Nigel Slater (1958 – ) is a food commentator. He lives in Highbury, near Islington in London, England. He has written for various magazines, hosted TV series on foods, and written many books about food.
English Food
Nigella Lawson
Life and Times Nigella Lawson is a celebrity TV cook and cookbook author. Not a professional cook by training, she emphasizes enjoyment rather than achievement in cooking. She is not a purist; she is not afraid to reach for frozen vegetables or powdered stock. Her shows show her actually eating her own food, sitting on…
Norfolk Beefing
Norfolk Beefing are medium to large-sized apples that are round, though slightly flattened. The apples are about 3 inches wide x 2 ½ inches tall (7.5 cm x 6.5 cm.) The skin has a greenish-yellow background with dull red blushes and stripes, which sometimes turn to a brownish purple. Inside, the crisp, juicy flesh is…
Norfolk Biffin Cakes
Norfolk Biffin Cakes were in fact not cakes as we think of “cakes”, but rather baked Norfolk Beefing apples, sold cold. These were slowly cooked whole, then cored, then rubbed with sugar. You would eat them cold or room temperature. To eat, you would peel off the tough skin, and garnish with more sugar and…
Oxford Isis Cheese
Oxford Isis Cheese has a soft, pale yellow creamy inside and a soft, slightly-darker rind on the outside. It has a strong tangy taste and smell. During aging, the rind is sprayed with mead.
Oxtail Brawn
Oxtail Brawn is made the same way as pork brawn, but by using a cow’s tail instead. It is considered tastier than pork brawn by brawn aficionados. It has traditionally been made instead of pork brawn in Suffolk, England.
Pershore Yellow Egg Plum
Pershore Yellow Egg Plums have greenish-skin with yellowish blushes, with yellowish flesh inside. The tree can pollinate itself. Cooking Tips Good for preserving and cooking with. History Notes Pershore Yellow Egg Plum was found by chance in 1822 growing wild in Tiddesley Woods near Penshore, Worcestershire. It became very popular. It has now largely been…
Philip Harben
Philip Harben had one of the world’s first televised cooking programmes, starting in 1946 on the BBC. Philip Harben’s ‘Cookery’ Television Programme Historian Tony Currie of BBC Scotland, author of A Concise History of British Television, 1930-2000, writes: “Philip Harben made his first appearance in the programme billed simply as “Cookery” on 12th June 1946….
Piccalilli Relish
Piccalilli is a chunky yellow relish in a thick mustard sauce. It can be made at home, or bought commercially. It has a taste variously described as pungent, head-clearing, tart, tangy, snappy and vinegary. Consequently, it stands up well to other strong-tasting foods. Piccalilli is used as an accompaniment to cheeses, cured meats, sausages, meat…
Pimm’s
Pimm’s® is an alcholic drink mix based on herbs and quinine. The base alcohol in it can be gin, vodka or brandy, depending on the version. Pimm’s® Number 1, based on gin, is the most popular. It is 25% alcohol — its alcohol content used to be higher. Because of this, some people like to…
Players Original Punch
Players Original Punch is a red-coloured alcoholic drink (22% alcohol by volume) first made by Lamb & Watt of Liverpool, England. It is now (2009) owned by Halewood International of Liverpool, England. Like Pimms, it is considered a fruit cup. Cooking Tips Use as you would Pimms.
Plump
Plump is a dish that was eaten by very poor people in Norfolk, England. Leftover bread was soaked in hot water with sugar and butter or dripping.
Pomfret Cakes
Pomfret Cakes © Dave Spellman / flickr.com / 2006 / CC BY 2.0 A Pomfret Cake is actually a lozenge, not a cake, traditionally made in Pontrefact, Yorkshire. It’s made from liquorice thickened with flour and sweetened with sugar. The lozenges are stamped with a picture of a castle (actually a castle gate.) The lozenges…
Porter’s Perfection Apples
Porter’s Perfection Apples have pale creamy yellow skin with dark red stripes. Sometimes 2 to 4 of the apples grow joined together. The flesh has a bittersharp taste with little astringency, and a good balance of tartness and tanins. The fruit ripens late October / early November in England. The tree is winter hardy, but…
Poume d’oranges
Poume d’oranges is a name for a meatball dish that was made in England in the 1200s. The meatballs were formed to both resemble oranges and be sweet like them, showing the Medieval taste for combing savoury and sweet. The meat used is ground pork, mixed with egg yolk. You form the balls by first…
Red Herrings
Herring go off very quickly, within 24 hours, and they don’t dry well in the air, as cod do, because they are too oily. Both salting and then smoking them provides double protection to ensure preservation of the fish. This double treatment is used in making red herring. The herring is salted heavily, either directly…
Sally Lunn Cakes
Sally Lunn Cakes are not actually cakes at all. Rather, they are large white plain bread rolls made in and around Bath, England. The bread roll is about as wide as a sandwich plate, and 4 to 5 inches (10 to 12.5 cm) tall. The texture is light, and almost but not quite, crumbly. The…
Scrumptious Apples
Scrumptious are medium to large-sized, slightly flattened apples. They have thin, yellow skin flushed with bright, rosy-red, occasionally with russet dots. Inside, they have juicy, off-white flesh. The taste is good, being sweet with a balance of tartness. Some detect an afternote of anise in the taste. The fruit ripens September / October in England….
Shrewsbury Biscuits
Shrewsbury biscuits are light, hard, crisp cookies. They are made from butter, eggs, flour, spices and rosewater. Some variants add sherry and / or currants. The dough is rolled out thinly, cut into shapes, pricked with a fork, and baked. Shrewsbury biscuits are light brown when cooked. Storage Hints Store Shrewsbury biscuits in an airtight…
Singing Hinnies
Singing Hinnies are a quick bread, risen with a chemical leavener such as baking powder or baking soda. Currants or raisins are mixed into the dough, which is then rolled out, cut into small rounds, and cooked on a griddle. They look something like what North Americans would call an “English Muffin.” Singing Hinnies are…
Snowman Pumpkins
Snowman Pumpkins have white, tough rind. They are big enough to use for carving, but the flesh has a good, sweet flavour that makes it good eating as well. History Notes Snowman Pumpkins were being grown in the UK as of 2004 in Upwell, near Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. The seed came from America.
Spearmint
Spearmint is the mint that you are most likely to find in stores and growing in people’s gardens (hence its other name, Garden Mint.) Like Peppermint, it is regarded as an English variety of mint.Even though most spearmint grown ends up in toothpaste and chewing gum, it is also popular in cooking, being less overwhelming…
Stargazy Pie
Stargazy pie is a fish pie made in Mousehole, West Cornwall, England, near Penzance. The pie has a top crust. The heads of the fish (pilchards) are left on, and the fish placed in the pie so that their heads poke through holes in the crust, as though they are gazing up at the stars….
Stoke’s Red Apple
These cider apples have red skin that is sometimes waxy. The apples are round but flattened. The taste is sharp, tart and astringent. History Notes The trees were found growing in Rodney Stoke, Somerset, England in the 1920s.