especially at teatime. Coffee is much less common than in continental Europe. However, coffee is rising in popularity (and quality), while tea, though still an essential part of British life is less ubiquitous than it was. In more formal contexts wine is generally served.

The full English breakfast (or "cooked breakfast") also remains a culinary classic. Somerset Maugham is quoted as saying "To eat well in England, you should have breakfast three times a day." Fortunately it need no longer be true.

In the Victorian era, during the British Raj, Britain first started borrowing Indian dishes, creating Anglo-Indian cuisine, some of which is still eaten today.

Alcoholic drinks

Britons have developed alcoholic drinks like gin and whisky. For centuries, the British market was the main customer of sweet wines like sherry, Port wine, and Madeira wine. English wine has been available since the Roman era, but is generally considered poor; although in recent years, reflecting perhaps the improving palate of the British people, the quality of native wines has increased.

British beers tends to be bitter, with lager generally only being made for the lower end of the market. Any establishment catering for the middle of the market will tend to have a range of continental lagers available, notably Stella Artois which seems to be ubiquitous feature of the British pub scene. British bitter is often considered superior.

Vegetarianism

Since the end of World War II when their numbers were around 100,000, increasing numbers of the British population have adopted vegetarianism, especially since the BSE crisis of the 1990s. As of 2003 it was estimated that there were between 3 and 4 million vegetarians in the UK, one of the highest percentages in the western world. Around 7 million people claim to eat no red meat. It is rare to find no vegetarian foods in a supermarket or on a restaurant menu.

Lists

British food writers and celebrity chefs

Examples of British cuisine

For fuller lists, see the British section of the list of recipes and Category:British cuisine. For traditional foods protected under European law, see British Protected designation of origin.

Savoury dishes

Sweet dishes

Meals

breakfast, elevenses, brunch, lunch, dinner, supper, dessert, Tea

Rationing

See the article on rationing in Britain during World War II (which started in World War II and for lasted for several years afterward)

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).

Mrs Beeton the most famous cookery writer in British history and author of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.

External links

Archive of Helen's British Cooking site (no images) (http://web.archive.org/web/20030618084207/www.hwatson.force9.co.uk/)
London Restaurants Guide (http://www.london-eating.co.uk/)
UK Vegetarian Society (http://www.vegsoc.org/)
Wikibooks: Cookbook:Cuisine of the United Kingdom (http://wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Cuisine_of_the_United_Kingdom)
Food in 1850s London (http://abceda.com/eatold.htm)de:Englische Küche

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