Best British menu ideas
There's only one way to celebrate this very British summer: with food! Check out our perfectly patriotic menus.
Starters
Bacon tart
Andrew Nutter's tiny little bacon tarts are packed full of streaky bacon, sweet shallots and spinach, then ingeniously sealed with Welsh Rarebit. If you can't find Lancashire cheese, just use cheddar instead. Serve with mixed salad and a simple vinaigrette.
Prawn cocktail
As British as the BBC. Make your own Marie Rose sauce from ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, oil, a few drops of tabasco and a splash of brandy; then drizzle over cooked prawns and crunchy iceberg lettuce for the perfect prawn cocktail.
Veggie scotch eggs
We promise you won’t miss the meat in this cracking scotch egg recipe from the team behind Brighton’s Terre à Terre veggie restaurant. Rolled in puréed tofu and a zesty, herby panko crumb topping, they are best eaten with a dollop of homemade piccalilli.
Mains
Steak and ale pie
This is hearty food at its very best. The Hairy Bikers’ steak and ale pie is packed full of well-marbled braising steak, streaky bacon, fresh herbs and chestnut mushrooms, and topped with golden puff pastry.
Fish and chips
White, flaky fish, golden, glistening batter, and fat, vinegar-dowsed chips… every Brit loves fish and chips. Mitch Tonks serves his the classic way, with a homemade tartare sauce (very easy to make) and a squeeze of lemon.
Lamb wellington
The posh option, which if prepared patiently will work wonderfully every time. Mark Sargeant's wellington uses lamb cannons, a chestnut mushroom stuffing and slices of Parma ham for added indulgence.
Pudding
Spotted dick
A dish that was once renamed ‘Spotted Richard’ to avoid sniggers at a Welsh council canteen (the proper name was very quickly reinstated, you’ll be pleased to hear), spotted dick is an absolute classic and should always be served with custard, please.
Trifle
Love it or hate it, there's no denying that trifle deserves a place on the British dinner table. Brian Turner's very simple version uses bananas, a big slosh of sherry, chopped pistachios, vanilla, and a lot of double cream. Enjoy!
Jelly
Oh what fun it is to have a wibbly wobbly jelly for pudding! Valentine Warner likes his raspberry and blackcurrant flavoured, and drenched with cream. Top tip: when the jelly is set, dip your moulds into hot water for a few seconds, to help ease the jelly out.
Have we missed your favourite British dish? Tell us in the Comments Box below.
More tasty morsels
Comments
Be the first to comment
Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature