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.
English Food
Stokenchurch Pie
Stokenchurch Pie is an interesting dish, in that it’s considered a traditional dish in Buckinghamshire, though not “ancient.” It uses macaroni, so obviously it came about after pasta was introduced into England. Recipes for Stokenchurch Pie just call for “cooked meat”, so it was a way to use up leftover meat of any kind that…
Stottie Bread
Stottie is an English flat white bread, that is soft and round, about 2 ½ cm (1 inch) thick and 8 inches (20 cm) wide. Though made from standard white bread dough, the dough for Stotties doesn’t get a second rise, or a second knead. That gives them a tighter crumb, with a consistency somewhat…
Striped Beefing Apples
Related to Norfolk Biffin Apples. Has crimson stripes. Cooks up better than Norfolk Beefing, but doesn’t store as well. History Notes Found in 1794 in garden of William Crowe, Norwich, Norfolk, England. Not really grown much until after 1850.
Suffolk Cure
Suffolk Cure is a sweet cure applied to hams. The ham spends 1 month in brine, then is cured in a sweet solution of sugar, salt and saltpetre or stout, spices and molasses (or black treacle.) Lighter recipes will use cider instead of stout. The stout doesn’t have to Guinness. For instance it can be…
Suffolk Hams
Suffolk Hams are brined first, then cured either in cider (aka “hard cider” in North America), or stout. Added to the curing mix is molasses (or black treacle) and spices, The ham is then lightly smoked over oak chippings, then usually aged for at least a month after smoking. The outside is a blackish-brown. A…
Summer Pudding
Summer Pudding © Denzil Green Summer pudding is an uncooked, sweet bread pudding. It is made from mixed fresh soft fruits, sugar and white bread slices. Despite the presence of bread, summer pudding is actually extremely light, and very flavourful, and looks stunning and luscious. Even people who don’t like sweets or desserts often rave…
Tale of Two Cities Published
On the 30th of April 1859, Charles Dickens published the Tale of Two Cities. The book provides a sobering look at the diets of the poor at the end of the 1700s.
The Tradescants
John Tradescant was an English horticulturist who introduced many new food plants to England. His curio collection formed the basis of what is now known as the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
Thomas Laxton: Fruit and Vegetable Breeder
Thomas Laxton Life and Times Thomas Laxton was a plant breeder who introduced many new varieties of strawberries, and worked with Charles Darwin in experiments on peas. The nursery that he founded, carried on by his descendants for many generations, became famous for the apple varieties that it introduced. Thomas was born 1830 in Tinwell,…
Tregothnan Tea
Tregothnan Tea is an English tea, actually grown in England. It is grown at Tregothnan estate owned by the Boscawen family near Truro, Cornwall. The estate has a plantation of about 8,000 tea bushes (as of 2006) of the Camellia sinensis variety of tea. Harvesting of the leaves starts when the bushes are about 3…
Tunbridge Wells Wafers
Tunbridge Wells Wafers, aka Romary Biscuits, are a historical commercial biscuit (i.e. cookie for North Americans) which has not been made since 1981. They were flat, oval-shaped, thin, delicate, light biscuits about 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide that came in two flavours, regular or ginger. The regular ones were not sweet, but had a rich…
Wensleydale Cheese
Wensleydale cheese is a white, moist, crumbly cheese. It has a clean tang behind its mild taste. It may be made from cow’s milk, sheep’s milk, or a blend of both. The more sheep’s milk, the whiter the cheese will be.
Whitstable Oysters
Whitstable oysters are oysters harvested off the coast of the town of Whistable, Kent, England. These oysters have been prized for their culinary value since at least the 1400s.
William Cobbett: Social Reformer and Home Brewing Advocate
William Cobbett circa 1831 Life and Times William Cobbett lived from 9 March 1763 — 18 June 1835. He was a social reformer at the start of the Industrial Revolution; he was also a farmer and a pamphleteer (nowadays, we would call him an “activist”), and the founder of Hansard publications. Cobbett was a fan…
Wiltshire Bacon
Wiltshire Bacon © Denzil Green Wiltshire Bacon is a wet-cured bacon made from pork loin. This bacon cut has a large round oval of lean meat from the loin, making up most of the piece of bacon. At the end of the piece, there is a small, narrow streaky portion from the pork belly; and…
Windsor Red Cheese
Windsor Red Cheese is a cheddar-like cheese with red marbling coloration and flavoured either with a wine such as Bordeaux or Elderberry, or with blended port and brandy.
Yorkshire Pudding
Yorkshire pudding is a plain puffed pastry served with the savoury part of a meal, whose origins harken back to the county of Yorkshire in England. See also: Popovers, Yorkshire Pudding Day, Yorkshire Pudding Recipe What is a Yorkshire pudding? It is not a pudding at all, in the dessert sense, but instead a plain-flavoured…