In Grandads Cookbook I like to showcase traditional British recipes like Fish and Chips, Pie and Mash or Toad in the Hole. While these recipes have unusual names they use basic ingredients like beef mince, sausages, potatoes, suet, fruit and eggs.
Their names often have historical origins, usually from a British county so I thought it would be interesting to show where they came from. I believe food is always more interesting when it has a historical context. It preserves its heritage and often its links to locally produced ingredients.
After a bit of research, it appears that the rest of the world believes that we have produced some world-renowned chefs like Gordon Ramsey and Jamie Oliver who create beautiful food but that historically British food is plain.
It doesn’t help matters as we have a habit of making recipes with names that bear no relation to what’s in them. Take for example the earlier mentioned Toad in the Hole. I can categorically state that it does NOT contain any toads.
Let’s be honest navigating British menus can be confusing, especially if you are one of our cousins from across the pond in the USA.
For our US cousins here in the UK:
- Chips are crisps
- French fries are chips
- Ground beef is minced meat
- Mincemeat has no meat in it
- Black pudding is not a dessert
- Spotted dick is not a medical condition.
So where in the UK do our oddly named recipes originate?
You may also like one of my other favourite recipes …
