THE CLASSICS AND FUSIONS OF...THE BRITISH CUISINE

DID YOU KNOW?

London, one of the most diverse cities in the world, has over 300 languages spoken – that’s more than any other city across the globe.

To honour one of the nation’s favourite dishes, the curry, National Curry Week has been celebrated since 1998 to appreciate the growing Indian restaurant industry and raise funds for charity.

The pub is a second home for many (not surprising when you consider “pub” is short for “public house”). Pubs are social hotspots and many serve food, from bar snacks to full three-course meals.

Fish & chips is a national dish and is best served from a “proper chippy” (i.e. a proper chip shop on the coast). Typically cod or haddock, deep-fried in batter and served with chunky chips, wrapped in paper. Until the 1980s, the paper used was actually newspapers!

The Cornish pasty, a baked pastry filled with meat and vegetables, was traditionally eaten by Cornish miners as a complete meal they could carry with them.

The British tradition of afternoon tea consists of tea served with sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and various pastries. It was popularised in the 19th century by the Duchess of Bedford who introduced it as a way to curb hunger between lunch and dinner.

Soda bread is a popular Northern Irish bread made with baking soda instead of yeast. It has a dense texture and is typically served with butter or as an accompaniment to soups and stews.

The sandwich was named after John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, who popularised the idea of putting meat between two slices of bread.

Haggis, a savoury pudding made from sheep’s offal, onions, oatmeal, and spices, is a traditional Scottish dish often served with neeps and tatties (turnips and potatoes).

Welsh rarebit is a traditional Welsh dish made of melted cheese mixed with beer or ale, mustard, and seasonings, served on toasted bread.

British cuisine has been influenced by its history of colonisation, leading to the incorporation of ingredients and dishes from countries such as India, China, and the Caribbean.

Modern vs Traditional British Cuisine

Traditional British cuisine is made up of hearty and comforting dishes, making use of locally available ingredients. Traditional British cuisine includes iconic dishes such as roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, beef Wellington, and bangers and mash. These dishes are often associated with nostalgia and evoke a sense of heritage.

Modern British cuisine also uses quality, locally-sourced ingredients that emphasise seasonality but it differs from traditional British cuisine in that it embraces innovation and creativity. Modern British cuisine uses traditional foundations as a starting point and combines inspiration from global flavours, techniques, and ingredients.

Multiculturalism has significantly influenced modern British cuisine, bringing new ingredients and cooking styles into the culinary landscape. The diverse cultural communities in Britain have introduced their traditional dishes, leading to the integration of Indian, Chinese, Pakistani, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, and other international cuisines into the British food scene. This has resulted in an array of ingredients being quite at home in British kitchens, including spices, herbs, tropical fruits, and diverse vegetables from around the world, expanding the range of flavours and textures found in modern British recipes.

It’s not just other cultures settling in Britain that’s influenced the cuisine there though – British chefs are actively travelling in search of new flavours, techniques and combinations. There has also been a renewed focus on seasonal produce and even foraging of herbs, mushrooms and berries, to bring local flavours to prominence.