UK cuisine isn’t just fish and chips
Print Edition
Everyone used to joke that Britain had no “cuisine” as such. But the concept of the UK as a country of boring roast meat, potatoes and overcooked vegetables is fast being eclipsed by a more modern view of what that country can contribute to our palates.
Well, there is more to life than just fish and chips!
In fact, English, Scottish and Welsh regional specialties, combined with international flavors from the once far-flung British Empire, have been fused into a diverse cuisine.
“It’s not a complicated cuisine, but it is made with good quality local products,” said Albert Servalls, culinary director of the Langham, Shanghai, Xintiandi.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, he explained, Britain began to absorb some of the “penetrating spices and herbs” of colonies like India.
Foreign influences were also carried to the UK by waves of immigrants from former colonies in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Modern British cuisine is a cooking style that began emerging in the late 1970s. It uses high-quality local ingredients and prepares them using traditional British recipes and new twists in taste.
“London is a modern cosmopolitan city and one of the leading cities in Europe in terms of design, tradition and innovation,” said Servalls.
Classic British dishes include the ubiquitous Sunday roast, steak and kidney pie, shepherd’s pie, Yorkshire pudding, Cumberland sausage, trifle and Welsh cakes.
Another unique British tradition is afternoon tea, which features the beverage and assorted cakes, scones and sandwiches.
The person credited with creating the afternoon tea is Anna Maria Stanhope, the 7th Duchess of Bedford and a lady-in-waiting to the queen in the 19th century. She began to invite friends to join her for light meals to fill the gap between lunch and dinner.
The Palm Court at the Langham, London has been famously serving high tea since the Victorian era.
“We try to stay as close to tradition as much as possible,” said Servalls. “So we have items such as cucumber, ham and cream cheese sandwiches, and scones and fruit tarts with English cream.”
The afternoon tea would not be complete without scones. Nowadays they come in a myriad of varieties, including those with chocolate chips or candied fruit. They are always served warm and usually with jam and clotted cream. A very rich treat.
“We use a traditional recipe from England,” he said.
Recipe Collector
Chef Albert Servalls’ scone recipe
Ingredients:
600g flour
700g cream
80g sugar
30g baking powder
6g salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. If using a home oven, turn it on to full heat to compensate for what is lost when you place the tray of scones there to cook. Once placed there, turn the oven down to temperature.
Gently mix the ingredients together in a large bowl until the dough is no longer sticky.
Pat the dough into a 2-centimeter-thick round, place the sheet on plastic film and store in the fridge for a couple hours.
Cut the dough in round pieces.
Calculate the baking time according to the size of the scones. It should be about 20-25 minutes.
Before finishing, beat an egg and brush it on the top of each scone for a golden color, then bake for no more than 3 more minutes.
Serve warm with homemade jams and clotted cream.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
