British Isles

The British Kitchen

Marmite on toastBritain had a really bad rap for it’s food and probably still has to people that haven’t been there recently. But over the last decade there certainly has been some kind of Food Revolution going on and I think this has been mainly due to Television and the likes of Delia, Keith Floyd and Jamie Oliver and also the awareness now some of us have for what we eat.

I live in Berlin, Germany and do miss my British food. There are some Irish bars that do food and we now have a restaurant that is doing quite well, there is even a chain of fish restaurants where I can get fish nuggets and chips, but it’s not the same and no malt vinegar! In the summer last year a fish restaurant next to the lake where I live opened up a beer garden and they do fish and chips and even have malt vinegar. The quality is also much better that the restaurant chain mentioned. We used to have a cornish pasty shop for about a year but sadly that closed down. The closest you get to a pie here is the Geflugelrolle, which is basically minced poultry, could be chicken or turkey? Who knows? They are done up like a sausage roll and actually taste pretty good! But as for meat pies, forget it!

And Luckily I can cook and there is nothing British that I cannot cook now. I have also been trying to convince my German family of how good British food can be. My wife and boys love British food and especially the comfort food that I grew up with.

Last year my in-laws joined us in England for a week , so they were engulfed in the culture and food. Fish and chips, bangers and mash, pies and of course the “Full English Breakfast”! The funniest thing for me was that the Germans bang on about thier bread and they all seem to think that we just eat sliced white in the Uk. Well, my father-in-law was really impressed with the bread and sausages. These two things in particular pleased me coming from a German. They also couldn’t get over the selection of sausages and bacon and the cold hams etc for sale in the supermarkets.

Most of my British cooking is done by taste and I don’t really use a recipe but I will try and get a basic guidline recipe for those expats that want to make their own home comfort food.

Check out some of these great recipes:

Bangers And Mash

I know I say this about most British recipes, but Bangers and Mash along with Fish and Chips and Pie and Mash, have to be the all time most popular British foods! There are many great dishes, but they are not to everyones taste and Bangers and Mash…

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Beef stew with dumplings
Beef Stew With Dumplings

There was one meal I loved as a kid on a cold winters day, or even better, to come home to on a cold rainy saturday evening after playing football (soccer) and this is the real deal! My Mum cooked a beef or lamb stew with dumplings to perfection and I had cooked this myself many times…

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Beef Wellington
Beef Wellington

I have only ever eaten this a few times, but as I love anything wrapped in pastry, it was something I had to make for myself and it is really not that difficult, it’s also one of those dishes that will impress any dinner guest…

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Bubble and Squeek
Bubble and Squeak

So what is bubble and squeak you may ask? Well, it all started off as a wonderful way to use up the left overs from the traditional sunday roast dinner. As you should all know that a sunday roast will last the average family through until fish n chips on friday…

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Champ Irish mashed potato
Champ

As we all know the Irish are well known for their use of potatoes. Now I am a big potato lover and I do love nice creamy mash in fact I would normally take mash over most other potato dishes, although not so much these days and of course my boys love my mash, especially with plenty of butter used…

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Cottage Pie

There are pies and there are pies and this pie is essentially not a pie, as like a Shepherds Pie, instead of a pastry crust it has mashed potato as a crust.

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Irish stew
Irish Stew

On a cold day like today or even from now until the end of march, which is usually the case living here in Berlin, an Irish stew can warm the cockles of your heart! Irish stew one could say is the national dish of Ireland and was traditionally simply mutton…

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Lancashire Hotpot
Lancashire Hotpot

This classic British dish which once adorned nearly every pub menu the length and breadth of old Blighty is one of a dying breed and is on the British Endangered Food list, especially now that the pub menus are mostly Thai, pasta and burgers! However, it is a traditional classic recipe from Lancashire…

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macaroni cheese
Macaroni Cheese

Macaroni and cheese also known as mac and cheese, cheese macaroni, macaroni pie and macaroni cheese is a dish I am sure we all grew up with and have had different versions of! Where to categorise this dish became a bit of a problem, especially as to the origin…

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Potted Shrimp
Potted Shrimp

When done properly this makes a fantastic appetizer and like the Gentlemans Relish, this is a British Classic! Potted shrimps are a traditional Lancastrian dish made with the small brown shrimp from Morecombe Bay…

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scotch eggs
Scotch Eggs

Whenever we travel to England the first thing my eldest son wants is a Scotch egg and who can blame him, they are awesome! Of course there are Scotch eggs and there are Scotch eggs…

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Shepherds Pie

Growing up in the UK shepherds pie was a dish that we would have almost weekly and when we didn’t my Mum said that they were out of shepherds this week and I never really thought about questioning her about it…

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The perfect soft boiled egg!
Soft Boiled Eggs

I think I can safely say that all us Brits grew up with our boiled eggs and soldiers for breakfast. I always had mine in my Noddy egg cup that had a little hat to keep my eggy warm! Now I don’t know what secret my Mum had but the egg was always perfect…

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steak and kidney pie
Steak and Kidney Pie

Growing up in the UK pies are part of everyday life, more or less. There are pies that are regional, there are pies that if steamed are called puddings…

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Toad in the Hole

I just love this dish and growing up in England we had it at least once a month. When I was living in Vancouver I had a craving for toad in the hole and so I made a big roasting dish full. I Couldn’t finish it and it sat in my oven. That night some friends came over after a few beers…

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Welsh Rarebit
Welsh Rarebit

Now there is cheese on toast which I love and I have made with all sorts of variations and then there is Welsh Rarebit the POSH cheese on toast and growing up this was a teatime favourite for me and I reckon we must have had it every week. For those of you who don’t know, Welsh rarebit or Welsh rabbit is a…

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Yorkshire pudding
Yorkshire Pudding

If you don’t know what a Yorkshire pudding is then you really need to get on it right now and try one. Yorkshre pudding ia an English pastry eating usually with a roast beef dinner. Although traditionally it was made by poor Yorkshire people that could only afford a small piece of meat…

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