Kamis, 06 November 2008

Dining with English Style


Once upon a time, you could always count on getting lousy meals in England. English “home cooking” — dull, insular, and uninspired — was the joke of Europe. That began to change in the 1980s, with the influx of new cooking trends that favored foods from France and Italy. Since then, London has become a major food capital, and the rest of the country has raised its food consciousness considerably. London is certainly the easiest place to find restaurants serving inventive Modern British cuisine, but you also encounter the new cooking style in smaller towns and even in some pubs. And don’t forget that spicy Indian cooking is England’s second “national” cuisine. You find thousands of Indian and other ethnic restaurants throughout the country.
But traditionalists have nothing to worry about. You can still get your hands on all those wonderful Old English faves — eggs, kippers, beans, and fried tomatoes for breakfast; bubble and squeak; roast beef and Yorkshire pudding; meat pies; fish and chips; cottage pie; sticky toffee pudding; and trifle. When traditional, non-fancy English dishes are done well, they’re super satisfying and delicious. If you travel around the country, look for local and regional specialties, such as sausage, lamb, cheese, and desserts.
While you’re in England, you can also look forward to the world of afternoon tea. In the West Country, you get a cream tea, which consists of tea; homemade scones; strawberry jam; and thick, rich, clotted cream from Devon or Cornwall. (You put the cream on your scones, not in your tea, and then top it all with the jam.) Elsewhere, you may find whipped cream in place of the clotted cream. You can have teas as simple or as fancy as you want.

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