A Short History of British Cuisine

Until recently British cuisine was in the doldrums, the poor relation of Europe, disdained for its lack of flavour, soggy vegetables and watery meat. The last thirty years have seen British cuisine fight back and re-establish itself proudly among the cosmopolitan collection of cuisines that we can now savour in the restaurants of the British Isles.

So where did British cuisine go wrong? Britain has always been a rich and fertile land, supporting diverse agriculture even before the Roman invasion. Cattle, sheep and pigs were supplemented by a wide variety of game. Many of the basic vegetables and herbs that we know today were introduced to Britain by the ancient Romans: onions, celery, rosemary, marjoram, parsnips, turnips and peas all came to us after 43AD and the carrot only arrived on our shores in the 15th century. Early cooking techniques included stewing with herbs, which has persevered as the principle cooking method of ordinary people to this century, or roasting meat over a fire for more celebratory occasions.

Grains were our staple starch until comparatively recently. Wheat and oats were grown from 1000-500BC and rye introduced by the Romans. Rough breads would have accompanied most meals. The potato which became the favoured British staple only arrived on our shores from the New World in 1586 and was treated with great suspicion for a while, considered difficult to digest and poisonous when undercooked.

As a sea-faring nation, Britain traded in spices from afar which were expensive and sought after. The tables of the rich in the Middle Ages through to the Renaissance were graced with elaborate dishes spiced with saffron, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and pepper.

It was only with the influence of the Puritans that plain food served as simply as possible became the sign of a virtuous British household and spices faded from the staple dishes of the middle classes, holding a place only at the tables of the Royal court and nobles.

With the growth of trade and the spread of British rule in India, spices once more began to be used at home with curries first being recorded in 1773.

Coffee and chocolate became expensive but fashionable drinks in the 1650s with coffee houses springing up in London, the haunts of wealthy men of fashion.

British food was known for its emphasis on good quality meat, especially beef .The taste for it served plain without too many fancy sauces persisted through recent centuries, despite the fashion for French cooks in the 18th and 19th centuries, who would create more elaborate dishes and sauces for the top echelons of society. Vegetables always took second place for those who could afford to eat meat every day. They were the poor man’s food, only seasonal delicacies such as asparagus and artichokes being worthy of a mention at a rich man’s table.

The decline of British cuisine came with the two World Wars in the last century. Food rationing and the loss of servants meant that many middle class women were struggling with learning to cook for their families at a time when there were very few ingredients available. Meat was severely rationed, as were butter, cheese and eggs, sugar, jam and canned fruit.  Even bread and potatoes began being rationed after the war ended, when Britain was struggling to re-establish the economy. Watery soups with little meat, bulked out with vegetables became the norm. Overcooked cabbage and potatoes brought little relief to this dismal diet.

Food rationing endured into the Fifties, but by the end of the decade European travel, and cookery writers like Elizabeth David, brought a new interest in cooking and European food to the British palate. It took a while for this influence to penetrate throughout Britain but gradually Modern British cuisine grew up, taking inspiration from Europe but basing itself on the best of British ingredients and restoring Britain’s reputation for good food.