Bradenham Ham originated in Wiltshire, England. The ham is first dry-cured in salt, then placed in a liquid cure of molasses, coriander, juniper berries, and other ingredients. After curing, it is aged for 6 months, then smoked. The outside skin of the ham becomes black and shiny. The meat inside is sweet and mild. Several…
British Food
Branston Pickle
Branston Pickle is a relish of diced, crunchy mixed pickled vegetables in a thick, dark sweet and sour sauce.
British Apples
Americans may say “as American as apple pie”, but it was the Brits who taught them how to make it, and some might argue that there’s nothing more British than an apple from the British countryside — even though apples are no more native to Britain than they are to North America.In fact, many British…
British Cheeses
There are over 700 different specialty cheeses available in the UK, compared to the 600 available in France. Still, cheddar remains a firm favourite, constituting almost half the cheese sold in the UK.
British Food
Lea & Perrins © Denzil Green North Americans pat themselves on the back for having revolutionised their cooking in the past few decades. Pasta, olive oil and designer sea salts are now taken completely for granted. They feel even more on top of the world when they make jokes about British food. The jokes are…
British Wartime Food
Wartime food policies were one of the critical success factors in WW2 for the UK. They kept the military fed & the civilian population working, & resulted in the British population being healthier than at any time before or since in history.
Buckle
Buckle is a thick-batter cake with fruit (usually blueberries) and a crumble topping on it. Some recipes will have you put the fruit on top of the batter, some will have you stir in into the batter. In either case, as the batter bakes and rises, the fruit sinks into it, but depressions remain in…
Bustards
Bustards are very large birds. They have longer bodies than turkeys, weigh up to 30 pounds (13 ½ kilos) and have a wing span up to 7 feet (2 metres.) Despite the impressive wing span, they are not great flyers and can only fly for short periods. To compensate, they evolved into good runners and…
Candied Fruit
Candied fruit is fruit that has been candied by drawing cell water out of the fruit and replacing that water by sugar. The bulk of the candied fruit industry is focussed on candied cherries.
Cauliflower Cheese
“Cauliflower cheese” is a savoury English vegetable side dish made from cauliflower that has been lightly boiled or steamed, which is then put in a casserole dish and covered with cheese or a cheese sauce, often sprinkled with bread crumbs, and baked or grilled until the cheese is bubbling, then served hot. Though some rate…
Charles Elmé Francatelli: Victorian Celebrity Chef
Charles Elmé Francatelli was a Victorian celebrity chef. He wrote several important cookbooks, and held three of the most prestigious cooking positions in England.
Chipolatas
Chipolatas are mild, thin, English sausages about 1 inch thick (2.5 cm) made from unspiced pork. They are what North Americans would generally call “breakfast sausages.” The term “Chipolatas” is also used in Australia and New Zealand. Cooking Tips Not good to barbeque, as they can slip through the grate. Chipolatas are sold raw, so…
Chitterlings
Chitterlings are pigs’ intestines that have been cleaned, prepared and cooked The intestines are turned inside out, scraped and cleaned, then cut into lengths or braided. They are then sometimes brined overnight. The intestines are then cooked in boiling salted water for 30 minutes (giving off a very pronounced, pungent smell.) Chitterlings can be sold…
Christmas Cakes
Christmas cakes can be either light or dark cakes with fruit in them that may or may not be iced or glazed. Christmas cakes are quite recent, historically. Up until the end of the 1800s, puddings were made for Christmas, and cakes were made for Twelfth Night.
Christmas Pudding
Christmas Pudding is a steamed pudding that is served at Christmas. It may be decorated and contain prizes, and it may be set alight at the table. It is typically served with a sweet sauce or thick cream.
Cider Vinegar
Cider vinegar, sometimes called by its full name “apple cider vinegar”, is a light amber coloured, inexpensive vinegar made from fermented apples. It has a real tang, which is a bit much for delicate vinaigrettes or sauces, but it holds its own well against stronger tastes in chutneys and marinades. It is the most popular…
Clarissa Dickson Wright
Clarissa Dickson Wright was an English celebrity cook who gained overnight fame as one of the two principals on the TV series called “Two Fat Ladies.”
Clotted Cream
Clotted Cream © Denzil Green While it would be a stretch to say Clotted Cream is practically butter (butter has 80% butterfat and up, while Clotted Cream is “only” 55% butterfat), it is a thick, spreadable cream with the consistency of soft butter and has a pale, buttery colour. Its taste lies somewhere in between…
Conference Pears
Conference pears are long, tapered pears with skin green fading to yellow, with russet blotches. They are juicy and sweet. Cooking Tips Good all-purpose pear that can be used for eating fresh, cooking or preserving. History Notes Conference pears were developed by Thomas Francis Rivers (1831-1899) of Rivers Nursery in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, England from 1884…
Constance Spry: English Food Writer
Constance Spry was an English food writer, and co-founder of the Constance Spry Cordon Bleu School of Cookery in London.
Cornish Pasties
Cornish Pasties © Denzil Green Cornish Pasties are hand-sized pouches of pastry with a savoury filling inside, with the default filling being a beef mixture. They are made in a half-moon shape (or “D” shape, if you will) 7 to 9 inches (18 to 23 cm) long, and crimpled around around the edge on one…
Coronation Chicken
Coronation Chicken is cooked chicken in a curried mayonnaise sauce. It is used both as a salad with rice, and as a sandwich filler. It was invented to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953.
Cotherstone Cheese
Cotherstone cheese is a semi-hard cheese with a sharp, slightly tangy taste. It is sold covered with yellow wax. Inside, the cheese has an “open” texture.
Cottage Pie
Minced or chopped beef, mixed or topped with vegetables, then topped with mashed potatoes and baked. Before mincing machines came along in the 1870s, it would have been made with chunks of meat, and before the British grudgingly started eating the potato at the end of the 1700s, it would have been topped with a…