Traditional British Cooking: Simple Recipes for Classic British Food [Hardcover]

Susannah Blake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2007

Sample the best of British with this one-stop guide to traditional British fare. Pies, roasts, casseroles, and teatime treats--all the old favorites are here. Take inspiration from Soups, Appetizers, and Snacks, and make a Leek and Potato Soup to warm you up on a cold winter's day. Tuck into an authentic Fish Supper from the Fish chapter or create a hearty entree from Poultry and Game. For an unbeatable Meat dinner, devote some time to making Rolled Pork Roast. No wholesome meal would be complete without something On the Side, such as crunchy Roast Potatoes or Yorkshire Puddings. End your authentic dinner with a comforting Bread and Butter Pudding from the Desserts chapter. Then for Teatime--the epitome of British culinary tradition--make some Scones with Clotted Cream and Strawberry Jam. *Simple recipes for classic British comfort food-a style of foood that's definitely back in fashion. *Includes recipes for Pantry essentials, such as Plum Chutney and Lemon Curd.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Since 2000. Ryland Peters and Small was founded in 1995 to bring a breath of fresh air to illustrated book publishing. At their offices in London and New York they work with the best authors, photographers, illustrators and stylists to create books that combine innovative, cutting-edge design and images with practical, accessible information. Their beautiful books are devoted to the pleasures of life: health and wellbeing, our homes and gardens, the food we eat, the wine we drink. Ryland Peters and Small staff has enormous fun creating their books, and they hope you have as much fun reading them. In 1999 they launched the Paperstyle gift range of elegant notecards, journals, interactive journals and address books. All perfect for gifts – but perhaps too good to give away?

Product Details

• Hardcover: 239 pages
• Publisher: Ryland Peters & Small (September 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845974875
• ISBN-13: 978-1845974879
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #789,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not-so-Traditional British Cooking, November 6, 2007

By 

venatrix (UK) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Traditional British Cooking: Simple Recipes for Classic British Food (Hardcover)

I grew up in London, and have a very traditional English mother, so if there's one thing I know, it's British food. If you've never made British food before, I don't suggest that you start with this cookbook. The introduction states, "Traditional British Cooking brings you . . . British-inspired gems." And that's my main grumble with this cookbook. Many of the recipes aren't really traditional, but they might have British elements to them. For example, cheese and onion bread is a quite common recipe in British cookbooks. The authors call for leeks in their recipe, nothing wrong with that, but they also call for Asiago cheese. Note to authors: Asiago is an Italian cheese, and is definitely not a feature of traditional British cooking. The mashed potato recipe calls for two heads of garlic. If a British cook were feeling daring, she might toss in a clove or two, not two heads.

I once read that the beauty of British cookery lies in its simplicity; it's the quality of the ingredients that carries it through. The authors don't emphasise that you really need to buy proper British ingredients to make British food work. A Welsh rabbit (cheese sauce on toast) made with American cheddar and beer will be ghastly. I make mine with English cheddar and Bass ale, and it's heavenly.

Nevertheless, the recipes are quite good if you want to take British cooking beyond its roots. For a good starter cookbook, I'd recommend Hilaire Walden's Traditional British Cooking. It's the cookbook I reach for most often when I fancy having the things that I grew up with (which is almost every day). There are a few typos/omissions in that book, which have perhaps been corrected, as I have an early edition, and a couple of things that need to be changed (omit the lemon juice from the sticky toffee pudding sauce - it's horrible with it; roll the scones out to one-inch thick - scones don't rise all that much and will be too flat if not rolled out thick enough), but you can usually puzzle out what's missing and, overall, it's a splendid introduction to the glories of British food. Just remember: for success, top-notch ingredients, British wherever possible.