British cuisine has a bad rap. No one ever says they are going to England for the food. How could this really be the case with things like lamb pie, succulent gravy and lightly fried fish are national staples? This past weekend we traveled to the Lake District and northern England and committed indulging in only British fare. Here are a few samplings from my favorite pub in Keswick, the Dog & Gun. Todd got their famous goulash, which was fantastic, but undersalted.
Honestly, it was delicious. Though I’m not a big fan of peas, I really enjoyed all of my meals, English breakfasts included. Even a fast food meat and onion pie near the train station in Penrith was delicious.
What are the roots of this negative British culinary reputation? I actually had this conversation today with someone. Likely this stems from war time when the country was rationing every ounce of nourishment and had no capacity to focus on cooking. I would imagine hunkering down in an air raid shelter during WWII, no one was thinking, “Man, that was a bland dinner.”
So I’m here to say, British food is misunderstood. It’s delicious and I’ll be having a lot more while I’m here in London this year. And don’t forget that Indian, one of the best cuisines of all time, is in fact considered British cuisine. Cheerio.
Hi! My name is Amanda from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and I am excited to join Epic Portions. For the next five and a half months, my husband and I are living in London. I hope to document this experience through food – the good, the bad and the weird.
