Book description
British food has not traditionally been regarded as one of the
world's great cuisines, and yet Stilton cheese, Scottish raspberries,
Goosnargh duck and Welsh lamb are internationally renowned and
celebrated. And then there are all those dishes and recipes that
inspire passionate loyalty among the initiated: Whitby lemon buns and
banoffi pie, for example; pan haggerty and Henderson's relish. All are
as integral a part of the country's landscape as green fields, rolling
hills and rocky coastline.
In Food Britannia, Andrew Webb travels the country to bring
together a treasury of regional dishes, traditional recipes,
outstanding ingredients and heroic local producers. He investigates
the history of saffron farming in the UK, tastes the first whisky to
be produced in Wales for one hundred years, and tracks down the New
Forest's foremost expert on wild mushrooms. And along the way, he
uncovers some historical surprises about our national cuisine. Did you
know, for example, that the method for making clotted cream, that
stalwart of the cream tea, was probably introduced from the Middle
East? Or that our very own fish and chips may have started life as a
Jewish-Portuguese dish? Or that Alfred Bird invented his famous
custard powder because his wife couldn't eat eggs?
The result is a rich and kaleidoscopic survey of a remarkably
vibrant food scene, steeped in history but full of fresh ideas for the
future: proof, if proof were needed, that British food has come of age.
ANDREW WEBB is a food journalist and photographer who has worked for
Channel 4 and the BBC. He has also written for
Waitrose Kitchen
and
Delicious
magazines. He lives in London.
