Is everyone enjoying British Food Fortnight?
The theme of this year’s event, aside from celebrating how amazing British food is, is rediscovering long-forgotten traditional recipes that were once unique to particular areas of Britain.
In our work as chefs, we travel all around the country meeting clients to see what their specific tastes are and it gives is the perfect opportunity to try dishes ‘native’ to an area.
One of the things we love the most about British food, and it’s not like this anywhere else in the world, is how many dishes are named after the place where they were first made. Some, like Cornish pasties and Melton Mowbray pies have even gone as far as asking for protected status to stop anyone copying them while others, such as Yorkshire puddings, provoke arguments about whether they really do come from a certain area – but that all makes it even better in our view.
Going from north to south, here are just some of our regional favourites:
Abroath smokies – If this small town on the east of Scotland is famous for one thing, it’s the smokies that are made here. Put simply, it’s salt-dried haddock smoked over hardwood and there really nothing better. This is one food which has protected status so woe betide anyone not within a five-mile radius of the town who uses the name.
Panaculty – Originating in Sunderland, but eaten all over the North East, traditionally this was eaten on a Monday as the dish was created using any leftover meat and vegetables from the Sunday dinner. It’s made with tinned corned beef, onion, sliced potatoes, stock and seasoning. It’s cheap and easy to make and is the perfect one pot comfort food.
Eccles cakes – Made with shiny topped flaky pastry and filled with dried fruit, sugar and spice, these cakes, originally made in a small town in Greater Manchester, were so good it’s said the Puritans tried to ban them!
Bara brith – this is effectively a fruit cake made with flour, mixed fruit, mixed spice, egg and cold black tea, but it’s a well-protected national treasure in Wales.
Leicestershire pie – it’s a pork pie but made with cured pork to set them apart from other pork pies.
Exmoor faggots – also known as Somerset faggots, this is a popular, and very tasty dish, containing lamb offal from the west country, minced meat, ham or bacon, carrot, onion, apple, breadcrumbs and seasoning.
Jellied eels – Originating in the east end of London in the 18th century they were a staple for the capital’s poor because the Thames was teaming with them. An acquired taste, you can still find plenty of eel and pie shops in London, so someone still likes them!
The list is literally endless, but we are all for preserving traditional great British foods, and that’s from a company which specialises in Asian food, although we have been known to mix the two, but that’s a blog for another day.
About Sean Flint
Development & Innovation Chef of SK Foods.
Your food. Our Passion.
